Chief Learning Officer â CLO Media

Bionic learning: Promising Lazarus drug to revive the overdose of ineffectual D&I

Fri, 15 Jan 2021 16:17:12 GMT

Last year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a stunning statistic: Nearly 71,000 people, it estimates, died of drug overdoses in 2019. The huge increase in deaths is largely due to heroin and powerful synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl. One of the tools being used to fight that wave of deaths is the drug Naloxone. It’s been called the Lazarus drug for its ability to revive people dying from overdoses. This is addressed in a gripping Hidden Brain Podcast episode, “Life, Death and the Lazarus Drug: Confronting America’s Opioid Crisis,” which tries to understand the complex risk-and-benefit calculations involved in opioid use, and why there is still so much we are struggling to understand about addiction.

Much like the opioid crisis, we are also still deeply struggling to understand many things about diversity and inclusion. Data is replete with evidence that D&I strategy, programs and training have not made any meaningful change. Historical findings and social movements of late, in fact, show that those efforts have failed.

D&I seems to elude attempts to gain perspective and consequential progress and has steadily risen as a vexing issue of social consciousness. The onset of COVID-19 only served as a trigger for heightened awareness and critical mass of global proportions. So much so that nearly all sectors — government, corporate, education and nonprofit — are scrambling to confront this crisis-level social call to action. The go-to solution remains futilely constant — D&I policies, training programs, heterogeneous hiring and adding a new D&I role to revive an organization from the death of an ineffectual D&I overdose. This is evidenced by a 113 percent increase in the number of executives that hold D&I titles in organizations.

Given the low to zero returns over the past 60 years and nearly $8 billion USD in annual spend on conventional D&I policies, programs, practices and measures of realizing a more diverse and inclusive workplace top to bottom, few have a grasp on the problem or a credible remedy. There is a pressing need to reverse the effects of ineffectual D&I initiatives. A viable remedy for meaningful change has yet to emerge, though a deeper examination of the failures may point to bionic learning having promising properties as the D&I “Lazarus drug.” This is an alternate line of inquiry for learning and HR practitioners to consider, especially given that one of the priorities of the newly elected U.S. administration is addressing D&I inequality.

While there is no textbook answer, we know what has not worked. Prospective employees, customers and the general public are demanding meaningful progress in the D&I realm. “Leading companies in multiple industries are combining the strengths of humans and technology to create superhuman — bionic — capabilities.” This observation from The Bionic Company offers a clear sense of direction. Why not combine lessons learned, mixed reality and a system of reinforcement to create a comprehensive immersive human experience — or bionic learning — to shift mindset and outcomes?

Three enablers are the nuclei for organizations to operationalize bionic learning and fuel progress toward meaningful outcomes: after action review, mixed reality^{Empathy Scenario} and positive reinforcement.

After action review

These lessons are replete from the perennial failure of D&I initiatives over the past 60 years. Imagine a method for harvesting lessons from one program or initiative and sowing them in others to continuously iterate and improve. This is a method created by the U.S. Army but popularized by businesses such as GE, British Petroleum, Colgate-Palmolive, Harley-Davidson and others to glean best practices, identify mistakes and build a culture of accountability. The AAR as an enabler puts learning “in the thick of it.” It is a means of forensically analyzing the D&I organizational ecosystem top to bottom and truly treating every aspect as an opportunity for learning, what and why things happened, how to think differently and how things can be done better.

Mixed Reality^{Empathy Scenario} (MxR^ES)

“You can’t understand someone until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes” is a well-known anonymous quote. However, it clearly indicates the importance of empathy and the meaningfulness of feeling with the other’s heart and seeing with the other’s eyes. One of the habitual failings of D&I strategies is rolling out training — a time-bound event as a credible intervention to overcome issues of racism, prejudice, bias and discrimination. It does not attend to systemic and structural issues that are perpetuated in the workplace from top to bottom, and, above all, it has not evidenced its ability to impart empathy nor behavior change.

Imagine a method of being able to replicate sensory experiences (virtual taste, sight, smell, sound and touch), where you can introduce every individual into a branching scenario that presents them with real-world options and consequences. This is a method of merging real and virtual worlds to produce empathy branching scenario environments, visualizations and rubrics. MxRES as an enabler fuses physical and digital objects that interact in real time. Instead of individuals in your organization being passive recipients of information presented to them via conventional training, they must actively participate and engage in a range of real-world consequences to their actions and decisions. This presents instant feedback to analyze results, improve behavior and serve as a catalyst to amend the culture and organizational structure. It’s a promising approach to fast-track both reasoning abilities and complex procedural learning and stoke users’ sense of connection — empathizing with nature thus could potentially make humans better agents of it and, by extension, others.

Positive reinforcement

All human behavior is learned; therefore, it can be unlearned and replaced with new behaviors under instrumental conditions. Instrumental conditioning, also known as operant conditioning, is a learning process introduced in 1957 by renowned psychologist B.F. Skinner’s influential experimental work. Instrumental conditioning, reinforcement or punishment is a practice used to shape the likelihood that a behavior choice will be repeated. Patricia Devine, a social psychologist, took it a step further and found individuals can suspend their feelings and consciously choose not to respond with prejudicial behavior.

Positive reinforcement as an enabler provides consequences once certain responses or behaviors occur — particularly those that are desired. Kendra Cherry, a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist offers this as an opportunity to present a favorable outcome, event or reward after a desired response or behavior. This reinforces that specific choice, increasing the chance it will be observable in the future. Once the standards are known and association between desired choices and consequences are established, to increase a higher probability of success the standards must be unwaveringly reinforced without impunity. Renowned poet Maya Angelou once offered, “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”

Let’s face it: The shift in global demographics, prevailing social movements, political undertows and customer demands are a cyclic phenomenon. Likewise, with six decades of data, the failure of D&I initiatives is perennial. Like success, failure has left clear and present signposts that learning can be a powerful force if we give pause to harvest and harness it. It can be transcendent if we simply pay attention to what we are paying attention to. Bionic learning may well be the promising Lazarus drug to revive the overdose of ineffectual D&I strategies and add new value that reflects a higher-level social conscience of not only knowing better, but doing better.

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How the pandemic economy will shape business in 2021

Thu, 14 Jan 2021 21:52:15 GMT

There were a handful of news events in 2020 that are sure to continue to have a profound impact on how businesses operate as we enter 2021. More than likely, these events will continue to materialize as we get deeper into the year.

The largest of these events is sure to be the development of two COVID-19 vaccines, which are currently being rolled out in phases. These promising vaccines offer great hope that the world will slowly return to its pre-pandemic ways, despite the fact that COVID-19 cases continue to rise and will most likely continue to negatively impact businesses in the early part of the new year.

The second news item that will impact business is the now-approved $900 billion fiscal stimulus package that provides additional financial support to individuals and businesses that were hardest hit by the pandemic.

This stimulus package follows an initial injection of $3 trillion into the economy immediately following the darkest early days of the pandemic — a package that was almost five times greater than what was delivered during the financial crisis 10 years earlier.

The passing of this latest package was needed to help affected businesses as well as the large population of unemployed since the start of the pandemic nearly a year ago. Entering 2021, the unemployment rate stands at 6.7 percent, still significantly higher than the 3.5 percent rate that stood right before the pandemic hit. The job market has regained only about half of the 22 million jobs that were wiped out by the early days of the pandemic.

One thing is clear entering 2021: Most businesses will continue to amplify their reliance on technology, particularly in work-from-home environments, schools, entertainment and manufacturing, which have implemented automation solutions to increase efficiencies and offset the loss of skilled workforce.

Following are a handful of technologies that are sure to become even more important in 2021.

Workforce automation: While it has the tendency to take many forms depending on the industry, workforce automation is about implementing a system to complete repetitive, easily replicated tasks without the need for human labor.

The “Amazon Effect” of manufacturers: This automation is enabling manufacturers to scale projects more rapidly, with the highest level of precision we’ve ever enjoyed. From the use of analytics and data, which helps manufacturers with accurate order fulfillment (reducing waste), to just-in-time deliveries that adjust to seasonal needs (holiday shopping and quicker orders for pandemic supplies), manufacturers are leaner and more efficient. Many have taken a page out of Amazon’s playbook, which showed companies around the globe how to operate with the use of technology at a grand scale.

Immersive reality solutions: Manufacturers are going all-in on immersive mixed reality technologies, which include augmented reality and virtual reality. Millions of consumers are already using these types of technologies on their smartphones each day (think Snapchat filters). Manufacturers are now using these solutions to overlay virtual or special digital environments to augment design, production, training and customer services uses.

Cloud technology platforms: In order to handle the extremely large databases and graphics files needed for technologies like immersive reality solutions, enterprises and manufacturers are moving to the cloud. This enables businesses to scale projects more quickly, as well as leverage a more secure data environment to avoid cyber-intrusions on local data systems.

Work-from-home environments: Experts believe the work-from-home movement will persist long after the pandemic. While this is expected to be the case for many office roles, even manufacturers will see more of this as VR and AR technologies are implemented for them. Designers and even plant floor workers will leverage immersive mixed reality technologies during the design/build phases.

Perhaps this is an optimistic outlook on the economy, but there are several signs pointing toward a significant rebound in 2021, and many businesses and industries should feel the results of this impact. The vaccines should give people the confidence to return to a more normal pre-pandemic way of life. Despite the loss of jobs, household net worth has risen for the millions of people still employed since they haven’t been spending on things like dining out, sports and travel.

As these services begin to reopen, and vaccinated Americans have the confidence to go out again, spending should rebound in 2021. This ripple effect will generate demand across many other industries that produce goods and offer services to support consumers and businesses.

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Meet the CLO Board: Kevin Wilde

Thu, 14 Jan 2021 15:34:23 GMT

As we welcome the new year, Chief Learning Officer would like to recognize and highlight its Advisory Board, comprising individuals who have long and varied histories in the learning and development space. We recently sat down for a conversation with Kevin Wilde, an Executive Leadership Fellow at the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Business. He previously served as the vice president of organization effectiveness and chief learning officer at General Mills for more than 17 years. In 2007, he was named CLO of the Year.

Chief Learning Officer: Where is your hometown?

Born in a little farming community, Hartford, Wisconsin.

CLO: How did you first become interested in learning and development?

Well, it goes back to Hartford. I can give you the date, the time and the location. I was 16 years old. I went to a weekend leadership retreat for business students in high school, and I was at the Midway Motor Lodge in Appleton, Wisconsin, for a classic three-day group dynamic training with facilitators, and I loved it. I’d never seen the topic of leadership and training and influence, and just became enamored with that whole idea about leaders making a big difference for team performance. And there’s good leaders and bad leaders, and you get better and you can learn. And then I remember looking, on day two, at the two facilitators thinking, I wonder if that’s a real job. I wonder if you get paid for it. And here we are, a 34-year corporate career in corporate America.

