Accelerate New Growth with Adaptive Learning | Winter 2023

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CREATING A PLAN FORWARD

MICHELLE EGGLESTON SCHWARTZ, CPTM

Learning and development (L&D) has gained recognition as an important business asset. From helping to reduce turnover to managing change initiatives across the organization, training is quickly becoming a competitive differentiator for companies. The organizations that reap the rewards will be ones that lean into training to close skills gaps and equip employees with the skills they need to be successful.

The role of L&D has evolved considerably over the past few years, with learning leaders gaining new tasks and responsibilities outside traditional training delivery. Learning leaders are no longer order-takers, delivering training upon request. They are now business partners, providing training programs strategically aligned to the goals of the business. They are nurturing employee growth and wellbeing and creating accessible learning opportunities for employees at all levels. In other words, learning leaders are busy!

With so many competing priorities, it can be difficult to determine where to even begin, especially when facing large-scale initiatives like creating a more inclusive company culture or increasing employee engagement. However, we need to be mindful that change does not happen overnight. Small efforts can lead to big impacts. Instead of focusing on the mountain

that needs to be climbed, let’s focus on that first step and the step after that. These small steps can keep us motivated to achieve our long-term goals.

This edition of Training Industry Magazine includes a collection of articles with tangible tips and insights to help you maintain the momentum you need to achieve your training goals. This issue addresses topics such as leveraging adaptive learning to accelerate new growth, the power of self-directed learning, how to deliver a successful hybrid learning event, the rising importance of data literacy in organizational success and more. I hope you find some strategies that can help you create more impactful and meaningful learning experiences for your workforce.

It’s a busy and exciting time in the training industry. As we enter a new year, our editorial team is ready to help. We have a great lineup of content planned for the year, with thought leaders from around the world sharing their thoughts and ideas. As always, we love to hear your thoughts, so please reach out to our team and let us know what’s on your mind.

Michelle Eggleston Schwartz, CPTM, is the editor in chief of Training Industry, Inc., and co-host of “The Business of Learning,” the Training Industry podcast. Email Michelle.

CHANGE DOES NOT HAPPEN OVERNIGHT. SMALL EFFORTS CAN LEAD TO BIG IMPACTS.

HOW HIGH-PERFORMING LEADERS AND TEAMS CAN LEVERAGE ADAPTIVE LEARNING AND CHANGE TO ACCELERATE NEW GROWTH

By Cijaye DePradine

Successful adaptive learning comes down to five key micro-behaviors.

A LEAN LEARNING APPROACH FOR YOUR NEXT DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

By Scott Barber

A lean learning approach can help employees approach learning as a journey.

FROM

CREATION TO ENABLEMENT: THE FUTURE SKILLS L&D PROFESSIONALS NEED

By Bianca Baumann

L&D pros need to shift their mindsets from content creation to learning enablement.

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION! BEHIND THE SCENES OF SUCCESSFUL HYBRID LEARNING EVENTS

By Cindy Huggett

The key to successful hybrid learning is creating a shared experience.

A MUTUAL GAINS APPROACH TO MEASURING ROI: WHY IT PAYS TO ALIGN LEARNING

INITIATIVES WITH BUSINESS GOALS

By Daila Boufford

Learner engagement depends on your learners’ understanding of the value of training.

3 REASONS WHY SOCIAL LEARNING IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER

By Andrea Whittaker

In an era defined by disconnection, interaction is becoming more important than ever.

THE POWER OF SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING

By Dr. Carole Embden-Peterson

Self-directed learning can give employees the power of flexibility.

HOW TO CREATE A LEARNING JOURNEY

By Dr. David Marshall

Learning journeys can upskill your talent — and prevent them from leaving.

VIRTUAL EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT THROUGH VIRTUAL CONVERSATIONAL LEADERSHIP

By Saule Menane, Donita Volkwijn and John Hovell

Conversational leadership can transform the way you lead your remote employees.

THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOOTCAMP

By Sally Eames

Bootcamps might be the key to preparing learners for coming changes.

THE RISING IMPORTANCE OF DATA LITERACY IN ORGANIZATIONAL SUCCESS

By Joseph A. Yacura

More data is available than ever before. But it’s useless if you don’t know how to interpret it.

TRANSFORM YOUR CULTURE WITH CONTINUOUS LEARNING

By Chapin Brinegar, MS, CPTM

The way your learners approach training can change the entire organization’s culture.

THOUGHT LEADERS

FROM THE EDITOR

By Michelle Eggleston Schwartz, CPTM

Change does not happen overnight. Small efforts can lead to big impact.

GUEST EDITOR

By Caroline Wright, CPTM

Start the new year off right by considering your learning resolutions.

WHAT’S NEXT IN TECH

By Stella Lee, Ph.D.

Ensure your edtech investment is valuable to your company for years to come.

BUILDING LEADERS

By Sam Shriver and Marshall Goldsmith

Strategic alignment can help companies overcome unprecedented business challenges.

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

By Dr. Kristal Walker, CPTM

Employee resource groups are an essential way to further DEI progress.

CAREER DEVELOPMENT

By Julie Winkle Giulioni

Combat burnout by considering employee self-confidence.

SCIENCE OF LEARNING

By Srini Pillay, M.D.

Use brain science to rethink your approach to self-directed learning.

CASEBOOK

Learn how one organization uses internships to grow candidates from within.

CLOSING DEALS

upGrad is building an integrated platform for lifelong learning.

COMPANY NEWS

Keep up with the latest in the training industry by reading news from the last quarter.

STAFF

CEO Ken Taylor ktaylor@trainingindustry.com

EDITOR IN CHIEF Michelle Eggleston Schwartz meggleston@trainingindustry.com

SENIOR EDITOR Sarah Gallo sgallo@trainingindustry.com

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Mike Allen mallen@trainingindustry.com

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Amanda Longo alongo@trainingindustry.com

DESIGNER

Mary Lewis mlewis@trainingindustry.com

DESIGNER Kellie Blackburn kblackburn@trainingindustry.com

DESIGNER

Alyssa Alheid aalheid@trainingindustry.com

EDITORIAL BOARD

JUDI BADER, CPTM

Senior Director of Culture, Learning and Development Willy’s Mexicana Grill

MICHAEL CANNON, M.ED. Vice President, Global Learning and Enablement Rimini Street

BARBARA JORDAN, CPTM

Group Vice President, Global Learning & Development Sims Metal Management

CATHERINE KELLY, MA, BSN, RN, CPTM

Director of Learning Programs Brookdale Senior Living

SHIREEN LACKEY, CPTM Senior Management and Program Analyst, Office of Business Process Integration Veterans Benefits Administration

SCOTT NUTTER Principal/Owner Touch & Go Solutions

MATTHEW S. PRAGER, CPTM Executive Training Manager U.S. Government

MARC RAMOS

DESIGNER Cassandra Ortiz cortiz@trainingindustry.com

ADVERTISING SALES sales@trainingindustry.com

MISSION

Chief Learning Officer Cornerstone OnDemand

KELLY RIDER Chief Learning Officer PTC

DR. SYDNEY SAVION Chief Learning Officer Cityblock Health

KERRY TROESTER, CPTM Director, North America Sales Training Lenovo

NATASHA MILLER WILLIAMS Head of Diversity & Inclusion Ferrara

KEE MENG YEO Adjunct Professor Grand Valley State University & Davenport University

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PRINT: Print copies are available for purchase at magcloud.com for $17.95.

ARTICLE REPRINTS

To order reprints of articles, please contact Training Industry at editor@trainingindustry.com

PUBLISHER

Training Industry Magazine is published quarterly by: Training Industry, Inc. 110 Horizon Drive, Suite 110 Raleigh, NC 27615-6520

4 STEPS TO SET YOUR LEARNING RESOLUTIONS FOR 2023

“What did you learn today?” It’s a question my 12-year-old is probably sick of hearing. Every day, I ask him to tell me what he learned, even if it’s only one thing. I recently started thinking about this for myself. Often, it’s something silly, like a factoid from a favorite podcast. That learning usually comes by accident. When I sat down to think about my own learning and development, I realized I need to be much more intentional.

my organization meet its business challenges. Earning the certification gave me an immense sense of accomplishment and broadened my network of learning professionals. This year, I’m focusing on a foreign language. I’m envious of those who can connect with others in multiple languages — it opens new ideas and perspectives and allows closer relationships. My learning objective for 2023 is to study Spanish!

2. SET YOUR GOALS

modality that makes sense for you. If you don’t enjoy it, you’ll likely procrastinate or not do it at all, so spend the time to find what works for you.

4. BUILD YOUR PLAN

In the theme of New Year’s resolutions, let’s ask ourselves: What will we learn this year? More importantly, how will we ensure that we’re making our own learning a priority, just as we prioritize other critical areas of our lives?

Let’s resolve to create an intentional learning plan for ourselves.

1. DECIDE YOUR LEARNING OBJECTIVE

What do you want or need to learn? Is something holding you back due to a lack of knowledge in a certain area? Last year, my goal was to earn the Certified Professional in Training Management (CPTM) credential. I’ve been a training manager for years, but felt I lacked the formal instruction and certification needed to help

Like many New Year’s resolutions, a goal that’s too aspirational can easily result in failure. I know I won’t learn to hold a conversation in Spanish like a native speaker within a year — that’s not my goal. But I can set small, attainable milestones on a weekly or monthly basis. My goal is to spend at least one hour per week studying Spanish. That may not sound like much, but 52 hours over the year is attainable and realistic for me.

3. DECIDE HOW YOU’LL ACHIEVE YOUR GOAL

There are multiple methods for learning, from formal instruction to self-guided study and social learning. If you choose a formal opportunity, like a professional certification or conference, many of those organizations provide templates you can use to request funding. These templates usually focus on the benefits you’ll receive and be able to deliver to your organization. If your goal is less formal, explore the books, apps, podcasts and videos available at your fingertips. It’s critical that you choose a

Decide how much time you’ll dedicate to your learning progress and put it in your calendar. Create reminders. This may be the hardest part. Treat your learning just as you’d treat an important project for work because your development is every bit as important. As training professionals, we’re focused on helping others learn, but we often neglect our own need for growth.

Ask yourself, “what keeps me motivated?” Add those motivators to your plan. Reward yourself when you stick to it. Maybe, like me, you need someone to help keep you accountable. Remember my 12-yearold son? He’s the one who’s going to help keep me accountable. He’s learning Spanish as well, and he loves to quiz me. I can’t let him down, so each week I’ll practice my language learning app, read my Spanish phrase books and embarrass myself in conversations with my fluent colleagues. Remember: Each step moves you further on your learning journey.

Caroline Wright, CPTM, leads learning and enablement for Webex by Cisco; her team creates meaningful training content and experiences for Webex customers, partners and customer success. She is passionate about creating a welcoming culture and delivering world-class learning opportunities. Email Caroline.

IF YOU DON’T ENJOY IT, YOU’LL LIKELY PROCRASTINATE OR NOT DO IT AT ALL.

WHAT’S NEXT IN TECH

STELLA LEE, PH.D.

HOW TO FUTURE-PROOF YOUR EDTECH INVESTMENT

Education technology (edtech) has grown steadily over the past decade, with products encompassing a range of applications, among them learning management systems (LMSs), skill development engines, content libraries, virtual classrooms and assessment tools. In the past two years, the rate of edtech adoption has accelerated due to the global pandemic, with organizations procuring and implementing digital tools to support remote work and learning.

Many learning and development (L&D) departments have shifted to online delivery of learning and performance support overnight. North America alone was responsible for $165.3 billion in corporate training expenditures in 2020. With that in mind, it is crucial to choose the right edtech products that align both with the current and future state of your organization. Below are some ideas on how to future-proof your edtech investment.

CONSIDER YOUR LEARNING STRATEGY AND VISION

As workplace learning continues to evolve, we have broadened our definition to include social, informal, performance support, coaching and mentoring, immersive experience and many other forms of L&D. How does your learning strategy and vision incorporate these different forms of learning and what does the learning journey for your staff look like from onboarding to succession planning?

When evaluating an edtech product, think about what aspect of the learning journey it supports (e.g., a mentoring platform that supports informal learning by promoting

knowledge sharing and collaboration among peers), and whether the product can help your organization achieve its learning goals directly and to what extent.

EDTECH PRODUCT ROADMAP ALIGNMENT

A product roadmap is a high-level summary that maps out the vision and direction of the product offering in the future. Product roadmaps reveal how vendors prioritize the development of functions and features, whether they listen to customer suggestions and how transparent they are in their communications with stakeholders. It is crucial to assess whether the product roadmap aligns with your learning strategy and future needs as a business. Furthermore, it is an opportunity to partner with your vendor in providing feedback, facilitating discussions on change management (especially when there is a major version release of the product) and participating in beta testing on new products and functions.

SCALABILITY AND MAINTAINABILITY

It is important to understand the scalability and maintainability of the edtech product. Explore questions such as:

• What is the underlying technology?

• Is it modern and reliable?

• Does the product follow accepted industry standards (e.g., SCORM, xAPI, accessibility standards, mobile development standards, etc.)

• Can it be integrated with other platforms?

Technologies designed with industry standards tend to have a larger base of developers and a community of users. You also want to know that the product is actively maintained; find out how often major and minor versions are released, what is included in each of these version updates and the cost if any. Find out how users and user data are managed. Is there a limit to how many users can access the system simultaneously, and if so, how does it affect the system’s performance? How does the system handle the deletion, archiving and migration of user data? Do they have a data privacy policy and are they keeping up with legal requirements? These questions will help you determine whether the product can grow with your organization and how well it will handle changes.

CHOOSE THE EDTECH PRODUCTS THAT ALIGN WITH THE CURRENT AND FUTURE STATE OF YOUR ORGANIZATION.

Future-proofing your edtech investment requires a careful process of curating the most suitable solutions that align with your organization’s current and future needs. It is worth spending time up front to consider all these factors before you make a purchase.

Dr. Stella Lee has over 20 years of experience in consulting, planning, designing, implementing and measuring learning initiatives. Her focus is on large-scale learning projects including LMS evaluation and implementation, learning analytics, and artificial intelligent applications. Email Stella.

BUILDING LEADERS

SAM SHRIVER & MARSHALL GOLDSMITH

UNPRECEDENTED CHALLENGES

REQUIRE ALIGNED RESPONSES

Two terms that have worked their way, with increasing regularity, into common vocabulary the last couple of years are “unprecedented” and “aligned”:

• Unprecedented: Sort of a catchall descriptor for the challenges leaders find themselves facing these days. In general, these challenges are the product of disruptive change and everincreasing complexity.

• Aligned: Realistically, the only effective response strategy for all things unprecedented. Alignment is a function of different people performing different functions at different levels of an organization with a unified purpose.

their most technically skilled front-line employees. The company established five levels of proficiency for this role, and the overwhelming majority of the people leaving were level four and five technicians. They had been trained, developed expertise, gained valuable experience and were going elsewhere.

2. What is the cost? The company determined that every time a highlevel technician walked out the door and was replaced by someone who was still completing their development, the cost was $100K. That added up to millions of dollars in lost value.

3. Why were they leaving? In a word, leadership. They felt like pawns in somebody else’s game of life. They did not feel connected to the purpose of the company, listened to or appreciated.

START AT THE TOP

Consider a familiar leadership challenge that is presenting itself with unprecedented intensity: employee turnover. In the last 24 months, a record number of employees actively participated in The Great Resignation. A large percentage of those who didn’t opted instead to become “quiet quitters.” What to do?

QUANTIFY THE CHALLENGE AND TARGET THE ROOT CAUSE

A company we work with recently initiated its aligned response to unprecedented turnover by asking (and more importantly, answering) these three questions:

1. Who is leaving? Unfortunately, the most glaring attrition was coming from

No “new news” here, right? But consider that transparent communication and visible support from the C-suite has never been at a higher premium. The unprecedented nature of the challenge needs to be transparently acknowledged to include the identified root cause as well as “the plan.” And the plan needs to visibly demonstrate the commitment of the C-suite to the aligned response.

In the case of the company losing the tenured technicians, leadership training was identified as an important part of the plan — with one intentionally emphasized caveat. The company did not have a training problem. They had a business problem, and training was

going to kick-start the aligned response. The first group through the training? The C-suite and all key executives!

EVERYBODY IN THE POOL!

Traditionally, leadership training has been almost exclusively reserved for people managers. Those individuals were sent off to learn while “followers” remained behind. The resultant effect was that pullthrough and impact were largely left to the discretion of each trainee.

An aligned strategy expressly intended to solve an unprecedented business problem pursues an inclusive path. In the case of the company tackling technician turnover, everyone in the company participated. But, most importantly, level four and five technicians participated right alongside their supervisors and district managers. Real problems were the focus of real discussions between the people who could make real change.

Will turnover be eliminated? Of course not. Will it be significantly reduced? We believe there is a very strong probability and will report back in the fall issue of this column in that regard. In the meantime, if and when you find yourself using the word unprecedented to describe an emerging challenge, we would strongly encourage you to also use the term aligned as you formulate solutions.

Marshall Goldsmith is the world authority in helping successful leaders get even better. Sam Shriver is the executive vice president at The Center for Leadership Studies. Email Marshall and Sam.

