Advancing technology is not only motivating learning and development professionals to stay current on cutting-edge technology, it is also sending them back to basics. Why? The current rate of development is leaving experts in all fields curious. No one is able to serve as the all-knowing sage any longer. Instead, experts are humbling themselves, admitting what they do and do not know, and returning to timeless methods to curate opportunities for insight sharing.
L&D professionals are taking off their teacher hats in favor of their facilitator ones. We are finding new meaning in learning in the flow of work and promoting organizational behaviors that ingrain, sustain and communicate insights. This technology boom may finally solidify our place as strategic business partners. For learning professionals to bloom through the boom, reexamining our root system and turning to the sun are needed.
Reexamine the roots
Each new technology and trend needs to be evaluated against tried and true learning paradigms. The roots of our field run deep, despite often being confused and mangled with masquerading weeds. The way adults learn to develop new skills and behaviors is not technology-dependent. New technologies that aid these natural processes or alleviate the administrative burden are beneficial to the field.
Technology and scientific advancements are also accelerating what we know about the brain and how it works. The better we understand the human mind and behavior, the better we can serve individuals with learning solutions. Technology demystifies the inner workings we have hypothesized, tested and often pretended we knew. Leaders in neuroscience and brain-centered learning like Lauren Waldman are using technology to create transparency about how the brain learns. Sharing such knowledge aids learning professionals in cutting through the noise and returning to core tenants.
Once learning professionals are armed with genuine knowledge of learning methods and theories, our attention can shift to dispelling myths learners have about technology-enabled development. In a world with an app for everything, endless queues of streaming content and seemingly wise personal assistants in our pockets, adults benefit from reminders about how to effectively take in information and seek constructive guidance on how to practice and apply new knowledge.
One of the most persistent misconceptions among learners is that learning only occurs in a classroom or on a computer. The 3E model advocates that development comes through experience and exposure as well as education; this model reframes the entire workday as an opportunity for continuous learning. Some align this model with the famous 70:20:10 framework, which encourages but does not stipulate that learning should be proportionally diversified. When employees are empowered to see every encounter as a chance to learn, technology becomes an aid rather than a requirement or a crutch.
Turn to the sun
Light illuminates what works and dispels what does not. When learning professionals “follow the sun,” we align to a north star and establish a litmus test for how and where we spend our efforts.
As learning cultures embrace new technology, learning professionals must think globally about end-to-end talent development solutions. Technology can enable program sustainability and scalability for traditional offerings, such as mentoring, while also bringing new meaning to just-in-time learning through embedded opportunities in many business platforms used in the flow of work. When learning shifts from what we do occasionally to our means of daily success, meaningful advancements are gleaned not only in the learning industry but also in work at large.
Technology is also evolving how learning professionals curate knowledge, empower discovery and document insights. Historically, these key business functions have often fallen to learning teams and the business need for them is not lost. Indeed, the rate of knowledge creation is advancing at a rapid speed. New technologies are helping professionals keep pace, make sense of information overload and draw novel insights.
Finally, as learning professionals remain focused on the light of their core objectives, technology can be layered on to bolster impact and ROI measurement efforts, which continues to be a daunting and nebulous endeavor. Technology enables enhanced sensing, diagnostics and analytics. As technology generates more data points than ever before, learning professionals must sunset vanity metrics in favor of synthesized insights that deliver value. The sun burns off the haze and illuminates measures that matter, which only technology can surface at scale.
Risk of overwatering
Focusing on our authentic roots and allowing the sun to dispel darkness and distraction, learning is positioned to be a strategic partner and consultant. This top-down and bottom-up approach leaves one area of consideration. What are the risks of overwatering our blooming “learning plant?”
Advancing technology often results in falling prey to “shiny new toy” syndrome. This either distracts us with longing for what we can’t afford or what we hope will be a new silver bullet. We play with this toy and then it sits in the proverbial closet. This slows our ability to serve learners and can create an overly complex tech stack that alienates portions of our client group.
New technology also presents the challenge of incompatibility with existing platforms or the perceived need to update all existing materials to the latest tool indiscriminately. This matter is sensitive though because the inverse also spells trouble. Dated tools turn off learners, discredit the value of the content on its face and make learning teams appear obsolete. Utilizing the proper technologies in suitable ways to the right degree is a fine line that merits a nuanced approach.
Conclusion
In learning to bloom through this technology boom, we need to lean on our timeless roots, guard against the deluge and hold all new ideas and tools up to the light for careful consideration.
