What’s in it for me? Insights into the Modern Learning Ecosystem and how it can help you overcome workplace disruptions.
If there’s one thing that JD Dillon’s career is characterized by, it’s disruption. Perhaps you can relate to that, perhaps not, we all have different career paths. Some disruption, he says, you can see coming well in advance – like the impact streaming services have had on movie theatres. But other disruption, well, that appears unexpectedly – like the sudden need for everyone to work remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. You can probably relate to these examples and even add many of your own, but the one thing common to all disruption is that it forces you to think differently.
In this Blink, you’ll learn how to develop a modern learning mindset to help you breeze through disruptive events, what exactly a Modern Learning Ecosystem – or MLE – is, and why you should measure L&D effectiveness.
Developing a modern learning mindset
In today's fast-paced world, L&D departments face the challenge of keeping up with constant change. This requires a shift in how they approach learning and development. Traditionally, learning has been seen as a separate activity from work, but it needs to be integrated into everyday work life to stay agile and adaptable.
Three concepts have inspired how JD Dillon looks at L&D and we should apply these proven practices to remix L&D approaches.
Firstly, consider the 70-20-10 model, which suggests that 70 percent of learning comes from hands-on experiences. Another 20 percent is derived from interactions with others, and the remaining 10 percent from formal educational programs.
Building on this, the Continuous Learning Model encourages ongoing learning through four key elements: Education – structured learning, Experience – practical work tasks, Exposure – learning from peers and mentors, and Environment – using supportive tools and systems. This model ensures that learning is a continuous process, woven into the fabric of daily work.
Finally, the 5 Moments of Need framework identifies specific moments when learning is most crucial: acquiring new knowledge, expanding existing knowledge, applying knowledge when necessary, solving problems with this knowledge, and adapting knowledge to new situations. This approach ensures that learning is directly linked to immediate needs.
Each of these three concepts is grounded in reality and emphasizes learning as a natural, common-sense part of work life.
But before we delve into the world of the Modern Learning Environment or MLE framework, you need to adjust your mindset, especially in the face of disruption – a constant in today's business world. Recent studies, like the one by Accenture in 2019, show that while disruption is widespread, many companies aren’t prepared for it, highlighting the need for a modern learning mindset that can adapt to and anticipate change.
A modern learning mindset revolves around six principles: First, integrating learning into work, treating it as crucial as performance. Second, harnessing all available tools and technologies, from mobiles to specialized software, for an enriched learning experience. Third, using data for swift, informed decision-making, ensuring L&D strategies are pertinent and effective. Fourth, offering personalized learning tailored to each individual's needs in a large organization. Fifth, emphasizing learning's direct role in enhancing job performance. Finally, fostering organizational agility, enabling quick adaptation to changes and challenges.
By adopting this modern learning mindset, the role of L&D is transformed from a traditional educational function to a vital support system. This approach will help you and your organization not just to cope with change, but to thrive in it, ensuring that learning is a continuous, integral part of your journey to success and adaptability in a constantly evolving landscape.
What exactly is the MLE framework?
Let’s start this section with a reminder of L&D’s key responsibilities: providing job knowledge and skills, sharing accessible, reliable information, offering on-demand performance support, enabling ongoing practice and reinforcement, giving personalized coaching and feedback, and creating new skill development opportunities. These are crucial for both current job performance and future skill growth.
For effective management of these tasks, a framework is essential, which is where MLE comes in. MLE redefines learning structure and accessibility in organizations, aligning solutions with learner needs and availability. It addresses a broad range of learning elements, offering a flexible approach to modern L&D challenges.
So what exactly is it? Imagine a horizontal bar chart: "Structure" on the y-axis, "Availability" on the x-axis, featuring the six key elements of the learning process, each with varying size and significance.
At the base of the chart, and hence the largest, is Shared Knowledge. This element is crucial as it forms the foundation of the framework, providing training on core job knowledge and skills, and ensuring that information is accessible, consistent, and reliable. It's what employees rely on to perform their current roles and to develop future skills.
Moving up, the elements get smaller, reflecting their framework emphasis. After Shared Knowledge are Performance Support, Reinforcement, Coaching, Pull Training, and at the top, Push Training. Each plays a specific role in L&D, from on-demand support to personalized coaching and skill development opportunities.
