august 2017 L&D for the L&D Team How to Write Choice-Based Learning Objectives Networking Shouldn t Be a Chore Onboarding Is Critical The importance of onboarding in the healthcare industry $12.50 Cover_Final.indd 1 7/17/17 2:19 PM
62 SPECIAL AD SECTION A Learning Pulse Check BY ALEX MOORE If you re unsure about how to handle some of the industry s important issues, the organizations dedicated to doing exactly that are a good resource to consult. These companies can answer some of the broad questions that professionals are asking, such as: What s most exciting in talent development today? How will the industry be different five years from now? What challenges do customers and clients have? How should the industry respond to those challenges? We asked several of the Association for Talent Development s preferred partners those questions to learn what some of the sharpest minds in the profession have to say. DDI Talent development has long had a penchant for learning from other professions. For example, the AGILE methodology, which many instructional designers use to manage projects, came from software developers. And next, according to Barry Stern, senior vice president of accelerated development solutions at DDI, talent development might borrow some ideas from the marketing and retail industries. Just as marketers and retailers have put enormous effort into gaining a deep understanding of customer behaviors with technology, the talent development industry is in the early phases of investing in technology to gain a deeper understanding of learners habits, he says. We are moving away from a course-first mentality for digital learning and toward a more immersive learning experience that delivers behavior change.
SPECIAL AD SECTION 63 Within the next half-decade, he expects the combination of artificial intelligence, big data, and natural language processing to become important drivers of this shift. Meanwhile, the distinction between learning and performance will continue to blur, with mobile learning providing an effective way to deliver on-the-spot performance adjusters. When discussing what challenges his customers face today, Stern acknowledges that many talent development professionals struggle with getting the right learning to the right learners at the right time. Trainers are saying that they have too many courses, too few that are being used, and that the ones being used might not be the best ones, he says. And as such, they must become experts at content curation and refinement, especially as the pace of business continues to increase. To him, the best way to meet those challenges is by building up the capabilities of individuals and teams to fulfill the role of a learning experience manager. He notes that DDI has designed an extensive profile for these folks, which requires knowledge areas such as UX design, data analytics and visualization, and learning technologies to help people plan the skills they ll need in the future. OpenSesame When we asked Diane Haines, vice president of marketing at OpenSesame, what she thought was most exciting in talent development right now, she immediately pointed to the industry s improving focus on its audience. In recent years, professionals have discussed the need to make training more learner-centric, she says. Rather than sporadic, top-down training initiatives, employees engage in training year-round and self-discover training opportunities that leverage both formal and informal education. Five years into the future, she expects this shift to provide learners with a type of power over their careers they ve never had before. She believes learners will be personalizing their own training programs based on their personal objectives and career aspirations, using predictive tools and benchmarking to determine which content they consume, and when they consume it. However, to consummate that change, Haines states that talent development professionals must become better data wranglers. Data are what make predictive tools and benchmarking work, and she notices that her customers have always had a challenge with collecting data. And even when they find data easy to collect, the quantity of information that HR and L&D leaders sort through has become challenging to integrate and analyze in a way that facilitates effective decision making. That s why, in Haines s opinion, it s the industry s responsibility to enable the aggregation of data for our customers. That means suppliers need to collaborate and make the integration of data across platforms seamless for mutual customers, which should allow these services to come together and provide a better understanding of how to optimize performance. Axonify As advanced data make headway into the world of talent development, technologies that were only pipe dreams a few years ago are becoming increasingly available. One example of this, according to Carol Leaman, president and CEO of Axonify, is adaptive learning. She observes that technology can now be the automatic coach people need, making it possible to help people get better at things that matter in a more efficient and effective way. She notes that although the talent development industry has been talking about this idea for several years, it appears that
