Including Giving L&D a nudge Lifelong learning
April 2019
will not be those who
and those who Alvin Toffler
Rethinking learning and development
21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but arn, unlearn, and relearn. The illiterate of the 21st century will not read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn. 1st century will not be those who Courage. You don’tcannot read and write, but those have to be born with nlearn, and relearn. The illiterate it. You don’t have of the 21st century will not be to earn it. You don’t ad and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn. The even have to work for it. You just have to People are fundamental to every organisation decide you’re going entury will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who – making sure they’re skilled and ready to take to have it and take it.” on the challenges of the future is at the top of and relearn. The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who every leader’s agenda. e, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn. The illiterate will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot earn. The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot hose who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn. The illiterate of the The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, of unlearn, and relearn. ” The illiterate the 21st century will not be those who cannot hose who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn. The illiterate of the be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who L&D acannot nudge Get well, soon 3 Giving 8 read who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn. The illiterate of the 21st no gain ose who cannot read and write, but those who cannot unlearn, 6 No pain,learn, 10 Lifelong learning rate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn. The illiterate of the 21st century Victoria Pendleton
Ian Barrow, Client Services Director, Karian and Box
The Learning and Development Forum addressed many of the biggest questions we’re all faced with in this ever-changing world: how do we inspire behaviour change? How do we help people own their development journey? How do we create great leaders and role models? How do we harness the power of our influencers, wherever they sit across our organisation? How do we integrate wellbeing into everything we do in a responsible, holistic way?
Alvin Toffler (1928–2016), Future Shock
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These discussions have provided the inspiration for this edition of thinkBites. Beginning with an exploratory view of the world of behavioural economics and nudge theory, we will then build on Victoria Pendleton’s inspiring interview by looking at how we can apply the successful traits of world-class sporting heroes and other high-achieving figures to our everyday work. Read on to learn more about how you can hook-in to the employee wellbeing agenda, and refresh your approach to development with a digested read of Never Stop Learning by Bradley R. Staats.
Rebecca Moore, Senior Engagement Consultant, Karian and Box
Joe Rutter, Project Manager, Richmond Events
Giving L&D a nudge On the whole, colleagues understand the importance of constant learning, and in times of unprecedented change – from increasing regulation and statutory requirements to automation and new technology – keeping skills updated and relevant is key to staying on the front-foot.
What’s your bias? Although experts differ on how many cognitive biases exist, some of the most common include:
The ostrich effect
Why, then, do we so often see a reluctance to engage with L&D? For learning and development practitioners in the UK and beyond, we’ve found the real challenge is in getting people across organisations to engage with and drive their own learning. Why the hesitancy? To help find an answer, we’ve dived into the world of behavioural economics and nudge theory. Are there any learnings from science that can help us identify and erase the barriers to engagement?
We’ve got into a cycle of constant spoon-feeding to get our teams to engage with learning. I can’t seem to break the cycle.”
But first: what is behavioural economics? Simply put, behavioural economics applies insight from psychology to understand the reasons behind the decisions we make. In practice, this insight can then be used to influence behaviour. These influences can be identified and utilized to several ends. While it is frequently applied in psychology, we also see it being used in fields such as sales, politics and even healthcare. Examples include replacing an opt-in organ-donation scheme with opt-out; switching chocolates and sweets for healthy snacks on supermarket checkout displays; or even etching a housefly into the urinals at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport to improve aim. All of these are examples of ways in which the environment can be tweaked to change behaviour. To help predict our behaviour, behavioural economics makes use of cognitive bias – a well-established theory outlining the systematic errors that commonly occur in our thinking (also known as heuristics) – often because we’re trying to take mental shortcuts, or because we’ve become used to a certain way of thinking.
*All quotes are from workshop participants
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avoiding negative or disturbing information to avoid the issue; for example people tend to stop monitoring their investments during economic downturns.