I’ve been fascinated with business, too. So it’s kind of a duality that I think makes for great chief learning officers. It’s being both equally passionate about your profession and its contribution, but at the same time, it doesn’t stand alone. It’s part of making a business work, making a nonprofit work, and those that I know and those who are on the board share both interests and passions.

CLO: What lessons did you learn in 2020 that you’ve brought with you into 2021?

The lesson I’ll carry forward is: If you’re going to deal with challenges and ambiguity — both in learning and leadership — I think it’s about stepping back and reflecting. Leaders are just crazy busy, and I don’t think that makes for good leadership in times of challenge. As Ron Heifetz Harvard once said, leaders have to get off the dance floor and get up to the balcony from time to time, take that bigger, higher point of view on things. What’s going on, what’s my contribution? How do I get back into the fray in a more productive way? So reflection, pause, getting perspective and energy, I think, are somethings I saw in 2020 and something I think will be important moving forward.

I think the one thing that 2020 made even harder is we’ve had our reflective locations taken away from us. Whether it’s a little conference room you hide in, or a coffee shop, or quiet time at home? Our reflection location has been taken away. You’ve got to find it again. We’re a serving profession, you know, you want to help other people and that could be draining too. So where’s your refuge, where’s your “getting away” spots?

CLO: What strengths or skills from the world of coaching do you think are equally important or useful in a learning leader?

Curiosity and questions, and I think that feeds reflection. One of the other consultants I really enjoy tracking is Jason Womack and he’s doing his Ph.D., in fact, on reflection or self-reflecting. His point of view, which I think it was a great one, is that it’s certainly your practice or it’s your location. He says the thing that pulls you into reflection is owning a set of powerful questions that just draw you in. And so to me, a great coach and clearly on the coach’s part is asking great questions. And I think for self-coaching, what I would say for 2021 is what are the two or three reflection questions that would really cause you to get into reflection mode?

CLO: How do you enjoy spending your time outside of work?

I love physical adventures. I used to be a marathoner, ultra-marathoner, all of that. I just love hiking, so one thing I do now is, with a bunch of buddies, every fall, we do a one-day crossing of the Grand Canyon. It’s a mile deep, and takes you all day and it’s 100 degrees. Some years we do a double, so we go out and back, and it’s about 50 miles round-trip. I think back to the locations that have been taken away from us for reflection. And the thing that I’ve found is Mother Nature — could be New York City, could be walking around Central Park — but anywhere there’s nature gives us sanity. It just brings you back. It centers you.

CLO: What book, either audio or physical, or podcast has gotten you through 2020 and the pandemic?

The thing that has really been inspiring me lately is the work of Cal Newport. Cal actually spoke at [CLO] Symposium a few years ago. He’s got a great podcast called Deep Questions. Here’s his premise: In a highly competitive marketplace, the only sustaining skill you have as a professional is how quickly you can learn hard things. One of his books is called “Digital Minimalism” — I’ve been very inspired by it. He’s got a 30-day digital decluttering process I’m going through.

In 2007, Wilde was named CLO of the Year.

CLO: In your opinion, what are some components of a robust L&D program?

There’s some evergreen things and there are some emerging things. Obviously be great at what you do. I think that the standards of what employers want are going up, I think what businesses need are going up and I think our tools have gotten so much better.

Two, be extraordinarily relevant to the business and the people who are stakeholders. Not average, not “I want to sit at your table.” You’ve got to have incredible insight on the business and be able to say “yes” and hold yourself accountable for getting results that matter for the business. A combination of your professional craft at the highest performance level and your insight on the business and your connection to the key stakeholders is incredibly high.

The third one I would add is staying curious on the edge of what’s going on. So, for example, I think one of the edges is this contrast of technology and community. I think the digitization of business and the digitization of learning are continuing at a rapid pace using artificial intelligence. You have to stay on top of that stuff. At the same time, I think people are missing community. People are missing connecting to people in meaningful ways, and I think we’ve got to be able to deliver both. I think that fits the culture, that fits the diversity and inclusion and equity. I teach an executive MBA course on leadership at the University of Minnesota, and I’ve been impressed with how we’ve been able to accomplish so much with asynchronous stuff, but at the same time, people learn together.

CLO: What advice do you have for CLOs or fellow learning leaders as they take on 2021?

Well, if you haven’t taken [CLO’s] Accelerator program, take the Accelerator program. Also — I work on reflection, which has gone into a website, The Coachable Leader. And then thirdly — and this is my theme of 2021 — if I had to be a forecaster, this would be the prediction: This is a year of reset. I think people are waking up after 2020, saying, “You know what? To whatever great things you’re going to get back to, the kind of world I want, I don’t want to show up the same, nor do I want the world to be the same.”

On a personal level, the reset is, again, what skills do I want to build, what kind of passions, and where do I want to practice my craft? The CLO brings a lot of that to life.

And, here’s my last one: I think the better businesses are resetting their strategy of how they’re going to win, which will require a different workforce. So we’re going to be resetting the workforce expectations, and I think L&D can play a leading role in answering that question. If you’re proactive, you can be part of the solution. If you’re reactive, it’s going to run you over.

This article has been edited for brevity.

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Want a more inclusive culture? Consider the power of peer leadership

Wed, 13 Jan 2021 03:56:26 GMT

Peer leaders are an underutilized asset in helping organizations achieve performance objectives as well as learning and development goals. They’re also invaluable resources during challenging times, connecting individuals with colleagues at their own level and offering empathy, support and practical guidance.

In short, peer leaders help build and sustain a powerful sense of community.

Recently, I’ve seen firsthand how valuable peer leadership is to underrepresented employee groups, many of whom may feel isolated and uncertain right now. For those still learning the ins and outs of a different culture, and perhaps struggling to achieve fluency in idiomatic/business English, work life presents daily challenges — and during these extraordinary times, such issues can seem overwhelming. That’s where peer leaders like Paula come in.

Paula, a co-leader of a steering committee for a diversity and inclusion peer initiative at a global information services firm, recently told me about peer meetings she’s set up to provide a safe and supportive platform for employees of multicultural backgrounds who’ve encountered bias in the workplace. One group of colleagues had expressed a feeling of being ignored and underappreciated by their IT manager. “Sharing in the peer setting helped surface some of the common experiences; our CEO was reluctant to join the calls because she didn’t want people intimidated … they couldn’t have been as forthcoming if senior members were present,” she says.

These virtual meetings — which actually inspired more candid sharing than in-person meetings may have — opened the eyes of many colleagues who weren’t previously aware of the issues (“they have privilege and never had to deal with microaggressions”), especially those facing multicultural peers.

As a foreign-born individual herself, Paula saw her involvement in the peer group initiative as an important opportunity to interact with those she normally didn’t work with. She was able to share lived experiences in a way that fostered inclusion and a sense of belonging. In addition to surfacing many issues at the individual employee level, the program has helped advance professional development and cultural awareness for the entire organization.

Peer leaders aren’t just a resource for addressing problems — they share tips and strategies for those looking to grow professionally. David, a Chinese national, reached a senior position in a U.S. firm’s health care practice at a relatively young age. He has seen the value of sharing his experience with younger colleagues, as well as students and prospective candidates trying to navigate a fast-moving and uncertain market. He’s developed a robust peer alumni network of former academic colleagues, offering insights into both the challenges of cultural adaptation and the opportunities for growth and advancement.

“I’ve hosted a number of ‘roundtable talks’ — alumni peers as well as students feel they can connect with me as a multicultural leader,” David says. They ask candid questions about his experiences at the firm, any culture barriers to success and how he paved his way in the corporate environment.

Other peer leaders I’ve met shared their experiences in more difficult work environments, ones in which peer leadership is absent. For example, in highly homogenous workplaces, like the one in which Lan works, there is not only a lack of diversity, but often little awareness of the impact this has on multicultural employees: “There is a feeling that you are generally on your own,” Lan says.

Lan sees firsthand the value of mentoring multicultural colleagues: “It comes naturally to me to be their mentor and they really value it — that comes through in the feedback — that I am the best mentor they’ve ever had,” he says. “They said that it comes across that I care about their careers and their lives … they establish a sense of trust with me that works really well.”

But he also acknowledges that his level of comfort as a peer mentor varies across groups and can require political sensitivity. “There is a difference with American mentees … I feel more guarded. They have plenty of mentors in a homogenous relationship. They see that diverse managers are different and that when we disagree they can just go to a more senior manager.”

Situations like Lan’s, in which an organization’s good intentions don’t always translate into a consistent, positive reality for all, should provide an opportunity for HR and D&I leaders to step in to assess, improve and monitor peer initiatives. Strong peer leadership programs are even more critical in divisive and unsupportive cultures, as I discuss in an article published this past June, “Dealing with a Toxic Workplace? Make an External Coach Your Ally.”

Despite the challenges of implementing and sustaining a successful peer leadership program, I feel more passionate than ever about its importance. Especially during an extended period of adversity, programs that foster inclusion and a sense of caring add so much to the professional and personal lives of all employees.

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5 ways the talent experience is fundamentally changing

Tue, 12 Jan 2021 18:07:40 GMT

The talent experience is fundamentally changing across the hire-to-retire employee lifecycle. Following are five ways to enhance your talent experience in 2021.

1. Day-zero peak curiosity

Modern talent experience platforms offer new hires the ability to complete their pre-boarding journey before their start date. These journeys are curated by internal experts with personalized content directly from management and can include CEO videos, podcasts and internal livestreams to give a warm and personalized welcome. The experience is quite easy and exciting for new hires because it is completed via mobile anytime and anywhere. Besides imparting requisite knowledge, this type of pre-boarding experience is inspiring and instills a culture of curiosity and learning on day one.

2. Single entry door to all knowledge and learning

To give learning a so-called “easy button,” employees get access to a single gateway to all informal/formal learning — including free and paid/premium content and expert content — through a central hub. A single entry door reduces the average time spent by knowledge workers looking for the content, which is estimated by McKinsey and IDC to be as high as 20 percent. Once the learner enters the door to learning, they are served relevant and meaningful content, powered by machine learning. The content surfaced is curated against their personalized learning goals and roles. Customized content leads to quick productivity gains and fosters daily microlearning habits. Along the way, the learner has full control of their learning experience. This single entry door leads to a large-scale democratization of knowledge and learning awaiting all learners to explore.

