The Shift from Training to Learning
The buzz these days is that training is being fundamentally redefined, that there’s a shift away from traditional training and toward learning- on-demand. Whereas training is provided for employees, learning is initiated by employees. Whereas training takes place when it’s available, learning happens whenever it must. Whereas training usually occurs in classrooms, learning happens anywhere, often with the aid of online systems.
One reason for the shift to a new paradigm is that technology is catching up with people’s desire for self-paced learning. Until recently, computer-based training was mostly used for teaching technical skills. But now some organizations are trying to harness technology to teach the so-called soft skills so critical to professional development. This is made possible in part via computer-based simulations that can branch off into various pathways depending on how the user responds. Such simulations are likely to become ever more realistic as bandwidth expands and technologies such as video streaming are perfected.
There’s little doubt that companies -- at least in the U.S. -- are moving to take advantage of such new technologies. A recent survey of HR managers by workplace consultants Drake Beam Morin found that fully 94% believe technology-based learning is a viable option for teaching professional development. And an American Society for Training & Development study of U.S. organizations found that the percentage of training delivered via learning technologies was projected to rise considerably between 1998 and 2001. If such technologies are effective, they may provide a major advantage to firms embroiled in today’s so-called war for talent.
As might be expected, it is often technology firms that are at the cutting edge of this trend. IBM, for example, has created a Web-based learning infrastructure that helps to provide leadership development and people-management skills training to about 30,000 managers worldwide. Its “e-learning” system consists of four tiers. The first one is made up of just-in-time performance tools that provide managers with people-management information virtually anytime and anywhere to satisfy immediate business concerns. Information can be accessed via an index or keyword search. It brings to the desktop what IBM considers the best thinking on more than 40 management and leadership topics, such as retention, managing remotely, and team leadership. Information includes customized education materials from Harvard Business School as well as IBM policies and practices across the world.
The second tier focuses on interactive learning. One of its primary features is a coaching simulator in which users can immerse themselves. These realistic situations include 100 decision points and 5,000 screens of action. They’re designed to give managers the chance to practice coaching in a risk-free environment. Users can receive feedback anytime about their actions in each simulated coaching session. In addition, there are simulations focused on various HR issues and on the challenges encountered when managing in a global environment.
The third tier uses technology to bring “e-learners” together. Managers interact and collaborate with one another in virtual spaces via IBM products such as TeamRoom. This allows for some of the give and take of human dynamics. IBM’s management development group supports virtual teams with materials and consulting.
Finally, Tier 4 includes face-to-face human instruction and interaction. Unlike what happens in traditional classrooms, however, not much time is spent in basic information transfer. In fact, by the time they get to these “learning labs,” participants should have already demonstrated mastery of the other three tiers. Instead, the focus is on sophisticated interaction in learning workshops.
At IBM, managers-in-training spend their first year honing their skills by using this four-tier learning system. Each person enters with a group of other new managers and receives support from senior managers. The first half of the year provides the foundation for the week-long in- class learning labs held around the world. At the end of a yearlong process, managers are deemed capable of leading high-performance teams. Moreover, IBM is nearly ready to launch a similar program for its experienced managers, one that uses many of the same technologies and includes a learning lab focused on interactive coaching and organizational improvement.
It’s impossible to say how quickly other organizations will embrace such learning systems. As HRI notes in its new report Training and Development, attitudes and expectations related to technology-supported learning are deeply ingrained in industry sectors. High-tech firms often embrace it while other firms often don’t. Global regions also may make a difference. In some parts of Europe, the educational and training community seems resistant to technology- supported learning, and it’s been reported that few European trainers have the expertise or incentives to use new training applications on a large scale. On the other hand, IBM’s system is said to be doing well in Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America, perhaps because all content was developed by global curriculum teams. In the final analysis, the spread of learning technologies throughout the corporate world will largely depend on the success of the firms that are the earliest adopters.
