Structure Your Learning So It Supports How Your Business Grows.
Catalyst by LATERAL brings structure, clarity, and direction to learning, so training supports day-to-day operations and long-term business priorities.
Where Training Usually Breaks Down and How Catalyst Fixes It
As organisations grow, training often expands quickly, including new programmes, onboarding initiatives, leadership workshops, and compliance requirements. Without a clear structure, learning becomes driven by immediate demands rather than long-term development.
The Problem
How Catalyst Solves It
Training grows quickly but without a clear plan
We help you define a clear learning roadmap aligned to business priorities.
Learning initiatives operate in isolation
We design structured pathways that connect development across roles and teams
Priorities shift and focus gets diluted
We align learning efforts to agreed business goals and measurable outcomes
Impact is hard to measure
We build in practical performance measurement from the start
Capability development lags behind growth
We create a structured approach to building capability over time
The Problem and How Catalyst Solves It
Training grows quickly but without a clear plan
We help you define a clear learning roadmap aligned to business priorities.
Learning initiatives operate in isolation
We design structured pathways that connect development across roles and teams
Priorities shift and focus gets diluted
We align learning efforts to agreed business goals and measurable outcomes
Impact is hard to measure
We build in practical performance measurement from the start
Capability development lags behind growth
We create a structured approach to building capability over time
Catalyst helps growing organisations step back and design how learning should work as a coordinated system, not just a collection of activities. Whether you need clarity on where to focus or a partner to help build and scale your learning function, Catalyst brings the structure, direction, and consistency needed to make learning support real business performance.
How Catalyst Strengthens Your Organisation
Strategic DiagnosticIntensive
When direction is unclear, Foundation provides a structured assessment of your learning landscape and a practical 90-day roadmap, giving you clarity before committing to longer-term build work.
What is typically included
- Clear mapping between business priorities and current learning focus
- Review of your existing training programmes, content, and tools
- Assessment of how structured and effective your current learning approach is
- Review of reporting, oversight, and decision-making around learning
- Snapshot of potential risk or compliance gaps
- A practical 90-day action plan with defined priorities
- A concise summary report ready to share with leadership
Implementation & Design Partnership
For organisations ready to move forward, Growth focuses on building and structuring your learning function. We work alongside your team to design priority initiatives, structured pathways, and align delivery to measurable business outcomes.
What is typically included
- Ongoing learning programme design support to keep initiatives aligned with business priorities
- Redesign of selected learning initiatives to improve structure, clarity, and impact
- Development of structured learning pathways and clear capability frameworks
- Streamlining of learning workflows and internal processes
- Refinement of roles, responsibilities, and oversight at an operational level
- Clear KPI alignment and a practical approach to measuring training effectiveness
- Structured performance reporting and regular review rhythm
- Clear programme documentation and practical rollout planning
Strategic L&D Partnership
For organisations requiring deeper integration, Lead provides senior-level L&D direction and clear performance alignment, ensuring learning is fully integrated into broader business strategy and operational priorities.
What is typically included
- Development of a clear, executive-level L&D strategy
- Creation of an annual or multi-period learning roadmap
- Design of organisation-wide capability frameworks
- Definition of clear roles, decision-making structures, and accountability for L&D
- Leadership alignment sessions to ensure shared direction and priorities
- Clear connection between KPIs and performance outcomes
- Budget guidance and prioritisation support
- Executive and board-ready reporting on progress and impact
Why Does the Catalyst model work?
Catalyst is not a content vendor or a one-off training provider. It is a strategic partnership for organisations ready to build learning as a structured business function. and that recognises training matters but know it needs more structure to properly support performance.
Clarity and Direction:
We replace reactive training decisions with a clear, prioritised roadmap aligned to business goals.
Scalable Without Additional Headcount:
You gain senior-level direction and structured oversight without needing to build a full internal L&D department.
Structured Learning Execution:
Learning initiatives are intentionally designed, with defined outcomes, structured pathways, and built-in measurement, rather than being left to evolve informally.