3. Peer-to-peer hyper-collaboration

Companies suffer from lack of collaboration due to departmental silos, time zone differences and COVID-triggered remote work. Successful collaboration among employees requires faster and more seamless access to each other’s expertise. To expedite access to institutional knowledge, some digital solutions have skill channels, pathways, journeys and communities of practice with embedded experiences inside all major business apps (e.g., MS Teams, Salesforce, Workplace from Facebook, G-Suite, VMWare, WorkspaceOne, etc.), which takes collaboration to the next level. Now, that’s real learning in the flow of work.

4. Expert network

Research shows that the top 20 percent of performers in any organization can increase the performance of the other 80 percent by sharing their tacit knowledge. Hoarding knowledge creates huge operational disruption when experts leave. Thus, creating an expert network is critical to operational success and sustainability. Some authoring tools allow experts to create/curate pathways, journeys, podcasts, videos, projects, SCORM courses, etc., in order to socialize and share their expertise.

5. Skills taxonomy and ontology

Roles and skills are rapidly becoming obsolete, and no person or organization is immune to it. The skills gap is a trillion dollar problem, as estimated by research from the World Economic Forum, PwC, McKinsey and Accenture. Some digital solutions offer a taxonomy designed to address the skills gap problem and maintain the largest global set of skills while facilitating the ability for enterprises to develop their own skills matrix. Organizational skill sets should be aligned to available and recommended content through a crosswalk aligned to a talent framework and 360-degree assessments. From skills to careers, AI-based career pathing enables learners to find aspirational roles and develop learning plans that will close their skills gaps. Learners are always in control of their journeys, wherever they may lead them.

These five approaches have fundamentally transformed the talent experience in our client organizations because the learner is always in control of their experience by design.

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Leadership in the Great Acceleration

Tue, 12 Jan 2021 15:52:03 GMT

It’s not your imagination. The speed of business is increasing exponentially.

We have entered the Great Acceleration — a time of unprecedented change happening at breakneck speed. Whole industries are being remade in a comparative blink of an eye.

Consider smartphone ownership: 35 percent of Americans owned one in 2011, which soared to 96 percent by 2019. In contrast, it took 75 years from the invention of the telephone until 100 million people owned one.

Online video streaming is another example. In 2004, Blockbuster Video had 9,000 stores. But management was slow to recognize that video consumption habits were changing. Executives even rebuffed an offer to buy a then-struggling Netflix for a bargain price of $50 million. Blockbuster’s last corporate store closed in 2014. Netflix is now a Wall Street darling.

A final example: Coal generated the bulk of the U.S.’s electricity needs for centuries. But in 2019, renewable energy sources surpassed it for the first time — a development that happened so quickly, even industry experts were surprised.

Health care diagnostics, education, customer service, insurance and automobiles are some of the industries that are ripe for drastic change.

The Fortune 500 list also testifies to the Great Acceleration. Fewer than 11 percent of Fortune 500 companies in 1955 remained on the list in 2018. But this will seem slow from the vantage point of the future. Experts predict that about 50 percent of the current S&P 500 will be replaced over the next 10 years.

Welcome to the Great Acceleration. It’s just started.

Reinventing the organization for the Great Acceleration

We have been watching how the Great Acceleration is reshaping businesses and leadership. Here are some of our observations.

The corporate model of centralized, hierarchical decision-making is increasingly looking archaic in a world moving at blistering speed. A bureaucratic structure and the command-and-control leadership style slowed down decision-making and innovation. These shortcomings were apparent in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, when flatter organizations pivoted more successfully. A new model is emerging: One with more distributed decision-making at the peripheries of the organization. It’s an approach that lets companies be agile instead of reactive.

Effective managers are essential to moving quickly. They accelerate their people’s performance by setting well-defined goals and providing them with the direction and support they need. Good managers also improve employee morale and workplace efficiency — a key to corporate agility. For how can companies be agile when they are weighed down by struggling managers, unhappy employees and poor productivity?

Continuous innovation is another requirement in the Great Acceleration. Furthermore, how sustained innovation happens must be reconsidered. It is not a top-down approach driven by executives on the upper floors. Breakthroughs occur when managers and individuals make incremental improvements with customers in mind.

The smartphone is a perfect example. It may seem like a single disruptive innovation, but it was actually the product of thousands of small innovations done by those people closest to the work. And managers are in the best position to ignite or extinguish the flame of innovation.

Creating a culture that promotes collaboration and communication is also essential if a company is to flourish in the Great Acceleration. Consider how much time is wasted in the typical business because people have different agendas. Because they view the goals of others as unimportant. Because they are unclear on the overarching objective. Lack of candor, fear of pointing out a problem and resistance to brainstorming dooms an untold number of projects that could have transformed an organization.

A safe conclusion: Companies with dysfunctional cultures can’t compete over the long haul. Cultures where people support each other’s goals, trust each other and communicate open-mindedly and candidly move much faster and win the race.

People also must have leaders who create a supportive environment characterized by trust and psychological safety. They need leaders who provide the right support and direction when they need it. Only then can collaboration and creativity flourish.

But how do you help employees realize their potential and, as Ken Blanchard says, “bring their brains to work?” This happens when managers care about their people, encourage their development and help them succeed.

Five traits of the new leader

An incisive quote from Gallup Research points to one of the ways to succeed in the Great Acceleration: “The quality of the managers and team leaders is the single biggest factor in your organization’s long-term success.” Further Gallup research finds that managers account for at least 70 percent of variance in employee engagement scores across business units.

Blanchard’s research amplifies these findings, showing that leaders are the critical link between organizational vitality and employee work passion. A positive relationship reaps many important benefits, including employee passion, customer devotion and organizational vitality.

Here are five strategies leaders can employ to meet the challenges of the Great Acceleration:

Leaders must adapt their leadership style to every situation. A one-size-fits-all leadership approach really never worked. And it’s self-sabotaging in the Great Acceleration. Leaders must give their people the support and direction they need by adapting to the demands of the moment. In short, they must lead situationally.

Leaders must develop their people so they reach peak productivity. Every employee deserves to be amazing, and the Great Acceleration demands that companies must help all employees unleash their potential. This means that leaders must guide people to projects that build their skills, help them become successful and self-reliant in their roles, and have inspiring career development conversations.

Leaders must set goals dynamically. When conditions are stable, goals don’t need to change that often. But when conditions are changing rapidly, leaders are better served by setting shorter-term goals and revisiting them frequently. This requires leaders who are more flexible and agile, and willing to change their people’s goals regularly. If leaders aren’t changing goals and canceling projects, they are probably doing something wrong.

Managers must run experiments continuously. Many employees adopt a wait-and-see attitude toward innovation and change. To counteract this, leaders should role-model risk-taking and experimentation and encourage others to do the same. They should involve all their people in creative problem-solving and change initiatives, and they should track experiments and celebrate both successes and failures as necessary parts of the process. When all leaders encourage incremental innovation, the organization sprints on 1,000 feet.

Leaders must develop relationships built on trust and candor. Pivoting is impossible if trust is absent. Creativity and collaboration also wither when there is lack of trust. The pandemic has proven that inspiration can come from all quarters. Every employee can contribute when the environment encourages it. It rests with leaders to create a culture where people know their ideas will be heard and respected.

The changes being brought on by the Great Acceleration have just begun. But despite all the uncertainty, there are principles and skills that will allow companies to thrive.

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Lessons for learning teams: what the pandemic has taught us

Mon, 11 Jan 2021 17:46:44 GMT

The “new normal” is something we’ve all had to get used to as a result of the global pandemic. All aspects of our daily lives have been affected in ways we couldn’t have imagined. And the workplace is no exception, particularly when it comes to learning and development. In many industries and businesses, the traditional face-to-face methodology was shut down almost overnight, with the spotlight suddenly shifting to technology and the world of virtual learning.

Change tends to bring a mixture of brilliant opportunities and worrying realities. In times of crisis, there are those who get creative — and those who resolutely stick with what they know. In the case of digital learning, the creative teams started to try their hand at user-generated video and gamification. Both offered the potential of increased compliance rates for mandatory training and exciting alternatives to break away from the “knowledge download” approach of the classroom. The traditional teams, however, took their classroom slides, added a little extra narrative and a few “next” buttons, and called it e-learning.

Digital training can be whatever you want it to be — a 30-second behavioral nudge, an interactive video or a full e-learning package with introspective pause moments. But it shouldn’t just be about downloading knowledge — people need to experience it to get the real benefits.

Screen fatigue is real — living through a glowing rectangle all day, every day in our new virtual workplaces is tough, so three-hour intensive training courses are not necessarily going to be successful. Get smart and cut through the noise without adding to an already long day by using techniques such as microlearning modules and performance nudges.

If you are seeking to train out a process change, for example, don’t spend hours agonizing over a 40-minute e-learning piece — instead, keep it simple. Short microcapsules of three to four minutes showcasing the “need to knows” will make navigation manageable, repeatable and actionable — and keep costs down. By creating a library of user-generated content, your production costs can be low but your saturation high. Engage your early adopters out there in the business to help invigorate others.

This “keep it simple” approach also works for behavioral training. Don’t tell people how to behave with an hour-long lecture — just provide short, sharp nudges as needed. Many of us have good intentions to invest in inclusive behaviors — but the reality is that we get consumed by our ever-growing task list and, before we know it, it’s the end of the day and we have missed the opportunity to “connect.” Do we need to train people to have human conversations? Of course not — we all just need a nudge in the right direction. We are all used to notifications on our phones and apps, so translate this approach to employees’ workday prompts or WhatsApp groups.

Although cost savings are easily achievable with a switch from classroom to computer, digital should not just be the option when money is tight — even though venue hire, travel costs and time away from the day job are all reduced or eradicated by digital learning. This year is going to be tough for many organizations, and, during times of financial difficulty, L&D budgets are traditionally among the first to be cut. However, right now the world is changing so fast that the reduction in budget simply cannot be matched with a reduction in development offerings. So, we need to get smarter.

But being smarter with the budget isn’t just about watching dollars and cents and focusing on the return on investment. It’s also about challenging the return on expectation — and that expectation continues to be that learning will stick and behaviors will change.

Live virtual training provides learners the opportunity to engage with team dialogue rather than content monologue. Breakout groups and polled activities are common features in a well-designed live virtual session, but don’t limit participants’ voices to preordained answers — use that connected time to get social. It’s all about flipping the learning experience. Don’t tell them what they could have found out themselves; engage individuals to truly question each other and socialize a topic among themselves, in their own narratives.