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A fine article on the shift from training to learning is Eileen Garger's November 1999 article in Workforce magazine, "Goodbye Training, Hello Learning." It can be found by registered users at http://www.workforceonline.com/.
One reason for the shift to a new paradigm is that technology is catching up with people’s desire for self-paced learning. Until recently, computer-based training was mostly used for teaching technical skills. But now some organizations are trying to harness technology to teach the so-called soft skills so critical to professional development. This is made possible in part via computer-based simulations that can branch off into various pathways depending on how the user responds. Such simulations are likely to become ever more realistic as bandwidth expands and technologies such as video streaming are perfected.
There’s little doubt that companies -- at least in the U.S. -- are moving to take advantage of such new technologies. A recent survey of HR managers by workplace consultants Drake Beam Morin found that fully 94% believe technology-based learning is a viable option for teaching professional development. And an American Society for Training & Development study of U.S. organizations found that the percentage of training delivered via learning technologies was projected to rise considerably between 1998 and 2001. If such technologies are effective, they may provide a major advantage to firms embroiled in today’s so-called war for talent.
As might be expected, it is often technology firms that are at the cutting edge of this trend. IBM, for example, has created a Web-based learning infrastructure that helps to provide leadership development and people-management skills training to about 30,000 managers worldwide. Its “e-learning” system consists of four tiers. The first one is made up of just-in-time performance tools that provide managers with people-management information virtually anytime and anywhere to satisfy immediate business concerns. Information can be accessed via an index or keyword search. It brings to the desktop what IBM considers the best thinking on more than 40 management and leadership topics, such as retention, managing remotely, and team leadership. Information includes customized education materials from Harvard Business School as well as IBM policies and practices across the world.
The second tier focuses on interactive learning. One of its primary features is a coaching simulator in which users can immerse themselves. These realistic situations include 100 decision points and 5,000 screens of action. They’re designed to give managers the chance to practice coaching in a risk-free environment. Users can receive feedback anytime about their actions in each simulated coaching session. In addition, there are simulations focused on various HR issues and on the challenges encountered when managing in a global environment.
The third tier uses technology to bring “e-learners” together. Managers interact and collaborate with one another in virtual spaces via IBM products such as TeamRoom. This allows for some of the give and take of human dynamics. IBM’s management development group supports virtual teams with materials and consulting.
Finally, Tier 4 includes face-to-face human instruction and interaction. Unlike what happens in traditional classrooms, however, not much time is spent in basic information transfer. In fact, by the time they get to these “learning labs,” participants should have already demonstrated mastery of the other three tiers. Instead, the focus is on sophisticated interaction in learning workshops.
At IBM, managers-in-training spend their first year honing their skills by using this four-tier learning system. Each person enters with a group of other new managers and receives support from senior managers. The first half of the year provides the foundation for the week-long in- class learning labs held around the world. At the end of a yearlong process, managers are deemed capable of leading high-performance teams. Moreover, IBM is nearly ready to launch a similar program for its experienced managers, one that uses many of the same technologies and includes a learning lab focused on interactive coaching and organizational improvement.
It’s impossible to say how quickly other organizations will embrace such learning systems. As HRI notes in its new report Training and Development, attitudes and expectations related to technology-supported learning are deeply ingrained in industry sectors. High-tech firms often embrace it while other firms often don’t. Global regions also may make a difference. In some parts of Europe, the educational and training community seems resistant to technology- supported learning, and it’s been reported that few European trainers have the expertise or incentives to use new training applications on a large scale. On the other hand, IBM’s system is said to be doing well in Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America, perhaps because all content was developed by global curriculum teams. In the final analysis, the spread of learning technologies throughout the corporate world will largely depend on the success of the firms that are the earliest adopters.
====================================================
A fine article on the shift from training to learning is Eileen Garger's November 1999 article in Workforce magazine, "Goodbye Training, Hello Learning." It can be found by registered users at http://www.workforceonline.com/.