COMMUNICATION AND VISIBLE SUPPORT FROM THE C-SUITE HAS NEVER BEEN AT A HIGHER PREMIUM.

CERTIFY YOUR L&D TEAM?

Equip your training personnel with the necessary language and tools to drive impactful business results.

Align your training goals with the goals of the businesses you support.

Transform your learning team into a high-performing learning organization.

Organizations that employ certified training managers are 4x more likely to be rated above average. Contact us to learn more about how certifying your team can drive lasting business success.

AND INCLUSION

DR. KRISTAL WALKER, CPTM

REPURPOSING EMPLOYEE RESOURCE GROUPS TO SUPPORT LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT

As learning leaders continue to incorporate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) into their respective learning and development (L&D) strategies, creating or repurposing employee resource groups (ERGs) might be an essential method for furthering progress. Traditionally, ERGs were established to support employees with shared interests or identities. However, when we consider their use in contemporary work cultures that welcome innovation from high-performing talent, they can play an important role in expanding or creating a more effective learning ecosystem within an organization.

ERGs can provide a space for employees to come together and share knowledge, experiences and best practices associated with work roles and career experiences. For ERGs to best support skill acquisition and application, these groups should be created with purpose, structure and rules for engagement.

DEFINE THE PURPOSE OF THE GROUP

One ERG might be focused solely on supporting new hires, while another group might be geared towards helping employees develop skillsets that are specific to their job function. In all cases, it is important to be clear about the group’s purpose from the outset. Three questions that learning leaders might consider when defining the purpose of the group might include:

• What type of learning activities will take place within the group?

• Who is the target audience for the group?

• What are the goals and objectives of the group?

The answers to these questions will not only help to shape the group’s purpose, but also create guardrails that will keep learning on track. Purpose also helps to ensure that the time commitment invested by employees in the group will be most effective and efficient.

CREATE STRUCTURE FOR EFFICIENCY

In addition to defining the purpose, it is important to establish structure. This will require the group to consider things like membership criteria, meeting times, cadence and locations (including virtual considerations), as well as how decisions will be made. It might also be the time to establish how the group will measure its success. A few questions to consider when creating structure might include:

• What are the rules for joining and leaving the group?

• Who will be responsible for leading the group?

• What is the expected time commitment for group members?

• Where will the group meet?

Consider these questions early on to ensure the greatest efficiency. Establishing structure with the initial group makes it easier for future members because expectations will have already been set.

ESTABLISH RULES FOR ENGAGEMENT

The final piece of the puzzle is to establish rules for engagement. Rules help ensure that the group can have productive conversations, share best practices and develop actionable plans.

Some initial considerations might include things like maintaining confidentiality, being respectful of diverse opinions and determining how the group’s time and resources are best spent. For example, if the group is focused on professional development, then time spent discussing personal matters might not be an acceptable use of the group’s time.

ERGS SHOULD BE CREATED WITH PURPOSE, STRUCTURE AND RULES FOR ENGAGEMENT.

A few questions when establishing rules of engagement might include:

• What is the process for sharing ideas and information within the group?

• How will controversial topics be handled?

• What is the process for making decisions?

The rules of engagement should not feel punitive. But they should provide a framework within which the group can operate. Above all, the group’s activities, outputs and outcomes should feel inclusive to all while the rules of engagements should result in each member feeling a sense of value while transferring their newly acquired skills to their real-world experiences.

Dr. Kristal Walker, CPTM, is the vice president of employee wellbeing at Sweetwater. Kristal is also a facilitator for Training Industry’s Diversity and Inclusion Master Class Email Kristal.

By Cijaye DePradine

Studies have shown that successful organizations have leaders and teams that trust each other, communicate well, engage in healthy conflict and demonstrate collaborative high performance as a result.

The question is, how do they get there?

What is the secret sauce to enabling these key traits and what role does a learning leader play in them?

It has been observed that under these key traits there are subtle microbehaviors that contribute to their success. These micro-behaviors include contextual awareness, critical thinking, adaptability, constraints management and vertical development.

Throughout this article, we will explore these micro-behaviors and how to work them into your training programs.

Contextual Awareness

To be contextually aware, a leader, team and each of their individual members must be able to determine what is happening and how prepared they are for it.

The Cynefin Framework provides an exceptional academic framework for this, giving us five core domains through which to assess the current state of problems and decisions. These domains include confused, clear, complicated, complex and chaotic.

Take for example the subject of trust. We might find that the meaning of trust falls under the complicated to complex domains when trust is being built; chaotic when it is broken and distributed across all domains when trying to be repaired.

Using an adaptive learning approach to a subject matter like trust enables content to be personalized based on the knowledge and experience of the learner. For example, you might ask

“how do you build trust with a new team?” or “what happens at the team level if trust is repeatedly broken by underperforming team members?” “If this, then that” type questions can trigger richer conversations or retrospection among learners during training.

Critical Thinking

If one does not stop to think critically about the context they are in, or the present impact it is having, they may only be able to draw from the past and not grow toward a better future.

One exceptional way to help build on this micro-behavior of critical thinking is to incorporate the art of inquiry into your adaptive learning.

This includes prompts for the learner to identify what has already been done, what has worked well, what could be even better, what else should be considered, what other questions they might need to ask and answer, etc.

Take for example the subject of communication. When you design a standard course on the subject, you might include theories on communication styles, communication techniques, communication practices, etc. An adaptive course on the subject, however, might incorporate branching activities where the learner is forced to deviate from the standard path and think their way into a new action or response.

You can try this now, by asking yourself:

• What deviations have you experienced in the workplace when it comes to communication?

• What about co-workers? What deviations have they experienced?

• What worked well in these situations? What did not work well?

• How might you build those examples into your course on communication?

• What expected or unexpected outcomes might come of this addition?

• What else could you consider?

From this exercise alone you might be able to imagine how adaptive a course can become by way of incorporating critical thought. It takes great adaptability to think about adaptable scenarios that will help your learners develop these micro-behaviors.

Adaptability

Most of what you have read thus far and will continue to read is a scaffold for adaptability. From this reading, we already know that having contextual awareness enables us to be more adaptive and critical thinking can deepen this adaptability. In the rest of the article, we will explore varying constraints and how these can add incredible depth to one’s growth, and establish a brief understanding of vertical development.

Why does all this matter to us as learning designers? How does it increase or optimize high performance in our organizations, leaders and their teams? How does it provoke our desired changes?

The theory is that the more adaptive one is, the more prepared one will be in the workplace to pivot. Nothing has proven the importance of this more than the previous three years. Organizations all over the world have had to pivot more in these past three years than some have in decades.

So, what does it mean to be more adaptive?

If we think about a specific personal or professional conflict, it might be easy for us to wrap our heads around the difference between rigidity (standing one’s ground) and adaptability (being open to the perspectives of others).

In conflict, we may see both parties stand their ground and get nowhere. We may

alternatively see one person become more adaptable while the other remains rigid. Or we can see both parties become more adaptable, thereby demonstrating what healthy conflict might look like.

Of course, this is one example. However, adaptability looks similar in areas of trust, communication and collaboration as well. Very rarely will high performance stick if only one person is adaptable. All parties involved need to be adaptable.

How then would you build adaptability into your courses?

You may wish to incorporate action logic, sense-making or “if this, then that” questions into your initial learner self-assessments. You can follow-up by offering learners customized training recommendations based on the top three assessment outcomes.

You may also consider experimenting with various branching scenarios throughout your training, deepening the internal critical thought process, slowing down the learner, encouraging more time to think through all the possibilities and not just game their responses.

Alternatively, you may encourage users to build their own “elective” learning pathways based on their uniquely assessed needs; recommending also

that they step out of their comfort zones with their choices.

As you can see, this opens the floor extremely wide for instructional design. So, how then would you define the constraints needed for each of these concepts? Where do you draw the lines?

Constraints Management

Constraints should be contextually bound. For example, for something that is contextually clear (such as known, repeatable and effectively operationalized) in an organization, you might have tight to rigid constraints imposed on operations. You might see this in sales scripts or transaction processes, accounting/finance, data inputs or reports. There is a strict process to follow for each of these in most organizations and deviations could have extremely adverse effects on the business.

In a more complicated context, such as building marketing campaigns, advertising online, website design or sales discounting, you would want to introduce your team to governing constraints where there is some flexibility.

In contrast, with a complex context, such as digital transformations, new product development or technological

Incorporate the art of inquiry into your adaptive learning to develop critical thinking.

innovations, you absolutely need to leverage enabling constraints. This would allow your working teams to get creative, think outside the box, define what works best situationally and iterate along the way.

With chaotic contexts, you are likely to lack restraints or need to de-couple from existing constraints (such as your strict work-from-home policy when your government mandates total lockdown in your region). You must simply act first, sense next and then respond.

So, how do you build this into your learning?

Start with the context first. Then match the context to each constraint type, testing for common errors and building your course accordingly. Also consider how context can change along the way and that it may not ever be linear. Whatever emerges will need a contextually relevant response, which you should prepare your leaders and their teams for.

Lastly, let’s examine vertical development.

Vertical Development

This concept, originating out of the Global Leadership Association (GLA), suggests that learners will be in a

different state of transformation in relation to what experiences they have. This includes the courses you teach.

The transformations GLA refers to are opportunist, diplomat, expert, achiever, individualist, strategist and alchemist.

For example, an opportunist might look at trust, communication, conflict and collaboration to serve themselves, whereas an alchemist has an extraordinary capacity to simultaneously deal with many situations at multiple levels (of self, other, organization and more).

As a learner in a program comprising these subjects, the alchemist might think critically about the multiple levels of subject areas they are learning before deciding how best to apply their new knowledge.

In application, they might also think both short- and long-term and establish a means to prioritize both at any given moment — making them as adaptable as possible.

This is not to suggest that getting all learners to the level of alchemist is the ideal target. In fact, it might be detrimental to think this way, especially

for sales leaders and their teams. They are most likely more advantageous as an opportunist or achiever in sales than they would be a diplomat, strategist or alchemist, for example.

How then would you design your adaptive learning with these varied outcomes in mind?

For starters, offering some form of action logic, sense-making or polarity perspectives into your self-assessments or courses are just a few ideas.

It mostly comes down to helping the learner live out an experience that then triggers situational responses for them to work through. Case studies, scenariobased learning and branching scenarios can all help.

In Conclusion

It might be best to start with a “contextbased” problem to solve, as well as the applicable constraints required in that subject area. From there, you can decide which transformation stage of vertical development these outcomes are most aligned with, as well as the critical thinking elements that can encourage your learners to get there.

This may flip traditional learning on its head. However, it has been observed in organizations with successfully distributed leadership, multi-team structures and self-organizing groups that these adaptive behaviors unleash the potential within.

If learning leaders can find a way to build those elements into their training, they too can contribute to unleashing learner potential.

Cijaye DePradine, formerly the corporate learning manager and professional coach, is now responsible for the national leadership development portfolio at Best Buy Canada. She is also an independent complex change consultant/facilitator and podcast host for leaders and their teams. Email Cijaye.

Very rarely will high performance stick if only one person is adaptable.

From

to

The Future Skills L&D Professionals

Need

or the past few years, conversations about skills gaps and reskilling have been front and center in the broader workforce transformation dialogue. Most research — from respected entities such as McKinsey or the World Economic Forum — indicates that organizations close their skills gaps by establishing the needed skills, assessing the gaps, laying plans for closing them and addressing the gaps through training. Learning and development (L&D) professionals are typically responsible for implementing these critical, organization-wide changes, but it’s only recently that they’ve been invited to the planning conversations.

There’s an increased recognition of the role L&D plays. According to LinkedIn Learning’s 2022 Workplace Learning Report, 72% of respondents say that L&D has become a more strategic function in their organization; and 62% agree that L&D is focused on rebuilding or reshaping their organization. RedThread Research found that in 2022, 59% of L&D conversations were focused on workforce discussions, while 48% focused on business strategy. Like an airplane catching speed on a runway, L&D is taking off.

By

Bianca Baumann

As exciting as these numbers might be, one can’t help but worry that L&D pros aren’t quite ready to handle everything that’s headed their way — and their under-preparedness will keep them from helping learners and their organizations. Not only do L&D professionals need to shift their mindsets from content creation to enablement of skills and knowledge,

but they must also understand the shift from role-based training to skill-based learning experiences.

L&D Professionals Aren’t Set Up for Success

Consider, for example, skills-based talent management, which perfectly demonstrates the need to shift from content creation and role-based training to learning that happens overwhelmingly on the job and in project teams. This strategy helps organizations define the relationships between tasks, skills and qualifications. It’s about knowing your people’s abilities. L&D pros are expected to create the infrastructure to identify skills an employee needs to develop to succeed in their role.

Working in the L&D function requires strong knowledge of instructional design and adult learning theory. But today’s L&D professionals must also be able to lead strategic workforce transformation initiatives, drive learning targeted at improved team effectiveness, connect learning and business needs, analyze data and have solid business acumen. Are they prepared for all this?

According to McKinsey’s 2021 Global Survey, 23% of all workforce transformations fail during the planning phase. The failure rate jumps to 35% during implementation. The survey suggests that failure is partially due to the fact that transformation efforts aren’t tied into the day-to-day. It’s quite possible that these transformations don’t reach their full value because employees leading these initiatives aren’t equipped to do so.

To return to the airplane metaphor, think about the flight attendants’ pre-flight show. In case of an emergency, passengers are advised to put on their oxygen masks before they help others. Not that L&D professionals are careening toward an emergency, but to help their organizations, they must think about themselves first.

Bringing Future L&D Skills in Focus

The question then becomes, where should L&D professionals focus their skill

development? To return to LinkedIn’s 2022 Learning Report, operations saw a 54% growth year over year. Corporate training is at 38%, followed by 29% for HR management, and 24% for people development. Learning management systems are at 19% year over year, followed by 14% for analytical skills and 13% for engineering and finance. In “Futureproofing L&D: Developing the Right Skills,” RedThread Research recommends that L&D professionals should focus on skills within the following categories:

• Leadership: Leading inside and outside the L&D function.

• L&D core: Building the capabilities of the workforce.

• Business core: Understanding and aligning with business strategy.

• Data and decision-making: Using data for making better decisions.

• Managing relationships: Building and maintaining relationships, internal and external to the L&D function.

• Personal readiness: Helping individuals and functions readily adapt to changing environments.

• Technology: Leveraging tech to upskill the workforce.

This list isn’t surprising. With the increasing need to support workforce transformations, L&D professionals are actively upskilling. How does this look for leadership, the L&D core, the business core, and data and decision-making?

Upskilling in Action

Acquiring or enhancing skills doesn’t have to be cumbersome or timeconsuming. It’s best to start small and add one new tool, model, framework or

resource at a time. It’s about sharpening the professional arsenal while keeping modern learning approaches in mind. Additionally, L&D professionals must remember that, as a general rule, more is never better. Run from content-heavy course offerings and head toward curated, relevant, quality content.

Leadership

Consulting, coaching, leading others, and motivation and engagement are high up on the leadership skills category list. L&D professionals are not only leading significant workforce transformation initiatives, but they are also becoming much more involved and intentional about employee development. This is shown in the inclusion of more learning methods and the integration of more development opportunities into the workplace.

This benefits learners in more ways than a broader opportunity. As organizations move from being reactionary to being proactive, from just-in-case to just-in-time, L&D professionals can guide the hearts and minds of both leaders and employees through these transitions using skills such as consulting and coaching.

L&D Core

Even though L&D professionals are now a part of workforce transformation conversations, the original job of creating employee learning experiences remains. It’s not surprising that L&D core skills are on the list. What is surprising are some of the other skills listed within this category — such as the ability to upskill the workforce and human-centered design — pointing to a more holistic approach to training and learning that supports adaption in a changing work environment.

Because designing learning experiences with the help of empathy maps or learner

As a general rule, more is never better.

personas puts the learner at the center of everything we do, the learner benefits. Instead of thinking about what content needs to be taught, we look at the person to find their emotional connection to the work and create upskilling experiences that are in line with the project-based work they are tasked with.

Business Core

Rather than simply serving the business, L&D professionals are now part of the business. Business acumen and marketing top the skill list in the business core category, followed by change management and creativity and innovation. When L&D professionals are asked to build a skilled workforce, they must understand organizational goals and strategy, business basics, and speak the same language as the business. Then there’s innovation: When L&D pros think outside the andragogical box, they can position themselves as trusted business partners; learners reap the benefits of thoughtful, engaging experiences.

Data and Decision-making

On all fronts, data leads the way. With the move to skill-based talent management,

data analysis is a crucial tool to identify skills individuals need to succeed in the organization. Data refers to sources such as learning management systems (LMSs), learning experience platforms (LXPs) and other learning data, but also information outside of L&D, such as engagement data. Identifying data sources isn’t enough though; L&D professionals need to use strategic thinking, problem-solving, research and data analysis to support their efforts in this area.

When L&D recognizes learning happens not just in the LMS but rather occurs constantly on the job, learners benefit from learning experiences that are dialed into their true needs. Extracting engagement data from tools and platforms that employees use every day is the key to better understanding the impact that learning initiatives have.