Visible Impact:
We connect learning efforts to meaningful business indicators so leadership can clearly see progress and understand value.
Consistency Across Teams:
Clear structures and role-based pathways create alignment across functions, locations, and leadership groups.
Ownership and Accountability:
Catalyst introduces a disciplined planning and review rhythm, ensuring learning initiatives move forward, stay aligned, and maintain momentum.
How Catalyst Creates Structured Learning Processes
Catalyst follows a structured, disciplined approach designed to bring clarity and steady momentum without unnecessary complexity.
Understand the Business Context:
We begin by aligning learning priorities with your business objectives, operational pressures, and growth plans.
Design the Structure:
We define clear roadmaps, structured learning pathways, and clear processes so learning is intentional rather than reactive.
Build with Focus:
We prioritise key initiatives and develop them using defined frameworks and measurable success criteria.
Embed and Review:
Through a recurring planning and review rhythm, we ensure that your initiatives stay aligned, visible, and continuously improved.
Not Sure Where to Start? We’ve Got You!
Choosing the right learning solution can be complex. We’ve drawn on our experience to highlight the key questions and insights that can help you make a confident, informed decision.
Many organisations know training needs more structure but are unsure what the first step should be. In most cases, we recommend starting with Catalyst Foundation. It provides a clear view of your current learning landscape and a practical 90-day roadmap so you can move forward with clarity.
If you would prefer to talk it through first, you can book a 30-minute strategic conversation. We’ll discuss your situation and help you identify the most practical starting point.
Catalyst is designed for organisations that take training seriously but need stronger structure behind it. It works well for HR or People leaders managing learning alongside other responsibilities and leadership teams seeking clearer alignment to business goals, particularly where onboarding, leadership, or role-based development pathways are becoming more formal. It is not a content vendor or a one-off training provider, and is unlikely to be the right fit if you are simply looking to purchase off-the-shelf courses or outsource course creation without building internal structure.
If you do need support designing and building learning content, we can provide that as a separate engagement. Content development is scoped independently and aligned to the agreed learning structure. You can view our Learning Content page for more information.
We typically work with:
- Small to mid-sized organisations experiencing rapid growth or operational complexity
- HR or People leaders managing learning alongside multiple responsibilities
- Businesses without a fully established L&D department
- Organisations building structured onboarding, leadership, or role-based development pathways
- Leadership teams seeking clearer alignment between learning and business outcomes
Catalyst is structured in tiers, and pricing reflects the level of support required. Foundation is a clearly defined diagnostic engagement with a fixed scope and fee. Growth and Lead are typically structured as retainers, based on the level of involvement, organisational complexity, and agreed priorities.
Before any work begins, we clarify scope, deliverables, and expectations so you have clarity on both approach and investment.
Catalyst is designed to work alongside your existing responsibilities, not add unnecessary load. We typically require focused input at key points such as priority alignment, review sessions, and decision-making. Outside of those points, we carry the structure, planning, and coordination work. The time commitment depends on the tier and scope, but we aim to keep involvement practical and manageable.
No. Catalyst is not dependent on a specific platform or tool. We start with structure, priorities, and clarity. If you already have systems in place, we work within them. If you do not, we design the learning approach first and only recommend tools where they support the agreed direction.
LATERAL is also a Totara Partner. If you do not currently have an LMS, we can support you through a separate implementation engagement to select and implement a suitable platform. Platform work is scoped independently from Catalyst so that structure and system decisions remain aligned. You can view our Totara page for more information.
Foundation is the preferred starting point when direction is unclear, as it creates alignment and reduces risk before moving into build work. However, it is not mandatory. If you already have clear priorities and direction in place, we can move directly into Growth, provided there is sufficient clarity to do so effectively.
Ready to Bring Structure to Your Learning Function?
If training in your organisation needs more clarity, alignment, and measurable focus, let’s start with a strategic conversation. We’ll explore your current priorities, where structure may be missing, and whether Catalyst Growth is the right next step or if a focused diagnostic would provide clarity first.
