“Business acumen” has been buzzing around the blogosphere for quite some time. With the explosion and disruption of the global marketplace, for an Instructional Designer, business acumen is becoming more important than ever.
The role of an Instructional Designer
As Instructional Designers, we are problem solvers.
Performance gap problem? We solve it. Compliance problem? We solve those too. Stakeholders provide us with the details of the company’s needs and objectives with the expectation that we can creatively develop a training solution.
After the meeting with the stakeholder, needs analysis, and partnering with the Subject Matter Expert (SME), we instructional designers get to propose why our hard work and dedication has led to one solution.
Is this solution an eLearning course, a job aid or is training is not the solution at all? Regardless of the solution you choose, you must communicate the value of your decision to stakeholders in terms that they understand and appreciate.
The language of the land
Communicating effectively with stakeholders is imperative. Sharing you view on solutions that yield favorable results can set you apart in your company. But you must deliver your message through a means of communication that stakeholders can understand and appreciate.
That is where great business acumen skills come into play.
Business Acumen
Business acumen experts on AcumenLearning.com define business acumen as “a keen, fundamental, street-smart insight into how your business operates and how it makes money and sustains profitable growth, now and in the future.”
Identifying which key business drivers will be influenced by your training solution is business acumen. Analyzing financial statements and developing a job aid to address need-to-know knowledge gaps is business acumen. Creating solutions that motivate the learner and increase the transfer of skills into the practice in an effort to address customer feedback data is business acumen.
Strong business acumen skills establishes your reputation beyond a creative instructional designer, to a contributing asset to the company’s success.
Business Acumen and You
Sounds good right? To communicate efficiently and effectively and be seen as someone who directly contributes company performance sets you up for success.
Imagine how you can elevate yourself and reach your goals. Who can you talk to to gain a deeper insight on how key business drivers influence the company’s ability makes money and sustains profitable growth?
Check out this link to find 5 questions to ask your supervisor to improve your business acumen skills.
Understanding how your role as an instructional designer effects the grand scheme of things will (allow) you to tailor your trailing solutions and leverage you to become a leader in your company.
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