Setting the Mind to Shift

No amount of upskilling will help if L&D professionals’ hearts and minds aren’t ready for this change, and if they’re not ready to push it through to the learning experiences they produce. Mindsets must shift from content creation to enablement of skills, knowledge and abilities. It is not enough to simply

Additional Resources

There’s no need to head to grad school to upskill. Take advantage of these curated picks:

To upskill on relevant, contextual content: Need a starting point? Check out Mosher’s and Gottfredson’s 5 Moments of Need.

To strengthen the L&D core: To learn more about human-centered design, head to IDEO

To tie L&D to business: For insight on strategies for successful partnerships between L&D and the rest of the business, books by Adam Grant, Brene Brown, or Simon Sinek are excellent starting points.

To harness data for decision-making: To learn more about data analytics, head to LinkedIn Learning for an array of valuable courses.

train on new skills — learning offerings need to be connected to performance objectives and business goals.

Upskilling in a vacuum won’t be successful. Just like L&D professionals have to expand their skill sets, training and learning needs to expand beyond the traditional, order-taker borders that organizations are used to. In other words, a workforce transformation goes handin-hand with a learning transformation. L&D professionals must focus on the connection between ongoing reskilling efforts and actual work. It’s about leveraging data and integrating learning into the flow of work; it’s about identifying the right moments of learning need and offering content that’s purposeful and relevant. It’s up to L&D professionals to stay relevant by understanding opportunities and challenges, new thinking about upskilling, how to work with HR and talent management, stakeholder needs, activating managers, listening to learners and never stop learning themselves.

Bianca Baumann is vice president of learning solutions and innovation at Ardent Learning. Over time, she has developed processes and methodologies to help organizations meet their growth and revenue targets with the help of innovative L&D and talent management approaches, including digital transformations, onboarding and reskilling programs. Email Bianca.

A workforce transformation goes hand-in-hand with a learning transformation.

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE TRAIN THE TRAINER PROGRAM DRIVE RESULTS AND

"Delivering IHHP’s Emotional Intelligence training has been one of the most satisfying and impactful things I have done in my career This training really gets at the heart of who people are, why they behave the way they do, and how they can perform and live up to their potential."

Kerri Dobszewicz, Certified IHHP Trainer, Allstate Insurance

L E A R N M O R E

By Cindy Huggett, CPTD

cross the world, hybrid working has become the norm for many organizations. It’s a combination of on-site and off-site work for employees based upon policy or preference. Naturally, this change in working arrangements has caused learning departments to shift their training offerings to hybrid formats as well.

But for many organizations, the logistics of setting up hybrid classes — the nitty-gritty details of how to make it work — remains a mystery. They either aren’t sure how to do it, or they assume nothing special is needed or they haven’t budgeted for this type of investment.

The success of hybrid learning is less about the mechanics and more about the learner experience.

The key to making hybrid classes work well is to create a shared experience between in-person and remote attendees. To equalize the experience so that each participant — regardless of location — feels fully included in the learning experience. That they can contribute, interact and, most importantly, are able to learn.

There are two specific factors that contribute to a successful hybrid class: tech setup and facilitation skill. In many ways, these two factors are intertwined, and they are both of equal importance.

A technology-enabled hybrid classroom setup can overcome deficiencies in facilitation techniques, and a highly skilled facilitator can make any learning environment work. That said, “make it work” training isn’t ideal. Successful hybrid learning shouldn’t be difficult for anyone. The more barriers there are to overcome, the less likely there will be participant engagement or learning transfer. To create a good hybrid learning experience, a skilled facilitator needs to be supported by proper resources.

So just like a behind-the-scenes VIP tour gives insight into backstage magic, here is a summary, based on my many years of experience, on getting hybrid learning right.

CAREFUL SETUP

Compared to in-person and even virtual classes, hybrid setup requires more intentional planning. Facilitator preparation for a traditional, in-person training class largely centers on content. Virtual facilitator preparation activities include ensuring the online classroom details are clearly communicated and setting up interaction tools like polls and whiteboards. All of these items are still important for hybrid learning, but the emphasis must shift to mainly focus on the participant experience.

In other words, hybrid facilitators need to not only prepare their content and set up the virtual classroom, but they also need to plan ahead for participant involvement. They must clearly set expectations for both on-site and off-site participants and ensure that everyone, regardless of location, has a device that can connect to the virtual classroom for convenient collaboration.

They also need to carefully consider the other items on this list, starting with audio.

CLEAR AUDIO

When participants are scattered among various locations, audio difficulties can quickly make conversation difficult.

In-person participants are often hard to hear, and remote participants can have choppy connections. A key priority for hybrid success is to purposefully place microphones around the classroom space so that everyone speaking can be easily heard. You can also use an audio device that captures all onsite voices clearly. It’s important for remote attendees to use noise-canceling headsets or microphones with high-quality sound.

If those solutions are not possible, then the facilitator must intentionally repeat on-site participant statements so that offsite attendees feel part of the conversation. This extraneous step can quickly become cumbersome. To truly have a shared hybrid learning experience, audio clarity must be a top priority.

COMMON VIDEO

Video bridges the location gap between hybrid attendees. Each remote participant should be on camera, and the in-person classroom should be fully visible on screen. The mechanics to make this work well depend upon the classroom setup. Ideally, one camera captures everyone in its view. However, multiple webcams may be necessary. If each on-site participant connects via

device, then their personal video may be the best option.

The simplest way to incorporate video is to install a video conferencing system specifically designed for hybrid learning. These systems include cameras and screens that help all participants easily see one another. Hybrid room kits are now readily available from many vendors, some with installation support, which can help your organization configure the best possible video setup.

In addition, be sure to give remote attendees the necessary tools to avoid video fatigue, such as teaching them to hide their self-view, or taking frequent webcam breaks.

CONSISTENT DEVICES

When participants gather for a hybrid class, it should be for discussion, dialogue, collaboration or practice. To allow for this type of shared interaction, each participant needs equal access to collaboration tools. For example, if an activity requires input via polling, then everyone needs access to the poll questions. Or, if they are to brainstorm on a whiteboard, then everyone should be able to use the whiteboard. Yes, it’s possible to have the in-person attendees write on a physical whiteboard and the remote attendees use a digital one, but that’s not an equal learning experience.

The solution is to ensure that everyone, both on-site and off-site, has a device connected to the same virtual tools. The device can be a laptop, tablet or smartphone. Just be sure that onsite participants don’t connect to audio, to avoid unwanted echo. In addition, check to see that there’s enough bandwidth

The key to making hybrid classes work well is to create a shared experience between in-person and remote attendees.

in the classroom to accommodate the demand and available power to keep the devices charged.

COMMUNITY HELPERS

It takes a village to successfully deliver hybrid learning. To keep the facilitator fully focused on the participant experience, other people can support and assist. For example, someone should be assigned the “tech support” role, to help any participants who have trouble connecting or staying connected to the virtual classroom platform. Another can be the “chat champion,” to keep an eye on the chat conversations and alert the facilitator as needed. I like to assign remote buddies — a point person in the classroom for each remote attendee to help them be their onsite eyes and ears.

These roles can be assigned in advance, such as an external support person who will help with the technology. Or, if needed, the facilitator can request volunteers for various tasks at the start of class. Either way, the more people involved, the more it will be a truly shared learning experience.

CALCULATED FACILITATION

As mentioned earlier, a skilled facilitator can fill any technology gaps to create an engaging class. But even if there’s a perfect hybrid setup with up-to-date equipment, the success of hybrid learning is less about the mechanics and more about the learner experience. It’s about human connection and conversation. A hybrid facilitator’s job is to enable relationship-building among participants so that they can learn together. This means encouraging discussion and dialogue despite location differences.

It may seem counterintuitive, but to create space for conversation, a facilitator needs to get creative. They need to be more prescriptive, direct and structured than they would be in other settings. For example, when asking discussion questions, they need to specify how participants should respond. This technique keeps the inperson participants from just jumping in and dominating the conversation,

which could easily happen without the extra direction.

To illustrate, instead of simply asking, “Who has prior experience with this process?” a facilitator should instead say something like, “Who has prior experience with this process? If you do, click on raise hand, if not just click on no.” From there, the discussion can proceed based on the input received. Or, to help guide a conversation while also avoiding uncomfortable audio lags, a facilitator can designate the order in which participants speak. Keep in mind that it’s not about controlling the conversation, it’s about enabling it. By providing boundaries, the dialogue can flourish, leading to a better learning experience.

In addition, in the hybrid environment, facilitators should always have a “remote first” mindset, giving priority to offsite attendees. It helps balance out the deficiencies of not being in the room with others.

This type of facilitation doesn’t happen by accident, it requires forethought and planning. The facilitators who successfully bridge the gap across locations are the ones who carefully plan out the methods they will use to generate conversation.

IN CLOSING

It can be argued that hybrid learning isn’t worth the effort it takes to set up the technology required to do it right. That offering only virtual training programs and/or only inperson programs is the best choice for all. When everyone is together, or everyone is virtual, then everyone’s connection is equal. However, with the recent push toward hybrid work, it will be difficult for many organizations to avoid hybrid learning. It can be done with intentional effort and support. So, if you’re going to offer hybrid classes, then invest in the tech setup and facilitator upskilling required to make it work well.

Cindy Huggett, CPTD, helps organizations and training professionals create engaging virtual and hybrid learning with lasting results. Email Cindy.

HYBRID CLASS SETUP CHECKLIST

Use this summary checklist to help you set up your next hybrid class:

Careful Setup

Plan ahead to create a shared learning experience.

Set advance expectations with participants.

Clear Audio

Place microphones around the room to capture the conversation.

Ensure remote attendees use noise-canceling headsets or microphones.

Common Video

Set up webcam(s) around the room so that all are in view.

Encourage all remote attendees to be on webcam.

Take steps to avoid video fatigue.

Consistent Devices

Give everyone equal access to online collaboration tools.

Ensure enough bandwidth and in-room power.

Community Helpers

Assign roles to assist the facilitator.

Calculated Facilitation

Plan out discussion questions with specificity

Have a remote-first mentality.

A MUTUAL GAINS APPROACH TO MEASURING ROI

Why It Pays To Align Learning Initiatives With Business Goals

By Daila Boufford

Has this happened to someone you know?

Tanya, a driven and talented professional, is known for her ability to get things done. She is a natural leader and often outperforms her goals for the year. Not surprisingly, she gets promoted to a management position and is now responsible for leading a team to take on a new important initiative for the organization. She takes on this position with gusto and is confident she will succeed, just as she has often done in the past. However, within the first three months, it is clear that she is in over her head. Her team begins to doubt her ability to lead, she starts to lose confidence in herself, and her manager grows frustrated at her lackluster performance. In just 90 days, Tanya has gone from a polished successful professional to a self-conscious and disengaged manager who no longer feels safe in the space where she used to thrive.

So, what happened here? Tanya did not suffer from a lack of skill; she had proven that from her past performance. She was not “green” to the world of business; she had a successful track record and was respected by peers and managers alike. Who is to blame in this situation and how could it have been avoided?

In the current competitive job market, professional development has become an important retention and recruiting strategy. Many organizations tout their leadership training programs as key benefits for employees. However, a variety of factors can prevent employees from engaging with training. What could be leading to this disconnect? While many individuals see the value of training and want to participate, our current productivity-fueled workplace doesn’t prioritize learning during the workday. Individuals make tough choices to balance the responsibilities of work and home — and training often falls off the list. In Tanya’s case, she chose to focus her time on proving her performance capability through work, rather than learning management skills that might serve her in the future.

Learning and development (L&D) is all too often seen as a cost center rather than an investment by organizational leadership. This low prioritization is reinforced by performance evaluations that focus on quantitative work measures and discount time spent learning new skills. Back to our Tanya story, how might the outcome have changed if she had seen a return

on investment (ROI) (demonstrated through a high-performance appraisal) for spending 10% of her time in a leadership development program?

Let’s take a look at what her company could have done to help prepare Tanya to take on a management role.

PRIORITIZING LEARNING

There are some common pitfalls within organizations that lead to a disparity in how training is prioritized. To begin with, L&D initiatives are often siloed and not integrated with the company’s strategic business objectives. For example, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) training is quite popular now, in some cases it’s even required training by HR departments. However, there can be a disconnect between what the organization sees as a valuable investment and what learners see as beneficial to their careers. We have

heard for years how diversity has a positive impact on the bottom line, but how many organizations are including a diversity goal in their business plan? When there is a lack of continuity between key training initiatives and stated business goals, no one is held accountable to ensure the program is a success.

Alignment between learning initiatives and business objectives is key, but so is alignment with the company culture and work environment. When trying to scale-up quickly, L&D departments often turn to content libraries to provide the content. While this approach works in some cases, it can backfire if the content being delivered is not reflective of the actual employee experience. If employees are going to make time to learn, they must be able to see how they can apply what they learn to achieve success.

There can be a disconnect between what the organization sees as a valuable investment and what learners see as beneficial to their careers.

The same holds true for managers. As leaders of their team, they need to be informed about specific and relevant training opportunities that are designed to help their team achieve their goals. If managers understand what’s in it for them, they will be more inclined to encourage and support their team members in getting trained.

In Tanya’s case, there were no stated learning requirements for the management role she was promoted to. She relied on the assumption that prior experience would be enough to help her take on a more demanding job and any gaps would be filled by learning while doing. What she failed to understand was that her new manager would not have time to help fill in those gaps, and instead expect her to quickly get up to speed. Tanya felt pressured to “fake it ‘til she made it.” She knew she was in over her head, but without a supportive and integrated learning culture, she didn’t know where to turn for help.

INTEGRATING LEARNING INTO THE ORGANIZATION

Formal learning opportunities are just one part of the equation. A truly effective and integrated learning program includes structured activities to help learners apply their new knowledge to their job. A simple way to facilitate this is to include learning and development as an agenda item in every one-on-one meeting. This is a great opportunity for managers and team members to discuss how new skills can be applied to ongoing and future work. By carefully documenting these conversations, you can collect evidence on the ROI each training initiative is generating.

It is important for team leaders to work closely with L&D to identify the intended outcomes for each training. This will ensure that the organization is able to take full advantage of the time and money being invested in upskilling its workforce. In Tanya’s case, if she had been a part of an integrated leadership development program, she could have had opportunities to audit senior leadership meetings, lead special projects and even work with a

senior-level mentor before she took on a management role. This would have helped her to make the transition smoother for herself and everyone else involved.

Some organizations are on the right path. They have done their due diligence to align training and business goals and they have gotten leadership on board to prioritize training as a key measure of success in their organization. However, they are still struggling to get their team members involved. In this instance, there may be a disconnect for the employees on how they will personally benefit from completing the training. Here are a few ideas to help show the WIIFM (what’s in it for me) to the employees.

▲ Create a performance goal specifically for L&D. Allow the employee to indicate what they would like to learn more about and how they would like to engage. For example, if you have a team member who enjoys managing projects, perhaps they would benefit from pursuing their project management professional (PMP) certification. Discuss the timeline and include this certification as a performance goal for their endof-year review. This will help keep the employee accountable and motivated to complete this learning experience. In addition to adding value to the team, the individual will also get a nice resume boost from the PMP designation.

▲ Invite your team member to conduct a teach-back session. After a training event is over, give the team member 10-15 minutes at the next team meeting to present the key takeaways. Encourage them to select one topic from the training and teach it to the rest of the team. This is a great way to showcase the knowledge (and provide a confidence boost) of a team member and give others the opportunity to learn something new.

▲ Create a learning path that leads to a promotion for a team member. As we saw with Tanya, preparing to take on a more senior role requires on-the-job experience as well as training on how to handle their new responsibilities. It can be helpful to create a stepping

stones document that identifies specific projects as well as training opportunities that will help prepare the individual for their next role.

▲ Consider a high-potential talent pool. Managers are invited to nominate team members to be included in the pool, and if accepted, these individuals have access to specialized leadership development opportunities. They will receive prioritized consideration for promotion and special highprofile projects. To be nominated, an individual must demonstrate high levels of engagement in the company, exemplify company values and be committed to team success.

CONCLUSION

Research shows that employees consider learning opportunities to be a key factor when considering whether to leave their current position. At the same time, U.S. companies have increased their L&D spending significantly. We have the right ingredients to take full advantage of L&D as a key business driver. We simply need to communicate a clear picture of how the employee and the organization will mutually benefit from their efforts. By working closely with leadership, we can support and encourage learning for employees at all levels, so that we prepare our talent today to serve as the leaders of tomorrow.

Daila Boufford is the training manager at eMoney Advisor, a financial technology company. Email Daila.

A truly effective and integrated learning program includes structured activities to help learners apply their new knowledge to their job.

RE AS O NS WHY SOCIAL LEARNING IS MO RE IMPO RTANT THAN EVER

By Andrea Wh ittake r

Humans are inherently social beings. I could cite several sources that make this claim (such as this Forbes article or this study from the National Library of Medicine), but I know this from personal experience. I used to teach young humans (kindergartners and fourth graders to be exact), and I observed them mimic me, and each other, as they learned to write their names and sound out words. I experienced this myself as I transitioned from education to the corporate world, where I needed to learn how to create eLearning programs but had no access to formal courses. Instead of returning to school, I turned to my colleagues to show me best practices and free resources that could help me grow. Then, I experienced it as a mentor when colleagues came to me for help to grow their skills.

