On our LinkedIn discussion group, we recently saw an interesting question from a group member in England. She asked, “Where does the management of your learning management system sit in your organization; in IT or HR?” The member adds that she’s heard valid arguments both ways.

I can certainly envision valid arguments for both. On the one hand, it makes sense for an LMS to reside in HR, as the CLO will likely be working with it on a daily basis. On the other hand, as any learning and development professional likely knows, an LMS is a complicated piece of software and the best department to administer it is probably IT. Even if the LMS doesn’t reside with IT, that department will probably be required to assist with its management fairly regularly.

This question saw a lot of response. Overwhelmingly, commenters came down on the side of the LMS residing in HR, perhaps not surprising for a discussion group consisting of people working in learning. But the responses did address this as a complex question.

One respondent spoke of the LMS in his organization beginning in HR, then moving out of it and then back into it when it was realized this move had been a mistake. He also specified that his organization has its LMS management outsourced and emphasized that IT is always consulted in decisions about LMS infrastructure. Another respondent spoke of the LMS in her organization beginning in IT, then moving over to HR “to reflect business case (training priorities) within security requirements. It’s a complicated relationship but over the last five years [has] evolved to [be] a supportive one.” Yet another respondent spoke of working in an organization where the LMS resided within IT and “this presented some serious problems in terms of contracts being negotiated and tools selected without the appropriate level of input [from] and partnership with the learning team.”

One respondent came right out and stated that “where the LMS resides is a multi-part question in reality.” He specified: “The hardware/software side should be in the hands of those most capable of keeping it up and running [IT]. Administration of the learning application, catalog management, reporting, course/content management, etc., is best in the hands of those who know learning.” Another respondent similarly stated, “It makes more sense to also have a partnership [between] HR and IT to get the full benefits of the system.”

So it seems the LMS shouldn’t really reside strictly with one or the other department, but rather requires collaboration between HR and IT to be properly administered. Perhaps the LMS’s true home is with HR but IT’s involvement here is fundamental.

CLOs, tell us, where does the LMS reside in your organization and why?