One of the positive things that came from 2020 is that we have all involved ourselves more in personal development. People are taking ownership of what they want. It means employers have to provide more opportunity and think about that extra value — what’s going to make a difference to employees and give an ROI in terms of expectation? When you offer something digital that speaks to the topic you want to cover — but you add something that someone can take away for themselves — you get a higher uptake of people viewing what you want them to see.

A lot of middle-ranking managers in organizations, for example, are turned off by diversity and inclusion training because they believe they will be overlooked for their next promotion in favor of traditionally underrepresented candidates. The way to bring them on board is to offer them something that clicks for them, helping them unlock something within themselves, as well as begin to unravel the “mysteries” of those they work alongside. If you get that balance right, there is a lot to gain.

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Stop giving unsolicited advice at work

Fri, 08 Jan 2021 18:27:34 GMT

As a teenager, my daughter used to joke and sassily tell me, “You’re not the boss of me!” As a parent of a strong-willed child, I learned quickly that ordering her around was not the most effective parenting technique. Similarly, bossing around colleagues or people on your team is not an effective leadership technique either.

Most people do not want to be told what to do. While the giver of advice often has the best intentions, we tend to resist these opinions because it makes us feel like we are losing control and power over our own situation. Psychologists use the term reactance to describe our response to the perceived loss of freedom we experience when given direct, unsolicited advice. Instead of expanding possibilities, many people offer advice in a way that contracts our options (and frankly, makes us angry). They say things like:

“You should do this” … which really means, “There is only one choice, and it’s not yours.”
“You need to just (quit your job, leave your partner, move to a new city, etc.).” This one always comes across as an easy solution to what is usually a complex problem. It leaves us feeling frustrated, with a desire to end the conversation.
“Have you tried this? It worked great for me.” Maybe you have tried the solution offered and maybe you haven’t, but either way, this lecture makes you want to do the opposite. One impact of psychological reactance is just this — we want to act in a way that is different from the recommendation in order to regain control.
“If only you had listened to me in the first place.” This statement will shut people down and destroy trust.
“You’ll be fine,” “This too shall pass,” “You are never given more than you can handle,” or “It’s all OK.” These statements diminish the pain and struggle someone is going through, and the advice in these elements, while well-intentioned, is often premature in the process.

All these statements leave the receiver of unsolicited feedback feeling incompetent, unskilled and wrong, no matter what they choose to do about their challenging situation. We resist advice sometimes to our own detriment, yet it continues to feel like our way of reclaiming a sense of power and control.

In coaching, we teach that everyone is capable, resourceful and whole. If we, as leaders, teachers, parents and spouses, believe that to be true and embody it, imagine how differently we would show up in our conversations. We often give unsolicited advice because we want to help. However, we also offer it because we think our answer is best or we believe the other person is not able to solve their own problems. Often, unsolicited advice is more about the giver of advice than the receiver, as it increases the giver’s sense of power.

Here are some tips to offer advice in a way that is helpful and not damaging to the person or the relationship.

1. Listen with compassion and empathy.

Too often, we jump to conclusions and offer our solutions before we have a true sense of what someone is experiencing. People want to feel heard and understood. Listening allows you to do this. In health care, Compassionomics speaks to the benefits for both the giver and receiver when we infuse empathy into our communication. When we can listen and respond appropriately to another person’s suffering, we deepen trust and bring forward strength in the other.

2. Let people vent (without inserting your two cents).

Sometimes, we all just need to vent. We might know we made a stupid decision, but we certainly do not need to be reminded of it. We are often fully aware of the difficulty we have gotten ourselves into or the challenges we are experiencing, and having someone shake a finger in our face is not helpful. Allowing people to vent in a safe space is highly therapeutic and often leads us to new answers and insights.

3. Ask powerful questions.

Asking meaningful questions allows people to come to their own solutions. Here are some examples of powerful questions to ask when you are trying to assist someone in a challenging situation:

What do you need from me right now?
What are the various options you are considering? Are there others we could brainstorm together?
If you could do it over again, what would you do the same or differently?
What do you want most from the situation? What are your hopes and fears?

4. Get permission before giving advice or feedback.

Resist the urge to spout your wisdom. If you truly believe you have advice that might be useful, ask permission to share it and allow the person to honestly answer “no” if they are not in the mood for advice. Consider saying, “I’ve been through something similar. Can I tell you about what worked for me?” Then give your advice with no strings attached and no expectation that the person will take it.

5. If you are asked for advice, be conscious of how you deliver it.

You might start by saying, “I trust you are strong and will figure this out, but here are some of my thoughts.” Offer advice as an option, not the only choice. Be sensitive to the other person’s needs, and watch their body language. Pay attention and engage differently if you see people pulling away.

Giving unsolicited advice, as tempting as it is, rarely assists people in finding a better solution. Allow yourself to be a “guide on the side” if you really want to help. When leaders allow their employees to come to their own conclusions and solutions, they build employee confidence and support their learning.

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Child care isn’t the only caregiving crisis causing women to leave the workforce

Thu, 07 Jan 2021 20:32:26 GMT

You could make the argument that my entire career and life experiences have prepared me for the roles I hold now, both personally and professionally. I’m a registered nurse by education, a daughter, a wife, a mom, and currently, for the second time in my life, a caregiver for my aging dad.

Even though I have counseled countless others on this journey as a nurse and as a care manager for seniors and their families, I find myself overwhelmed even with the help of supportive siblings. This year has brought on additional challenges to all these roles in my life — as I know is true for so many others.

Who the pandemic is impacting even more

Being a mom has been and continues to be the greatest joy in my life. A mother’s work is never done, but my three kids are all grown and out of the house. I cannot imagine trying to juggle the responsibilities of being a mother, teacher, caregiver and employee right now.

At this point, we’re probably all familiar with the funny stories of kids walking in on Zoom meetings or, even better, your BBC interview. But let’s for a moment try to imagine what goes on behind the active camera and idyllic virtual backdrops. While we’ve learned to find the humor in many situations and take them light-heartedly, the reality is this is not a sustainable module of productivity for a full-time working caregiver. Even if your kids’ school has decided to hold in-person classes as opposed to holding virtual classes or going to full homeschool, that presents its own set of challenges. One sneeze from your child might be enough to impact your entire week. A fever? Enough to keep you at their bedside for days worrying that it doesn’t present other symptoms. We can’t go to the doctor like we used to, much less the ER, which often means toughing it out at home and probably having the entire household self-quarantine just in case. And what about your parent, who just moved in with you due to fear of COVID in their assisted living facility, who just interrupted your Zoom meeting because they can’t remember if they took their medication today?

For those in the sandwich generation — those taking care of younger children and aging parents — the stress and worry of caring for an aging parent who might be socially isolated or at greater risk from the virus is tremendous. Nursing facilities have accounted for 46 percent of all COVID-19 deaths, and 80 percent of all deaths are among people aged 65 or older, according to McKnight’s Senior Living. That kind of worry is bound to prevent anyone from being fully focused on their job.

Some companies are stepping up, but few are taking the steps necessary to address these underlying causes for their employees’ stress and burnout. Even before the pandemic, one in four caregivers reported feeling that caregiving had directly made their health worse. Since the pandemic, family caregivers reported consistently more negative impacts of COVID-19 compared with those not providing care, with striking differences in terms of financial strain and mental health impacts. However, only half of caregivers say their supervisors are aware of their elder caregiving responsibilities.

How workplaces can address the silent struggle

Elder caregiving continues to be a silent struggle employees suffer through, and companies must step up to the challenge of offering these employees the same support they would receive with child care. These employees who are juggling competing responsibilities are quickly running out of options. Unless their employer is offering generous leaves of absence (typically unpaid) and flexible work schedules, the reality is that current situations will be unsustainable.

The decision is a difficult one for an employee — do you make the switch to a part-time job that likely offers no benefits, scale down your hours which will likely result in a setback in your career, or leave the workforce all together? Not surprisingly, the burden of this decision will fall more heavily on women — with McKinsey research showing senior-level women are more likely than senior-level men to feel burned out and under pressure to work more. Additionally, according to McKinsey’s research, women are 1.5 times more likely than men at their level to consider downshifting their role or leaving the workforce because of COVID-19.

The consequences of this coming to fruition are alarming, both financially and culturally. Company profits and share performance are shown to be 50 percent higher when women are well-represented in leadership, according to another 2020 McKinsey report. Culturally, senior-level women have a very profound impact. It is more likely that they embrace employee-friendly policies and programs and champion racial and gender diversity, with more than 50 percent saying they consistently take a public stand for gender and racial equality at work.

The good news is that the pandemic has brought greater awareness of the challenges working family caregivers face. This presents companies with an opportunity to build a more accommodating, understanding and empathetic workplace. We can work to both retain the employees who have been most affected by this crisis while creating a culture that allows working caregivers to maintain — and thrive — in all their roles.

If the prospect of leading with your heart isn’t convincing, the economics of it should be enough to persuade you. There is no one-size-fits-all solution, but resetting norms, adjusting policies and investing in innovative caregiving benefits programs to better support employees will yield better outcomes for all of us.

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Key findings: What changed in L&D in 2020?

Thu, 07 Jan 2021 18:06:35 GMT

Video editing by Shaan Chadha and Colin Hohman

The data in this video was gathered by BMG Research and Advisory Services.

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Human Capital Media, owner of Chief Learning Officer, relaunches as BetterWork Media Group and ...

Wed, 06 Jan 2021 13:00:38 GMT

Ana Dirksen, Kevin Fields, Ashley St. John and Lauren Wilbur of Human Capital Media, an integrated media and market-intelligence company focused on talent management, development and growth, have purchased HCM and relaunched as BetterWork Media Group, taking ownership of Chief Learning Officer and resurrecting its retired sister brand, Talent Management. Tanda, an Australian-based time and attendance SaaS group, acquired HCM in May of 2019 and will retain HCM’s former Workforce brand.

Chief Learning Officer is a platform and community for C-suite and senior-level learning and development professionals to connect and advance in the profession and their personal careers. It is the host of industry-favored events CLO Symposium and Breakfast Clubs, as well as the Learning In Practice and LearningElite Awards programs, and houses one of the industry’s most highly regarded research groups, formerly HCM Research and Advisory Group, now named BMG Research and Advisory Services.

Talent Management, a brand dedicated to providing in-depth information and programming for senior-level talent and HR professionals who champion organizational culture and drive the design, development and execution of talent management programs, was retired in 2016. BMG will relaunch the brand, with a refined focus on driving business performance through empowered people.

BMG will provide a unique platform to connect, support and empower learning and talent communities via its award-winning content, research, events, webinars and digital media. It will retain HCM’s existing tagline, “better workplaces, better lives,” reprioritizing the happiness and engagement of its own employees, starting with the introduction of two new policies: unlimited PTO and paid parental leave.