Most learning and development (L&D) professionals are familiar with the 70-2010 model. For those who aren’t, it suggests that 10% of individual learning should come from formal education events such as courses or books, 20% from social learning and 70% from applying new knowledge and skills on the job. Even though this model states that formal learning events should comprise a minority of a learner’s education, this is where learning professionals find themselves spending most of their time (and training budget), often despite L&D’s best efforts to convince the business of a more wellrounded approach.

This deviation from best practice is most frequently due to the desire of the business to be able to track and report on training programs. However, the reports typically shared merely indicate how many people completed a course or self-reported satisfaction, rather than how much the audience has learned and can apply to their daily role. The application of concepts is much more challenging and complex to measure. Businesses are less likely to invest in learning programs that employ social and application facets if they can’t easily measure the impact. A secondary cause is a lack of resources (either financial or human) to help manage and maintain social and application

learning components. As a result of this practice, many learners are not able to connect what they hear in a course and what they do every day — rendering the course ineffective.

If components of a program go beyond the 10%, the focus typically goes directly to application despite social learning being an important phase in the model. Social learning is defined in various ways depending on the organization. In this context, social learning is any activity where one person learns from another. Most commonly in business, we see this occur in mentor and coaching relationships, workplace communities or program cohorts. When used effectively, social learning acts as a bridge between what people learn in a course or program and the application of that learning in their dayto-day roles. This happens through hearing from others’ experiences, asking questions and troubleshooting in a safe space and sharing what they know to build their confidence in the topic. Learning in these ways with others helps to solidify the behaviors that enable workers to put the skills more easily into practice.

With this in mind, let’s explore three reasons why social learning is more important than ever, as well as how to begin implementing social practices into your learning programs.

Returning to the 70-20-10 Model

According to research from Bersin by Deloitte, “80% of workforce learning happens via on-the-job interactions with peers, teammates, and managers.” But the same research also shows that those workers only have 1% of their workweek available for learning. This means that employees need to be able to find what they need, when they need it. Some of this need is met by on-demand content, either via internal learning platforms or search engines.

However, when turning to these platforms, learners often struggle to directly apply what they are trying to achieve in their role without any social support. While this approach may not always pose

barriers, frequent feedback during and after programs reveals that learners are unsure how to apply it to their role or wish they had someone they could turn to with specific questions to put the learning into practice effectively. Utilizing intentional social learning components could help to ease this burden and help to bridge the gap to application.

Learners Feel Disconnected From Others

Virtual learning has been a big topic in the profession for some time. During the COVID-19 pandemic, however, it became even more critical as businesses rushed to ensure that employees had what they needed to continue working and developing in the absence of face-to-face learning options. As time has gone on, however, employees are reporting fatigue with virtual options as organizations focused almost exclusively on formal learning with little to no social learning additions.

This fatigue is further driven by the lack of personal connection that was standard with in-office interactions. Those who started with new companies during the pandemic also have struggled to create social networks that would once have been created by having lunch with co-workers or during in-person orientation events.

Formal Learning Can’t Keep Up With the Pace of Business

L&D leaders know that it is not uncommon to deploy a program only

to have it become out of date within months (or even weeks). The expense to update programs shortly after launch is greater than most organizations can justify, so compromises to content are accepted as a cost of doing business. Additionally, the life span of a worker’s skills continues to decrease.

According to the book, “Exponential Organizations: The Essential Guide to Building ExO’s,” the average shelf life of a business competency has dropped from 30 years in 1984 to five years in 2014. This means that the workforce faces a constant need for upskilling and reskilling that most current corporate learning programs cannot keep pace with. Social learning, however, is more agile in nature since it can adjust to learner and business needs more efficiently and effectively than formal learning and often takes less time and resources to deploy.

Ways To Incorporate Social Learning

The need for social learning is clear. The challenge is to create deliberate social learning channels that enable learners to have efficient access to a wider pool of experts.

One way that might already be taking place in your organization is workplace communities. At Mars, Inc., there are approximately 110 communities (approximately 90 of these are employee resource groups) that have been identified by the L&D organization. Only one of these communities is driven by the L&D organization. The communities range from business topics such as project management and

Social learning acts as a bridge between what people learn in a course or program and the application of that learning in their day-to-day roles.

agile to diversity, equity and inclusion employee resource groups. The relatively newly formed social learning team in Mars, Inc.’s L&D organization is working to create and promote a directory of these groups so that they can be found by a broad audience across the globe.

Additionally, this team has created a hub of supportive tools to help community leaders learn how to grow and sustain their community, as well as create content and curate existing materials to support ongoing development. Reskilling and upskilling via communities not only help to connect employees across the organization, but also occur in a more business-paced approach since they are focused on timely topics being raised by their members. They also allow for personalized support via community questions or connections and do not require substantial resourcing from the social learning or

The challenge is to create deliberate social learning channels that enable learners to have efficient access to a wider pool of experts.

broader L&D teams as leaders are being equipped to learn from each other.

Another way to incorporate social learning into the workplace would be to look outside of the traditional L&D space for inspiration on how people connect and learn from each other around the world. For instance, when conducting interviews with a very small sample of new graduates entering the workforce in 2020, at least half of those interviewed stated they utilized platforms

What Does a Social Learning Team Do?

In February of 2021, Mars, Inc., a large global corporation with over 140,000 employees, designated a social learning team to be a third of the learner experience team in the L&D organization. This team was originally comprised of a manager and three social learning coaches.

The team conducted research and created a vision for the social learning strategy at Mars. They incorporated principles from not only learning theory but also design thinking and user centricity. In the first year, the team spent most of their time creating tools that would support employees in developing user-generated content, curating existing materials and leading workplace

communities. Additionally, they consulted individual employees and project leads on ways to include social practices in their programs.

During 2022, the team has continued their consultation, but spent more time focused on supporting workplace community leaders, embedding social practices into existing and newly created training programs and sharing what they have learned with other L&D professionals. Mars’ investment in a dedicated social learning team demonstrates a clear understanding of the potential that this important area of learning can have.

such as TikTok and Instagram to learn about topics that interested them or hobbies they pursued. The reasons they gave for doing so included the fact that there were short videos, but also that they could interact with the expert (or influencer as they are commonly known in the social media world), as well as others who were watching the video. This concept could be (and has been) translated into the L&D space through:

• Hosting “watch parties,” where a group watches a short course on a topic and interacts with each other and an expert during the session.

• Providing managers with a toolkit to help them lead a “course club” (similar to a book club but centered around an existing course) with their teams.

• Live office hours with experts, where course instructors present small topics in their area of expertise and engage the audience with prompts and Q&A sessions.

Conclusion

It is easy to get wrapped up in the day-today of developing courses and forget that we are developing them for humans who need and desire to have connections with others. This connection helps to link what they know, what they’ve learned and what they need to know to do even better. If you can create experiences that help them to do that, you will be tapping into their core needs. So, as we say on my team, let’s get social, L&D!

Andrea Whittaker is a social learning coach for Mars, Inc., where she supports associates in crafting learning solutions that support the holistic needs of their audience. Email Andrea.

is a beautiful thing.

Trust is why we get to work on our clients’ most IMPORTANT CUSTOM L&D PROJECTS.

And when our clients need TEMPORARY TALENT the trust is there because, like them, we do this work! And when they have LEADERSHIP & CULTURE challenges—the trust is there because we walk the walk. And…red flag and scary alert!

VR & AR are coming. Without deep trust, move on! And trust is why clients join us in pushing the envelope and create results that DOMINATE AWARDS.

So, let’s have one conversation you will feel the trust!

Self-directed learning has been garnering significant attention over the last few years. There is an old saying that goes, “Everything old is new again.” Case in point: While growing up in rural Jamaica in the 1950s, miles away from established, big city learning institutions, my mother did her studies via “correspondence courses,” aka “distance learning programs.” She registered by mail for the courses she needed and was sent textbooks and lessons by return mail. She studied when she found the time between caring for younger siblings and doing household chores.

Today, it comes under the guise of “independent learning,” independent study,” “lifelong learning” and a collection of similar terms, often defined as the ability of individuals to be responsible for their learning process. Malcolm Knowles described it as “a process in which individuals take the initiative, with or without the help of others, in diagnosing their learning needs, formulating learning goals, identifying human and material resources for learning, choosing and implementing appropriate learning strategies, and evaluating the learning outcomes.”

A self-directed learning strategy allows learners to choose what they want to learn, how they want to learn and how deeply they want to learn a topic. Therein lies a power: The power of flexibility to structure one’s learning path, the ability to take charge of the learning process and the power of taking responsibility to make decisions about the outcome. In corporate America, however, this power is often denied to learners.

Why is Self-directed Learning so Powerful?

Here is a conversation I had with my millennial son the other day:

Me: Hon, ever heard of self-directed learning?

Son: Well yeah, learn on your own. I do that every day, learning how to code and stuff.

Me: Do you find you learn better or worse than in college?

Son: Better Me: Why?

Son: I am not bored; I only learn what I want to learn, how I want to, and when.

That conversation reveals the secret sauce, where the self-directed learner has the option and opportunity only to learn what they are interested in at that time and how. The power of interest drives self-directed learners, making them highly motivated. The self-directed learner already connects to the topic and is more willing to engage in the content and spend more time on the subject. The self-directed learner will obtain content from various sources and resources.

In my son’s case, his resources were YouTube, Vimeo and several other video sources and websites. If it is the case that the self-directed learner is part of a standard training program, it can be more challenging. The traditional mode dictates work that should be completed in a particular way and by a specific date. However, with selfdirected learning, since it is based on and driven by interest, the self-directed learner determines how long they will take, identifies additional resources to support education and decides how and when they will learn. The learner is responsible for their education and all the following activities. According to Ilkay Askin Tekkol and Melek Demirel, the self-directed learner is linked with more upper-level thinking. Additionally,

Shuang Geng, Kris Law and Ben Niu also noted that self-directed learners also tend to seek additional resources to supplement their learning.

A self-directed learner is not the same as someone who is assigned an eLearning course and can do it at their own pace. In that self-paced role, the learner does not necessarily have the same heightened interest in the course or program and needs to determine what they want to learn.

Self-directed learning is powerful because of the self-motivation factor. The individual takes the initiative to learn and may receive help from others or go on their own because of the need or desire to learn. Many tertiary institutions have realized the power of self-directed learning and have included aspects of it in their curriculum in various formats, such as independent studies and projects.

Self-directed Learning and Today’s Workforce

Today’s employers can capitalize on self-directed learning to ensure a more engaged workforce. An engaged workforce means better performance, as enthusiasm and dedication are enhanced. According to Gallup, “low engagement alone costs the global economy $7.8 trillion. So, organizations should strive to have a highly engaged workforce across all generational cohorts. The most influential generation in the workforce today is the millennials. According to the Pew Research Center, millennials are the single largest generational group, with 35% making up today’s workforce. This cohort is expected to grow to 75% by 2025

Additionally, millennials are the least engaged in the workforce. According to Gallup research, 55% are not engaged. Employers can engage this burgeoning workplace cohort by harnessing the power of self-directed

learning. According to Statista, 61% of millennials feel that learning is key to a successful career.

According to Anu Galhotra, the learning preferences of millennials are varied, and they favor learning that meets those diverse needs. Self-directed learning can fill that learning gap.

Therefore, if learning engages employees and improves performance, capitalizing on the power of self-directed learning for an improved workforce should be a priority for organizations. The big question is how to harness that power.

It is simple; millennials want to learn, so we need to provide learning opportunities. Effectively executing self-directed learning with this significant workplace cohort increases learning efficiency and enhances individual performance and overall business effectiveness.

More than 50% of millennials would learn a new skill to perform a new function to enable career success. Organizations should endeavor, therefore, to harness that learning power if learning equates to engagement. Research indicates that millennials learn differently than other generational groupings. They tend to learn experientially in realworld learning environments and with real-world examples. Millennials are tied to technology, so offering learning opportunities to their learning style would be appealing.

Harnessing the Power of Self-directed Learning

Here are five strategies that may be useful to assist in harnessing and unleashing the power of self-directed learning within an organization:

Develop a continuous learning culture. Providing a learning culture means encouraging employees to learn to become self-directed learners. This culture is achievable in a variety of ways. For example, start the conversation within the company on the benefits of learning and the advantages of expanding job skills. Motivate them to learn through informational sessions

and learning fairs. Organizations can also offer opportunities for upskilling, cross-skilling or reskilling (see Figure 1).

Increase access to learning opportunities. Provide a stressfree learning environment where employees can learn when and how they want. That would mean providing many learning choices and opportunities in various modalities, such as eLearning, video-based learning, mobile learning, webinars, social learning, lunch and learns, virtual learning, mentorship and instructor-led learning. Ensure there are choices and availability of all types of courses: not just workrelated courses, but also courses that are for sheer enjoyment. For instance, you could offer courses on photography, guitar and mindfulness.

Remove obstacles that may deter learning. For instance, ensure that the learning management system (LMS) is modern and user-friendly and can house different learning content in various styles and formats.

Develop a learning community. One example might be an intranet community site where employees can share ideas and information on what they are learning, courses they have taken and training ideas. Having that in-house learning community will invigorate both learning and learners.

Encourage employees to participate in training. Organizations should not follow the mantra, “If you build it, they will come.” In addition to providing the opportunity, organizations should also encourage those not naturally motivated by learning. Organizations can provide rewards and recognition for learning achieved or even create learning competitions. Organizations, however, will have to be creative in this endeavor.

É Self-directed learners have the flexibility to select, design and structure their learning.

É Self-directed learners are responsible for their own learning.

É Organizations provide tools, technology and easy access to learning and learning options.

É Self-directed learning shifts learning responsibility from employers.

É Employees should be encouraged and motivated towards selfdirected learning.

É Leadership should support self-directed learning to aid in the success of a learning culture.

É The power of self-directed learning lies in its flexibility to structure one’s learning, take charge of the learning process and make decisions about the outcome.

Conclusion

Self-directed learning is powerful on many fronts, from individual, educational and organizational perspectives. Individuals who love to learn have already harnessed the power of self-directed learning. Organizations will have to learn how to leverage this power across all generations within their company to maintain a high-performing and effective

workforce. If an organization has not figured out how to do so effectively, now is the time to figure out how to leverage that power and maintain it. This will ensure an engaged workforce and business success in the 21st century.

Dr. Carole Embden-Peterson is a senior learning architect for Mitsubishi Electric Trane HVAC. Email Carole.

A LEAN LEARNING APPROACH FOR YOUR NEXT DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

BY SCOTT BARBER

Digital enterprise adoptions usually fail because the applied learning solution does not address the critical learning needs of front-line learners. The nature of digital enterprise software implementations is not well understood, and this usually results in a learning solution that is overwhelming to learners and does not help achieve the performance required to reach a return on investment. However, a lean learning approach — one that focuses on learning as a journey and not an event — can transform your next technology adoption and improve adoption metrics.

MOST TECHNOLOGY ADOPTIONS FAIL

The failure of front-line employees to succeed in using new enterprise software is extremely consequential for an organization. For example, the implementation of enterprise resource planning (ERP) suites such as SAP S/4HANA or Oracle potentially changes the daily technology tasks and associated business processes of almost every person at every level of an organization.

Considerable business resources and time are invested in ERP implementations, and many, if not most, of the organizations that undergo these efforts fail to achieve a return on their sizable investment. In fact, according to the 2019 study, “Critical Success Factors of ERP Implementation in SMEs,” only 8.6% of ERP implementations stay within their original budget, 43% are completed on time, and only 33% realize significant business benefits.

Many believe these projects fail because the technology is too difficult to use, or the wrong solution was selected. Others think that failure is caused by inadequate training or inadequate involvement by senior leadership. But it is something else. These failures result from a misunderstanding of the fundamental challenges faced in the implementation phase of a digital enterprise transformation, and this leads to a workforce that struggles to adopt new technology procedures and business processes.

A FRAMEWORK FOR THINKING ABOUT DIGITAL TRANSFORMATIONS

The Cynefin Framework is often described as a “sense-making” tool and is key to understanding effective solutions to different business challenges. This framework divides challenges into four different domains, as shown in the table below.

Cynefin Framework

Complex Complicated Chaotic Obvious/Simple

Solutions to problems in the obvious/ simple domain are defined, meaning the causes and solutions are typically well known, and best practices may be applied. The issue of having untied shoes is a perfect example of a problem/solution set in this domain. If your shoes are untied, you typically apply your own best practice to tie them back up. Solutions to issues in the complicated domain can typically be solved by “good practices,” and the application of expertise. A solid example of this domain is a heart transplant. The conditions that caused the problem are clear, and the many steps of the solution are well-known and can be performed successfully by an expert. Chaotic situations, such as a volcano erupting, typically have no solutions at all, except for embracing your fight-orflight response.

The complex domain is different. These challenges involve a considerable number of variables, so much so that it is extraordinarily difficult to predict results. In this domain, large changes may have no effect, while small changes may have extraordinarily large effects. Complexity means that best practices and the application of expertise may result in not solving the problem — but instead, may make the situation much, much worse. The numbers show the challenge. The 2017 study, “ERP System Implementation in Large Enterprises: A Systematic Literature Review,” found that 66% to 70% of all ERP implementations never achieve a return on investment.