The bandwagon effect doing something simply because everyone else is doing it
Availability bias overestimating the importance or relevance of something due to how readily available that information is, and scanning through headlines rather than reading the full context of the articles.
The framing effect a common sales tactic of placing an expensive drink next to even more expensive drink, and suddenly the “expensive” one seems reasonable by comparison.
Confirmation bias seeking out opinions, views and information that align with what you already believe. This is prominent in elections, where people only take in the arguments and information put to them by the party or candidate they already support.
So, how could these biases have an effect on your learning culture? And can you use them to your advantage? Cognitive bias can make behavioural change difficult. Certainly a propensity for seeking out information that fits with existing beliefs won’t lend itself to changing habits that could potentially be unproductive. How, then, can we use our understanding of cognitive bias to our advantage and nudge people in the right direction?
Tweak your message with ‘framing’ Framing is all about how you present and describe options or opportunities. e’ve seen a uptake in L&D W opportunities just by changing how we talk about them and positioning them as the skills leaders look for when they consider promotion.”
Behavioural economics tells us that the power of ‘FOMO’ can be key to getting people to act.
Referring back to an ‘anchor point’ of something people already believe in (like your values or strategy) can help you secure buy-in.
Top tip: Try using language like “70% of leaders have already taken part in this training” or “80% of people who used this course have found it helped them achieve more in their roles.”
We’ve really aligned our learning with our strategy, and now people see their development as a crucial part of achieving our future vision as an organisation.”
Create a VIP experience
And if all else fails…
In general, people feel a lot more passionate about something when they’ve had a hand in creating it.
Just like a limited edition product line, the idea of scarcity can help you rally your teams.
… take it away. Research agrees that the threat of losing something is a lot more motivating than the thought of gaining something.
Leaders can make or break engagement across any organisation, so get them to play a part (however small!) in developing L&D activity. They will be more likely to champion your programmes to their teams.
*All quotes are from workshop participants
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Anchor it with your strategy
Make the most of the ‘IKEA effect’
Top tip: ‘Nudging: A Very Short Guide’ by Cass R Sunstein
Make it the norm
We’ve started saying ‘limited places left’ on some of our training programmes. It’s not always true – but it definitely can work!”
Top tip: Instead of talking about the skills and opportunities people will gain from your L&D programmes, let people know what they’ll lose if they don’t engage – like competitive advantage among peers.
Outside inspiration How nudge thinking and behavioural economics can keep the wheels turning*
decrease in ‘spillage’ at Schiphol Airport after fly decals were placed in the urinals for men to aim at.
*and not always in a good way
10 times fewer people bought jam after being offered 24 different samples in a supermarket trial, compared to those who were offered six. This is ‘decision paralysis’: too much choice can confuse us, while a reduced number of options can increase sales.
of decisions we make use mental shortcuts like intuitive judgements, common sense and ‘guesstimates’.
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Automatic actions nudge us towards binge watching, and falling down YouTube rabbit holes. Next episode loading in 10, 9, 8…
Endless updates and regular ‘achievements’, known as the ‘Ludic loop’, keep us playing games (like Tetris) and scrolling social media. Also used by Uber to stop drivers logging off.
of high school students said they were below average in leadership ability. This is the illusory superiority of the Lake Wobegon effect: our natural tendency to overestimate our abilities in relation to others. This can be useful for L&D professionals to remember at performance review time.
The number of calories diners reduced their intake by when asked at the counter if they wanted to decrease their portion size.
Virgin Atlantic offered groups of pilots feedback and different incentives to nudge them towards more fuel-efficient practices. Every group in the trial improved, including the control group: just being in the study nudged their behaviour.
Nudge me: seven examples that alter behaviour
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Default rules: automatic opt-in to the organ donor register / office printers set to double sided to save paper
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Simplification: use executive summaries, synopses and streamlined processes to increase understanding and engagement
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ocial norms: believing ‘most people behave in S this way…’ will steer people towards similar behaviour. American electricity company Opower sends Home Energy Reports which compare household energy use to neighbours, encouraging people to reduce energy consumption.
