Many lifelong learning organizations operate with five or less staff. With a limited number of staff it is more challenging to implement LERN’s Ideal Staffing Structure.
Key components of LERN’s Ideal Staffing Structure are:
1. Allow the lifelong learning organization’s leader to spend time focused on the future and not absorbed by day-to-day challenges and duties.
2. Centralize operational tasks under an Operations Team to streamline organization processes and procedures, provide better customer service, and handle day-to-day tasks such as logistics, data loading, and reporting.
3. Encourage revenue generators – course programmers and salespeople – to focus their time on generating revenue instead of getting absorbed by day-to-day tasks that can be handled by the Operations Team.
4. Centralize marketing under one person or team, so the message sent is consistent and integrated promotion campaigns are built and executed.
5. If the lifelong learning organization is large enough, then split course programming and contract training into two separate business units.
80 percent of what every lifelong learning organization does is the same, but each lifelong learning organization is unique due to location, program mix, central administration support, and staff. The following are generalized thoughts (one assumption is the more staff, the more registrations and/or revenue the organization is generating) on splitting primary staffing duties for organizations with one, two, three, four or five staff:
One Staff: Where possible you want to outsource tasks, such as catalog production, teacher recruitment, course development, and other time consuming tasks. Utilize a software system with easy and seamless online registration. Be thoughtful about your program mix and do not try to be everything to everyone. Where possible utilize your institution’s resources, such as marketing.
Two Staff: Have one person (most likely the lifelong learning organization’s leader) focus on participation and revenue generation, thus course programming and marketing. The second person would focus on operational tasks, such as registration and customer service, but also any tasks allowing the revenue generator time to focus on recruiting new instructors, developing new courses, and working with an outsourced person with marketing. Your software system, thoughtful course programming, and utilizing institution resources remain important.
Three Staff: One person would handle new course programming and marketing, while a second person would provide support with logistics the operations person does not have time to handle, such as room scheduling, materials ordering, instructor payroll and other tasks supporting successful program development and implementation. The third person would handle operations tasks, most important customer requirements and then other course programming tasks that can be handled. Your software system, thoughtful course programming, and utilizing institution resources remain important.
Four Staff: Same as Three Staff, but add a second person to help with operational tasks, thus freeing up the course programming support person to take on more course programming duties, such as handling all repeat courses.
Five Staff: One person focuses on new course programming and opportunities and managing the lifelong learning organization. The second person is focused on course programming, both new and repeat. The third and fourth staff people are operations staff who are handling most day-to-day tasks, while the fifth staff person is primarily responsible for marketing. The fifth staff person can also help with market research, contract training and other special projects.
There will always be times when one or more staff will need to shift their attention and time to an immediate need, but each staff person having a clear understanding of their three to seven most important duties (these duties should be documented as part of your staffing structure graphic) will allow the staff to return to their ideal staffing structure once the immediate need is handled.
No matter the number of staff, your first action should be to brainstorm the tasks the lifelong learning organization is responsible for and then assign them to staffing positions. Then you begin the process of transitioning your staffing structure, providing training as needed.