One of my favorite analogies to describe this phenomenon, which betrays my age a bit, is the Death Star from the original “Star Wars” movie. A huge amount of time and resources were spent in constructing a massive technological solution, and it got ruined in an instant by a proton torpedo. Small variables with large consequences, indeed.

This is why taking an agile response to technology implementations is so important. We need to be flexible and adaptable and have a team in place that will strive to be successful no matter the circumstances.

THE WRONG APPROACH TO TECHNOLOGY ADOPTIONS

Learning and development (L&D) teams in ERP implementations usually adopt the ADDIE method — analyze, design, develop, instruct and evaluate. This method is fine for some situations, such as in the “simple” and “complicated” domains of the Cynefin Framework, but it does not work reliably in the “complex” domain.

The challenge with the ADDIE method is that it assumes perfect knowledge in the analysis and design phases of the technology implementation effort. In other words, the business problem

We need to be flexible and adaptable and have a team in place that will strive to be successful no matter the circumstances.

is regarded as “defined,” meaning that both the problem and the solution are perceived as well known. However, as the previously cited numbers illustrate, certainty in outcomes is rare in digital adoptions. Certainty about specific business processes and tasks can become apparent later in a technology implementation, which causes a learning team to scramble to salvage their original plan and unearths concerns about the “sunk cost” of the originally designed solution.

A common situation is that of a learning team unable to adapt quickly to changing circumstances. The team reacts by creating learning solutions that are content dumps — a torrent of information, much of which is not relevant to a front-line user. The typical result is unmotivated end users who are confused about how to do their jobs after a go-live. Users do adapt under these circumstances, but those adaptations often result in workarounds as employees struggle to get their work done using the new technology.

For example, in a recent postmortem of a failed adoption, front-line users had failed to understand the impacts of selecting from one of the various options in a field of an SAP S/4HANA transaction. After the system golive, these users almost universally selected the generic option. This was problematic, as most of the automated functionality that was designed to help the organization become much more efficient was based on the selection made in that field. The net result was that, because of an overwhelming amount of information in the learning solution, the critical information was buried. This caused the organization to become less efficient after their digital transformation, and the return on their investment was extended indefinitely.

THE LEAN LEARNING APPROACH TO DIGITAL TRANSFORMATIONS

A lean learning approach for a digital transformation emphasizes two aspects to help promote the ability of front-line digital transformation

adopters: 1 ) a flexible and adaptable learning team, and 2 ) a go-live solution focused only on the critical learning that front-line adopters will need. Since the go-live is just “the end of the beginning,” this solution preserves learner motivation (because users do not get overwhelmed) and provides them with a firm foundation so they can continue their learning journey.

When these two elements are at play, the business results expected from a digital transformation can be delivered.

Principles from agile practices are key to this approach. The learning team itself must be resilient and adaptable so they can respond quickly to changes as an implementation unfolds. The Agile principles of transparency (within the learning team and externally to the changing solution), inspection (honest and open evaluation of a learning solution’s effectiveness) and adaptation (rapidly changing a learning solution based on facts on the ground) enable a learning team to have the mindset they need to create the most effective learning solution they can.

Equally important is the concept of a minimal viable product (MVP). MVP learning solutions are ones that achieve specific, goal-oriented learning objectives at the times they are most needed. Ideally, a digital transformation learning solution has early, middle and continuous learning opportunities before, during and after a large enterprise technology change. A lean approach to digital transformations considers the “absorptive capacity” of front-line technology users in learning and applying new enterprise technologies — people can only absorb so much information at a time.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Aside from having training in Agile, there are a few things you should keep in mind to be more prepared for your next technology adoption:

♦

ERP implementations are harder than you think. There is nothing cut and dry about overhauling an entire system used regularly throughout your organization. Understand that you cannot possibly predict everything; but you can smartly prepare your people.

♦ An adaptive and resilient (i.e., agile) learning team is critical, so they can adapt to the complexity inherent in a digital transformation and succeed in creating a highly effective learning solution.

♦ Support your end users with pointof-need learning opportunities and simplify your training approach. While you want to provide ample opportunity for learners to gain new knowledge, providing less information at regular intervals will improve learning.

Just because you build it does not mean that they will come. Proper preparation, expertise and learning approaches are always needed for successful digital transformations. If you prepare your people with the right information at the right time, your entire organization will reap the benefits.

Scott Barber, who has over 22 years of experience in training and performance and is currently engaged in research as a doctoral candidate in strategic leadership at Liberty University, is the director of enterprise technologies at GP Strategies Email Scott.

You cannot possibly predict everything; but you can smartly prepare your people.

How To A Learning Journey

By Dr. David Marshall

Many job seekers want to work for companies that not only pay well and have a great benefits package but also have an awesome learning and development (L&D) program. These employees are searching for organizations that value learning and encourage professional development. Prospective team members want a chance to develop and enhance their skills while at the same time learn new technologies or further their education. Companies that are able to offer the complete package, especially the “value of learning and professional development,” are able to land the best candidates.

So, how do organizations make this happen? How do they develop something that will assist employees who want to improve their performance not only in the workplace but also in their careers? One way an organization can do this is to establish effective learning journeys.

What is a Learning Journey?

A learning journey is a series of formal and informal training programs that ingrain new knowledge, build existing skills and boost professional development.

Learning journeys include different learning experiences that occur over time. They involve personalized content and a variety of delivery methods that result in new knowledge, skills, attitudes and a positive behavioral change. Employees might go through a learning journey to master their skill set, learn a new job role or to further their education. Team members who are truly engaged in the learning journey will not only build their skills but will also find purpose in the work they do.

Learning journeys are beneficial to organizations because they encourage employee engagement and professional development, while creating a culture of learning. Having an effective learning journey will facilitate behavior changes that coincide with the business goals of the organization. This will ensure the performance and productivity of the organization.

Formal and Informal Learning

A learning journey can consist of formal and informal learning. Let’s take a look at both and how each one impacts the learning journey.

Informal Learning

Informal learning is different from formal learning because it usually takes place away from formal settings such as the classroom or lecture halls. Informal learning is valuable to both the individual and the organization because it improves collaboration, drives creativity and contributes to a strong learning culture.

Formal Learning

Formal learning is often mandatory training that is set by the organization to comply with policies and procedures. This is the form of training employees receive during onboarding or on an annual basis. An example of this training includes diversity and culture training, timekeeping, harassment and government relations.

Developing the Learning Journey

It is essential to develop a training program that meets the meets the needs

of the team and the organization. Here are some best practices to consider when creating a learning journey:

Assess Knowledge: Before creating a learning journey, leaders, managers and direct line supervisors need to sit down and assess the organization’s knowledge base and learning skills. This will create a baseline against which progress can be measured.

Identify Training/Skills Gaps: Another important step is to identify and discuss the training gaps, especially in the skill sets that are critical to the organization’s production and growth. It is essential that leadership evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of each employee relative to their and the organization’s goals and priorities.

What is a learning journey?

event, such as a webinar or a learning module. All aspects of the learning journey should be discussed in the planning and development process to ensure alignment between leadership and the training team. A successful learning journey depends on employee engagement and should be considered at every stage of the journey.

Evaluating the Journey

Successful learning programs are measured by employee engagement. This is why it is vital to engage with the team before, during and after the learning events. Employees going through the learning journey need to know how leaders and managers are supporting the learning process to include coaching, mentoring, empathizing and ensuring that the training is available.

Meeting with the team will ensure that they fully understand what they are learning, and that they’re exhibiting changes in their behavior. Employees should be given the opportunity to share what they learn by giving a presentation, participate in small group sessions or meet with supervisors so they can show their new skills. Other ways include coaching, mentorship, projects, protocols, peer learning, networking groups or simulations.

Summary

Design Training With Goals in Mind: A learning journey should be created with the end in mind. What are the goals? How does it benefit the individual? The organization? What are the results the organization, the stakeholders and the team members want to achieve? These questions should be considered before a training program or learning journey is created.

Create a Continuous Learning Experience: A learning journey is a continuous process, not a one-time

Are the individual training needs being met within the organization or are resources needed from the outside? What is the career path ahead for the employee who takes part in the learning journey? What is the motivation? There are individuals who are self-motivated and want to learn a new skill or gain knowledge. However, there are others who need additional motivation; for example, a system of rewarding progress that encourages individuals to start and continue throughout the process.

Setting up Milestones

As the journey progresses, leaders and managers need to establish milestones for the team to ensure that each individual is completing their training on a timely basis. Also, it is beneficial to have a way to provide positive reminders to

A successful learning journey is beneficial for both the employee and the organization and empowers them to meet the challenges of the rapid changes that are taking place. There are additional benefits, including building trust and creating new ways of collaboration amongst the members of the team, increasing productivity and performance, delivering lasting results and increasing retention. Leaders play a big role in the learning journey success by coaching, mentorship, having team members take part in projects, encouraging peer learning, establishing networking groups, having simulations or inviting outside speakers.

Dr. David Marshall is a writer, researcher and training developer since 2007. He is also the owner of Neithdos Consulting Services LLC. Email David.

A learning journey is a series of formal and informal training programs that ingrain new knowledge, build existing skills and boost professional development.

A successful learning journey depends on employee engagement and should be considered at every stage of the journey.

ccording to Google Trends, employee engagement has been a popular search term since at least 2004. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, a small percentage of organizations were engaging with their employees virtually, but as we all know, the pandemic expedited all things virtual.

Organizations are grappling with how to incorporate the lessons learned from almost three years of interruption. Some organizations have decided to remain completely remote, others have decided to return to in-person, while others still are exploring the possibilities of a hybrid model.

Regardless of what model is chosen, the bell of virtual work cannot be un-rung. This is where conversational leadership offers a fundamental rethinking, and more importantly, an opening to the possibility of a “re-feeling” of daily work life. Conversational leadership is practiced both in-person and virtually.

What is Employee Engagement?

Forbes describes employee engagement as:

Not exactly equivalent to employee happiness. Not exactly equivalent to employee satisfaction.

The emotional commitment the employee has to the organization and its goals.

Gallup defines employee engagement as the involvement and enthusiasm of employees in their work and workplace.

Before March 2020, many organizations had no policies for working remotely. During the pandemic, companies started to redefine their meaning of “work.” Experiments were introduced for fourday workweeks, split-time or sabbaticals, because employers started to realize that their employees were no longer staying for many years, not out of a lack of loyalty, but out of an understanding that not all work situations appeal to all people.

Being engaged as an employee looks different for different people and the tricky part for organizations is realizing that a “one-size-fits-all” strategy is no longer enough to keep the empowered and diverse workforce necessary to thrive in today’s ever-evolving landscape.

An employee who isn’t able to find a sense of belonging, which includes being valued and heard, is an employee who isn’t fully engaged in supporting the organization.

What is Conversational Leadership?

David Gurteen, a pioneer in the field of conversational leadership, defines it as “appreciating the transformative power of conversation, practicing leadership, and adopting a conversational approach to the way we work together in a complex world.” Dr. Patricia Shaw, a fellow at Schumacher College, states “leadership is convening conversations that otherwise wouldn’t have happened.”

Conversations are broader than simply two people talking with each other. They are an opportunity for individuals or groups to make sense collectively of the complexity that surrounds them. Unfortunately, conversations often resemble parallel soliloquies as opposed to back-and-forth “building upon each other” moments of creating. Conversations are an opportunity to emerge as different people, because someone else has enriched our minds. Especially in asynchronous virtual environments, serial monologues are noticeably different than relational, meaningful and impactful conversations.

Similarly, the notion of leadership is beyond any individual role or title. Leadership is a practice that we should all have an opportunity with which to engage. In fact, the idea has been floated that the discipline could be renamed as conversational communityship, a term coined by Henry Mintzberg after decades of frustration with the outdated and shallow definitions of leadership.

Conversational leadership brings together these concepts of collective conversations and communityship so that not only do our singular conversations reach their potential, but also that the collective discourse across all conversations might fundamentally shift the way we understand and interact in our shared environments.

Why are Employee Engagement and Conversational Leadership Pertinent Right Now?

In a world that is now more virtual, employee engagement becomes that much more difficult to gauge and, therefore, can cause trust to erode. For some leaders, it’s hard to adjust to

employees’ needs when they haven’t yet figured out how to engage with them virtually and doubt creeps in about how productive someone can be when working remotely. And yet, thinking that people are always fully productive when they’re in the office is illusory at best.

The question shouldn’t be about which environment is easiest to control, but why there is such a profound lack of trust in people whom the organization hired, ostensibly because they were the most qualified to fill the position. Being forced into a virtual environment by the pandemic has given us an opportunity to shift focus from where we do the work to the quality of work being done.

And now, while working online, we contribute to discussions in nearly the same way we do in the physical office. In fact, there are some who feel more comfortable or practiced in virtual conversations regarding goals, progress and actions.

Some may argue that virtual work doesn’t allow for impromptu conversations in the break room, the debates at lunch or even the empathetic “how’s your family doing?” chat in the corridor. But are those moments of connection really creating lasting bonds? Katherine Woods asks, “Are we in a meeting, or are we being met?”

If you think about it, the ability to read body language, have those short conversations in a hallway or laugh together at a coffee table are all tools we use when we’re not actually in a mindset to have a deeper conversation. All those other ways of engaging have come about because we seem to be decreasing our individual and collective ability to be candid and tell our co-workers “I’m bored, I’m hurt, I’m feeling vulnerable,” or similar reactions to our current environment.

Because our society is built predominantly around infrastructure

that is framed for physical work, virtual work requires greater transparency, openness and continuous learning to be engaging, which can seem daunting and unnecessary to some. But we’ve learned that people need to create intentionally safe and courageous spaces for their communities to have conversations that matter and that form true connections, based on trust. We also have to allow for those connections to develop in ways we’ve not experienced before.

Employees who were once besieged by unexpected and sometimes unwelcome “drop-ins” to their cubicles or offices, now have the luxury of deciding when and where to engage with others. Those who adapted well to virtual space have been able to create community, often without ever having met in a shared physical space. Essentially, by using skills that haven’t been encouraged when in person they found other, sometimes deeper, connections.

This is where conversational leadership becomes more impactful. Regardless of whether we’re physically in the same space or not, one primary objective is to make certain that we are in conversation with each other — and that those conversations have the potential to matter.

Rethinking virtual employee engagement might require rethinking your conversational skills: How many conversations are “open” for you right now? Are you aware of the flow within each conversation? What options do you have to respond to the prior comment? How much time do you need to feel, think, process and integrate what is happening in real-time? How do you expand your conversational options? What bias are you bringing into the conversation? Are you clear with your own intent? What impact is this conversation likely to have in the broader discourse?

As spoken and written language are the primary resources in the virtual world, with limited access to body language, it becomes imperative to be skilled in deep listening. This means listening to what is being said as well as what is not being said. It also includes understanding our own reactions, questioning our assumptions and the ability to be

effective in inquiry. This is inclusive of all conversations, whether the content is about sports or weather, or the content is about deep personal or organizational challenges. Are you listening for intent and impact? Are you checking to see your own intent and impact? Is that within your conversational awareness and range? How could you practice it further? These are the inquiries that intend to lead toward virtual employee engagement through virtual conversational leadership.

Infrastructure for how we work is changing and that’s potentially healthy for all of us. We are building different pathways to conversation and that doesn’t mean that we need to chuck our previous methods aside. We simply need to explore what is fit-for-purpose for our organizational communities. Maybe it’s time we ask each other.

It’s easy to put most of our conversations on autopilot. As we bounce from meeting to meeting, virtually or in person, it can feel as though there’s “never enough time,” or “never the right moment” to have the conversations we need to have. A virtual environment, because it is new, presents an opportunity to interrupt those patterns, because they’re not yet so deeply ingrained.

If the conversation is rich enough, commitment, enthusiasm and involvement

are created and maintained in many ways. Skilled, interactive conversations that are rich with conversational awareness and range provide a noteworthy opportunity to not only engage everyone but also to continuously increase virtual engagement.

Saule Menane is a senior manager at Capgemini delivering organizational effectiveness, organization development, diversity equity inclusion, and coaching.

Donita Volkwijn is senior director of member engagement at Philanthropy New York, delivering diversity equity inclusion and knowledge management.

John Hovell is a co-founder of STRATactical International, where clients have offered feedback to the effect of “this is the first time we’ve experienced the positive transformational change that everyone seems to need right now.” Email the authors.

2023 Year of the Rabbit

By Sally Eames

If the pandemic made one thing clear, it is that circumstances can change rapidly. As a result of the past few years of turmoil, unpredictability and shortages of both supplies and skilled workers, companies are shifting to leaner and more dynamic staffing and working models.

In fact, a 2021 McKinsey report on dynamic talent allocation included research demonstrating that organizations using that approach are more than twice as likely to demonstrate strong performance and “deliver better results per dollar spent,” than traditionally-run companies thanks to their ability to pivot as the market and other factors demand.

While not every company will utilize the dynamic talent allocation approach, the way work is getting done in business is shifting. With this shifting approach to work, there must be a simultaneous shift to support it in both talent management and people development.

THE FUTURE OF WORK

Training in the traditional model is based on what the people in a given role need to know to work more effectively in that role. Contrarily, the dynamic talent allocation model — also known as “work-to-flow” — collects workers into pools by skill set, then assigns them to projects based on project priority and the skills needed.