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Convenience: making healthy eating options more visible and less expensive increases uptake
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Transparency: people are more diligent when they think they’re being watched Reminders: regular reminders with actionable prompts (pay your bill here, update your software with this link) get people to act Precommitment: publicly signing up to something increases the likelihood of success e.g. sponsored marathons, Stoptober, Veganuary – same applies to workplace initiatives.
No pain, no gain Success, particularly in sport, is often associated with physical endurance and pushing through the pain barrier. But most of us would say there’s more to it than that. In discussing her successful cycling career, Conference guest speaker Victoria Pendleton cited ‘the carrot rather than the stick’ as a key motivator for her achievements, as well as having courage: “You don’t have to be born with [courage]. You don’t have to earn it. You don’t even have to work for it. You just have to decide you’re going to have it and take it.” Although achieving success in the world of sport is largely dependent on physical and technical superiority, the psychological element is arguably the most critical. Whether it’s the ability to remain composed at the crucial moment, or the sheer willpower that is necessary on a day-to-day basis to maintain the highest standard of training for an extended period of time – success is more than ‘no pain, no gain’; more than being naturally gifted. If an athlete lacks the drive and psychological strength to cultivate those gifts, they’ll ultimately fall short. If courage motivates us to begin, are there other key traits of both professional athletes and high-achieving figures we can apply to help our teams succeed?
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Although not a ground-breaking concept, a level of discipline is key to achieving your career goals. And we can learn a thing or two from the habits we form outside work. We’re used to being disciplined and tracking health goals in our personal lives; calories are constantly counted, body fat percentage is monitored, and Fitbits have seemingly taken over (with the incessant tracking of steps, heartrate and sleep). As a result of technology enabling us to hyper-monitor our activity, consumption and lives in general, being disciplined can become a habit. By applying this to your working life, you can achieve similarly positive results.
You work hard, you train hard, you dedicate your life to this one purpose.”
If you are going through hell, keep going.” Winston Churchill
Victoria Pendleton There has to be some fuel to light the fire. Nothing worth having comes easy, so the will to persist is vital. Being able to motivate yourself to endure short-term discomfort for long-term reward requires unwavering faith in your own ability. Of course, this is a prerequisite of any sportsperson, but is also a huge driver of success in any endeavour.
Even solo athletes usually have a team around them. Whether they coach, manage, or just motivate; without that team, success would often be unattainable. At work, it’s important to see your colleagues as a source of support (rather than competition). But getting the most out of those around you is a great way to demonstrate that you are worth more than just your own output.
It is not the most intellectual of the species that survives; it is not the strongest that survives; but the species that survives is the one that is able to adapt to and to adjust best to the changing environment in which it finds itself.“ Charles Darwin
Adaptability If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself. “ Henry Ford
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When things change, an athlete must be able to adapt to and overcome whatever new and unexpected challenges they face. Adaptability is important in any walk of life. Despite the human predisposition to adapt to any environment in which we find ourselves, we don’t like change. But, in an age in which everything is developing faster than ever, being flexible and openminded to new and different ways of working can allow you to be more efficient and more productive.
Success is the product of repeated failure, but perseverance in the wake of defeat doesn’t come easy. Physical training is this concept in its purest form – muscles are torn under excessive strain, and then they are repaired stronger. By treating each setback at work as an opportunity to learn, you can dictate your personal development and ensure that nothing you do is in vain.
I have grown most not from victories, but set-backs.” Serena Williams
Get well, soon Employee wellbeing is moving up the agenda for L&D professionals. And with good reason: engagement, creativity and productivity are all impacted when businesses make wellbeing a priority. The subject of health and wellbeing is on our minds, as headline stats show. The yoga industry is currently valued at £74billion, while estimates by the Global Wellness Institute show the workplace wellness sector contributes $48billion to the worldwide economy. With that in mind, here’s a look at a few areas to focus on if you want to make the workplace well, based on comments from participants in the L&D and Wellbeing Discussion Group at the Richmond L&D Forum on 20 March.