“After almost 20 years of setting industry standards, we’re thrilled to continue to serve workforce communities of C-suite and senior-level practitioners, executives, scholars, consultants and solutions providers in corporate learning and talent management through the new lens of BetterWork Media Group,” said Ashley St. John, chief content officer & editor in chief at BetterWork Media Group. “The pandemic has been devastating for so many personally and professionally, with so much uncertainty shadowing every decision, but it’s also helped to highlight our love for this community, company and our coworkers. We’re grateful to our amazing staff for their patience and dedication as we brought this idea to life, and we are humbled and motivated by the continued high engagement of the industries we serve. We have many new ideas in the works for this coming year and beyond, and we are optimistic and excited about this new chapter.”

BMG plans to maintain a remote workforce for the foreseeable future, with most employees residing in the Chicagoland area.

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A glimpse at choices that are advancing gender parity

Sun, 03 Jan 2021 22:00:35 GMT

I suspect you join me in suffering from “gloom and doom” fatigue. That’s why I’d like to offer, in my first 2021 column, an optimistic AND realistic outlook for the growth and development of female talent.

Over the past year, I have interacted (virtually, of course) with hundreds of women and corporations in my role as CEO of WOMEN Unlimited Inc. I have seen them make smart, forward-thinking choices, despite ever-changing working environments. Both talented women and their organizations have chosen to formulate strategies that successfully transition them to the “new normal” and beyond.

Women across industries are making smart choices

Since the pandemic started, more than 1,100 women at all career levels have been tapped by their companies to participate in our development programs. Despite unprecedented personal and professional challenges, these women have overwhelmingly chosen to actively engage in their WOMEN Unlimited programs. As a result, they have become more reflective about their careers, more open to feedback from peers and mentors, and more receptive to adopting new behaviors that put them on track to not just get by, but to get ahead. Here, in their own words, are how a few of them are making positive choices that benefit them personally and professionally:

A senior analyst in the pharmaceutical industry pointed out how she became more adaptable: “In the beginning of the pandemic, I was a bit stuck, not knowing what to focus on. Having the ability to think and refocus on what I truly needed for myself and my business helped me step out of fear and into action.”
A manufacturing industry engineering director described how she got better at handling ambiguity: “I am tackling ambiguity head on — no longer letting it consume me. I am utilizing excellence versus perfection, and the result is confidence.”
A senior biotech manager explained why she became less risk-averse: “This year, normal ways of operating went out the window and I learned to lean into risk as we planned ahead.”
A director in the defense industry described how she learned to leverage differences: “Learning alongside my program colleagues from other industries and other functionalities helped me see how I could build a strong team at work. I’ve learned to stay open to seeing things differently through the eyes of others and to create a greater list of options.”
A diversity leader in the financial industry highlighted her need to be a more powerful team builder: “I’ve always been known for getting things done. Now I understand the importance of working in sync with others. There is greater collaboration, and the results are far better.”

5 gender parity choices organizations are espousing

It’s not just the women. The corporations who partner with WOMEN Unlimited have made a variety of smart choices to help ensure they continue to grow a diverse talent pool, during the pandemic and beyond. Five of these choices are especially notable:

They have chosen to continue (and in many cases) expand the internal and external development of their female talent.
Top management of leading organizations is choosing to hold managers at all levels accountable for the growth and development of the women on their teams.
Corporate leadership is buoying its initiatives to develop early-career female talent and to place them in roles with P&L responsibility.
Managers are choosing to help women exit their comfort zone by assigning them high-visibility stretch projects.
Organizations are expanding their efforts to ensure that women get the same career-advancing feedback as their male colleagues.

Despite press coverage indicating that gender parity will be stymied for decades, that’s not what we’re seeing. We’re seeing talented women staying in the workplace, not abandoning it. We’re seeing corporate leaders revving up the development of female talent, not slowing it down. We’re seeing extraordinary commitment and tenacity at both the individual and corporate levels. Now that’s a powerful antidote to gloom and doom!

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Teaching the teachers: why online learning training will be crucial for higher ed talent prospects

Wed, 30 Dec 2020 03:13:41 GMT

Just as many college students have struggled to adapt to the online learning systems necessitated by the pandemic, so too have many professors and instructors. These instructors were asked to quickly adapt long-established teaching methods to technologies many had never used before, trying to maintain consistent contact with students facing a mix of uncertainties — from housing to internet access.

While these groups should all be commended for the resilience they’ve shown under these circumstances, the results from and reactions to this rapid transition to online learning have been understandably mixed. Students are frustrated with a remote learning environment dependent on virtual interactions; they miss the in-person access to professors and other campus resources, as well as to other students. Many instructors are equally frustrated, and, frankly, many are overwhelmed with trying to keep students engaged and motivated to continue with their coursework, as they themselves struggle with learning the skills to adapt to this new way of teaching.

Both are a concern for schools, as some form of blended learning is likely to continue well beyond the pandemic. If these frustrations are allowed to linger, the dissatisfaction students and instructors are feeling could limit academic institutions’ future recruiting options, as potential professors may look to other fields for greater certainty and a better skills match. This is important to address at a time when recruiting and retaining strong instructors is even more crucial to academic institutions that are facing a more limited menu of options to draw in students and revenue streams. Colleges and universities have the opportunity now to invest in accelerated online learning training for their instructors.

The swift pivot to remote learning and the continued uncertainties of these past two semesters left little time for in-depth training. According to research conducted by Barnes & Noble College Insights, 54 percent of students have expressed concerns about the quality of teaching during the pandemic, saying their instructors are not trained to teach effectively in this environment. In a subsequent survey, 53 percent of students said the overall adjustment to online learning had negatively impacted their academic confidence. They cited various factors for this — lack of engaging class content, lack of access to instructors and lack of consistency course-to-course. The latter has been especially frustrating to students, who wonder why their professors aren’t all using the same means for video conferencing and testing. Still, they express sympathy for their instructors, saying they “truly feel for the professors, who are just as unfamiliar” with these systems.

In a time marked by uncertainty, students are looking for consistency in their courses and degree programs so they can focus on learning content instead of various new tools related to online learning. Rather than continuing with the stopgap measures necessary for the quick transition, this is an opportunity for colleges and universities to bolster training that can help instructors grasp the full functionality of the online learning tools available to them and, in turn, create a more engaging virtual environment for students.

We’ve seen from the past year that successful student engagement doesn’t necessarily happen when you port in-person lectures into online systems. If instructors have proper training on how to build their lessons around the virtual classroom and a deeper understanding of how information is absorbed through a screen, students will be much more likely to participate, learn and be successful in their virtual environment.

Instructors also need a deeper understanding of how to best manage the remote learning process that happens off the screen. Much of the learning challenges faced by both faculty and students these past semesters have been because of the stress associated with the transition. Early this fall, nearly three-quarters (71 percent) of students said online classes had a negative impact on their stress levels, and at least 60 percent had increased anxiety over academic performance, feeling isolated and burnt out. In addition to redesigning their courses and keeping classes going, instructors have become the front line for potential student mental health issues. They are looking to their colleges and universities to get the training and tools necessary to identify and address potential mental health concerns with students before they snowball. This is also guidance that can help instructors manage their own wellbeing and help them stay in their positions. Many instructors who left teaching this year cited higher levels of stress and burnout as part of what drove them out.

We know from conversations with both administrators and faculty members that instructors want to learn how they can be more successful with online and blended programs. In fact, more than half of faculty members (61 percent) surveyed at the end of the fall semester said that universities need to provide more training for instructors to continue to improve online learning.

With a longer-than-usual period between the fall and spring semesters, this may be the perfect time for colleges and universities to invest in training and make online learning a stronger part of their offerings.

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Debunking 3 myths about executive coaching

Tue, 29 Dec 2020 17:34:28 GMT

Executive coaching has been on the rise as a professional development tool for the past three decades. This powerful tool can dramatically help build self-awareness, leadership capacity and interpersonal skills in high-potential employees. However, given the nebulous nature of the field, coaching is often subject to myths about its structure, purpose and benefits. Here are three common myths about coaching that may mislead you.

1. Coaching is only for troubled employees.

A mistake many companies make is to treat coaching as a means of correcting — maybe even salvaging — a weak, underperforming or emotionally unintelligent employee. But bringing in an outside coach to “fix” an employee is misguided and problematic for two primary reasons.

The first is that coaching works best when it is a supplemental development plan for successful and, more important, coachable employees. If an employee needs “fixing,” they are probably not the employee who will respond well to coaching. Think of it this way: Coaches aren’t principals who dole out detention; they are teachers who guide learning.

The second reason coaching can’t be just for troubled employees is because of conflicting goals. A boss may bring in a coach to “fix” an employee perceived to have a bad attitude, whereas the employee’s biggest goal may be to gain more autonomy. When a coach is brought in to alleviate a concern, there is almost always going to be a difference of opinion on what the concern is. But when coaching is used on high-potential and successful employees, the goals between manager and subordinate are typically more aligned toward a common goal — such as a promotion — and that creates an environment for success all around.

2. Coaching is the giving of advice.

Coaching is not advice. In fact, if a coach you’re considering hiring says that a big part of his or her value-add is industry advice, take it as a red flag. This isn’t to say advice doesn’t occasionally play a role, or that industry knowledge doesn’t sometimes provide helpful perspective. But industry knowledge and perspective are far less useful than they may seem. In truth, a coach well-trained and versed in coaching principles will be far more successful than a person who has spent 30 years in your industry, largely because industry advice interrupts the real work.

Overall, coaching should be client-focused; advice-giving tends to center on the coach. Do not seek coaching to be told what to do. That’s what a consultant (or a well-meaning friend) is for. A coach is there to truly understand the client, and that cannot happen if advice is being dispensed.

3. Coaching is just about behaviors.

The work between coach and client can increase patience and empathy and dramatically improve conflict-resolution skills. However, behaviors are only part — and a much smaller part — of the bigger goal of coaching. Coaching is much more about personal exploration and uncovering the emotional patterns that lead to certain behaviors.

Addressing behaviors rather than what underpins them is akin to placing buckets around the house when it rains instead of fixing the roof. When a coach is called in, it is most often because of a troubling, concerning or unwanted behavior. But any behavior is simply the final outcome of a long line of thoughts, feelings and conditioning. So while the behavior might be what is surfacing in the board room, it is always a sign of something much deeper. To realize and appreciate that truth gives the coach and client a much stronger chance of being successful in their work together.

Being able to see coaching as a means of personal exploration — for the sake of eventually changing or improving behaviors — gives the employee an honest chance for empowerment, self-sufficiency and, eventually, sustainability.