This approach requires a fundamental level of knowledge and ability shared by all pool members. It also highlights organizational skill gaps, creating a clear picture of the training required to close those gaps. In addition, many employees in organizations shifting to a work-to-flow model require specific skill set training to perform at the company’s expected level. Beyond skill training, talent will also need soft skills training, such as communication, listening and design thinking, as they shift from different teams and projects as priorities require.

Is a Bootcamp Your Organization’s Best Option?

Depending on your organization and the need, an internal bootcamp might be the best way to provide necessary training. Use the following questions to explore whether a bootcamp is the right choice.

• How many employees need the training?

• Is leadership invested and willing to be involved?

• What is the fundamental issue to address with the training?

• What skills does your organization need most employees to demonstrate?

• How will your organization support retention and continued development for learners once the training is complete?

Bootcamps are intensive learning experiences that provide an opportunity for rapid change in an organization, though they aren’t the only method for training. Bootcamps are a strong choice if a significant number of employees need specific skills, if leadership has bought into the idea of training, or if it is part of a larger strategy of employee development.

Project-based work models, like dynamic talent allocation, require a stronger focus on project management, leadership and talent development and management skills for those outside the talent pools, including people leading project teams, allocating work and making decisions.

Bootcamps are ideal for helping companies switch rapidly from the traditional staffing models to more dynamic, project-based staffing approaches without shutting everything down while the workforce reskills.

BOOTCAMPS: MORE THAN DEVELOPER TRAINING

As intensive opportunities to learn and apply a specific and highly focused skill set, bootcamps are ideal for training a variety of skills quickly. Internal bootcamps can adapt the traditional structure to meet the organization’s needs more specifically.

Though the traditional model has been to focus all of an employee’s time on developing needed new skills, a bootcamp can be designed to take place for half days or a few days each week. This tailored approach provides learners with the opportunity to practice their new skills in their current positions. For example, employees in a leadership or communication-focused bootcamp can start applying new skills on the job from day one.

Other traditional bootcamp aspects can be flexed to support training needs. Consider a leadership bootcamp for assistant store managers for a regional restaurant chain. The participants are high-performing, busy people. Instead of taking them offline for six weeks or limiting their development options to a weekend, the training could involve:

• A blend of virtual workshops with strategically timed face-to-face trainings spread out over a few months.

• A mix of individual and cohort-based work.

• Both synchronous and asynchronous learning with structured assignments for reflection.

This structure isn’t as intense and immersive as traditional bootcamps, but it has the possibility of creating immediate change in the organization; learners could begin applying new leadership strategies with their own employees right away, while still achieving face-time with their cohort and company leadership and receiving opportunities to make discoveries and learn from their peers, all while fitting the learning into their full schedules.

The primary focus of bootcamp design should address specific training needs, recognizing bootcamps can tackle an array of topics.

INTERNAL BOOTCAMPS AND THE TECH TALENT SHORTAGE

However, there is still a place for the traditional tech bootcamp: inside the organization. Companies continue to feel the shortage of skilled tech talent. Employers are already using internal technical bootcamps to create the developers they need by reskilling current valued employees and training career-shifting new hires. The advantage of running a developer bootcamp as part of employee onboarding is that an organization can train for the specific skill sets it needs.

Internal bootcamps created to teach foundational skills to new developers also provide benefits to the employer. They play a valuable role in helping businesses shift to new ways of serving customers, while responding to the transformations and uncertainties of our changing world. Organizational benefits include:

• Advancing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) goals, since developers can come from a more diverse group of candidates.

• Investing in employee growth and success makes retention more likely.

BOOTCAMP BEST PRACTICES

A quality internal bootcamp requires a serious investment of time and money. Not only will participants be away from their jobs for a period of time, but the organization will have invested in creating and delivering the training and follow-up opportunities. Applying these best practices can make the most of that investment.

GET LEADERSHIP ONBOARD

Leadership buy-in is essential for an effective bootcamp. In the strongest internal bootcamps, organization leaders are actively engaged in the bootcamp development and delivery. Involved, committed leaders provide important input for aligning bootcamp and organizational goals; they also send a strong message to participants and other employees that their development matters.

TRAINING NEEDS.

LINK BOOTCAMP GOALS TO BUSINESS KPIS AND CHANGE MANAGEMENT

Effective bootcamps move the needle for the business. Measuring key performance indicators (KPIs) helps leaders identify the bootcamp aspects that work, along with those that need adjustment. Also, if the bootcamp is part of a bigger change within the organization, change management and bootcamp goals should align.

APPLY INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN BEST PRACTICES

Sadly, most corporate training is based on presentations delivered “at” learners. A bootcamp that works is highly interactive, providing participants with information and opportunities to apply practice, and even discover new skills. Make sure at least one of the people involved in creating the bootcamp is an instructional designer who understands how adults learn

CREATE A PILOT, GATHER FEEDBACK, ITERATE

Before launching a bootcamp to the greater organization, create a pilot program for top performers. Use their experiences and feedback to improve the bootcamp for the next round. Then, continue to track the related KPIs and get feedback from newer participants. Keep improving the program for the next set of learners.

USE MENTORS

Mentorship can enrich a bootcamp in multiple ways. Mentors provide support for learners during and beyond the formal bootcamp, giving helpful advice and information as learners need it. Bringing bootcamp graduates back as mentors provides current participants

with examples of what is possible and creates relationships across the organization.

PLAN WHAT COMES BEFORE AND AFTER

A bootcamp that achieves results includes pre-work to set learners up for success before the program begins and has effective follow-up. First, establish the baseline knowledge all learners need prior to beginning the training; then give them the tools to achieve that baseline. Follow the bootcamp with a program that provides learners with four to six weeks of structured opportunities to apply any learning they are not already doing in their jobs.

THINK ABOUT FUTURE EMPLOYEES

A bootcamp ensures current employees have the foundational knowledge and skills for success in their roles. If the bootcamp is a one-time event or series of events designed to support a shift in how the organization works, make sure there is a plan in place to provide new hires with the training they need to develop that foundational knowledge.

Internal bootcamps can provide a highly effective means of rapid change and rapid upskilling within an organization. When crafted in alignment with company goals with a focus on giving learners the information and support they need, bootcamps can help organizations reshape themselves as stronger competitors for both customers and talent. This is critical in our rapidly changing world.

Sally Eames is a senior instructional designer for Judge Learning Solutions where she works with national and global brands to create award-winning learning. Email Sally.

THE PRIMARY FOCUS OF BOOTCAMP DESIGN SHOULD ADDRESS SPECIFIC

Organizations are struggling to remain competitive and relevant. Organizational success means the ability to act quickly to changing environments based on as current data as possible. To achieve this goal, organizations are increasing their use of both structured and unstructured data. Organizations are being overwhelmed by both traditional and new sources of data — with limited organizational expertise to leverage this data.

The Value of Data

The interpretation of data leads to information, which in turn, leads to knowledge. Knowledge is the derivative of data and is highly cherished. Knowledge can take the form of a final decision or a component to be considered when making a decision.

Organizations that are primarily datadriven achieve 5% higher productivity and 6% higher profits when compared to organizations that are not datadriven, according to an article in the Harvard Business Review, “Big Data: The Management Revolution.”

The Rising Importance of Data Literacy in Organizational Success

By Joseph A. Yacura

Regardless of how knowledge is used in your organization, you first must be able to identify, quantify, clean, organize, standardize and establish the credibility of the data so it can be used as the basis of knowledge.

What Is Data Literacy?

Data literacy is defined as the ability to find, read, manipulate, analyze and discuss a position with data. Data literacy is a critical component of data analytics.

The Need for Data Literacy Within the Organization

Most organizations are starting to realize their deficiency regarding data literacy as they start to digitize their processes. A recent study found that only 52% of C-level executives are fully confident in their use of data and 45% say they frequently make decisions based on “gut feeling” rather than data.

Data is being used throughout the organization at an increasing rate. Data is

What Is Data Literacy?

Data literacy is the ability to find, read, manipulate, analyze and discuss a position with data. Data literacy is a critical component of data analytics.

used for both strategic planning purposes and tactically for day-to-day operations.

Employees also have concerns regarding their data literacy skills. “Big Data: The Management Revolution,” also found that only 21% of employees are fully confident in their data literacy skills.

The Challenges With Using Data in Decision-making

Data analysts, scientists, engineers and data consumers are confronted with what are termed the Five V’s:

• Velocity: This refers to the speed by which new data is being created and captured.

• Volume: This refers to the volume of new data being created and captured.

• Value: This refers to the perceived value the data contains. This often refers to the relevance of the data to its intended usage.

• Veracity: This refers to the overall quality of the data.

• Variety: This refers to the various forms and types of data that are being created and captured.

Data is constantly changing and its usage evolving to meet the needs of every organization.

The Need for Data Literacy Training

Given the broad application of all types of data throughout an organization and its proven benefits, it is necessary that data literacy training takes place at all levels of an organization. Individuals from senior-level executives to the most junior member of the association must have data literacy training.

It is also critical to make data literacy training a part of each organization member’s annual training plan and make data literacy part of each new employee’s onboarding process.

The Many Facets of Data Literacy

Data literacy has many facets that must be addressed in any data literacy training program. The range of facets and the skills necessary are broad in scope.

These skills include such areas as where to find data, how to validate the data, assessing the relevance of the data to the information being desired, how to clean, organize and categorize the data, how to analyze and interpret the data, how to present the data, etc.

Data Literacy Training

Data literacy training should prepare each organization member to feel

comfortable and confident in using data to conduct their responsibilities and have a high level of confidence when presenting their analysis of the data and associated recommendations.

All data literacy training must be purpose-driven training. Initial data literacy training can utilize online training (virtual training) to reach as many organizational members as quickly as possible to establish a baseline of minimal knowledge. The training should also be designed to meet not only the current but also the future data needs of the organization as the overall organization data maturity increases. (See Figure 1.)

More advanced data literacy might benefit from in-person training to communicate more complex aspects of data literacy.

Here are some examples of data literacy training components:

• Data source identification.

• Data validation.

• Data cleaning, organizing and labeling.

• Data version control.

• Understanding the organizational data need at both the strategic and tactical levels.

The interpretation of data leads to information, which in turn, leads to knowledge.

• Data interpretation and analysis.

• Data presentation and visualization.

Some of the above topics will include an overview of the capabilities of several well-known and easily accessible software applications. These applications include Excel, Google Sheets, PowerBi, Tableau, and RefinePro.

The goal of data literacy training is not to make the recipient of the training an expert in using any of the above applications. The goal is to expose the student to the features and benefits of these applications when managing data while performing their jobs.

Assessing Your Current Data Analytics Maturity

Data literacy skills vary from organization to organization and even within various functions of an organization. As a result, training must be broad and ongoing.

Organizations are usually assessed and classified into five levels of data analytics maturity (See Figure 1). These levels are:

• Descriptive analytics

• Diagnostic analytics

• Predictive analytics

• Prescriptive analytics

• Cognitive/self-learning analytics

The first question organizations should ask is where they stand on the chart. The best means to make this determination is to conduct a data audit.

A Data Audit Template

One data audit template was developed and published by The International Association for Data Quality, Governance and Analytics. This guide contains information and a series of questions that can assist you in your organizational data assessment.

This template can also act as an excellent guide for not only establishing your first data audit to determine your organization’s maturity level but can

also act as an annual template to assess the effectiveness of your data literacy training.

ROI Of Data Literacy Training

Every organization seeks to find a quantitative means of evaluating both the efficiency and effectiveness of any training program. Data literacy training is no exception. There are several metrics that can be used to measure your program. It is critical that you establish a baseline for each of these metrics prior to the start of your data literacy training.

Possible metrics can include:

• Efficiency (process efficiency): How long does it take to complete a process?

• Efficiency: The number of individuals requested to complete a process.

• Effectiveness: The quality of the decision that was based on data.

• Effectiveness: The number of decisions that are solely based on data and not gut decisions.

• Effectiveness: The number of bad decisions.

Units of measure can include:

• Time

• Dollars

• Resources

• Scalability

• Sustainability

Analysis of these metrics can take the form of:

• Benchmarking

• Time series analysis

Summary

Every organization uses data in one form or another to manage its operations and to make strategic decisions. Today, data is recognized as a competitive advantage to those organizations that know how to use the data they have. Most organizations are not prepared with general organization knowledge on how to clean, organize, validate, interpret and use data.

Organizations are realizing their data literacy deficiencies and are seeking training as quickly as possible to advance their employees’ skills. An organization’s success is based on its employee’s ability to use data to perform their tasks.

Joseph A. Yacura is the founder of the International Association for Data Quality, Governance and Analytics. Prior to this, Mr. Yacura has served in several senior executive management positions at IBM, Pacific Bell, American Express, InterContinental Hotels Group, Bank of America, Information Services Group and most recently at Fannie Mae. Email Mr. Yacura.

Most organizations are not prepared with general organization knowledge on how to clean, organize, validate, interpret and use data.

TRANSFORM YOUR CULTURE WITH CONTINUOUS LEARNING

by Chapin Brinegar, MS, CPTM

TRAINING. When you read the word, what image first comes to mind? Take a moment and really consider it.

If you pictured a facilitator leading a live or virtual session, you’re not alone. Most workers — including learning professionals — associate “training” with formal, structured experiences in the classroom environment.

In a way, that’s surprising, since the majority of learning each week happens informally, while an employee is “in the flow of work.” What’s more, research has found that this continuous learning, which usually occurs organically and without a facilitator, is more important

to workers’ performance than formal training programs.

As the above visualization exercise suggests, changing mindsets in your organization is the first step in maximizing training benefits. When learners recognize the advantages of continuous learning, their conception of “training” is transformed — and the organization’s culture follows suit.

The Other 39 Hours ›››

Consider the average work week. An employee might spend around one hour in formal training or professional

development, either in-person or virtually. But is that really the only time that training is enabled? Not at all!

The remaining 39 hours of that learner’s workweek provide an enormous opportunity for them to participate in on-the-job, continuous learning. The first step to helping them seize this opportunity is to see day-to-day activities through the 70-20-10 lens.

You’ve no doubt heard of “70-20-10.” Those numbers have created quite a stir in the training industry in recent years. Unfortunately, the buzz rarely includes information on how to leverage the model these numbers describe.

At its core, 70-20-10 is a simple formula that suggests the optimal mix of settings for employees to learn. It states that learners should obtain:

› 70% of learning from on-the-job, continuous, experiential workplace experiences.

› 20% from social interactions and learning with others.

› 10% from formal, structured, educational programs.

Understanding each category is the first step to developing a culture that values — and benefits from — continuous learning.

The Benefits of 70-20-10 ›››

When effectively implemented, the 7020-10 method:

› Enables continuous learning, which will happen at the right time and place when it is most needed.

› Maximizes the time employees spend on the job because they are learning in the flow of work.

› Ensures employees learn from relevant, meaningful experiences.

› Fosters engagement by providing variation in learning methodologies.

› Gives learners greater freedom to select their learning experiences, including elective learnings and upskilling opportunities.

› Enhances the organizational learning culture as employees begin to adopt a growth mindset.

› Helps reduce formal training costs.

Leveraging the 70-20-10 model can help to promote continuous learning in the workplace, but where do you begin?

Rebalancing for Continuous Learning ›››

While 70-20-10 is suggested as the optimal balance, it’s important to note that learning will look differently across organizations. To create the right balance of learning for your organization, assess your organization’s current ratio of formal, social and onthe-job learning. You may find a need to reduce focus on structured, facilitated learning experiences and shift attention to learning on the job and from social scenarios.

You may be unsure how you can successfully encourage learning that seems inherently unstructured. At its core, the key to facilitating workplace learning is twofold. First, it involves ensuring relevant content and tools are readily accessible. Second, it means promoting a safe, collaborative environment.

You can support informal learning by encouraging individuals to:

› Take advantage of performance support materials (e.g., checklists, job aids, flow charts and scripts).

› Participate in asynchronous forums.

› Engage with pop-ups, chatbots and predictive technologies.

› Shadow/observe a colleague on the job.

› Adopt search engines and search functionality to locate content.

Incorporating Social Learning ›››

Social learning occurs when employees learn from and with each other. It is a powerful way to make learning on the job a reality. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, since human beings are social by nature. What may be surprising are the unique advantages of social learning.

› It can take place 24/7, synchronously or asynchronously.

› It can happen face-to-face either in a live environment or virtually.

› All employees can participate.

› It encourages collaboration and crossfunctional partnerships.

Coaching, mentoring, role-plays, group discussions and online learning communities are all great examples of how to promote social learning. No matter how you decide to boost social learning, it’s a good idea to start with a few select opportunities and then assess how to expand.

Don’t worry too much about whether opportunities fall under the 20% or 70% bucket of the 70-20-10 model. The key is to create a comfortable environment where participants feel safe asking for help, discussing their setbacks and failures and sharing knowledge and best practices.

Real-world Tactics for Continuous Learning ›››

There are many ways you can support a culture of continuous learning and set employees up for success. Consider the following as you develop your program.

ADOPT LEARNING TECHNOLOGIES

› Partner with human resources (HR), compliance and information technology (IT) as you assess your organization’s readiness for innovative technologies.

