Too often, learning impact is assessed only at the end - when it’s too late to influence outcomes.
This paper advocates for a shift in approach: designing for performance from the outset, to position L&D as a strategic driver of business success.
“Give executives clear, concrete examples of how trainings are making a real difference in employee performance and how that translates to overall business results.” Forbes (2025)
Part 1 introduces how aligning learning with business goals, engaging stakeholders early, and applying human-centric design across three foundational pillars helps to embed performance measurement throughout the learning journey.
Part 2 provides practical guidance through the Plan–Map–Measure approach, emphasising the importance of stakeholder collaboration and clear communication to demonstrate performance improvements and success stories.
It may seem counter intuitive, but measuring learning only at the end is often too late. Evidence and experience suggests that to truly drive performance, learning experiences must be designed with results in mind from the outset - not as a retrospective report. We advocate that every element, from structure to schedule, should be mapped with performance outcomes and aligned with business objectives from day one.
This paper presents three pillars to consider as you embark on planning any learning intervention, along with some practical suggestions to follow, to help showcase the business and human performance impact of L&D.
- What Do We Mean by Performance?
- Why Is There a Renewed Focus?
- Why Does This Matter and Who Needs to Care?
- Three Pillars for Performance-Driven L&D
- Designing for Performance
- Measure What Matters: From Activity to Impact
- How Do You Know What Matters?
- Practical Measurement Strategies
- Impact Measurement Models
What do we mean by performance?
Performance is not a new concept in L&D, for many years there has been ongoing and significant focus on performance management, high performance culture and advising leaders and managers about creating the best conditions for success. So, what’s changed and why is there a renewed focus?
Across society, culture, and business, the language of performance is gaining prominence, and this shift is driven by:
- Competitive and economic pressures: Need for economic and organisational growth, digital transformation, AI adoption and global economic uncertainty have intensified the need to monitor business performance continuously.
- Self-optimisation culture: From sleep and exercise to productivity tracking, individuals now monitor personal performance across multiple platforms and aspects of their life . (Personal Metrics, Kings, 2020)
- Activity vs. Impact: In hybrid workplaces, visibility has decreased—placing greater emphasis on outcomes and measurable impact. With data more accessible, organisations can track activities, productivity and performance more than ever before.