The x-axis, labeled “Availability,” represents how easily employees can access the tactics in each layer. Longer bars mean more readily available resources. Formal, or push training, is intentionally at the top, signaling it as a last resort in the MLE framework. This design, prioritizing “availability,” effectively places the learner at the center of the experience.
By adopting the MLE framework, L&D professionals can offer targeted solutions and transform existing tactics into scalable, repeatable systems that are embedded in the workflow. This will not only create a more agile and proactive organization but also ensure that learning solutions are directly aligned with the needs and availability of learners.
With this structure in mind, in the next section, we’ll delve deeper into each of the six elements of the MLE framework.
The MLE part 1: Shared knowledge and performance support
Imagine joining a new team and suddenly having to take over a key role with little guidance, a situation Dillon faced when he joined a contact center training team. The e-learning developer quit, and Dillon had to upskill quickly but struggled to find the necessary information. After two years of inaction from his boss and a failed attempt with a gigantic PDF, a solution emerged: a wiki-based knowledge reservoir. This became the cornerstone of the organization’s learning strategy, embodying the essence of shared knowledge in their MLE framework.
Learning is fundamentally social, yet many attempts at social learning fall short because they don't create a sustainable reservoir of knowledge. Tools like Microsoft Teams and Slack offer instant communication but don't accumulate shared knowledge. This gap often leads to employees wasting time searching for information, which is why shared knowledge is the foundational layer of the MLE.
When implementing shared knowledge, consider who manages this knowledge. It may fall outside the traditional L&D scope, but don't let that hinder its development. Tailor information to your audience's needs. This might involve altering L&D workflows to incorporate new processes and technologies. Start small, delegate content creation, and engage everyone in the organization. Incentives, such as game mechanics, can boost engagement, making shared knowledge a dynamic, accessible learning resource.
The second layer of our bar chart is performance support. Performance support in the MLE framework is the “I need help” layer, stepping in when the answer isn't found in the shared knowledge base. It's essential for situations where immediate assistance is needed, beyond what colleagues can provide. Integrating performance support seamlessly into the workflow is key, making it readily accessible during critical moments.
Implementing effective performance support involves understanding the workflow to ensure easy access, identifying common challenges and preferred support methods, and pinpointing niche cases where specialized tools are necessary. It's about enhancing, not replacing, employee capabilities, with a focus on enabling them to perform tasks more efficiently. Involving subject matter experts and designing support methods that fit within the workflow, like context-appropriate hand-raising tactics, are crucial steps.
Measure performance support's utilization and impact to refine its effectiveness. Assess its usage and how it improves performance, guiding future enhancements.
Together, shared knowledge and performance support form MLE's foundational layers, covering the “nice-to-know” elements necessary for efficient job performance. Next, we'll delve into the “need-to-know” elements essential for employees to excel in their roles.
The MLE part 2: reinforcement, coaching, and pull and push training
In this second section on the MLE, we’ll cover the four elements that come above shared knowledge and performance support in the framework, beginning with reinforcement.
Let’s start with a little question: Can you recall what you had for lunch exactly one week ago? It's a challenging question for most people. Why is that? Well, your memory tends to prioritize more significant information. This illustrates the need for reinforcement, especially when dealing with complex matters. But in many workplaces reinforcement is often not given enough attention. Just like the details of a mundane lunch might be hard to recall, work-related information can be overwhelming, leading to quick post-training forgetfulness. To effectively embed training information, it's crucial to incorporate practice directly into the workflow. This might involve activities like role-playing, simulations, reflective exercises, and spaced repetition.
A good example of effective reinforcement is seen in language learning platforms like Duolingo. Rather than focusing solely on rote memorization, these platforms emphasize practical language use, keeping learners engaged and enhancing the learning process. Such methods of reinforcement not only aid in retention but also make the learning experience more dynamic and impactful.
Shifting focus to coaching, it's important to recognize the pivotal role of managers in the workplace. They're at the heart of the team's dynamics, managing schedules, setting priorities, defining goals, and allocating resources. Managers are central to disseminating information, offering guidance and support, and making crucial decisions about promotions. Their role in workplace learning and performance is equally vital. Yet many managers struggle, not due to a lack of effort, but because they lack the necessary skills and training for effective management. This gap can lead to employee dissatisfaction and increased turnover.