Line managers are critical to the wellbeing agenda. As a company we can provide everything we want or can afford, but if they don’t speak to their people about what’s on offer in a very personal way, there’s very low take-up of some initiatives.”
*All quotes are from workshop participants
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You have to ask people what they want. The days of the corporate centre pushing wellbeing down through the company does not get buy in to the initiatives.”
1. Empowering your Line Managers When it comes to wellbeing, line managers matter. Lots of companies report plenty of push from upper management around health and wellbeing programmes, but very little pull from employees requesting or engaging with them. Line managers are the vital link here. With training, they can offer guidance and encourage employees to take charge of their own wellbeing, while helping organisations walk the fine line between wellbeing as a transactional driver of productivity, and wellbeing as the right thing for any organisation to focus on and care about. Some organisations report that too much choice can even lead to reduced take-up of wellbeing programmes – another area where line manager guidance is useful, either helping employees navigate their options or feeding back to senior management with suggested changes. There is a caveat: should something as complex as employee health – particularly mental health – be a line manager’s responsibility? Some organisations prefer not to get their line managers involved, for this reason; but most tend to think giving them relevant knowledge and training is helpful, and that the benefits outweigh any potential risks.
2. Asking questions Every organisation differs, and ideas to improve wellbeing for one team wouldn’t help another one – manual workers might need different interventions to desk-based ones, for example. With that in mind, it’s essential to ask what employees really want, and what would help them. Starting a conversation will ultimately lead to finding practical solutions. Similarly, asking questions once wellbeing programmes are in place will make sure both employees and businesses are getting the right kind of ROI. At the moment there’s very little measurement going on in this area, so there’s an opportunity to tighten up your wellbeing offering with some well-placed questions to make sure you’re giving your people what they want, and that it’s working.
3. Changing the culture An increasing number of organisations are embracing the concept of the mental health first-aider: a first responder who receives specialist training to support colleagues as soon as they start to experience mental health issues. The idea is to treat smaller problems immediately, to stop them becoming bigger ones. This is part of a wider move towards creating cultures of safety in our organisations, which can boost overall wellbeing by ensuring employees feel safe and supported around any issue. This might include supporting colleagues to make lifestyle changes, or offering access to experts (internal or external) through an employee assistance programme (EAP) who can advise on anything from finance and relationships, to mental and physical health. Cultural change can have a measurable impact on employee engagement. The British Heart Foundation’s ‘Live Well, Work Well’ campaign saw engagement rise from 67% to 70% over a single year, for example, while average staff absence fell from 7.3 to 5.3 days.
My role as an L&D practitioner is complicated – I am a facilitator, a mentor, a source of information, a sign-poster – too many to mention.”
Know the numbers CIPD’s 2018 health and wellbeing survey of 1,021 organisations reported that two-fifths of businesses have a standalone wellbeing strategy; three-fifths say they act according to individual need. Just over half of senior leaders say that wellbeing is on their agenda, with just under half saying their line managers have bought into the importance of wellbeing.
55% 4. Understand where L&D fits in The role of L&D professionals in promoting wellbeing is critical, but complex: they facilitate wellbeing initiatives, are conscious of organisational health, act as the conscience of the business for wellbeing; and they have a pivotal role in making sure line managers get the knowledge and skills they need in this area. Significant cultural change requires enthusiasm from the top if employees are truly going to buy into it, so L&D can’t act alone. But with the support of senior leaders they can champion new programmes, encourage conversations around mental health and help put employee wellbeing into the heart of the workplace.
of organisations have seen an increase in mental health conditions. It’s now the top cause of long-term absence.
