LEARNING IN THE AGE OF DISRUPTION

Society is transforming and powerful new trends are reshaping business, shifting talent needs, and changing human behavior.

How will the changes affect you?

We’ve mapped trends impacting our private and public lives for more than 20 years. In collaboration with industry experts around the world, we compile and employ insights to shape our learning programs so our students meet the evolving demands of the market.

Chart Learning Solutions’ Industry Newsletter are our way of sharing these insights to you. Regardless of your industry, it’s essential to consider the impact of these changes on your work, and we will support you every step of the way.

Technology changes the way Work and Life is viewed

DEFINING WHEN we are “at work” and when we are not, is becoming increasingly difficult. The applications and devices that allow flexibility in the workplace, remote collaboration, and cloud storage have also made the concept of the office almost obsolete.

 We used to be restricted by physical objects. Things like paper, filing cabinets, printers, and desktop PCs that forced us to be in the office to work. Now we can work from anywhere using our laptops, tablets, and smartphones, accessing and editing files, and communicating with colleagues. We need never switch off, working 24/7, always accessible and always productive.

 There are two competing trends here. In a world where work and free time have merged, some people might attempt to clearly separate the two, and others will embrace the idea that their work is their life.

The latter has led to a movement of people away from corporations to setting up their own businesses, focused on passions like coffee, coaching, social work, and the arts. By aligning their hobbies and interests with a clear social need or growing trend, these micro-enterprises are able to turn profits. By serving small and local communities they are able to develop strong relationships with their customers.

 For those who stay in their jobs, they will not be tied to the office in the ways they’ve always been. By harnessing remote working tools and adapted organisational structures, employees will take control of their own schedules, finding a balance that suits them.

 REFLECT

What does the balance between “work” and “leisure” look like in your office? Or in your life? How might you keep the two more separate? Or how might you follow your passions and integrate them more closely?

How does it impact learning in corporations?

You have decided to incorporate eLearning into your existing training and development programs. Your training is now going to be delivered using "blended learning," and part of you is wondering: Is this going to fundamentally change what I do around here?

The answer is "Yes"... and that is a good thing! Blended learning is nothing without you as the human element! Both are critical pieces to the experience: eLearning tools provide a consistent and engaging presentation of content, while human beings help to create, organize, interpret, and customize the content. Today there is also a best practice learning methodology available for blended learning, called the Performance Assurance System?.

It is great news for trainers because it means the role of trainer is changing and growing. The challenge for the modern trainer is not figuring out these new tools, or thinking of ways to stay relevant in this new learning ecosystem. The challenge is figuring out the specific ways trainers can leverage their expertise, and then letting technology do the rest.

So, if you are a trainer whose organization is adopting (or thinking of adopting) eLearning tools, now is the time to consider all the possibilities for growing your role and possibly become a Certified Coach.

Trainers and Coaches view themselves as Resources

eLearning content is not made in a vacuum. Subject matter experts have always had a hand in producing learning content, no matter the format.

But what happens when content comes "pre-packaged" in off-the-shelf content offerings? This is where you can shine. Subject matter experts often lend their expertise to add value to off-the-shelf content by:

• Providing additional materials to complement the content
• Helping to interpret and apply difficult pieces of information
• Facilitating discussion on the material
• Providing organization-specific examples and application

Many trainers who embrace off-the-shelf eLearning content have come to see their role changing from that of presenter or facilitator to that of guide or resource. Employees can learn the basics from a video, for example, with the trainer then facilitating discussion and applying those concepts to real-world business problems faced by the organization.

Most importantly, today's digital tools represent more opportunities to get materials into learners' hands. This is incredibly important as more and more learners access content from home, commuting to and from work, and on the road. 

Trainers and Coaches using their creative muscles

Most trainers and coaches have a creative streak in them but don't always have the time or resources to create all of the courses on their list. By utilizing a library of eLearning courses, trainers can free up some of their time. Off-the-shelf libraries are great for the topics that require 100% consistency of content like workplace compliance and safety. Trainers then have the freedom to create their own curriculum of content for the topics unique to their company. This process works great for onboarding, product training, your Sales process, Leadership Development, Customer Service and not at least how to build high-performance teams. These can be offered through multiple venues, in person, or online. 

The great thing about the turn to digital tools is that they can replace many of the classes where trainers had to be physically present and employees had to be away from their job. When a subject matter expert or trainer is not tied up in presentations at all times, it frees them up to create and curate content, and evolve their role.

What is your Recipe for Success?

In short, blended learning is not a replacement for corporate learning specialists (or anyone in a training capacity, for that matter). You should see it instead as an opportunity to remove some of the burdens that traditionally are placed on trainers: repeating courses over and over, being out-of-office for long periods of time, drowning in binders of printed materials, etc. 

The use of blended learning may provide the flexibility to spend more time with managers and leaders across your organization and complete a thorough, upfront needs analysis. Training reinforcement can be automated. Better training data on the back-end will allow you to analyze results and demonstrate program effectiveness. The wonderful thing is that eLearning tools and content allow you to keep control of the aspects of training you enjoy, while freeing you from those that are burdensome. 

Where do you and your organization stand today? Would you like to discuss the topic on how to become even more productive?

Written by Peter Horwing, CEO Chart Learning Solutions

Resources from Hyper Islands, leading blogs and our own research.