64 SPECIAL AD SECTION these technologies may finally push learning management systems out the door. With the emergence of new tools and the pace of business accelerating rapidly, Leaman believes that companies will be adopting new-generation technologies more readily, leaving legacy systems by the wayside in favor of ones that can offer more individualized learning experiences. This progress won t come easily, though. For Leaman, the biggest obstacle is that customers are still afraid to change what they ve been doing and take a risk to evolve. While acknowledging that not every company is ready to join this evolution, she feels it is important for forwardthinking learning leaders to navigate resistance to change in their organizations, and truly take a leadership approach that instills confidence that the ultimate goals of top performance and business results will still be achieved. To that end, Leaman believes that L&D leaders will benefit from treating the evolution of their organizations as they would any change management exercise. That means we should be teaching early adopters how to sell a vision to others in the organization and have a blueprint for how to move from the dark ages into the modern age. She admits the process for that is challenging, but also rewarding: We should listen to customers, understand the fear of change, and work side-by-side with them to overcome resistance and evangelize the outcomes. CEB, now Gartner To John R. Mattox II, managing consultant at Gartner, the growth of customized, individual learning is what s most exciting in talent development right now. Often delivered in new forms such as massive open online courses (MOOCs) and microlearning, he says that modern training allows learners to find the information they need, learn it, and move on. While he sees this as a positive development overall, he also recommends a quantum of caution for L&D professionals. L&D has usually had a responsibility for career development, which can be lost when learning becomes self-guided, effortless, and not well-aligned to business or career goals, he explains. In the next five years, Mattox sees data bridging the gap between learner centricity and the need for training that is aligned with business needs. He expects that in the future, L&D functions will be better able to gather, analyze, combine, and report data with the intent of answering two simple questions: Is training working to achieve business goals? and If not, how do we fix it? However, as his customers move into this new learning landscape, Mattox has noticed that some of the key challenges they face include a supplier-rich environment, increased complexity in the business, and constrained budgets. Each of those means that customers must be more strategic as they evaluate the tools available to them, he says. Mattox suggests creating a system for measuring, ranking, and evaluating suppliers. He describes that as something similar to the U.S. News & World Report guide to colleges, showing which suppliers might offer superior e-learning, which might offer the best customer service, and which ones operate most effectively with short time frames and small budgets. He envisions such a tool as a useful hub for L&D professionals to identify top suppliers, as well as a great venue for suppliers to advertise and differentiate themselves. Designed Learning, a Peter Block Company According to Bill Brewer, director of client relations at Designed Learning, much of the
SPECIAL AD SECTION 65 conversation around modern talent development is defined by the blending of technology for anytime and anywhere training. He sees this trend forcing a delicate balancing act on talent development professionals: How can we embrace rapidly developing technology and still ensure effective people development? he asks. To answer that question, he anticipates the profession will realize that its future won t entirely eclipse its past. We will continue to see multichannel usage for developing talent, he explains, but faceto-face experiences will continue to be used as a powerful and important aspect of training and development. He acknowledges that this has been especially true for younger generations of learners who grew up with advanced technology at their fingertips, but sometimes need practice with face-to-face communication. In the more immediate future, Brewer has noticed that many of his customers are facing challenges with procuring the time and resources needed to achieve their organizations goals. He believes the root cause of that issue is that many talent development departments are just transactional with senior leaders as opposed to developing a strategic partnership, an approach that presents clear obstacles to convincing senior leaders to lift those resource constraints. As an alternate approach, he suggests that talent development practitioners invest more time in becoming aware of the need to serve as a valued partner or internal adviser instead of just doing development for the sake of itself. To make that shift, though, he says that many within the profession will have to work on their negotiating skills, often revising their relationships with senior leaders and other parts of their organizations. Rehearsal With the rise of technology that enables streaming platforms such as YouTube and Netflix, one common trend that s emerged across several content-driven industries is the proliferation of video. And according to Darik Volpa, CEO and founder of Rehearsal, talent development is no exception. The most exciting thing I see in the industry right now is that learning professionals are becoming more comfortable with video, he notes. Year after year, we have seen the level of comfort change for the better, with companies in even highly regulated industries embracing it to support their learning objectives. Five years from now, he anticipates the low barriers of entry for this medium ultimately will make it more attractive for talent development professionals than flashier tools such as virtual reality and artificial intelligence. They have a nice wow effect, he says of virtual reality and artificial intelligence, but they are too early and cost-prohibitive for large-scale use. He believes video will outstrip both in usage because it works so effectively for microlearning and mobile learning. However, looking at his customers hurdles with incorporating video into training, Volpa sees that many of them are challenged by resource constraints, engagement blips, and the need to manage multiple learning styles. The need to balance those issues with constantly changing priorities means that although some of his clients are attracted to Rehearsal for its video-based technology, they also need audio versions and text versions of their content to appease all learners preferences. To overcome those challenges, especially ones related to resources, Volpa recommends that talent development practitioners put more effort into tracking ROI for learning initiatives. TALENT DEVELOPMENT PROFESSIONALS MUST BECOME BETTER DATA WRANGLERS.
