The Speexx Exchange 2015-16 Survey, which was conducted between August and December 2015, indicates that "finding and retaining the best talent" is still the number-one concern for global businesses (28 percent) and that "aligning training and development with business needs" (24 percent) is going to be a key objective. Yet, 44 percent of organisations are struggling to make sense of "big data" and not fully utilising its benefits. 

Speexx will be releasing two white papers to capture the key findings to give HR professionals insight into what is shaping corporate learning in 2016:

• White paper (part 1) – Understanding How Big Data Helps HR
• White paper (part 2) – Communication Skills, Mobility, and Blended Learning

The first white paper will be available at the Learning Technologies exhibition and conference (Stand M11) which takes place at London Olympia, 03-04 February 2016.

Other findings from the survey include:

• Blended Learning - Sixty-three percent of companies audited said that "blended learning" will continue to be the primary approach for corporate learning as opposed to pure face-to-face training or standalone eLearning.
• Big Data - Maximising the use of HR data was hit by a barrage of internal issues. Those audited listed five major obstacles: Lack of management support (31 percent), lack of know-how in collecting and using data (24 percent), budget constraints (16 percent), global implementation issues (16 percent), and understanding data-privacy issues (13 percent).
• Mobile Learning - Thirty-five percent of businesses now use mobile devices for corporate learning, while almost one in five companies plan to implement a mobile-learning strategy within their organisation within the next three years.
• Communications - Ninety-eight percent of organisations agreed that good communication is "very important" or "important" for overall business success.  However, the "lack of management support" (27 percent), "intercultural differences" (23 percent), and the "lack of foreign-language skills amongst employees" were the top reasons were holding back strong communications.

In addition to the white paper, Speexx is offering an infographic that is part of the Towards Maturity Treasure Trail. Titled, "Six Bright Ideas to Maximise Your Top Talent", the infographic summarises the main findings from December’s Speexx Exchange conference in Berlin, which attracted over 100 HR and L&D leaders from around the world.

Armin Hopp, Founder and President of Speexx explains, "Technology has transformed how business is conducted, and the workplace now demands an international talent pool with better communication skills to maximise on global opportunities. Organisations with a mature talent-management strategy are best placed to foster ongoing learning and strong cross-border communications."