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Chief Learning Officer’s most-read stories of 2020

Mon, 28 Dec 2020 23:36:12 GMT

Chief Learning Officer published articles on a wide number of topics this year, such as virtual learning and development, empathy, coaching, diversity and inclusion, and crisis leadership amid a global pandemic. As this year draws to an end, now is a good time to reflect, rest and recharge for 2021. Here the 10 most-read stories of 2020.

10. Accountability is key to enabling diversity and inclusion in organizations
By Shane Crabb

9. How can we build relationships in virtual isolation
By Josh Jenkins

8. The business of leadership requires love
By Thane Bellomo

7. The mindset of a lifelong learner
By Keith Keating

6. Psychological safety: An overlooked secret to organizational performance
By Joanne Dias and David Altman

5. Working amid coronavirus: 3 ways coaching can help
By Alan Fine

4. Skills aren’t soft or hard — they’re durable or perishable
By Matthew J. Daniel

3. 5 moves that actually increase diversity, equity and inclusion
By Matt Martin

2. Reimagining workplace learning during COVID-19
By Gloria Tam

1. What is leadership, and who is a leader?
By Jacob Morgan

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6 competencies leaders need to develop right now

Wed, 23 Dec 2020 17:19:08 GMT

As we all know, right now, years are happening in weeks:

The pandemic has accelerated the shift away from physical stores to digital shopping by about five years.
In March, the number of Americans working from home accelerated by a decade in two weeks.
The stock market saw 10 years’ worth of rip-down followed by a decade of recovery in six months, from March to September.
While it will drop back, government spending this year has matched what was expected in 2045.

It’s hardly surprising, then, that so many of us are working flat out — keeping day-to-day operations afloat while also working to transform the organization — or risk being left behind.

As strategies and business models evolve, organizations are realizing they need different kinds of leaders in this new era. However, it’s hard to nail down what “good” looks like in this context, particularly while things are still so volatile.

Over this past year, there has been no shortage of content published on the importance of leadership qualities such as resilience, empathy and agility. And while these qualities are clearly important, they are also personality-driven. What that means is that if you don’t already possess these qualities, it’s incredibly difficult — and time consuming — to develop them.

Our view is that it is more productive for organizations to focus on fostering capabilities that are more “developable” and that will help them prepare today’s talent for tomorrow’s challenges.

Future-focused competencies

As business psychologists, we help organizations define, select and develop the leaders they need for tomorrow’s challenges. In our conversations with organizations to help them define the future leaders they will need, some key themes around meet-the-moment capabilities have emerged. We are not saying this is a definitive list, nor that these capabilities can be developed overnight, but it may help stimulate your thinking as you look to refresh your leadership strategy.

1. An outside-in perspective

“What may be out there that I don’t know about … that’s what I worry about the most. The things that can really hurt us are what we haven’t thought about.” — chief risk officer, financial services firm

Competition and disruption can come from anywhere. And leaders simply don’t have enough time in the day to keep fully on top of the global competition, rapidly evolving needs of customers or market dynamics. But they do need to stay curious, be aware that they don’t know what they don’t know and challenge those around them to “probe the boundaries and be a catalyst to developing an external perspective.”

2. Spanning boundaries

“We know that we need to move faster. But a lack of cross-functional working is holding us back.” — vice president, manufacturing business

Companies are adjusting to the pace and depth of change by breaking down traditional hierarchies and moving to flatter structures and more collaboration, often virtually. Success no longer hinges on the contribution of individual superstars. It’s about how effectively people work across boundaries and how quickly project-focused teams can form, perform and re-form to deliver their objectives. Borrowing from the Center for Creative Leadership, “boundary spanning” is the ability of leaders to rapidly create alignment, commitment and direction across boundaries (functional, organizational, cultural or geographical).

3. Inclusion and psychological safety

There’s no team without trust. As Google discovered, a high-performing team starts with psychological safety. Safety is about treating people with dignity and respect so that people feel they can speak up and take risks without fearing negative consequences. As we’ve all seen, when these are lacking, people hold back. Tensions simmer. The team pulls in different directions. And the leader “hears about all the stuff that’s going well — but not the real problems facing the business,” according to a vice president with a national retailer. Inclusion means making people feel that they belong and they’re valued, seeking out diverse perspectives, and drawing on the range of knowledge and experience in the team.

4. Leads with purpose

“There’s a real disconnect right now between our values on paper and our behavior in practice.” — vice president, consulting firm

Capitalism has taken a beating during this crisis. More than ever, people are looking to organizations to do more than simply make money. Having — and, more important, living — a purpose matters. People need to feel they are contributing to something greater than themselves that actually makes a difference in the world. For leaders, authenticity matters. People can easily spot when the words don’t match the music. And they remember when leaders say one thing and do another.

5. Leader as coach

As organizations have thinned and flattened, our experience is that they are finding themselves needing to promote new leaders before they’re truly ready. At the same time, leadership roles are becoming increasingly complex and ambiguous, presenting new leaders with the challenge of “learning the role while leading it.” Given that 70 percent of a leader’s development is through on-the-job experience, the solution is not simply to put people through development programs. Instead, this capability is part of creating a coaching culture where leaders develop leaders and support one another in navigating the real-world challenges they face.

6. Agile execution

“The external environment is so fluid and volatile right now that it demands a more agile, flexible approach and thinking. We know we might need to make some radical changes — but ‘radical’ is not who we are as a company.” — chief risk officer, financial services firm

There’s no lack of great ideas in organizations. But what we know from our data on the thousands of leaders we have assessed is that there is a limited pool of people who excel in translating ideas into reality, quickly. Leaders need to get sharper at executing change at speed. This is not just about ruthless prioritization, decisiveness and a bias for action (leaders who are able to act quickly are two times as effective at making change happen). Those who can get things done quickly excel at winning hearts and minds at all levels and navigating resistance.

Start with the end in mind

What’s missing? Which of these is a priority for you? While your first instinct may be “all of the above,” this is not intended as a plug-and-play list.

We have found that a common assumption in organizations is that leadership is leadership — that the same capabilities, such as emotional intelligence, strategic thinking, driving results, leading change, etc., are equally important, no matter the context.

However, your own experience will tell you high-performing organizations have a distinctive signature. They have a deep understanding of their industry, market and operating context. They go to enormous lengths to define a differentiated strategy and distinctive business model. They focus on delivering a unique value proposition for their customers. And they know that creating a strong culture is a key source of competitive advantage in attracting and retaining top talent.

In other words, one size does not fit all — you need to cultivate distinctive leaders. And the capabilities you need hinge on where you want to get to.

For example, one of our pharma clients is looking to reduce risk and costs and scale up marketing and distribution by partnering with other organizations. Faced with disruptive competition and flat interest rates, one of our financial services clients needs to focus on customer acquisition through product and channel innovation. Another — a technology firm — is looking beyond its saturated, core domestic market to break into new, fast-growing global markets.

Each of them needs to rapidly develop quite different and distinctive capabilities to realize their strategic objectives.

Future-proofing your leadership starts with engaging current leaders and key stakeholders in a structured process to envisage the future and identify those capabilities that will be critical to success given the volatile and unpredictable context.

Once you are aligned on what “good” looks like, the hard work begins! The next step is to infuse these competencies into your leadership strategy — benchmarking how your current leaders stack up and identifying critical capability gaps; realigning your development strategy to address these gaps; and redefining how you hire and promote future leaders.

It’s a journey, for sure, yet one that will help you build the distinctive future leaders you need for the uncertainties and opportunities ahead.

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2020: The year of disruption

Tue, 22 Dec 2020 14:55:05 GMT

I think we will all be happy to put 2020 behind us. COVID-19 has claimed more than 320,000 lives in the U.S. alone and disrupted the economy, our lives, and learning along the way. Even here, though, some good has come from the disruption. And we’ve had some positive disruptions, like the SEC rule mandating human capital disclosure.

The impact of COVID on learning has been massive. Organizations had to shift overnight from instructor-led training to virtual ILT supplemented by more e-learning and more portal content. Some learning could not be converted immediately, so learning opportunities and consequent productivity gains were lost. Since this conversion was unplanned and immediate, the quality of the new VILT was poor, often no more than PowerPoints from the ILT. However, participants appreciated the effort and were happy to have some learning rather than none.

The good news is that learning departments did rise to meet the challenge, demonstrating that they are strategic partners helping the organization weather the COVID disruption. Learning leaders have worked closely with the CEO and other senior leaders to provide the necessary training but also to provide guidance to leaders on how to manage remotely. This is actually a huge win for many L&D departments and has dramatically increased their credibility and stature.

Moreover, just as the pandemic has caused us all to reconsider our work-life balance and the possibility of working more frequently from home in the future, it also has forced us to reconsider the mix of ILT versus VILT, e-learning and content available in your portal. This reconsideration is actually long overdue. Many organizations had little to no VILT before March. Now they have a lot, and the quality of the content is slowly improving as it is redesigned for a virtual environment. VILT offers significant savings in travel and facility costs and, if properly designed, may often be able to accomplish the same objectives in less time. I don’t see any chance of organizations reverting to the pre-pandemic model, which relied so heavily on ILT.

There is also an opportunity here to think even more broadly and radically restructure your learning. Many organizations going into the pandemic had extensive onboarding and basic skills ILT programs. Some went on for a month or more with a few lasting three, six or even 12 months. Is this really the best way to learn? And how much of the content will be remembered and applied?

Instead, why not use this opportunity to restructure the learning entirely? Reduce ILT or VILT at the beginning to just the basics that participants will need to get started. Supplement this with additional VILT or e-learning combined with performance support in the workstream at the time of need. For example, following the initial (now shortened) course, participants might take a short VILT course or e-learning module every month for the rest of the year. And this would be combined with performance support, which is easy to access and provides them just the tools they require at the time of need.

Last, let’s not forget the SEC’s new rule mandating human capital disclosure. Over the coming years this transparency will spread to all types of organizations and radically alter the expectation of both investors and employees for information on important human capital metrics like diversity, pay equity, leadership trust and employee engagement. By 2030, people will wonder why this type of information was not always available. Disruption is coming, and there will be no going back.

So, take this opportunity as you plan for 2021 to continue to think outside the box, just as you have been forced to do this past year. Don’t go back to the old ways, even when offices reopen. Double down on new ways of learning and embrace the opportunity to publicly disclose your important L&D and HR metrics.

Best wishes for the holidays, and may everyone be healthy and safe.

