MWL Newsletter No 5


News and articles about Modern Workplace Learning (MWL) selected by – and with commentary from – Jane Hart for the week 12 – 18 March 2017


From around the Web

THE OFFICE OF THE  THE FUTURE WILL BE NATURAL, CHAIR-LESS AND DESIGNED FOR COLLABORATION – Fast Co-Exist, 12 March 2017

“”I would guess that in 10 years what is currently in the office will look much more like what is outside the office,” says Scott Lesizza, founding principal of Workwell Partners, a New York furniture supplier.”

JH: In fact you could say the same quote about workplace learning: what is currently in the office will look much more like what is outside the office.


THE BEST TIMES TO LEARN AND CREATE, ACCORDING TO SCIENCE Inc,13 March 2017

“Learning is most effective when the brain is in acquisition mode, generally between 10:00 am to 2:00 p.m. and then again from 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.”

JH: This is a good time to schedule your “daily learning workout”


THREE WAYS TO MOTIVATE EMPLOYEES TO LEARN Kelly Palmer, CLO Magazine, 16 March 2017

ARTICLE OF THE WEEK

“For decades, HR departments have been focused on managing an employee’s performance: how to rate them, how to fit them into a standardized model, and how to communicate deficiencies and skill gaps so their performance will improve. This hasn’t been very inspiring or motivating for employees.”

JH: A great article that explains how motivation comes from helping people with their career development. “People want to gain knowledge and build skills that will help them be successful. And they want to know the company they work for is investing in them, now and for their future. This isn’t just a nice-to-have for people anymore.”  This is employee-led learning that I talk about in my book, Learning in the Modern Workplace


YOU’VE BEEN DOING A FANTASTIC JOB.  JUST ONE THING … New York Times, April 2013

“MOST of us think we know how to give feedback. Positive comments are better — and more useful — than negative ones. And if you do have to point out something wrong, start with a compliment, move on to the problem, then end on a high note.

It turns out that it’s not that simple. Those who have studied the issue have found that negative feedback isn’t always bad and positive feedback isn’t always good. Too often, they say, we forget the purpose of feedback — it’s not to make people feel better, it’s to help them do better.”

JH: Feedback might need to be different at different times. Novices need encouraging feedback, experts need correcting feedback.


WE ARE ALL ADULTS HERE  Simon Terry, 15 March 2017

“Treating employees as adults is not a new idea. It is just rarely implemented. Treating employees as children started back before Frederick Winslow Taylor.”

JH: It seems it is often as hard for the child to give up the parent, as the parent to let go of the child!


Poll of the Week

The 2017 Deloitte Global Human Capital Trends report says that “new tools are leaving behind the traditional LMS”. What part will a LMS play in your organisational learning strategy in the next few years. Please take my Twitter (straw) poll. If you are not on Twitter or the poll has closed, then please do email your response.


From the MWL Magazine

13 March 2017

THE MODERN WORKPLACE LEARNING PROFESSIONAL PROGRAMME by Jane Hart

MWL means doing things differently and doing different things, so whereas part of the MWL Professional Programme will consider how to design modern content and learning experiences it also focuses on moving away from the traditional mindset that all learning has to be designed by L&D for employees, by exposing Programme participants to a range of new approaches to workplace learning. The Programme is therefore suitable for both learning leaders as well as practitioners, designers, developers, trainers and facilitators as well as others who would like to enable and support learning at and for work in new ways.


Upcoming MWL Workshop

MODERNISING TRAINING AND E-LEARNING

Next workshop runs 8 May – 2 June 2017

There will always be a need for organisational training, but this just needs more relevant and appealing for appealing for today’s workforce. This 4-week online workshop will help you to consider a number off ways to organise modern content and learning experiences – in line with the ways people now learn on the Web.


You may copy, print or forward all or part of this Newsletter to others as long as any use is not for resale or profit and I am attributed.

Jane Hart
Director, Centre for Modern Workplace Learning