Redefining corporate learning and embedding it into the DNA of the organization entails shifting one’s mind-set to think of training and development not as something “to be done” (i.e., an event that delivers knowledge), but as something “that is” (i.e., a platform for powering continuous growth). This platform ultimately enables individuals and the organization “to become.”
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Going beyond technology, this platform encompasses an entire ecosystem, the components of which are united in a common purpose: to connect people in near-real-time with the information they require to add value to the business and with the experiences they need to expand and stretch their capabilities.
Three dynamics are central to approaching learning as a platform (LaaP) rather than as a stand-alone function: 1) developmental agility, 2) environmental enablement, and 3) informational empowerment.
3 Dynamics of Learning as a Platform
Developmental agility. Individuals, teams, and organizations all need room to grow. Developmental agility entails giving them space by removing traditional barriers, such as functional silos, career paths, and job descriptions that prescribe how they can and cannot contribute. It also involves enabling new perspectives from which people can envision innovative solutions to entrenched problems.
The hallmarks of an agile development process include:
- Career experiences: Making opportunities and roles visible to support two-way matching for assignments and growth.
- Agile teams and incubation: Leveraging ad hoc teams to enable innovation and continuous learning.
- Organizational analytics and outcomes: Collecting and providing evidence of improved performance and business outcomes.
Developmental agility implies greater visibility into the needs of both the learner and the organization, as well as the ability to flex to meet those needs. Consequently, individuals are empowered to learn on their own terms; teams are better equipped to tackle challenges; and the business can more rapidly produce the desired outcomes.
Environmental enablement. Technology is the nerve system of the organization. While often not intended explicitly for learning, enterprise systems not only underpin daily business activities but are essential for embedding learning into every facet of the business and incorporating it into daily work.
For instance, with the help of digital technologies, such as mobility, analytics, machine learning, and the cloud, an organization’s collective knowledge can be placed in the palm of everyone’s hand. When learning is just a click or chat-box away, the need quickly fades for lengthy classroom trainings or tedious troubleshooting sessions.
The hallmarks of environmental enablement include:
- Systemic learning: A holistic perspective of learning and development and a structure to support it, cutting across functional and business silos.
- Integrated technology: Integrated systems, channels, and infrastructures to enable seamless learning, feedback, and growth.
With proper environmental enablement, learning is everywhere and nowhere: it is simply a positive condition of organizational effectiveness.
Informational empowerment. The Internet has democratized information access and therefore learning. Employees expect to have ready access to relevant information or to the people who can provide it, with minimal restrictions. An effective learning platform fulfills these expectations by supporting multidirectional information flow.
This includes visibility into performance data, access to relevant content (both public and proprietary), connections to colleagues and subject-matter experts, and embedded feedback loops to drive continuous improvement.
The hallmarks of informational empowerment include:
- Employee-driven: Empower and facilitate learning wherever it occurs in the day-to-day course of work.
- Information flow: Provide access, aggregation, and contextualization of content to support the flow of information
- Feedback loops: Create multiple and frequent feedback loops.
The new employee contract is ephemeral, if it exists at all. Despite increasing workforce fluidity, there is an implied exchange of value that goes beyond the basics of salaries and job descriptions: organizations grow and transform through the knowledge and creative thinking of diverse talent, while employees gain valuable experiences that augment their portfolio of career possibilities.
Informational empowerment is the foundation of this two-way value proposition, ensuring that both workers and employers are better off for having joined forces, regardless of how long the relationship lasts.
In the final installment of this article series, we’ll cover some examples of how employers are using this new training paradigm in their organizations.
Learn how to incorporate new L&D trends and techniques into your employees’ career constellations by joining Terry Patterson—of Deloitte Consulting LLP—at Workforce L&D, November 15-16, 2018. Patterson will be presenting the session: L&D Game Changers: VR, Microlearning & Other Learning Technologies Have Shaken Training to Its Core—Now What?. Click here to learn more, or to reserve your spot today!
| The article originally appeared on the Deloitte blog, here, and was compiled by the following authors: Michael Griffiths, Principal at Deloitte Consulting LLP, mgriffiths@deloitte.com. Josh Haims, Principal of Deloitte Consulting LLP, jhaims@deloitte.com. Terry Patterson, Senior Manager at Deloitte Consulting LLP, tepatterson@deloitte.com. Lindsey Straka West, Manager at Deloitte Consulting LLP, linwest@deloitte.com. Meriya Dyble, Director of Learning Reimagined at ATB Financial, mdyble@atb.com. Debbie Blakeman, Vice President of People & Culture at ATB Financial, dblakeman@atb.com. |