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Measuring the impact and ROI of virtual learning

Mon, 21 Dec 2020 18:41:15 GMT

In today’s uncertain economic climate, the need to ensure that virtual learning provides value and improves organizational outcomes is increasingly important. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic and so many people shifting to remote work, most learning programs have shifted to virtual formats. This environment has created the need for program owners to design and implement virtual learning with the desired outcomes in mind. Additionally, there is an increasing economic need to demonstrate that the virtual programs are working and delivering the desired results.

Studies show that many virtual learning programs break down when measured at the application level (participants not using what they learn) and impact level (the business impact connected to application). Fortunately, learning and development professionals can avoid this breakdown. To secure the support and funding that virtual learning needs, the programs must deliver business results. This article explores how designers, developers, providers and program owners can ensure virtual learning will achieve the desired results using design-thinking principles that focus on delivering outcomes at the application and impact levels.

Serious challenges for L&D

Many learning and development professionals have faced challenges in delivering the results that executives appreciate and understand. Answers to our recent polling questions of L&D teams show the following statements to be true from the perspective of the L&D professionals. However, to deliver the value that executives need from virtual learning, the answers should actually be false.

Most learning and development content is not used (wasted). Unfortunately, there continues to be a transfer-of-learning problem as individuals learn the content but subsequently do not actually use what they have learned. There are many barriers to this transfer, the most significant being a lack of management support. For in-person L&D, this barrier to transfer is much less of a problem.

Organizations rarely measure the learning outcomes desired by executives. Studies confirm that executives want and need to see the business connections to learning, whether the learning is delivered in person, virtually or through a mobile device. If participants don’t use what they learned, the program delivers no business value to the organization. The key to successful results is to ensure that the learning is used and has an impact.

The learning providers do not have data that shows they make a difference in the organization. To make a difference, the individuals involved in programs must use what they have learned, and that use must have a corresponding impact. Both are necessary. Without use, there will be no impact. Unfortunately, many L&D practitioners do not even measure at this level to ensure application on the job and the corresponding business impact.

Most executives see learning as a cost and not an investment. When executives see learning as a cost, bad things may happen in uncertain times. The learning budget may be cut, reduced, paused, minimized or controlled. If executives see learning as an investment, they may protect it, support it and even enhance it during downturns. The challenge is for L&D professionals to show executives that learning delivers a positive ROI. The best way to do that is to measure the ROI on a major program using an ROI formula from the finance and accounting literature. Doing this will remove doubt that learning is an investment.

The chain of value is always there

It is important to understand how success is achieved with virtual learning. How do you deliver more productivity, improve the quality of services, or be more innovative or more responsive to customers? If a lack of knowledge or skills is a stumbling block to success, then putting those processes in place will enable success. Virtual learning can easily provide this if the learning is connected to the business measure in the beginning, the right solution is implemented and it is designed to deliver impact. More important, the amount of improvement in the impact measures caused by the virtual program can always be pinpointed. The success follows a chain of value, outlined below.

The value chain for virtual programs

Why virtual learning fails: a quick review

We have had the opportunity to evaluate virtual learning for many years and have compared instructor-led learning with e-learning, sometimes in parallel, to see the differences. We have found that virtual learning typically breaks down at level 3 (application) and level 4 (impact).

Why does this happen? There are four key reasons:

1. Multitasking inhibits learning. Research shows that multitasking reduces a participant’s ability to learn. There is a myth that a person can multitask and still absorb in-depth knowledge and information. That doesn’t happen, according to Devora Zack’s “Singletasking: Getting More Done — One Thing at a Time.” With instructor-led learning, multitasking is better controlled in many ways. This is accomplished not only by good design, activities and engagement, but also by the facilitator managing the learning environment and removing the opportunity to multitask. As we all have witnessed many times with virtual learning in virtual conferences, meetings and online sessions, multitasking runs rampant. The reality is if learning is diminished, then application will be diminished, and impact will be diminished. This will decrease the ROI significantly.

2. Manager support is usually missing. Participants typically leave their work areas to attend instructor-led learning programs. Their managers know they are involved, and the manager is likely involved in the decision for them to participate in the session. The manager creates expectations for the program. The participant will be away from the job, and the organization will miss that person’s work. With this scenario, it is in the manager’s best interest for the learning to translate into something useful and worthwhile for the department. Because of this, the managers are often involved before the program with setting goals and then after the program with following up.

For virtual learning, the manager is usually not involved. For the most part, the manager may not even know that participants are involved. This is because most virtual learning occurs during regular work hours in the participant’s everyday environment, and the manager often may not even be aware of it. Without the manager’s presence, the most significant influencer for transferring learning to the job is removed.

3. Success is based on learning, not impact. Instructional systems designers design virtual programs to deliver learning. Designers think their work is complete when the participant has learned knowledge or skills. However, the executives who provide the program’s budget want to see the business connection from participants actually using the learning. It is rare to find a virtual program designed for impact. Very few virtual learning programs have impact objectives. Without impact objectives, some key stakeholders may not fully understand why the program is being implemented. When impact objectives are in place, the team can design the program for application and the desired business impact. Designing for impact is more likely to occur in an instructor-led program.

4. The role of the facilitator is usually missing. There may be a live or recorded facilitator — a program administrator, host or coordinator — but what is truly missing in virtual learning programs is the power and influence of a great facilitator. Facilitators usually inspire the participants, encourage them and support them to use what they have learned. Sometimes a group of participants will bond together to deliver the required results. Virtual learning program designers must design for the delivery of learning and its application, and they must also create a replacement for the influence of the in-person facilitator.

How to make virtual learning deliver a positive ROI

Building on the reasons for failure, here are seven steps to design virtual learning to deliver a positive ROI:

Start with why defined as a clear business need. Make sure that a business need is clearly identified for the program. Pinpoint the business need by asking questions, analyzing data and exploring what will occur when this program is implemented.
Make it feasible by selecting the right solution. Ensure that learning is the right solution and virtual learning is the right learning solution to improve the business measure.
Expect success. Define success for the program at the impact level and set objectives for each lower level (reaction, learning, application and impact). Provide those objectives to all stakeholders to make sure they design for application and business impact.
Design for the desired outcomes. Make sure all stakeholders develop tools, templates and processes, and provide the support and encouragement to make the virtual learning deliver success at levels 3 and 4. With this step, you are essentially designing for those outcomes.
Measure application and impact. Sample a few virtual programs to ensure that application and impact results are delivered. Use simple, easy-to-provide application and impact data to understand how the programs are working.
Analyze the data. When the impact data is collected, the first step is to sort out the effects of the virtual learning from other influences. This is critical to achieving credibility of the data. This shows the actual amount of improvement connected to the program. This would complete a level 4 impact study. If ROI is desired, the impact data would be converted to money. Those conversions are already accomplished in the organization; it is just a matter of finding the data or the right person who knows the values. Next, the fully loaded cost of the program is tabulated. This is the direct and indirect cost of the virtual learning program. The costs and the benefits are compared by a formula to calculate the ROI:

For example, if the ROI is 48 percent, this means that for every dollar invested into the program, a dollar is returned plus an additional 48 cents.

Tell the story. The final step is to present the results to the appropriate audiences using numbers and narrative; think process improvement throughout the process.

These seven steps will help you ensure your virtual learning works and delivers the success your organization needs. For a copy of a virtual learning ROI study, please contact ROI Institute at info@roiinstitute.net.

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Why the shift to mastery-based learning has become critical in high-stakes industries

Fri, 18 Dec 2020 21:41:29 GMT

As we enter into a new year and a transformed workplace, it is more urgent than ever for organizations to make an impact and provide professionals with the right learning technology. With the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic disrupting the structure of workforces around the world, enterprises have been forced to reckon with not having tools as readily available that are needed to support onboarding, training and skill development for their distributed groups of associates. For high-stakes industries – such as aerospace, energy, health care, manufacturing, law, IT, supply chain and life sciences – the shift to mastery-based learning has become that much more crucial.

Mastery-based learning is designed to ensure professionals are not just passing through the content, but fully comprehending and mastering the material. It often involves levels of capabilities and a curriculum that starts with basic proficiency and goes all the way up to expert classifications. This becomes especially important in high-stakes industries where professionals’ knowledge of their job-critical skills must be verified. Mastery-based learning supports this verification process, which can include passing a knowledge exam or completing hands-on exercises.

This type of approach is more of an investment of time and energy, but the payoff is substantial. Not only does mastery learning improve the quality of work, but in these high-stakes industries, such as health care and manufacturing, it protects the professional from making uninformed decisions that can lead to malpractice suits, heavy fines or even loss of life. This is the reason that this type of educational approach is being adopted by high-stakes industries first.

Why it’s worth the investment

While it has always been important to have qualified training programs for associates, the search now begins for a better overall learning experience. Driven by the pursuit of mastery, the focus in high-stakes industries today is on acquiring professional skills through a more engaging, comprehensive, and consistent learning experience. This can be accomplished through microlearning; instructional content is broken down into easily digestible modules that can accompany a new service product.

By continuously providing professional learners with educational content, the learning experience moves beyond random engagement and toward growth and the accumulation of expertise.

Content and AI meet for a personal learning experience

Content is once again “king” when it comes to courseware, and users are demanding better access. Since this is a must-have feature for enterprises, they are partnering for, acquiring or refreshing their learning content. This has also led to providers managing content from a variety of sources, like video.

However, to reach the ultimate goal of mastery, accessible content is just the starting point. A training program must also drive results through engaging, learner-centric features on the cutting edge of technology. Organizations are at the beginning of the predictive learning era and will start to leverage artificial intelligence to make learning more personal. By adding machine learning to a learning platform, informed training recommendations can be made, locating the appropriate video content down to a specific frame. This type of personalized delivery can streamline the learning process, as well as inform management when the content has not yet been viewed or skipped.

Video learning as a catalyst for knowledge retention

Video learning has been on the rise over the past few years, becoming the go-to learning method for online. Video tutorials help people learn things quickly and efficiently, as it enables microlearning. Microlearning encourages learning engagement by allowing professionals to enhance their skill development throughout the day. Videos can be paused and replayed at the learner’s leisure, ensuring complete comprehension and mastery of the topic before moving forward.

Since hands-on, in-person training has been halted or drastically modified out of caution during the current pandemic, enterprises should be ensuring their learning platform supports video content.

Moving to mastery-based learning in 2021

As an enterprise in a high-stakes industry, the first step to adopting a mastery-based learning strategy in 2021 is to determine the key positions that require critical skills. By understanding what roles are the most vital, the development of a modern curriculum can begin around the skills and levels of mastery required for that job.

It is also important to note that program development should include the needs of certification identification. From there, the courseware development will begin with the selection of a provider and a pilot test, followed by program alterations. The project should have a curriculum development plan for each role that includes what is required for each different level of mastery. After all of this has been completed, the full program launch of mastery-based learning is ready to go.

