7 minute read
THE WORLD HAS CHANGED AND SO HAVE WE...
by IAPCO
Learn to evolve, survive and thrive
Avinash Chandarana, MCI Group
The past 18 months have turned our industry upside down. Having once reached the heights of flying on autopilot, we hit massive turbulence and dropped to a dangerously low altitude. If we thought adapting to life in the fourth industrial revolution was a challenge, we hadn’t seen nothing yet.
The pandemic has forced organisations to change faster than anyone could have predicted. And no longer are we talking about the much anticipated ‘future of work,’ we’re living in it.
As organisations, we have worked hard since March 2020 to introduce new solutions as we transitioned to virtual. In parallel, we faced a harsh reality–‘we know, what we don’t know’ or in educational parlance, ‘conscious incompetence.’ How for example, do we work from home productively, manage a team virtually, collaborate out of the office, handle the pressure of mental health, and for those with young children, how to support online school and juggle work, chores– all while in isolation? And as these behaviours for most have become embedded through day-to-day practice, another change is on the horizon - a move towards a hybrid work model.
Beyond these significant changes affecting how we work and the skills required to do so in a changing world, as PCO’s, our biggest business challenge has turned towards transforming in-person congresses to designing and delivering engaging and valuable virtual experiences. When once our staff were equipped with the knowledge and skills to deliver conferences almost with their eyes closed (unconscious competence) they were now like deer in the headlights. Survival required words most had never heard before, upskilling (developing new knowledge and skills in the same function / role) and reskilling (developing new skills to transition into a new function / role or sector) We found ourselves challenged and stressed to keep up with the speed required to meet the demand and pressures of the changing landscape. The choice, however, was clear - evolve, survive and thrive or stand still, atrophy and face the consequences.
From Obsolescence to Relevance - The rise of upskilling and reskilling
As skills development hit the headlines, the mindset and strategy of how we view the why, what, when, where and how of talent development has also changed. When it comes to the ‘why,’ continuous learning (a process) not just ad hoc trainings (an event) is paramount to keep our knowledge and skills relevant to meet the needs and demands of our clients. But the context is also important. Research shows that the shelf-life of skills are rapidly diminishing. What we learnt 10 years ago is almost obsolete and half of what we learnt 5 years ago might still be relevant today. Throw into the mix; three generations working side by side, an ageing population who will work longer and all in the broader context of digitisation, automation, AI (and a pandemic) we are at a pivotal moment to re-think, and re-shape our perspective on the importance and value of continuous learning. If we as professional planners and businesses are to remain relevant now and, in the future, the comfort of status quo must shift towards a curiosity and growth mindset to avoid the risk of becoming obsolete. While Darwin’s ‘those responsive to change’ quote comes to mind, Alvin Toffler’s perspective is about the ‘process of remaining relevant - ‘the illiterate of the 21st century will no longer be those who cannot read or write, it will be those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.’
From Training to Learning - A Dose of Behavioural Science
While the ‘why’ becomes clear, our effort and investment to deliver desired returns should also focus on changing habits and behaviour. All too often, most training sessions don’t lead to consistent behaviour change because typically they are:
• Conducted among large groups, within specific extended blocks of time (delivered by the convenience of an expert trainer or organizer).
• Dominated by the trainer—the ‘sage on stage’ introducing new material (at the same pace for all participants)
• Evaluated via immediate feedback, based on how much they “liked” or “valued” the session (before they’ve even applied the learning).
Yet reality is that:
• We learn best in small doses (as our Cognitive Load is limited).
• We learn at our own pace (as our speed, strengths and interests vary)
• We “learn by doing” (rather than by passive listening).
We learn best in small doses
Jo Harrisson
We learn at our own pace
We "learn by doing"
Retention and knowledge recall is heightened when short bursts of information (‘nudges’) are spaced and sent over time (pre and post learning activity)
There is often a significant gap or tension between training (as commonly practiced) and learning and application (the end-goal of most efforts). Understanding some basics about how adults learn and learning preferences can strengthen an effective development strategy.
From Analogue to Digital - and back again
As the world of Learning and Development has changed from in-person to online just as our industry has shifted, the how, when and where of ‘consuming ‘content has also evolved. Digital learning ecosystems are on the rise, traditional Learning Management Systems (LMS’s) are seeing a revival alongside EdTech solutions offering a blend of (digital) learning modalities and content; online e-courses, micro-credentials, webinars, 24/7 365 access to ‘resources’ (‘job aids, podcasts, bite-size content, articles) personalized to a learner’s needs using AI integrated algorithms.
Yes, technology has helped ‘democratize,’ learning opportunities, fuelling the concept of ‘self-directed’ learning by providing friction-free, personalized, just-in-time access to more knowledge and resources than we can ever consume in a lifetime. However, we are now suffering a recent phenomenon - cognitive overload. Way too much ‘noise’ that we struggle to synthesize a signal. What else can we rely on to support our teams develop beyond the digital landscape? The most powerful and effective development opportunities are still ‘old school.’ Mentoring, coaching, peer-to-peer, communities or practice, networks all remain potent learning modalities in a world dominated by technology. This aligns with the research which cites that only 10% of what we know comes from formal education (structured courses, certifications, etc.) 20% from peer-to-peer exchange (learning with and from others) and a whopping 70% from experiential, on the job application (learning by doing.) Simply put, a blended approach offering Education, Exposure and Experience to boost competencies is an ideal development model to adopt.
From Digital to Soft Skills – The Essence of Human Centricity
We arrive at the juncture of ‘what’ skills need to be developed to thrive in the future. Beyond skills required to perform tasks relevant to a specific function or job role, there is general consensus from leading consulting firms to the World Economic Forum that beyond a clear need to become digitally literate, the more digitised our world becomes, the greater need there will be to develop soft skills.
Based on LinkedIn’s 2021 Learning Report, out of the Top 10 skills L&D professionals cited as the most important to develop in 2021, 90% were all ‘soft’ skills:
1. Resilience
2. Technology Skills / Digital Fluency
3. Communication across remote
or distributed teams
4. Emotional intelligence
5. Cross functional collaboration
6. Leading through change
7. Change Management
8. Dealing with stress/being more mindful
9. Time Management
10. Creativity
This set of skills will undoubtedly jostle and shift places year on year. The prediction is that creativity will probably rise further up the ranks as ideation and creative problem solving and new solutions will be required to tackle new challenges and changes ahead. Employees will need to demonstrate some combination of these skills to be assets in today’s workplace and to be equipped for continued productivity throughout their careers.
Beyond skills, the adage of ‘hire for attitude and ‘train for skills’ could not be more relevant in today’s climate. Now that most of us will need to continue to update our skills continually throughout our career, attitude and mindset will be more important than ever before.
The more we can tap into the intrinsic motivators of our talent and for them to see the value and benefit of learning for a higher purpose–the more we can support the idea of nurturing a continuous learning culture and instilling a curious and growth mindset within our organization, elevating us to new heights once again.
Avinash Chandarana
As a global business professional and recognised ‘Fellow’ of the Learning & Performance Institute (LPI) for contributions to the learning profession, Avinash brings expertise and forward thinking in designing and deploying global learning and development strategy to deliver business results. Since 2008, as Global Learning and Development Director for MCI Group, Avinash established and leads MCI Institute, MCI’s in-house global L&D department offering a portfolio of learning programmes, virtual and face to face for 1,500 employees in 60 offices across 31 countries in all aspects of meetings, events and conference management capabilities combined with programmes targeting leadership and human centred soft skills.