› Consider incorporating tools that offer real-time feedback, ready-touse content repositories that can be leveraged across departments, or automated chatbot services that offer FAQ support.

› Beta-test new technologies with a pilot group to refine your processes and organically create champions before rolling them out to the entire organization.

EQUIP LEADERSHIP

› Partner with leaders to ensure they understand the “why” behind the program.

› Gain alignment on the importance of this culture shift.

› Explain the impact of their positive attitudes towards the program.

› Implement a top-down approach in which senior leaders champion and disseminate the program.

EMPOWER AND MOTIVATE EMPLOYEES

› Provide a teaser video or communication plan to show employees the “why” behind the initiative.

› Communicate with encouragement.

› Empower employees to hold themselves accountable for their learning.

› Create a safe and comfortable learning environment.

LINK THE PROGRAM TO PERFORMANCE DEVELOPMENT

› Consider an “activity tracker” for employees to list their workplace learning activities.

› Tie continuous learning to yearly reviews and evaluations.

› Ensure employees are encouraged to freely discuss their developmental goals.

› Find ways to recognize workplace learning.

PROVIDE THE RIGHT TOOLS

› Ensure relevancy in everything you create by partnering with subject matter experts (SMEs).

› Deploy each solution at the right time through the right avenue.

› Establish easy-to-search repositories for quick access.

CHAMPION THE PROCESS

› Take ownership of the process.

› Act as a positive change champion to drive the culture shift.

› Create advocates who can positively impact the rollout.

5 Steps for Implementation ›››

You are probably familiar with ADDIE or a related instructional design

methodology. The good news is you can employ a similar process for rolling out a continuous learning program.

As you review the following steps, reflect on a specific role that you support from a training standpoint. Consider each step and how it might apply to that role, also shown in Figure 1.

STEP 1 | ANALYZE THE ROLE

Start by conducting a job analysis, task analysis and content analysis. This will equip you to determine what “good” looks like. Then identify performance gaps and what you are trying to solve for. Your answers will lead you to the next step.

STEP 2 | DESIGN THE JOURNEY

Map your learning journey by considering the knowledge, skill and behaviors you need to address; your deliverables; the required tools; and how you will evaluate success. Gain subject matter expertise as well as leadership buy-in and, if required, approval from HR/compliance.

STEP 3 | DEVELOP THE SOLUTIONS

Build out your training materials. Depending on your organization’s needs, this may include a wide range of

Start by conducting a job analysis, task analysis and content analysis. This will equip you to determine what “good” looks like. Then identify performance gaps and what you are trying to solve for. Your answers will lead you to the next step.

Map your learning journey by considering the knowledge, skill and behaviors you need to address; your deliverables; the required tools; and how you will evaluate success. Gain subject matter expertise as well as leadership buy-in and, if required, approval from HR/compliance.

Build out your training materials. Depending on your organization’s needs, this may include a wide range of materials, such as performance support documents, microlearning playlists and reinforcement guides, to name just a few possibilities. Be sure to partner with SMEs as you develop these solutions.

When deploying your program, consider sending out “awareness” materials, such as teaser videos. Equip leadership to assist during implementation and beta testing of your rollout. It can be a good idea to conduct a formative evaluation along the way, rather than waiting until the end.

Implement your measurement plan to determine trends by surveying learners’ reactions, observing and interviewing participants to identify gaps and gains, and analyzing available data, including pre- and post-work samples. Note any needs, refine the program and repeat the process from Step 1.

materials, such as performance support documents, microlearning playlists and reinforcement guides, to name just a few possibilities. Be sure to partner with SMEs as you develop these solutions.

STEP 4 | IMPLEMENT THE PROGRAM

When deploying your program, consider sending out “awareness” materials, such as teaser videos. Equip leadership to assist during implementation and beta testing of your rollout. It can be a good idea to conduct a formative evaluation along the way, rather than waiting until the end.

STEP 5 | EVALUATE AND REFINE

Implement your measurement plan to determine trends by surveying learners’

reactions, observing and interviewing participants to identify gaps and gains, and analyzing available data, including pre- and post-work samples. Note any needs, refine the program and repeat the process from Step 1.

Conclusion ›››

As you develop a continuous learning program, be patient. This type of initiative takes time. Start small and continually refine the program along the way. You will see the benefits are worth the investment!

Chapin Brinegar, MS, CPTM, is the senior director of instructional design and learning strategy for Encompass Communications and Learning. She has more than 18 years of experience in education, corporate training and instructional design. Email Chapin.

SOCIAL LEARNING IS A POWERFUL WAY TO MAKE LEARNING ON THE JOB A REALITY.

TRAINING

BY AMANDA FULLBRIGHT AND DR. APRAL FOREMAN

Organizational growth and the retention of top talent are crucial for business success. One way to achieve that growth is to invest in current employees and promote from within the organization. Additionally, there is research to support that a higher rate of internal promotions is linked to higher retention rates. To retain employees promoted internally, they must feel confident that they have the skills needed to be successful in their new position. Consequently, implementing training programs to prepare employees for their roles within the organization becomes crucial as well.

Amid so many options, the L&D professional should mix and match training program components to build the training strategy that will best address their organization’s training needs. Sometimes that can be a trialand-error process. If done thoughtfully, those components can be melded together to craft a training program that will help drive organizational growth.

DEVELOPING AN INTERNSHIP TRAINING PROGRAM

BlueSprig’s learning and performance development department (LPD) designed, implemented and evaluated an internship training program crafted to help front-line technicians upskill to become certified and licensed world-class clinicians. They artfully combined several training program components, and it all started with one question: “Why?”

practices based on L&D and industryspecific research. Finally, it needed to prepare interns for a clinical supervisor position upon successful completion of national certification. Ultimately, the purpose was to train world-class clinicians to change the world for children with autism.

When creating a training program, learning and development (L&D) professionals have numerous decisions to make regarding their overall L&D training strategy and selection of specific training program components. For example, the L&D professional may choose to base their philosophical training approach on a specific learning theory, decide to implement a particular instructional design model or combine various instructional design elements. In addition, the L&D professional may choose to utilize one of the many training evaluation methods, such as the Kirkpatrick Model.

L&D professionals should clarify the rationale behind the program to understand its purpose. Ideally, the “why” can be linked to the organization’s mission and values, or at minimum to desired business outcomes. Once the purpose is understood, the path to “What?” and “How?” is more direct.

For BlueSprig, it was essential to understand the importance of the internship program and why it was critical to BlueSprig’s mission and values. BlueSprig needed an internship program that leveled the playing field for all interns, regardless of location or academic institution. It needed to be flexible and scalable across many service locations and types. The program needed to incorporate best

To accomplish those goals, LPD ensured they fully understood the scope of the training needs by collaborating with other departments and stakeholders, conducting surveys with consumers of the program and hosting focus groups based on survey results. Then, they brainstormed as a team to thoughtfully draft a training that incorporated BlueSprig values and evidence-based learning practices. Once they had a draft, they went back to the consumers to obtain another round of feedback using the Delphi Method. BlueSprig’s LPD department used a roadmap to guide this process that has proved invaluable to all their training programs (see Figure 1 on page 63).

IMPLEMENTATION

After designing the program and confirming with stakeholders that the program was going to address the organization’s needs, the next step was implementation. From a project management perspective, there were critical components needed to successfully launch the program. First, those responsible for overseeing and implementing the program needed to be informed about the program.

To accomplish this, LPD held a series of webinars several weeks prior to the

program launch, simply to describe the training program and to set clear expectations for the program’s implementation. This time was also utilized to generate excitement about the upcoming changes. The tools and resources developed were also provided to the consumers ahead of the program launch.

Second, an ongoing feedback loop must be established and maintained between the L&D team and the program consumers. Feedback was solicited during the early weeks of implementation to determine what improvements might be needed and to gain perspective from the “boots on the ground.” Using the organization’s learning management system (LMS), LPD was also able to provide feedback to consumers about the integrity with which they were implementing the program. For a successful program launch, it is critical to have both these project management steps organized efficiently to minimize confusion and to support change management.

MEASURING IMPACT

Successful program launch, however, is only the beginning. Once a program is live, a major question bubbles to the surface: “Did it work?” To answer that question, the next step is to collect and analyze data from the program.

This is where an L&D team can discover what story their data tells

BlueSprig’s LPD department collected data on key performance indicators (KPIs) from the outset of the program. Recall that the “why” for their program was to produce certified clinicians who were ready for a clinical supervisor position with BlueSprig after completing the internship program. Thus, they chose to measure: 1) the number of newly certified clinicians, 2) the number of interns offered a clinical supervisor position, 3) the first attempt pass rate on the board exam, and 4) program implementation consistency. These KPIs speak to the program’s ability to reliably produce excellent clinicians who can confidently and quickly assume a clinical supervisor role and begin changing the world for children with autism.

In 2021, BlueSprig’s internship program produced 49 newly certified clinicians; 82% of them passed the board exam on their first attempt. Of those newly certified clinicians, 42 were offered a clinical supervisor position with BlueSprig, representing 37% of the total new hires for this position. In 2022, LPD audited 37% of interns who progressed through at least one level of the program. Based on that program audit data, the core components of the internship program were implemented with, on average, 84% consistency. The data indicates that BlueSprig’s internship program is effectively and consistently addressing one of the organization’s major needs: organizational growth. It is doing so by investing in current employees and promoting them internally.

According to LinkedIn’s Global Talent Trends report, employees at companies that promote more internal candidates stay significantly longer than employees at companies with lower internal hiring rates. With retention rates always at the forefront of organizations’ minds, exploring internal internship programs is a worthwhile endeavor that can lead

to both organizational growth and retention of top talent.

SUMMARY

When creating an internal training program, ensure that the purpose is understood before the journey begins. Create a shared vision with your stakeholders and secure buyin within the organization. Only when these steps have been completed should L&D professionals begin to thoughtfully design the program based on the why and the shared vision. Once the program is live, measure, analyze and decide if the program is living up to that shared vision. If it is not, make necessary changes, and remember to repeat the measurement-analysisdecision loop.

Amanda Fullbright is the senior vice president of learning and performance development, and Dr. Apral Foreman is the learning and development performance analyst at Blue Sprig Pediatrics. They are both boardcertified behavior analysts (BCBA) and licensed behavior analysts (LBA). Email the authors.

CPTM GRADUATES!

Congratulations to all of those who became Certified Professionals in Training Management (CPTMs™) since April 2022! We would like to recognize 232 graduates from diverse industries and roles around the world. Your accomplishment places you amongst an elite group of learning and development professionals. We can’t wait to see how you will lead the change!

Alexis Abbotts

Foley Carrier Services

Emery Acker Southwire

Mashaal Ahmed Prince George’s County Government

Jaime Ainsworth Breslin Strategies

Hamoud Al-Harbi Maaden

Edwin Arriola American Licorice Company

Amy Ash

Christopher Atherton Vibe Restaurants

Joy Ayala Bacardi Bottling Corporation Heather Balcerek Amazon

Benjamin Ballard CCB Community Bank

Gabriela Barahona Herrera VMware

Hannah Barton JD Power

Marie Beaulieu Viant Medical

Kristin Belisle DiaSorin

Devyn Bendiksen Lance Soll Lunghard LLP

Kayla Beucke Teleflex

Julie Binter Salt River Project

Julie Bishop Nationwide Insurance E&S/Specialty

Brett Blodgett Align Technology

Erika Boney

Adrienne Boney Chick-fil-A

Erin Booker Lake Regional Health System

Timothy Bostic DoD Education Activity

Celia Brannon Millwood Hospital

Chapin Brinegar Encompass Communications & Learning

Latifa Brisolier Brisolier

Austin Brown The Training Associates Corporation

Zachary Bryant-Woodman Turo

Tyler Buchanan JBS USA

Andrea Bullock Attendance on Demand

Meredith Burruss Graham Healthcare Group

Zachary Butler Motiva

Beatrice Cain USAA

Vatia Caldwell Dowbuilt

Hayley Callison Tulane University

Luis Carabello InCharge Debt Solutions

Will Carpenter Neighbors Credit Union

Vanessa Castagnetto AIM

Katie Chapman Salt River Project

Michael Chastain Knauf Insulation North America

Melinda Chu-Yang Well Health, Inc.

Megan Clark Arena Pharmaceuticals Aisha Cobbs Answers in CME

Ashley Cole Maui Jim

Ryan Collins Zulily

Timothy Condon Salt River Project

Carl Cross

CJ’s Small Business & Church Consulting

Kimberley Cunningham VMware

Tracy Cunningham Bjs Wholesale Club

Haitham Daoud Boehringer-Ingelheim

David Dawson Spring Green Lawn Care

Janet De Luna The Gill Corporation

Tawny Deckard Geotab

Michelle Deshotels Kruze Consulting

Amber Determan Nestle Purina

Carolyn Dobbe

Parker Donnafield Canvas Credit Union

Jennifer Dougherty UNR Med

Susanne Dunn Watertown Public Schools

Catherine Dutcher Mural Consulting Corporation

A special congratulations to the CPTM community reaching new heights in 2022 as we celebrate the incredible milestone of over 1,200 learning leaders graduating the program.

Marie Ehret

Bosch Power Tools GmbH

Charles Farley Mason & Hanger

Candy Ferdin TIBCO

Anthony Foisy Natixis Investment Managers

Geno Francis Cardinal Glass Industries Hsia Franklin KBR

Andrea Gadson AmerisourceBergen

Kolby Gallant FFIEC

Cheryl Gallup Heartland Business Systems

Monique Garcia Options For All

Keith Gastearl AmerisourceBergen

Nicole George Life’s WORC

Kylene German Seattle Children’s

Carolynn German SmartBiz Loans

Harold Success Golafale Roberts Flight Information Region

Theresa Graciale Beazley USA Services

Chelsea Graham Nakia Graham U.S. General Services Administration

Natalie Grizzle-Matus Sage

Tammy Anne Grose Next Level Solutions

Bradford Guillory Salsify

Christina Gutierrez Williston Financial

Melissa Hamer Melissa Hamer Consulting

Helena Hamilton

Amber Hancharick Northwest Bank

Haley Hand Fortera Credit Union

Amy Haneline Learning Care Group

Mark Hannon Newport Healthcare

James Harrison CR Asia Thailand

Tara Haywood Globus Family of Brands

Angela Herbaugh ADT Commercial Security

Dana Hill Integrated Packaging Machinery

Melissa Hollingsworth Baldwin EMC

Tyler Holzer CobbleStone Software

Wendy Hornback Target

Ryan Huckins MCT Companies

Amanda Huff Goodwin Procter LLP

Travis Hughes TGW Systems

Jimmie Hughes Mt. Carmel Veteran Service Center

Rebecca Jackson Red Hat

Britne Jenke Inclusive Pixelation

Jillian Jevack Quality Matters

Robert Johnson BWXT

Gary Joyce MCCS - Okinawa

Michelle Kaney Training Industry

Jeremy Kelley British Standards Institute

Juhi Khan Lincoln Harris CSG

Nora Kilbane Stellar Technology Solutions

Liz Knoblauch Teleflex

Emily Kuiper AmerisourceBergen

Kari Lachaussie DiaSorin

Maggie Lang Sentral

Tara Lawrence NYC Health + Hospitals

Jennifer Lee BioMarin Pharmaceutical

Forest Leffew IPA, LLC

Thomas Lefkowitz

July Legaspi Sonova

Valerie Lemieux IG University

Scott Lindsay Align Technology

Ebony Little CLM

Tori Lucyk ImplantBase

Elizaveta Lugovaia Veeam

Gary Lutz Intel Corporation

Elaine Magill Sobeys Inc

Corina Mahairhu GeoComply

Jennifer Marrewa Tri Pointe Homes

Tracy Marshall Charles Schwab

Diane Mashia

Ashley Matthews FinTech Stealth Mode StartUp

Monique Maxfield Motiva

Joai Mays

Martin’s Famous Pastry Shoppe, Inc.

Eric McArdle Cisco Systems

Megan McCracken Triumph Education

Michael Melancon Motiva Enterprises

Caroline Meyer Doctolib

Jess Milakovich Profitable Ideas Exchange

Dina Mitanis State Corporate

La’rae Mobley-Moumouni Change Healthcare

Michael Mohler

Perstorp Polyols, Inc.

George Molandes Indorama Ventures

Rob Moulds PGT Industries

Casey Moyer US Army

Angel Muhammad Arena Pharmaceuticals

Craig Murray University of Texas Austin

Bahiyyah Muwwakkil Sacramento

Quang Nguyen Xuan BIDV Training & Research Institute

Rebecca Ntivu-Bisimwa WEX Inc.

Iris O. Salazar Recorded Future

Elyse O’Connell George Washington University Amy Olson

Robyn Orbegozo Carlisle Enterprises

Christopher Overstreet Bacardi Bottling Corporation

Cynthia Ozkaya Internal Revenue Service

Visit trainingindustry.com/cptm to learn more about how you can earn your CPTM credential and join over 1200 CPTM graduates.

