L&D Must Change 42. Organizing L&D for Results with Guus van Deelen
Tired of L&D busywork that doesn't move the needle? In this episode, Jess and Guus van Deelen dismantle "course factory" thinking and show how to organize L&D for results. They unpack the five L&D "chessboards," shift focus from learning to performance objectives, and set clear roles and decision rights to escape order-taking. You'll hear how to segment stakeholders with RIS (Risk, Importance, Size), apply Lean thinking to clean up operations, and run an annual L&D Cleanup Day (yes, on March 12) to kill zombie offerings and refocus on business value.
Jess and Guus Discuss
- Why learning is a means—not the goal
- The five L&D "chessboards" and choosing must-win areas
- Escaping order-taking with clear roles and decision rights
- Training internal clients to work with L&D
- Replacing learning objectives with performance objectives (or adding both)
- RIS stakeholder segmentation: Risk, Importance, Size
- Lean habits to fix the back-office mess
- Service levels: economy to "royal class" support
- The annual L&D Cleanup Day (March 12): what to stop, start, or sustain
- Using LMS data to kill underused content
- Practical scripts and examples for setting expectations with the business
About Guus van Deelen
Guus van Deelen has held multiple roles in the L&D field, from L&D manager in global multinationals to strategic consultant helping organizations reposition and optimize their L&D departments. He is on a mission to make L&D more "streetwise." designing L&D that truly drives results. Not just delivering more training, but measurable impact on people, performance, and business outcomes. Guus helps L&D teams to create learning strategies, governance models, and talent development frameworks. He is also the author of the book, Organizing L&D for Results.
Find and Connect with Guus van Deelen
- Website: guusvandeelen.nl
- Free resources for L&D Pros as mentioned in the episode
- Book: Organizing L&D for Results
Find and Connect with Jess Almlie
- Website: www.jessalmlie.com
- Book: L&D Order Taker No More! Become a Strategic Business Partner