Embracing and adapting to a changing landscape is not easy unless you know the rules to play by.
Times-they-are-a-changing. As it is with everything else in life, change is imminent also in the field of corporate learning. The modern L&D scenario is vastly different from what it was just a decade ago. In this rapidly-changing landscape, the old order has given way to the new, and only the agilest and adaptable can survive and thrive.
The following factors are driving the changes in the corporate learning sphere:
The paradigm shift in corporate learning has forced the C-suite to proactively renovate learning initiatives. It is critical that companies spruce up their outdated training practices to rise to meet the changing demands of modern workers.
Embracing and adapting to a changing landscape is not easy unless you know the rules to play by. We have analyzed the scene minutely and come up with the seven rules that you need to know to navigate the landscape.
This is the age of information. Knowledge doubles after every 12 hours. So, it is likely that at any point in time, some knowledge is uncovered that you don’t know yet. Modern adult learners have a tough task ahead of them: they have to be on top of what’s happening in their niche at all times. It is imperative that organizations fuel the learners’ need for learning rapidly and regularly.
Here are some pointers to help you create fast-paced learning:
Yes, you read right. Today’s workplace learning must go the Netflix way too. Or take cues from how Amazon or even Spotify engages audiences.
Welcome to an age where learning is consumerized, and your courses are commodities that should vie with others in the marketplace for the learner’s nod of approval. In this marketplace, the learners call the shots, and understanding how they want learning to be served to them is critical.
Here’s where Netflix and Amazon step into the picture.
Millennial learners are digitally savvy and have grown up with the Internet. They are accustomed to having choices. They are (virtually) social individuals who rely on “influencer” opinions and recommendations from their connections to make choices. Netflix and Amazon feed these needs of the Millennial by letting them order movies or buy products by providing information personalized recommendations, user ratings, and reviews. These online giants make information easily accessible so that potential buyers can make empowered decisions. As instructional designers, you should also strive to make content so readily accessible, from anywhere, anytime.
Here are some ideas on how you can deliver learning following Netflix and Amazon’s strategies:
Read more: Redefining Your L&D Strategy In Disruptive Times: Enter Self-Directed Learning?
Adult learners are freedom-loving individuals. They want the freedom to learn whenever they want to, which may not be during their work hours. They do not want to be yanked from their desk to attend a training program or be made to go through a course when they need to do something else. They want learning content to be delivered to them when needed, and not when the management should use up the training budget. Learner engagement is no longer confined to the 9-to-5 setting.
The new rule of workplace learning is to provide on-demand learning. The key to learner engagement is to make learners feel empowered by letting them access learning whenever, wherever.
Here are some tips on how you can implement this strategy successfully:
Here is the reality. Your workforce today is no longer going to consume the content you thrust down their throats. They want to first search for what is being offered by way of learning and then choose what programs they want to go through.
Learners are “consumers.” So you must know what they demand.
Modern learners have a set of expectations you must get familiar with if you wish to connect with them. So, you have to create learning products that are:
However, this does not mean that all the L&D team does, creates small courses and shoot these at the learners. They have to start thinking like a marketer and treat their learners are consumers whose attention they are vying for.
Here are some tips to help you woo learners:
Read more: Connecting With Corporate eLearners: 6 Proven Ways That Work
Learning is no longer a one-off, once-in-a-blue-moon event. Learning now needs to a continuous process because :
The needs of these times have necessitated the adoption of the “Worldwide Learning” approach. The concept and the moniker, brainchilds of Jane Hart, are takeoffs on the idea of lifewide learning. The Workwide Learning approach is based on the principle that workers should also learn for, at, and from work. Learning should not occur only at a formal training event.
Here are some tips to help you implement workwide learning effectively:
The design-thinking approach puts learners at the center of the learning environment.
The learning experience is designed keeping in mind solely the training needs of the learners. The learning programs are highly intuitive and experiential; as a result, the learners are sucked into the experience. The emphasis is also on creating engaging programs that make for greater information retention.
Additionally, these programs are not confined by the limitations of learning management systems. Instead, they can leverage new and emerging technologies to be more collaborative, social, shareable, engaging, and readily accessible. The learner-centric design-thinking approach facilitates the creation of a sustainable learning culture.
The design-thinking approach is so effective and relevant in the context of modern workplace learning that brands have quickly adopted it. Nestlé, Qualcomm, and Decker’s Brands have successfully implemented the design-thinking approach to create intuitive, engaging, and experiential eLearning courses.
The traditional role of the trainer has evolved. Earlier, a classroom trainer was expected to steer the learning experience by providing information, facilitating hands-on training, creating opportunities for the learners to practice the skills they have learned, and evaluating what the audience has learned. The trainer completely controlled every aspect of the learning process—the content taught, the instructional methodology, how the classroom interactions went, and how the learners were evaluated.
But now, much of the control has shifted from the trainer to the learners. Learners now have the power to shape their experiences based on existing skills and knowledge and personal learning styles and preferences. And they expect the trainer to “support” them through the learning journey.
So the modern-day corporate trainer has to wear many hats:
The evolving role of the trainer is in keeping with the 70-20-10 learning approach that L&D is veering towards. Today, more and more L&D leaders are opting for an instructional strategy where 70 percent of the learning is acquired on the job, 20 percent is provided by the mentor, and 10 percent is delivered in a formal training setting. Trainers need to be versatile.
Read more: The Evolving Role of Trainers in Corporate Learning
The above-mentioned rules of modern workplace learning seek to make learning instructionally sound, cost-effective, and relevant to the learners. The emphasis is on making the content flexible, agile, and adaptable, so it can respond quickly to changing learner needs and market requirements.
REFERENCES:
https://business.udemy.com/blog/workplace-learning-reinvented/
http://engageemployee.com/seven-ways-learning-development-can-foster-employee-engagement/
https://hbr.org/2015/07/7-ways-to-improve-employee-development-programs
https://dupress.deloitte.com/dup-us-en/focus/human-capital-trends/2017/introduction.html