Bersin & Associates Research Shows Organizations With Strong Learning Cultures Are More Successful and Better Positioned for the Future; Details Unveiled at IMPACT 2010: The Business of Talent(R)

OAKLAND, Calif., March 25 /PRNewswire/ -- A new Bersin & Associates study, High-Impact Learning Culture: The 40 Best Practices for an Empowered Enterprise, shows that most organizations with strong learning cultures are market leaders with highly productive employees and satisfied customers.  These and other findings of the study, including the specific practices used by companies with strong learning cultures, will be presented at IMPACT 2010: The Business of Talent®, the only research conference on corporate learning and talent management.  In addition, leading solution providers participating in the conference will make announcements about a range of new offerings.  The third-annual event will be held April 6-8 at The Vinoy Renaissance Resort in St. Petersburg, FL.  

According to Bersin & Associates, a company's "learning culture" encompasses all programs and processes – as well as related investments – which support ongoing skills development and learning (through both informal and formal activities) across the enterprise.  The High-Impact Learning Culture study found that companies with strong learning cultures demonstrated distinct business advantages:

• 96% reported high employee productivity
• 94% reported high customer satisfaction
• 74% report strong ability to keep costs competitive
• 89% reported market leadership for at least one product or service.  

In addition, surveys from these companies indicated that employees demonstrated the ability to quickly acquire new skills and bring innovation to their jobs.  These companies also reported an improved ability to maintain competitive costs and respond to customer needs.    

At the conference, David Mallon, principal analyst and primary author of the study, will discuss the specific practices – ranging from open flow of information to leadership support – which correlate to the highest levels of organizational performance.  He'll also discuss which practices have fastest and greatest business impact.    

"This is the first research to show the correlation between a strong learning culture and positive business benefits.  In fact, we found that a company's learning culture has more positive business impact than any other factor – including budget size," said Josh Bersin, president.  "IMPACT attendees will leave our conference with specific practices they can put into place, along with examples of what's worked for other organizations."      

Conference attendees also will get a preview of findings from other soon-to-be-published studies, including: initial results from the High-Impact HR study, which examines the practices at more than 720 companies around the world in a variety of industries to determine the best approaches being used by HR organizations; High-Impact Leadership Development, which looks at the best practices for mature leadership development, including executive engagement, talent management alignment, and comprehensive learning approaches; and High-Impact Talent Acquisition, which studies  how organizations handle talent acquisition and best strategies for sourcing, screening, assessing, hiring, and onboarding new hires.

Twenty-six leading solution providers in enterprise learning and talent management are participating in IMPACT 2010.  Following are highlights of pending sponsor announcements:    

• Giunti Labs will announce the successful implementation of its learn eXact learning content management system at clients including one of Spain's largest financial groups.
• Harvard Business Publishing will unveil the newest version of Harvard ManageMentor, an on-demand management resource for emerging and experienced leaders.
• Impact Achievement Group will launch its 12-episode podcast series, Supervisory Basics: Helping First Time Managers and Seasoned, But Untrained, Supervisors Transition to Effective Leaders.  
• RWD will announce the establishment of the Dr. Robert W. Deutsch Center of Innovation, which deepens leadership legacy by giving customers access to top industry thought leaders, innovative business strategies and ideas.
• Saba will announce the availability of a new performance feedback module that uses an enterprise's social network to gather more relevant performance feedback for employees.
• SkillSoft will launch inGenius, a social learning platform layer that enables customers to find, create and share knowledge and expertise as they leverage the extensive SkillSoft library of on-demand learning assets.  
• Softscape will launch People Advisor, which provides a real-time view of workforce effectiveness and expert advice for managers
• TEDS will announce that client Mountain States Health Alliance will lead the healthcare industry in achieving fully integrated talent management using TEDS People Resource Planning.

The conference will also include keynote addresses from Josh Bersin as well as from Ted Hoff, vice president, Center for Learning and Development, IBM Corporation, and Don Vanthournout, chief learning officer, Accenture.   Also on the agenda are 39 executive speakers who will present in-depth case studies and participate in panel discussions on a wide range of topics.   The conference includes 21 breakout sessions spanning three key areas: talent management systems, talent acquisition systems, and outsourcing.  Complimentary workshops for Bersin & Associates research members will cover strategies for social learning, integrated talent management, and business skills for learning executives.  

50 Lessons, producers of the world's leading digital video business library, will also be on site during the conference.  Bersin & Associates is collaborating with 50 Lessons to produce a video series featuring the world's leading executives and thought leaders in learning and talent management.  

Full details, including the conference agenda, session descriptions, and speakers are available at http://impact2010.bersin.com/.  Bersin & Associates research members can register for IMPACT 2010 for $995.  Non-members can register for $1,295.

About Bersin & Associates

Bersin & Associates is the only research and advisory firm focused solely on research in enterprise learning, talent management, and talent acquisition. The company's WhatWorks® membership program offers actionable guidance, improves operational effectiveness, and delivers business impact to companies in all industry segments.

Bersin & Associates research members gain access to a comprehensive library of best practices, case studies, benchmarks, and in-depth market analyses designed to assist professionals in making fast and confident decisions. Members also have direct access to analysts and a wide range of tested tools and models to address both strategic and day-to-day challenges.

More than 5,000 organizations worldwide have used Bersin & Associates' research and advisory services to guide talent and corporate learning strategies. Research areas include planning and strategy, learning programs and delivery, talent management, leadership development and succession planning, talent acquisition, technology and infrastructure, informal learning, social networking, measurement and analytics.

For more information, go to www.bersin.com or call 561 455 0622.

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