Following the launch, the team needs to monitor and evaluate how learning is progressing. This is most critical in the highest levels of certification. It is also important to note that time spent in a role may be an important criterion to some levels of mastery and often is a requirement for advancement.

For high-stakes industries, a professional’s industry knowledge and job-critical skills have a direct positive impact on the long-term success of the enterprise. Mastery-based learning delivers a new approach to professional development that enables a higher-skilled workforce.

The continuous delivery of knowledge, along with skill-based certifications, will help to power enterprises, associations and professionals themselves. A more engaged workforce delivers the desired business outcomes. Today’s virtual landscape allows for businesses to embrace continuous learning models and this on-demand training will help learners master the content.

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Proving the impact of your learning initiatives

Thu, 17 Dec 2020 19:50:15 GMT

In 2020, companies in the United States spent $82.5 billion dollars on learning and development, according to the “2020 Training Industry Report,” even as COVID-19 began to take a toll on expenditures. That kind of investment in people, technology and programs is substantial but hardly surprising. A PwC report, “Talent Trends 2019: Upskilling for a Digital World,” found that 79 percent of CEOs worldwide are concerned that a lack of essential skills in their workforce is threatening the future growth of their organization. The investment made to close those gaps inevitably places pressure upon learning organizations to show a return and demonstrate how they drive value in KPI and ROI terms. If we’re accountable as learning leaders, asking whether a new program or approach directly contributed to a lift in revenue, a drop in support calls or an increase in customer satisfaction are fair questions. As we all strive to meet the challenges of work and learning in a pandemic-stricken world, rapid experimentation with new approaches has become mandatory and questions of what works and what doesn’t become even more pressing.

But answering those questions is harder than it seems. Over the years, industry reports from sources like ATD’s “Evaluating Learning: Getting to Measurements that Matter” have repeatedly indicated that while most organizations routinely capture Level 1 (reaction) and Level 2 (learning) data, level 3 (behavior) and level 4 data (results) are obtained by just 35 percent of organizations. That this finding has remained largely unchanged since the survey was first launched in 2009 suggests we may have hit a ceiling of sorts.

It’s not for lack of interest. Other reports show a strong desire among leaders to evaluate better and more broadly. According to LinkedIn’s “2020 Workplace Learning Report,” learning leaders said their most important area of strategic focus for 2020 was evaluating the effectiveness of learning programs. The same survey revealed that one in five learning leaders said that demonstrating the value of learning was among their top three challenges in the near term.

There is a genuine desire within learning organizations not just to move the needle with regard to KPI, but to continuously innovate and improve as a team, and evaluation is the best tool we have to do that.

Why is learning’s impact so hard to accurately measure?

Measuring the true impact of learning solutions is hard to do for myriad reasons, including a lack of data, time or resources to conduct evaluation, and maybe the biggest reason — the difficulty of isolating learning as a cause of improvement.

Historically one of the biggest challenges in assessing the impact of learning programs has been accessing the performance data necessary to make comparisons. However, that has shifted in recent years as learning platforms are capturing better data and business intelligence and finance teams have become more willing partners in pulling the data we need.

Still, even with better access to performance data, the method frequently used to quantitatively measure the results of a newly deployed program is itself limiting. A new program is rolled out to its target audience and KPIs are measured over some period of time. If a change is seen in the data — say, revenue, error rates or customer satisfaction scores — that change is attributed to the new program. But should it be? Unfortunately, this approach is problematic.

The inherent challenge in adhering to a Kirkpatrick-style evaluation approach is that the further out you get from the learning event itself (e.g., “the levels”), the harder it is to isolate the event’s impacts from what researchers call confounding variables — factors out of your control that directly affect the data you’re trying to measure.

Example: sales onboarding

Let’s look at a simple scenario. A sales team is onboarding 500 new hires. Results from the usual onboarding have been acceptable, but a new and improved version of the program is planned that will incorporate upgraded content, activity enhancements, a smarter delivery blend and new approaches to follow-up coaching. The new program is deployed, and performance data are tracked over a six-month period following the program launch. The results for one key measure are charted below and clearly show an overall improvement (D).

Figure 1: Performance following deployment of new program

Based on these results, can we conclude the program was effective? It’s tempting to say yes, but the truth is we don’t know. Let’s look at why that is.

When data hide the truth: the danger of correlations

It is nearly impossible to deploy a new training program in a vacuum. There are all kinds of things happening inside and outside an organization that affect performance. Returning to our sales example below, notice the occurrence of initiatives unrelated to L&D — we’ll call these “outside events” — and the noticeable change in performance following each.

FIGURE 2

Maybe the new sales program is happening at the same time sales leadership made big changes to how they recruit, assign markets, target customers, or even what products and services are sold. These events may be having — in fact they are intended to have — a direct effect on performance that we need to factor out so we can say confidently that our new program is better (or worse) than whatever we’re comparing it with. Is the change in performance due to the new program, other factors or both?

The false positive: While it’s certainly possible that the new onboarding program had a significant impact on performance, it’s equally possible that it had little to no benefit and that some or all of the performance lift is due to those outside events. The point is you don’t know because the lift only correlates with deploying your new program; we have no idea if it caused any lift.

The false negative: Similarly, what if you saw little to no change at all but suspect that outside events are in play that actually may have harmed performance (e.g., poor hires, unpopular change in compensation plan, economic downturn, etc.)? In that case, you’d be seeing a correlation that falsely shows your learning program had weak effects, or even failed, when it didn’t. You see the problem.

Are we saying correlations have no value? No, not necessarily. A strong lift in performance, taken together with other data (e.g., changes in level-1 and level-2 data, focus groups, anecdotal feedback from frontline leaders, etc.) would give us some basis for taking a correlation more seriously. That’s legitimate and sometimes will be the best we can do. But the fact is we don’t really know, and by relying on correlation we risk concealing the true value of our programs while making innovation more difficult.

So how do we evaluate the impact of a learning program in a way that isolates its effect on performance from other confounding factors? In short, how do we uncover the truth?

The power of pilot testing

The most conclusive way to determine that a new learning program caused (or contributed to) a change in performance is to compare the outcomes between what we’ll call a pilot group and a group not using the new program, or what we’ll call a control group. Think of it as comparing a new drug against an alternative drug, or no drug at all (e.g., a placebo).Returning to our sales example, let’s say the new program was rolled out to a pilot group of 25 individuals, while the remainder went through the usual, preexisting program. We see that the pilot group (line A) outperformed the control group (line B) over the same six-month period. We know that the difference in performance is strictly due to the learning strategy employed because that’s the only difference between the groups.FIGURE 3

By comparing a pilot group with a control group, we can clearly measure its effects while filtering out the likely effects of those two outside events (along with any number of other hidden factors we’re not even aware of). Notice that both groups see performance change immediately following the outside events, but the pilot group still outperformed the control group during that time, thereby proving its impact. Had we simply rolled out the new program to everyone, we would see just one line in our graph and have no idea what, if any, performance gain was due to the new program.

There are several important considerations for running a pilot:

Participants in a pilot group should be a representative subset of the overall target audience (preferably randomized to the extent possible) and compared against some or all of the remaining target audience.
During the pilot, performance data should be captured and tracked for both groups for long enough that the desired effects have time to emerge. Be sure to allow time for your full solution to play out. For example, it should allow time for any coaching/support elements to have their effect.
Consider adding a second pilot group to the mix if you’re comparing two variations of a new program.

What would adding a “baseline group” get us?

Let’s adjust our scenario and say that sales leadership wants to boost prospecting skills and is comparing the results between a vendor-supplied program against a new, internally developed program. This would be program versus program, like our previous scenario — but what if we also track performance of those not going through either program — a “baseline” group?

Results could look like this:

FIGURE 4

By including performance data for individuals who did not participate in either program, we can see not only which program was better than another (D1), but we can now also see how much of the overall change in performance was due strictly to each program (D2 and D3 respectively). Without this baseline data, we only know the degree to which one program is better than another — we don’t know what share of the overall gain was caused by the programs. By comparing pilot results against this baseline group, we know with certainty.

When to consider this evaluation method

Due to the time needed for outcome data to emerge following delivery of learning programs, this approach is, in itself, an investment, not to mention a test of patience. It’s not necessary or practical to use this approach for every program or event; not every individual learning intervention that gets rolled out is expected, by itself, to “move the needle” at a measurable, KPI level. We need to be selective about running this kind of evaluation, and it may be best reserved for when certain conditions are met. You might ask these questions:

Is the stated goal of the program or strategy to directly influence one or more performance measures? All programs hope to influence improvement, but only some solutions are genuinely expected, by themselves, to result in measurable performance benefits. If your program is in the latter group, it may be a candidate for this approach.
Would the program’s deployment mean a substantial investment or change-management effort? Definitely consider this method when evaluating a new program that, if it were deployed broadly, would require a big change in investment, delivery approach, time to competency, hiring cycles and so forth.
Can you get the right data partners? Use this approach when outcome data can be gathered over time and analyzed in partnership with other business units. Lou Tedrick, VP of Global Learning and Development at Verizon, says, “The key is having strong relationships with business partners who are open to sharing performance data and with finance who can help us monetize the value of KPIs. By looking at both, we can measure the impact of learning on the business and the financial ROI.”
Are there other big changes happening beyond L&D? Consider this approach when you know in advance that the organization is rolling out changes that could conceal learning’s impact and you want to isolate its effects.

The benefits

Programs intended to shift attitudes or improve soft skills are notoriously difficult to measure, yet they are increasingly the focus of L&D initiatives. Using this approach, it doesn’t matter what type of gains you’re targeting — leadership, sales, customer service, diversity and inclusion — because you’re comparing outcomes for groups whose only difference is the learning program they completed. Using this approach, you have isolated your program’s effects regardless of how soft or nonquantitative the subject matter might be.

There’s also no limit to what you might compare. This method could be used to evaluate:

New programs
Programs with updated content, interactions and activities
Alternate delivery approaches for the same program
Alternate approaches to post-training support, coaching or mentoring

Better information for better decisionsTo be clear, this approach is not trying to follow tightly controlled experimental design or show what statisticians call “statistical significance.” We’re simply applying an experimental method and mindset to arrive at a much cleaner and less biased set of data that leaders can use to make better decisions, and by extension, to establish improved accountability for learner performance and establish the real impact of programs.

Learning leaders, like all leaders, need to be accountable for results, and this method can be instrumental in that accountability. But more than that, if learning leaders are going to be innovators, they need to know what works and what doesn’t. With this approach you can confidently answer the question, “How well did it work?”

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