In venues both large and small, show producers know that optimal staging can transform great performances into immersive experiences that delight the senses. After all, who can resist the magnetic allure of dazzling lights, palpable sound quality and imaginative backdrops?
Your learning and development crew can captivate its audiences, too, by deploying engaging technology and innovative approaches, but before you can begin casting new solutions, be sure you’re not just chasing the hottest new technology or trend, but instead solving a real need.
Instead, deliberately build a diversified tech stack that supports your production both on- and off-stage. This includes investigating unaddressed challenges that show room for improvement by considering process enhancements, identifying modernized (and effective) tech solutions and pinpointing process inefficiencies.
Think strategically. This is a long-term endeavor that requires careful calculations to weigh the cost of new approaches or technology implementation against the return on your investment and the shelf life of the solution. Decisions like these will require your learning design and operations teams to rehearse together.
Invest wisely in your production playbook
Formalize an innovation pipeline that cycles new solutions through phases of testing, piloting and operationalizing. You may even consider creating a dedicated role to manage this process holistically — researching solutions, testing approaches and measuring effectiveness — while also scanning for novel solutions to everyday pain points.
By establishing an easy-to-follow process, it will be much simpler to implement future-of-learning technologies that may include the following:
- Digital adoption platforms.
- Augmented reality learning solutions.
- Next-level video creation tools that produce content for you with simple text inputs.
- Portable, all-in-one video production equipment that enables subject matter experts to transfer knowledge quickly to learners.
- Artificial intelligence tools that simulate life-like interactions and offer personalized digital coaching.
It will take time and effort to thoroughly test solutions, but calculated rollouts can empower your team to push limits on what’s possible and realize the value — saving time, cutting costs and improving outcomes.
Cast new tech with care
Trendy tech can seem like must-have headliners, but they may not be the right answer right now. This brings us to an important point: You must harvest data to make an objective decision and recognize when some innovations might not be the right solution to solve your team’s goals and your audience’s needs.
Thoughtfully develop business cases and proofs of concepts to demonstrate ROI potential before you buy. This may include metrics that focus on measuring the following:
- Cost or time savings.
- Quality enhancements.
- Increased client or customer satisfaction.
- Boosting the performance of your learning audience or teams.
Timing really is everything
Timing is an important factor in identifying which technologies to add. This is especially true when faced with rapid change when agility is essential. Business realities resulting from the recent pandemic proved this. Learning teams found themselves pivoting from providing in-person classroom experiences to fully virtual training almost overnight. Not only did the learning content have to support this sudden shift, but it also had to be underpinned by the appropriate technology.
Now business norms are trending toward a hybrid workforce solution, showing us the importance of paying attention to the world around us and asking intuitive questions that may include:
- Is this solution flexible enough to meet the needs of tomorrow’s disruptions?
- Can it be adapted to solve multiple use cases?
- What is the potential longevity of this solution?
- Do you have the right resources, skills and capacity to successfully implement this tech?
Don’t overcomplicate your production
Ensure your tech choice does not overcomplicate the need it fulfills. Do you need a high-cost virtual reality simulation for a smaller, short-lived initiative? Or could a simplified roleplay technology effectively meet your needs in that instance?
Consider the specific ROI you’re looking to achieve. Weigh your choices and identify your most pragmatic choice before you commit.
Some of the best innovations work behind the scenes
Not all technology stars were made for the spotlight, so be careful not to overlook backstage solutions. Think of how you provision learners to your learning management system, or how you reset training environments for cohorts.
Could the steps you take today be simplified or automated to reduce repetitive-task workloads? You know — those thunder-stealing tasks that take hours of manual work. Not only could such interventions save you time, but they could also reduce naturally occurring instances of human error.
Engage with your software development team and share details about such processes. You might find that their knowledge holds the keys to faster, more accurate completions — while also freeing your team to focus on higher value tasks that help your workforce grow and feel challenged.
Keep your definition of innovation inclusive
As exciting as it is to debut the latest technology, it’s important to recognize that innovation does not always come in the form of a new technology. Innovation can be as simple as using an existing tool or technique in a different way.
For example, to personalize learning, see if you can develop pretests that use custom templates built into the content authoring tools your team uses daily. A simple solution like this may deliver the right amount of personalized training needed to reduce your learning audiences’ seat time while optimizing their experience.
Write your screenplay for success
Whether it’s new technology or innovative approaches, in establishing a new process by continually scanning for opportunities and remaining diligent, you can solve real problems while maximizing your return on investment.
Remember: Just because a technology is touted as the latest and greatest trend, does not mean it is the right solution for your organization right now. When you innovate in the right places, you and your audience can sit back and enjoy the experience.
This is the fifth article in the series — The Great Talent Show: A Time for Learning to Shine.
The Great Talent Show is coming soon to organizations everywhere. While many have pointed to a talent movement often termed “The Great Resignation,” not all have reflected on the new priorities and needs of the talent that are at its root. This reflection presents an opportunity for learning and development teams to enter the spotlight. If there was ever a time to shine as L&D professionals, that time is now.
But how can organizations ensure their learning troupe doesn’t simply get a ticket to the show and is instead cast in a starring role?
In this article series, learning experts at ADP — this year’s CLO LearningElite Organization of the Year — illustrate the multifaceted ways learning organizations can influence real results that impact the business while also supporting talent in reaching their full potential.
Read the other articles in this series:
- “Run learning like a … startup” by Andrea Elkin
- “Get more standing ovations with learner-optimized design and delivery” by Heather Granger and Carol Munir
- “It takes two: Staying in step with stakeholders to deliver meaningful performance improvement” by Alwyn Klein
- The art of learning innovation: Blurring the lines between realism and abstract thinking to achieve visionary outcomes by Matthew Pellarin
