The best L&D resources of September 2020

September was a full month for Offbeat. We launched our digital publication focused on bringing L&Ds more actionable advice to improve their practices and went on with growing our newsletter. It was also a busy month for the learning community as a whole, all kinds of resources being launched on a weekly basis. These are just some of those that inspired me and thought you should also give them a chance.

Hope you're doing well, staying safe, and learning every day. Enjoy!

ARTICLES

1. A transformation of the learning function: Why it should learn new ways

Good learning programs are, of course, critical. But the utility of even the best will be limited if not based upon an intimate understanding of an organization’s needs and an ability to forecast and respond to them rapidly—just as the US healthcare company did. And for that to happen, the L&D function must itself undergo a transformation and adopt an agile operating model.

Does your L&D department have a North Star? This is just one question I ended up asking myself after reading this McKinsey article. In order to achieve transformation in your learning function, you need a North Star, an assessment of your strategy, processes, structure, people, and tech systems. 

2. Learning analytics set-up

The analytics side of L&D is definitely tricky. Avoiding it altogether is not an option. Focusing too much on them? Wouldn’t advise that either. This is the story of what I have learned so far about learning data and what actionable advice I would give to my peers.

“The truth is that lack of skills and time is often an excuse to not dig deeper into learning analytics. We have so much on our plate already, needs to analyze, people to talk to, programs to design. If I were you, I would still squeeze in some measurement, probably by automating some of my work. “

3. Closing the skills gap in retail with people analytics

How will trends such as automation, the evolution of customer preferences, and labor shortages affect our business? Which capabilities—in areas such as manual skills, interpersonal skills, and technological skills—do we need to drive growth? Which capabilities do we currently have? In a world where we're talking more and more about automation, and Amazon is leading it in the US, we should be looking more for answers to these questions. As L&Ds we shouldn't shy away from data, but use it as a decision-making tool when it comes to which skills we should be focusing on, and how to drive performance.

4. Using technology to develop your people managers

By the end of the first meeting I had with the Nestor team, I was totally impressed. Not just by the tool, but also by the research behind their approach, and the mindset of the team. Since Offbeat is also a way to connect L&Ds with technology, I couldn’t pass the chance to share their story.

“We recommend having a data collection system in place that ensures that you have the just in time information to constantly evaluate people’s needs, behavioral changes, and address any risks before they become a problem.”

5. Activating the internal talent marketplace

Focusing on Talent Marketplace helps us ensure retention and shorter recruitment cycles. There are a couple of things we can do as L&Ds to make the most out of this tool. Provide awareness around skills & roles, ensure proper communication with the employee around them, and create development plans that help people grow. This Deloitte article focuses on these tactics and more.

6. Workflow Learning with Conrad Gottfredson

The Internet is kicking our ass when it comes to delivering timely content to our employees. Their flow is "I have a problem, so I search for a solution on Google, Youtube or you name what website". What the Internet doesn’t provide is the more contextual business content employees need - so there’s an opportunity for us to step up. Learning in the flow of work, using applied research in learning practices, and measurement are just some of the topics explores in this article.

That is, the real environment for learning is the workflow. That’s the most perfect environment to learn. It’s where learners are highly motivated, where your work is real. 

7. Seven neuroscience backed-up facts for better learning experience design.

From trainers and learning experience designers to leaders, managers, and even lifelong learners, we’ve all been trying to hack the learning process at least once in our lives. I have asked myself these questions many times: What conditions need to be fulfilled for learning to happen? Why do we forget the things we want to remember? Why do we remember things we never wanted to learn?

This is a great piece of content about 7 principles that make learning stick and we should use in our learning experience design, gathered from books like How We Learn, Design for how people learn, How People Learn or Make it stick. (1) Attention blinds us. (2) Attention and the affective context model. (3) Curiosity, dopamine, and learning. (4) No surprise, no learning! (5) Deeper processing leads to faster learning. (6) Spaced out learning and knowledge retrieval. (7) Alternating between topics makes learning stick.

8. The journey of a start-up L&D Pro

I met Moniek through L&D Shakers, a new community gathering all learning professionals based in Amsterdam. I was really lucky to have the chance to talk about her journey in WeTransfer, where she grew as a learning professional and saw the different learning needs the company had in each growth stage.

“It’s easy to put yourself last when you’re so busy supporting others in their learning journey. So take the time to invest in your own development as well.”

