At this time of year, we have loads of discussions with fellow L&D professionals – customers, contacts and connections – and, inevitably, the conversation turns to ‘what do you expect to happen over the next year?’
These are conversations that every HR Director is having too. Investment needs to be secured, budgets ring-fenced, suppliers sourced, staff allocated and much, much more!
Fascinatingly, there is some difference of opinion on the learning side, especially in relation to the relentless advance of digital and social media learning against face-to-face.
The Need to Know Your Learners
Many senior HR people we speak to recognise that learners increasingly demand instant solutions. That is what happens in their working and personal lives, where information is instantly available, and they expect it from HR. As a result, it is felt that L&D will have to engage with each learner much more deeply to gain much better insights into what individuals really want and their learning preferences. The next stage will then be enabling people to access that solution as quickly as possible.
Data will bond Online and Face to Face Learning
Unsurprisingly, the word ‘metrics’ appeared in nearly every conversation. L&D professionals usually have solid data on all their digital learning programs, but most admit there are not quite such strong analytics in relation to face-to-face learning.
There is a challenge here of integrating needs analysis and learning performance data to better understand where the learner is on their learning journey.
Peer Recommendations
Studies have shown that an increasing amount of people turn to their peers and managers for recommendations about learning, rather than rely on their L&D departments. Many have rejoiced at this as it can be interpreted as HR taking its more strategic role with line managers taking responsibility for personal development.
However, some still see it as a challenge resulting in the need for L&D departments to strengthen the support they offer to line managers.
The Acceleration of Personalisation
This isn’t wholly new for 2016, but many people have seen a definite acceleration in this personalisation. Based on available data, learning content is being optimised as technology allows personalisation to become a reality.
Getting Back to Basics
For some senior HR personnel 2016 will certainly be the time to get back to basics.
Effective L&D is still about learning needs, objectives, delivery and evaluation, and it’s important to remember that through the ‘hype’ of new methods and technology.
Being Human Will Return to Learning
In similar vein, some people are sensing a backlash – learners want to be inspired.
They are seeing a shift away from digitalisation and are finding learners focussing on what enables them to learn. Interaction, engagement and training skills will again take centre stage to win over hearts and minds.
Learning in a Digital World
Has digital become the learning medium? If you ask any HR Director this question, they will certainly recognise that the learner journey has become more complex and fast-paced. They hear ‘digital learning’ and ‘mobile learning’ as rallying cries from learners and line managers. And they hear ‘efficiency’ and ‘minimise lost workplace time’ from their fellow Board members.
Social Learning is cited as a challenge by most senior HR people. Everyone recognises the power of social media and many actively use it in support of other learning activities but ‘loss of control’ and ‘quality control’ are worries regularly expressed.
One HR Director commented: “A few years ago, I was really stressed about ‘Bring Your Own Device’ but I realised I simply couldn’t stop the Tsunami. I think it’s the same with social learning, it will simply happen. The best I can do is curate content where I can, support managers, and use social learning to my advantage.”
Embracing the Challenge
As is always the case, one solution won’t fit all. Learning and development needs to be adaptable, flexible and engaging. But rather than approaching these challenges as a hindrance, it’s time to embrace them, become excited about the possibilities ahead of us in 2016 and beyond, and utilise the opportunities to put learning in the best position it has been in for many years.
