{"id":1424,"date":"2018-04-03T09:15:17","date_gmt":"2018-04-03T08:15:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/modernworkplacelearning.com\/magazine\/?p=1424"},"modified":"2018-12-24T11:07:44","modified_gmt":"2018-12-24T11:07:44","slug":"when-youre-too-busy-delivering-training-to-do-digital-ld","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/modernworkplacelearning.com\/magazine\/when-youre-too-busy-delivering-training-to-do-digital-ld\/","title":{"rendered":"When You\u2019re Too Busy Delivering Training To Do Digital L&D"},"content":{"rendered":"

First published on Looop<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/em>\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"In my recent experience, it seems many L&D professionals are too busy delivering training to dedicate time to their own digital development. As a result, the L&D provision in many organisations is still predominantly classroom-based, and any individual employee\u2019s experience of L&D is limited to occasional events and technology \u2018solutions\u2019 outsourced to vendors or simply bought in \u2018off-the-shelf\u2019. Perhaps these are reasons why\u00a0less than a quarter of workers surveyed had completed a course of any kind in the previous 2 years<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If L&D is too busy to\u00a0do<\/i>\u00a0digital, then the wrong problems can end up being solved. For example, the only problem that buying an LMS and filling it with content solves is:<\/p>\n

How can we provide content and see who\u2019s accessing it?<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And this might seem reasonable until you\u00a0recognise that two of the biggest challenges facing organisations \u2013 and entire industries today \u2013 remain:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. How do we support and guide our people to perform with competence and confidence for optimum\u00a0productivity<\/b>\u00a0at our organisation?<\/li>\n
  2. How do we plug\u00a0skills gaps<\/b>\u00a0to ensure we have the organisational capability to thrive today and survive tomorrow?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    I think it\u2019s safe to say that the LMS full of \u2018content\u2019 isn\u2019t addressing either of these in a sophisticated or rigorous manner.<\/p>\n

    L&D\u2019s Over-Reliance On The Classroom Isn\u2019t Helping<\/h2>\n

    There are many reasons why the classroom has been the primary domain of L&D but it\u2019s become a prison from which L&D are finding it hard to escape to add greater value to their organisation at large.<\/p>\n

    What we need to recognise is that our preoccupation with delivering training often means maintaining the status quo to the detriment of progress because of the infrequency of which they are experienced and that\u00a0knowledge transfer, as a concept and practice, is seriously flawed<\/a>. It\u2019s a strange situation because it feels good to know there is a calendar of programmes scheduled and that people will attend them. But we must look past this and see that employees are not benefiting from meaningful support and guidance that\u2019s focused on\u00a0actually<\/i>\u00a0helping them with their jobs, when\u00a0they<\/i>\u00a0need it \u2013 rather than when the class next runs.<\/p>\n

    We must remember that we\u2019re not ultimately employed to run programmes. We\u2019re employed to add value by enhancing everyday performance and building capability in our organisations. This cannot be done one class at a time and apathy towards generic e-learning means that scaling the classroom in that way isn\u2019t helping either.<\/p>\n

    Making Time For Digital L&D That Supports The Work And Builds Capability<\/h2>\n

    Going back to the original point, reprioritising and getting out of the classroom for a while will give you the time and energy to refocus on how the right digital solutions can support every employee everyday, whilst a reevaluation of face-to-face can even make it more effective and less resource-heavy.<\/p>\n

    To reclaim the time to focus on digital, you have several options:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Get somebody else to deliver the programmes. Whether it be to a colleague or to outsource delivery to a supplier. Either way, digital solutions that are aimed at helping employees with what they\u2019re trying to do are best developed with local knowledge and know-how.<\/li>\n
    2. Decide to develop your next \u2018programme\u2019 digital-first, rather than classroom-first with a blended element.<\/li>\n
    3. Put a temporary stop to delivering training courses yourself and replace them instead with short, focused discussions around specific priorities. These may only need to be 90 minutes long but will require no content development and no delivery: Just a room, a host (perhaps you) and a topic.\u00a0This approach will not only keep things ticking over in the absence of \u2018training\u2019, it will also uncover the real needs of your clients. For example:<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Becoming a new manager:<\/b>\u00a0Invite recently promoted managers to a session to discuss their progress so far and the challenges they\u2019re facing, making sure there\u2019s time for them to openly discuss their situations with each other;<\/p>\n

      Presenting to groups:<\/b>\u00a0Create an open invitation for people who want to get better at presenting and invite somebody who is regarded as a very good presenter at your organisation. Ask what people want to specifically get better at and share experiences together;<\/p>\n

      Managing your career *at your company*:<\/b>\u00a0Invite a panel of 4 employees, representing many levels and business units across your organisation, to talk briefly about their career journey and practical things that helped them. Then field questions from the audience;<\/p>\n

      Project Management:<\/b>\u00a0Invite people together with a shared responsibility for managing projects. Elicit the situations and challenges they are facing and work the you have room, which is full of experience, to explore potential solutions that are grounded in the context of your organisation.<\/p>\n

      There will be so much to learn from those conversations that\u00a0your job<\/i>\u00a0\u2013 and that of your whole L&D team \u2013 should be to observe what\u2019s being said, furiously take notes, and seeking to understand the real situations, challenges and questions that those with performance needs have, in the context of their work and their career. This is your first \u2013 and probably most important step \u2013 towards digital, because digital doesn\u2019t just mean technology-enabled learning, it means user-centred design, moving fast to achieve defined and focused objectives using the most appropriate approaches and tools. The first step in that is learning about individuals.<\/p>\n

      Of course, this doesn\u2019t even scratch the surface of digital, in the context of L&D \u2013 and\u00a0there is plenty more to know<\/a>. But it certainly provides guidance on how to make the time, and get moving, on your own digital journey. But it requires you to escape from the prison of the classroom first.<\/p>\n

      Consider this your Shawshank Redemption moment\u2026<\/p>\n

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