9. 10 characteristics of Learning and Development at its best

“It is important to understand how to help people learn but it is equally, if not more important, to understand how to help people perform". This is the kind of advice you will get from Sam Allens' amazing piece of content on how L&D should look like.

10. Nurturing Self Directed Learning

I was thrilled when Maya Camarasu, one of the UiPath Learning Program Managers accepted to answer some of our questions. We talked a lot. About Self-Directed Learning, and using Design Thinking in L&D. Leveraging internal tech talent to build learning programs, and the People Development team’s story.

“Meaningful learning at UiPath happens if you have access to it, if you have the context to apply what you learn in your daily context (performance support) and if it supported/guided by your manager/peers/mentor (someone) who helps you accelerate your growth.”

PODCAST EPISODES

How Do You Create a Learning Culture in the Workplace?

"Every organization that is really taking learning seriously is focusing on three pillars. How do I make it personal? How do I make it practical? How do I make it digital?". One insightful podcast episode answering questions such as: Why organisations are struggling to embed a culture of lifelong learning? Which are the differences between the cognitive learning and socio-emotional learning? What's the role of technology in supporting the development of skills?

Automation & Marketing Smarts For L&D With Mike Collins

Not many in L&D recognize the opportunity to automate L&D administration, compliance, and entire digital learning journeys, saving enormous amounts of time as well as guiding employee performance. But what does it take to get to this and how do L&D teams take advantage of this opportunity, especially during these tough times? David James explored all this and more in this episode.

Performance-Focused, Data-Led And Campaign-Driven L&D With Brian Murphy

So many people talk about where L&D is going but who’s actually doing it? Brian Murphy is. In this episode (recorded prior to lockdown), Brian explains his approach to L&D, how it focuses on - and seeks to address - performance, his "from courses to campaigns" approach, and the journey he’s taken with his teams and organizations.

Improving Employee Experience through Learning, Skill Development & Mobility

This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested or involved in learning, skills, and the technology that supports it, so that’s business leaders, CHROs, Chief Learning Officers, and anyone in a People Analytics, Workforce Planning, or HR Business Partner role. 

REPORTS

Do you know your life’s purpose?

Your life purpose can be mapped to nine universal values. You have access to all nine to some degree, but the exact mix is unique to you. The McKinsey research uncovered three common patterns based on these values: the free spirit, the achiever, and the caregiver. Are you like one of these? Or do you identify as something else entirely, based on your own combination of the nine values? And what does it mean for your life at work?

The Creative Skills Report

Are juniors getting enough support and guidance? Which new technologies are worth investing in? And is it better to hone your expertise, or gain a broader range of skills? Surveying creatives from more than 60 leading studios, from design to film, Adobe set out to uncover answers to these questions and find out which skills creatives consider to be key for success today and in the future. 

WEBINARS & EVENTS

How to use benchmarks to elevate your employee feedback strategy

Best practices for meaningful & productive 1-on-1 meetings

Career Development for the Future of Work

Making DE&I Part of Your Learning and Development Strategy

Managing L&D Effectively With Remote Teams

OFFBEAT - THE ACTIONABLE L&D NEWSLETTER

If you are not subscribed yet to Offbeat, you can explore the past issues by clicking on the links below.

19/ Introducing Offbeat - the digital publication

18/ Newsroom | Online Career Fairs | Adapting to digital learning

17/ Newsroom | Action Learning | Managers support in self-directed learning

16/ Newsroom | Project Management in L&D | August 2020 Resources

15/ L&D Newsroom | Cultivating passion | On Microlearning

14/ An Onboarding program that matters | Becoming measurement aware | L&D Newsroom

13/ On Leadership Development

12/ The best L&D resources of July 2020

11/ The no regrets skillset

10/ What's a talent marketplace?

9/ On why mentorship programs fail

8/ What Offbeat subscribers want to learn

7/ The best L&D resources of June 2020

6/ Technology and L&D, a romance novel

5/ Lack of learner time is not the problem

4/ Moving from learning events to learning experiences

3/ Are we learning the right way?

2/ Learning in the flow of work

1 / The one where it all began

If you want to get curated L&D resources every week straight to your inbox, subscribe to Offbeat - https://www.offbeat.works. I'm putting all my passion into making this newsletter great for L&D peers, so any feedback is more than welcomed.