66 SPECIAL AD SECTION He says, talent development leaders would be surprised at what is really providing value and moving the needle, and that the only way leaders can commit resources to the right technologies is by measuring effectiveness. American Public University System When we asked Marie Gould Harper, program director of management at American Public University System, what she thinks the most exciting thing going on in talent development today is, she had two answers. First, she pointed to the profession s commitment to creating an organizational culture that values diversity, collaboration, and engagement. Second, she s excited about what she sees as a push to coach employees to take responsibility for their careers and showcase what makes them unique. Due to those efforts, Harper expects the types of training the L&D industry relies on to be very different five years from now. I think there will be a variety of training opportunities for employees, but there will be a greater use of technology, she says. On-site training will decrease while online training and just-in-time training will increase. And also, more learning will be completed on mobile phones. As a result, she predicts more partnerships between suppliers to meet the diverse needs of organizations, offering what she calls cafeteria plan benefits for the talent development arena. As learning organizations shift toward this future, though, Harper still sees them trying to address issues that have been around for a long time. When asked what challenges her customers have, she mentioned time-honored skills such as critical thinking, written and oral communication, teamwork and collaboration, managing change, and conflict management skills that will hold value no matter how technology changes the world of work. Responding to those challenges, she notes, will require talent development professionals to stop creating programs that isolate areas and focus on training one particular skill. Instead, Harper explains that a more effective approach would be to highlight how to address multiple skill sets in one module, which will more closely resemble the conditions in many organizations where employees must work together and resolve issues in a quick manner. Practice While many people look at data and technology when thinking about the most important things happening in the talent development industry, others are inclined to consider the expansion of talent development beyond the limits of learning. Emily Foote, co-founder and chief client and learning officer of Practice, is among the latter group, and she can t help but observe the increased blurring of boundaries between learning, talent acquisition, and talent management. To her, organizations are focusing on understanding and improving the full employee experience in a way they haven t in the past. In a half-decade, she expects that the current learning infrastructure will have continued to evolve in a way that s tied directly to the evolution of the full employee experience life cycle. In other words, she wonders whether the industry may be reshaped by new technology, or whether learners needs and desires will drive that evolution. However, Foote doesn t think those concerns will be important only in the future. The biggest challenge we have today is navigating the rapid change without losing sight of what is truly important, she states. Often, with talent development professionals clamoring to try new technologies, she thinks it s sometimes hard to remember that traditional
SPECIAL AD SECTION 67 learning is not going away. Foote believes personalization and self-directed learning provide great opportunities, but people will always need time for discussion and reflection, and managers must give people a safe place and the freedom to ask questions and experiment with new ideas. To ensure an effective balance between changes driven by technology and changes driven by a need for a more holistic talent management process, Foote recommends that talent development professionals do one thing: Listen. Continuing to listen to people by encouraging feedback across departments and functions are her keys to delivering a fullbodied employee experience, and doing so will prepare learning departments to build a learning marketplace that caters to their talent, and more importantly, evolves with it. International Coach Federation (ICF) As many young people begin moving into their first management roles, organizations have an opportunity to provide them with a new generation of leadership development. According to Magdalena Mook, CEO and executive director of ICF, the possibilities are intriguing. From delivering microlearning opportunities that people can tap into from anywhere to providing access to professional coach practitioners and coaching-skills training for new managers, she posits that the possibilities for developing Millennial talent are virtually unlimited. As these individuals age and yet another generation enters the workforce within the next five years, Mook predicts more and more organizations will ensure that the talent development function has a seat at the table in strategic conversations around topics such as organizational change management. While moving toward a workforce more populated by these new generations of workers, Mook says, the decision to invest in talent development can make or break the success of an overarching change initiative due to this group s craving for feedback and professional development. Of course, Mook knows that just investing in talent development and leadership isn t enough. Doing it the right way is what matters. It s still crucial to maximize every dollar and hour being spent on talent development, she notes. Although one-size-fits-all training offerings may seem penny-wise on paper, ROI data show that they re often not. That s why she thinks the profession should be considering how to augment cost-effective training tactics with customized, individual opportunities. To Mook, one of the best ways to get maximum value from existing talent development and leadership initiatives is to make a concerted investment in building a coaching culture. She supports her recommendation by citing research conducted by ICF and the Human Capital Institute showing that organizations with strong coaching cultures report higher employee engagement rates and higher annual revenue relative to peer organizations than those without strong coaching cultures. Alex Moore is a writer/editor for the Association for Talent Development; amoore@td.org.