Effective coaching in the workplace is built on three key pillars. The first is insight. A proficient coach needs the ability to pinpoint performance gaps, select appropriate solutions, and monitor progress. Next is skill. Coaching is more than just guiding; it requires a specific set of skills, such as building trust, active listening, acknowledging strengths, and providing clear, constructive feedback. The third pillar is priority, which involves dedicating sufficient time to focus on individual team members.
For L&D departments, there's a crucial role in equipping managers with these capabilities. By enhancing managers’ performance across these three areas – insight, skill, and priority – L&D can transform them into effective coaches. This transformation not only benefits individual employees but also strengthens the overall learning and performance culture within the organization.
To wrap up our exploration of the MLE framework, let's delve into the concepts of pull and push training. These encompass various tactics like job training, e-learning, development programs, apprenticeships, and job shadowing. The key distinction lies in how these training forms are accessed: pull training is available for employees to engage with at their own pace, while push training often comes with set deadlines and is compliance-driven. Pull training supports self-directed learning, whereas push training is more structured and mandatory.
Dillon advocates for structuring all such training around the principles of microlearning. His stance is that many training sessions are excessively lengthy, but microlearning doesn't necessarily mean reducing everything to just 10 minutes. Instead, it's about adhering to six key principles: focus, familiarity, science, access, format, and data.
Focus: training content should target specific problems with clearly defined goals. Familiarity: while training should be challenging, it must also be user-friendly, with content and technology that trainees are comfortable with. Science: principles like spacing and repetition are crucial for effective learning. Access: the learning experience should align with the employees' realities, including their ability to access information. Format: the format of the training should suit the message and the audience, such as avoiding video formats in noisy environments. Data: it's essential to use data for making informed decisions about solutions that cater to employee needs.
By adhering to these principles, training, whether pull or push, becomes more effective, tailored, and aligned with the overall goals of the MLE framework.
Measuring your achievements
Measurement is crucial in every department, including L&D. L&D often operates reactively, addressing issues as they arise rather than proactively analyzing performance trends. Access to comprehensive data, beyond just learning metrics, is essential for a proactive approach. It’s also not good enough simply to ask a trainee if they’ll use the information they’ve learned in their work, L&D must validate its impact by linking learning solutions to actual performance outcomes, justifying investments in skill development.
Data plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of L&D. It can enable personalized employee support and even align their growing skills with suitable projects and roles. Regular measurement of employee skills and performance capabilities is necessary, as skills can deteriorate if not utilized.
To improve your L&D data you’ll need to gather diverse types of information: operational data reflecting business performance, people data including demographics and team structures, performance data at the job level, and learning data tracking employee skill evolution. Utilizing this information will allow you to offer more impactful solutions.
Continuous measurement in L&D encompasses several areas: engagement with learning resources, knowledge progression over time, application of this knowledge in the workplace, and the resultant changes in business outcomes and performance. This data not only evaluates the effectiveness of learning solutions but can also predict your organization's ability to meet its key business objectives, guiding L&D in supporting optimal results.
The strategy for implementing effective measurement will vary by organization size. Larger organizations might dedicate a full-time role to enhancing measurement practices, while smaller ones might consult in-house data experts to understand company-specific data usage. Regardless of the organization's size, numerous resources and established frameworks are available to help tailor the right measurement strategy for your organization's needs.
Final summary
Navigating workplace disruptions successfully hinges on fostering a culture where learning is an integral and continuous aspect of work. This requires a shift in mindset, emphasizing the seamless integration of continuous learning into everyday work life. Embracing technology, utilizing data for informed decision-making, providing personalized learning experiences, focusing on the tangible business impacts of learning, and cultivating organizational agility are essential components of this approach.
The concept of a Modern Learning Ecosystem is central to this strategy. It is composed of six key elements: Shared Knowledge, Performance Support, Reinforcement, Coaching, Pull Training, and Push Training. Each of these plays a specific role in L&D, ranging from foundational job knowledge to on-demand support and skill development. This framework prioritizes learner accessibility and practicality, placing the learner at the heart of the learning experience.
Measurement in L&D is crucial. It's important to track how individuals engage with learning resources, their progression in knowledge, the application of this knowledge in the workplace, and the subsequent impact on business outcomes and performance. This data-driven approach allows for the tailoring of learning strategies to align with business objectives effectively.
Adopting this approach to L&D presents a dynamic and adaptable method to not only cope with but thrive amidst workplace changes. It highlights the importance of transforming learning into a continuous, integral part of the journey toward success and adaptability in an ever-evolving work environment.