Michael Palmer

Department of Defense

Sarah Parlett CTCU

Meagan Pass SPS Commerce

Ankur Patel Cox Enterprises

Daniel Patseavouras Instrument Manufacturing Company (IMCORP)

Lisa Paulson Nesnah Ventures

Roger Perez Rightpoint

Lisa Petersen Freedom Mortgage Corporation

Mary Picart SBM Site Services

Josiah Pledl Delta Defense

Nancy Poradish JELD-WEN

Joshua Poulson Westwood Professional Services

Lauren Pumford Delta Dental of Michigan

Denise Purzycki

Tara Quade Department of Defense

Rebecca Rainey Blackbaud

Layla Redding Volvo Trucks North America

Yesennia Reyes SWBC

Chad Richards Sage Therapeutics

Nicholas Richardson US Census Bureau

Jennifer Ritter Tomasik Ward and Smith, P.A.

Rhonda Robeaux Clear

Elizabeth Roberts Grand Bahama Power Company

Sabrina Rock Defence Construction Canada

Jonathan Rogers Pitney Bowes

Gregory Rollins Sierra Space

Brian Rook Lincoln Financial Group

Brandi Rubino San Jose State University

Loren Sanders CVS Health

Emily Santopietro Honey Badger Management

Cathy Schmidt Cox Automotive

Miranda Schramm Advarra

Laura Semethy AIChE

Natalie Sikes Next Level Learning Solutions

Leslie Simek Ecolab

Adam Slater Cisco Meraki

Cordy Smith Uber Freight

Brandy Smith-Lowe LM Wind Power

Erin Sorrell Grifols

Thomas Stachowicz Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan

Eric Starke Truist Financial Corporation

Byron Stewart Cell Signaling Technology

Ashley Stinson Consumers Credit Union

Yasmin Stokoe Sage UK Ltd

Daniel Stotler Lift Off Distribution

Kim Sturgis AXIOM Learning Solutions

Shawna Stushnoff University of Colorado Boulder

Joanna Surgenor PDC Energy

Angela Tappen Cone Health

David Tappenden Sage UK Ltd

Jessica Thomas VMware

Lina-Myree Thompson Cardinal Glass IG

Lindsey Thompson BryComm, LLC

Sarah Thurston Elara Caring

Maria Timms BCI

Jeffrey Trappe II Planet 13

Jeremy Trowsdale Rowan University

Nicole Truscello Telephonics Corporation

Arienn Tvo Ubiquity Retirement + Savings

Jeff Ugarte Instrument Manufacturing Company (IMCORP)

Shannah Usher Sound Credit Union

Clark Waggoner Geotab

Abby Waite BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc

Rachel Walerstein

AIDS Foundation Chicago

Kelly Wann Allegion

Lisa Waver Capitol Bridge LLC

Michelle Wavrick

Charlotte Whitehead Emory University

Katherine Wigginton Jeld-Wen

Sarah Willhite Trillium Health Resources

Raymond Williams amfori

Andrew Wilson Union Bank & Trust

Caroline Wright Cisco Kunyan Xie ACS Workforce Institute

Elizabeth Yackley Network to Code

Kimberly Yash Ipsos

Gail Young Fortera Credit Union

Alicia Yust AMPP

Download the CPTM brochure to learn more about becoming a CPTM and revolutionizing L&D in your organization.

CAREER DEVELOPMENT

JULIE WINKLE GIULIONI

CRISIS OF CONFIDENCE?

The past three years of cascading crises have introduced a visceral understanding of just how volatile and unpredictable the workplace can be. People have had more time for reflection and introspection. And we’ve spent hours looking at our own video images thanks to virtual platforms. Is it any wonder that many employees are experiencing a dip in confidence?

Various studies have uncovered a significant lack of certainty in everything from their skills to their networks:

• More than one-third of those polled by Degreed feel less confident that they have the skills to do their jobs well (compared to pre-pandemic).

• A mere 9% of tech workers express feeling confident in their job security, according to a survey from Blind

• Only one out of four employees participating in a recent Gartner poll is confident about their career path at their current organization.

• Approximately 9 in 10 women aren’t confident in their professional networks according to research conducted by Fairygodboss. The same study reports that 1 in 2 women are not very confident at work right now.

Add to all of this the usual run-of-themill imposter syndrome that 65% of the population experiences according to InnovateMR, and it’s safe to say that we have a crisis of confidence in today’s workplace.

WHY DOES IT MATTER?

Anyone who’s ever felt a dip in confidence knows the personal discomfort it inspires — discomfort that likely compounds already extraordinary levels of burnout.

But the potential consequences extend far beyond personal feelings into the realm of performance and retention. According to research conducted by Indeed, 98% of those surveyed reported performing better when they feel confident and a whopping 96% are more likely to stay if they feel confident. As a result, there’s a clear business case to understand and address this crisis of confidence — now.

CONVERSATION BUILDS TRUST, RAPPORT AND RELATIONSHIPS.

HOW CAN WE “MAKE IT” SO THEY DON’T HAVE TO “FAKE IT”?

The advice, “fake it ‘til you make it,” may only be exacerbating the problem. Employees may be inclined to put on their game faces and force confidence issues underground, amplifying existing stress and anxiety levels. Fortunately, there are strategies to elevate confidence in ways that support the individual and organization. Consider leveraging executives, managers and learning to make this happen.

Leverage executives to elevate confidence. A lack of confidence — whether in one’s capacity, job security, career path or professional network — frequently triggers shame and secrecy on the part of employees. Executives demonstrating vulnerability, authenticity and transparency around their own struggles and lack of certainty offers a measure of psychological safety for others to do the same.

Leverage managers to elevate confidence. Managers need your help to develop the confidence required to take

constructive action. This might include tools, templates or strategies for engaging in meaningful, ongoing dialogue with employees. Conversation — whether scheduled and formal or more ad hoc — builds trust, rapport and relationships. It allows managers to regularly check in with others, monitor changes and pick up on changes in confidence levels.

Additionally, most managers would benefit from enhancing their ability to offer candid yet constructive feedback. Knowing that they have someone they can count on for honesty goes a long way toward addressing employee confidence issues.

Leverage learning to elevate confidence. Want to take advantage of your current learning efforts to strategically address confidence as well? Ask yourself if you’re:

• Offering the experiences and skills people need to thrive today and embrace tomorrow.

• Making learning accessible at the point of need.

• Ensuring sufficient application, rehearsal, practice and feedback to promote a sense of competence.

• Facilitating connections among learners to build workplace relationships and support.

Confidence — long known to contribute to personal satisfaction and well-being — also leads to business success. Which is why now is the perfect time to conquer the crisis and begin cultivating greater confidence.

Julie Winkle Giulioni is the author of the bestselling books, “Promotions Are SO Yesterday” and “Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go.” Email Julie.

TICE AT A GLANCE

JUNE 27-29, 2023 | RALEIGH, NC

LEARNING LEADERS INSPIRING KEYNOTES ENGAGING SESSIONS

NETWORKING

Interactive networking activities connecting learning leaders in unique and highly engaging formats.

KEYNOTES

Three live keynote sessions –delivered by topical, energizing speakers.

BREAKOUT SESSIONS

Attend 50+ engaging breakout sessions, offering ample opportunities to gain best practices and insights.

ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSIONS

Led by expert facilitators, TICE roundtable discussions center around the latest trends and industry topics.

EXPO HALL

Learn about training products and services that will help solve your most pressing challenges.

AWARDS LUNCHEON

Join us as Training Industry's editors and leadership honor the top contributors to Training Industry Magazine and TrainingIndustry.com.

SCIENCE OF LEARNING

SRINI PILLAY, M.D.

PRACTICAL TIPS FOR OPTIMIZING SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING

Intentional learning is a critical competency. But despite the importance, learners still struggle to find the time for learning. Although self-directed learning (SDL) sounds like it allows for flexibility, it often places demands on people to learn outside of work when they are recovering from tiring days. As a result, learning is often ineffective and people may feel burned out with learning demands. How can brain science help us improve the formats and contexts for self-directed learning?

Factors that enable SDL include reflection, self-determination, motivation, resilience and positive learning behaviors and skills such as growth mindset. Brain science can show us how to facilitate SDL as it relates to each of these factors.

Reflection: It helps to connect learning to who people are as individuals. This requires tapping into the selfnetworks in the brain, a component of which is the default mode network (DMN). It’s hard to find time to reflect, but there are a few workarounds to consider. For example, doodling activates the DMN, and when it does, it can improve memory by 29%. Many people have a difficult time meditating on learning but providing a five-to-10-minute experience such as video or virtual reality can be helpful for reflection.

Self-determination and motivation: Self-determination and motivation are connected by self-determination theory, which teaches us that the brain

changes to enhance motivation when three criteria are fulfilled: autonomy (give people the freedom to learn when they can), competence (allow them to measure how their learning has improved, and social relations (allow them to share the learning and connect with others).

Resilience: Resilience is the “capacity to prepare for, recover from and adapt in the face of stress.” When stress escalates, there are progressively diminishing returns until it starts to work against you. In the brain, this can show up as a lack of cognitive flexibility, making it very difficult to absorb and manipulate information.

For this reason, you want to suggest that any SDL be scheduled after deliberate stress reduction if someone is feeling overwhelmed. There’s no point pushing through a mountain of information just to get to the other side because you will likely not retain it. Organizations would do well to connect anxiety and stress-reducing apps and platforms to their learning platforms so that people who are learning can de-stress if they need to.

Growth mindset: The growth mindset is one in which the learner believes that the brain will get stronger as their learning progresses. This contrasts with a mindset of “learned helplessness,” where the learner has already given up on enjoying learning or on improving in any way. Having a growth mindset means that the brain does not screech to a halt after an

error is made. Instead, the learner is deft to correct the error and learning is enhanced.

In the online self-directed learning that we have provided at Reulay, we have addressed many of these factors head-on. For example, in the personalized self-directed learning modules on building resilience, there are short mental resets in the form of personalized and relaxing video (or virtual reality), and an ability to reflect on whether something has been learned. In addition, we have a library of “possibility” experiences to enhance a growth mindset.

SCIENCE

Of course, this is not the only way to achieve these goals, but it is important to be deliberate about SDL to optimize the brains of self-directed learners.

Dr. Srini Pillay is the CEO of NeuroBusiness Group. He is a Harvard trained psychiatrist and neuroscientist, on the Consortium for Learning Innovation at McKinsey & Company, and author of “Tinker Dabble Doodle Try.” Srini is also co-founder, chief medical officer and chief learning officer of Reulay Email Srini.

BRAIN

CAN SHOW US HOW TO FACILITATE SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING.

DEALS

HOW UPGRAD IS BUILDING AN INTEGRATED PLATFORM FOR LIFELONG LEARNING

BY SARAH GALLO, CPTM

upGrad wants its learners to succeed — no matter where they are on their career journeys. Whether a learner is 18 years old and is looking for an online degree program that promotes job readiness or is a mid-career professional looking to refresh their skills, upGrad is committed to bringing value, at every life stage, to people who seek to learn, says Myleeta AgaWilliams, upGrad’s international chief executive officer.

upGrad’s integrated approach, which includes partnering with over 300 universities globally, seems to be working. The India-based edtech company closed three deals last quarter, including the merger of Harrapa Education, a $210 million funding round and, most recently, the acquisition of Centum Learning.

What do these recent moves mean for the future of upGrad? And what factors have led to upGrad’s notable success since its founding in 2015? Let’s dive in.

MAKING MOVES

Traditionally, upGrad has operated in a business-to-consumer (B2C) capacity, meaning that its offerings (i.e., higher education degrees, internships, courses for working professionals and more) were designed to support individual learners rather than enterprises.

upGrad’s B2C strategy certainly helped the company build its status as a reputable learning provider. However, to remain competitive in today’s evolving ed-tech landscape, Mayank Kumar, upGrad’s co-founder, knew the company needed to explore businessto-business (B2B) offerings as well. That’s where Harrapa Education and Centum Learning came in.

By merging with Harrapa Education, an online learning provider also based in India, upGrad was able to tap into its clientele of over 100 mid- to largesized organizations. In addition, Harrapa Education’s soft skills and leadership development courses would round out upGrad’s portfolio of primarily technical training offerings.

Undoubtedly, the merger further solidified upGrad’s position in the edtech market. Just one month later, the company secured an investment of $210 million, the largest transaction noted in the third quarter of 2022. With this fresh funding, the company announced that it would grow its team from 4,800 to 7,600 employees within three months, making it one of the largest full-time ed-tech faculties in the world.

With its newly secured capital in place, and an expanding workforce on the horizon, upGrad was well positioned to make its next move (again, just one month later) — acquiring Centum Learning.

The acquisition of Centum Learning, a talent development provider with expertise in training entry- to midlevel employees on distributed teams, meant that upGrad would be better positioned to cater to India’s many large, multinational organizations looking for a one-stop solution for training, Kumar says.

By joining forces with Harrapa Education and Centum Learning, upGrad was able to grow its B2B presence while also building out its capabilities in two key areas — leadership development and the ability to train a large, distributed workforce.

FUTURE GOALS

It’s certainly been a busy few months for upGrad, and the company has no plans of slowing down any time soon.

In order to achieve its ultimate goal of building a fully integrated lifelong learning platform, and to set the company up for success long term, Kumar says that upGrad is focused on three “buzzwords” moving forward:

1. “Lifelong”: upGrad is designed to support learners throughout their career journeys and hopes to see repeat learners coming back for more development as their needs evolve.

2. “Outcomes”: upGrad aspires to help learners achieve career outcomes, whether it’s landing one’s first job after college, securing a promotion or moving into a new field altogether. To ensure learners’ success, upGrad has roughly 5,500 mentors available to share their real-world expertise and to offer individual support.

3. “ Global ”: Moving forward, upGrad hopes to build its global footprint and expand its presence, with a specific interest in the U.S. and European markets.

Today, learners need ongoing training and development perhaps more than ever before. Integrated solutions like upGrad ensure that learners don’t have to navigate their career journeys alone, but rather with the help of a trusted learning partner that can offer guidance and support, every step of the way.

Sarah Gallo, CPTM, is a senior editor at Training Industry, Inc., and co-host of “The Business of Learning,” the Training Industry podcast. Email Sarah.

ACQUISITIONS AND PARTNERSHIPS

LumApps, the leading employee experience platform, announced its acquisition of Vizir, creators of innovative, no-code digital assistant technology for human resources (HR) and information technology (IT) departments. The move is projected to integrate new capabilities into LumApps’ platform, including improved simulation of human dialog to better personalize employee experience.

Simplilearn, the leading online bootcamp for digital skills training, announced its acquisition of Fullstack Academy, the USbased bootcamp education company that provides tech education and immersive software courses. The acquisition will enhance Simplilearn’s scale and presence in the bootcamp space, as well as give Simplilearn access to Fullstack’s existing partnerships across 15 states.

Cognizant, the leader in modernizing technology, reimagining processes and transforming experiences, announced its acquisition of AustinCSI, the premier digital transformation consultancy that specializes in enterprise cloud and data analytics advisory services. The move is set to complement Cognizant’s vertical industry expertise and enrich its advisory capabilities for delivering comprehensive digital strategy solutions to clients.

NetCom Learning, the leading IT and business training organization and 2022 Microsoft Learning Partner of the Year, announced a partnership with (ISC)2, the world’s largest nonprofit association of certified cybersecurity professionals. The partnership is projected to empower organizations looking to upskill their cybersecurity employees.

INDUSTRY NEWS

PERSONALITY TESTS FOR THE MODERN ERA

Personas, providers of the revolutionary personality assessment, announced the global launch of their new platform. The organization’s integration of an industryleading personality test with decades of research is set to position Personas as a market-leading platform. The updated platform will give users a 360-degree view of their skills.

SKILLS DEVELOPMENT FEATURES TO PERSONALIZE LEARNING

CYPHER LEARNING, the leading provider of learning platforms for schools, universities and organizations, announced the launch of new skills development features. This new

functionality, which is immediately available to users of MATRIX LMS for Business and NEO LMS for K-20, will help drive personalized learning journeys that are tailored to learners’ skills and needs.

NEW DIGITAL BADGING AND CERTIFICATION SOLUTION

Imparta Ltd, the leader in performance improvement for customer-facing teams, has partnered with Credly, the leader in the digital credential movement, to announce the launch of Imparta’s digital badging and certification solution. The solution will provide users with secure, webenabled credentials that contain verified information about their professional achievements.

Mind Tools, the provider of accessible, on-demand performance tools and resources to empower teams, announced a partnership with Pursuit Technology, one of Australia’s fastest-growing HR tech companies. The partnership is set to empower both organizations to focus on enabling customers to improve performance as opposed to purely delivering training.

NIIT, the global talent development corporation and learning provider, announced its acquisition of 100% of membership interest in St. Charles Consulting Group LLC, the leading provider of consulting, design, and implementation solutions. The acquisition is set to help NIIT increase its presence in the professional services and management consulting sectors.

TOOLKIT TO FILL SKILLS AND LABOR GAPS

SkillUp Coalition, the collaborative organization of nonprofits, training providers and employers, has partnered with Jobs for the Future (JFF) to develop a toolkit for small-to-medium-sized businesses to explore how earn and learn solutions can connect them to a broader, more diverse pool of workers to fill critical skills and labor gaps.

VIEW THE LISTS

The Top 20 Companies are a service provided by Training Industry, Inc. Because of the diversity of services offered, no attempt is made to rank Top 20 lists.