86% of employees have observed presenteeism*
in their organisation; however, the amount of organisations taking steps to reduce this number has halved since 2016. *working when ill
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Just 2% of the workforce talk to HR / L&D about their mental health, according to HRH The Duke of Cambridge (speaking at Davos in February).
£42bn
the cost of long-term absence for mental ill-health to employers, according to a 2017 Deloitte survey.
44%
of organisations report better employee morale and engagement as the main benefit of their health and wellbeing activity.
31+ million downloads of the Headspace mindfulness app, with 250+ companies offering it to their employees.
Lifelong learning
Book review
The only way to keep up with today’s fast-paced environment is to keep learning, be open and adapt to change. In Never Stop Learning, Bradley R. Staats discusses his research on how to become a dynamic learner, peppered with case studies, stories and anecdotes to bring it to life. Source: Bradley R. Staats, Never Stop Learning
What’s the problem? We’re not always great at learning. Sometimes that’s because our own ego gets in the way, and often it’s because learning involves patience, bravery and change: the patience to focus on the journey, the bravery to take risks and embrace failure, and the willingness to change and overcome challenges.
How do we fix it? Staats identifies several key elements to becoming a dynamic learner, and the first of these is one that most of us shy away from: failure. It’s understandable. Right from when we start school, we’re taught to fear failure, not embrace it. But ‘learning involves trying new things, and sometimes new things don’t work as expected’. Working to shift your mindset will help. Staats encourages us to think about developing a growth mindset: ‘process-focused learners recognize that they aren’t fixed in their ability to learn’. It’s flipping a cognitive switch from thinking “Proving myself is important and I have to look smart, so failure is impossible” to “It’s okay if I don’t get it right the first time. I can learn from that and move forward with more knowledge than before”.
And of course, learning means asking questions. One study found that 70% – 80% of children’s dialogue consists of questions. But for adults it’s only around 15% – 25%. So, embrace your inner toddler (ideally the one who’s full of curiosity, asks ‘why?’ and wants to learn about the world). But it’s difficult to be curious about everything. Playing to your strengths is likely to increase your engagement at work. Equally important is working out what complements your existing knowledge to build a portfolio of strengths, allowing you to cross over knowledge into different areas and make connections between them. Coaching and mentoring can help with this, as can reflection and recharging. The brain needs to rest to learn. Encourage your team to block out ‘thinking time’ – uninterrupted time to learn, focus and contemplate.
If we fail to learn, we risk becoming irrelevant. We end up solving yesterday’s problems too late instead of tackling tomorrow’s problems before someone else does.”
Finally, learning doesn’t happen in a vacuum. ‘The people with whom we interact are integral to our eventual success or failure’ – nowhere is this more evident than in a team environment. Google’s Project Aristotle (a tribute to Aristotle’s quote ‘The whole is greater than the sum of its parts’) studied the characteristics of high-performing teams. Surprisingly, ‘what really mattered was less about who is on the team, and more about how the team worked together’*.
The conclusion ‘Learning is a never-ending process’ and focusing on the principles of dynamic learning will help all of us to move forward and stay curious in a world where our ability to learn defines whether we can set ourselves apart from the competition.
Ten-second summary Dynamic learning – the ability to keep learning, stay curious, develop new skills and adapt – is what will set people apart in today’s fast-changing world.
* https://rework.withgoogle.com
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Finding your voice is an important part of fuelling high performance. By harnessing the power of your comms and HR, you can radically alter the way your organisation is perceived, both internally and externally. Let’s keep the conversation going. We hope to connect with you throughout the year and to talk again at many Richmond Events forums in the future.
David Clark, Project Manager Richmond Events 020 8487 2203 dclark@richmondevents.com www.richmondevents.com
Karian and Box 1st Floor, 22 Lendal, York, YO1 8AA 01904 654454 info@karianandbox.com www.karianandbox.com
The Communication Directors’ Forum 21-22 November 2019, London The Richmond Human Resources Forum, Wednesday 20 November, The Savoy Place
