Performance Improvement | September/October 2021

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021

CREATING REAL BEHAVIOR CHANGE | 16 Leveraging Brain Science to Improve Training

L&D’S ROLE IN ORGANIZATIONAL DESIGN | 30 Getting a Seat at the Decision-making Table

BEHAVIOR AND KNOWLEDGE MAPPING | 40 Creating a One-to-One Learning Experience

BUSINESS

PERSPECTIVES

ON

MANAGING

WORLD-CLASS

TRAINING

Did You Know...

65% of Companies Deliver Their Training Virtually

&

53% Identify Learning Engagement as a Priority

Did You Also Know...

Increasing Learner Engagement Requires Tools Video Conferencing Platforms Don’t Have

& Finally, Did You Know...

Jigsaw Interactive’s Virtual Learning Environment Is Built Specifically to Create & Sustain Engagement Through Innovative, MultiDimensional Learning Tools

Experience The Difference JigsawInteractive.com

KEN TAYLOR

FROM THE EDITOR

DIAGNOSING LEARNER NEEDS

How relevant is your training? It’s a question we should be asking more often in learning and development (L&D). One of the surest ways to sabotage your training is to focus only on the outcome, and not give any thought to how it will resonate with learners. Regardless of how much planning goes into the programs, training will not have the desired impact if it doesn’t connect with learners. To ensure that training efforts align not only with the interests of management, but also with those of learners, we must improve or at least develop our diagnostics capabilities.

Understanding the needs of your workforce will allow you to develop programs that speak to each learner.

THE STRUCTURE OF OUR PROGRAMS NEEDS TO EVOLVE TO MAINTAIN RELEVANCY FOR EVERY PARTICIPANT.

The structure of our programs needs to evolve to maintain relevancy for every participant — employees are expecting it. That means designing programs that take into consideration not only the skill gap or purpose for the program, but also the learner’s preference in terms of how and when they want to develop the needed skill. That can mean introducing everything from printed materials to mentoring sessions to practice the new skills. Providing the employee with some degree of choice in the learning path will result in a more engaged learner and better outcomes for the organization.

In this edition of Training Industry Magazine, we’re exploring the ways that L&D can foster performance

improvement throughout the organization. You’ll find a breakdown of what makes great employees (and how to help learners at all levels get there).

Learn why it’s important for L&D to be involved in organizational design, as well as how we can use brain science to understand and mitigate the stress that corporate change can bring about in employees.

This edition will also examine how L&D can focus on the individual with articles on fostering mentor/mentee relationships, as well as using artificial intelligence and machine learning to replicate the benefits of the one-on-one attention that learners used to receive under apprenticeship programs. You’ll gain tips on ensuring the relevance of your training, so that it inspires real engagement from learners across the organization, as well as ways to break training down into digestible (and memorable) portions.

At Training Industry, we strive to provide you with the information and tools you need to improve learner performance within your organization.

This issue should offer you some unique perspectives and techniques toward that end. As always, we would love to hear your thoughts on the perspectives shared in this edition, as well as any topics you would like us to engage with in the future.

Ken Taylor is the chief executive officer at Training Industry, Inc. Email Ken.

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CO N T E N TS

TA B L E O F VOLUME 14

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I

ISSUE 6

I

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021

FEATURES

16 CREATING REAL BEHAVIOR CHANGE

16 20 24

30 L&D’S ROLE IN ORGANIZATIONAL DESIGN

40 BEHAVIOR AND KNOWLEDGE MAPPING

USING SCIENCE TO CREATE REAL BEHAVIORAL CHANGE

By Dr. Britt Andreatta

Design effective training by understanding the brain science behind learners’ reactions to change.

FOSTERING BETTER ENGAGEMENT AMONG MULTIPLE LEVELS OF EXPERIENCES

By Nicole Koval, M.S.Ed., and Trent Bartholomew, M.Ed., CPTM

Get learners out of their comfort zones and expose them to peers with diverse backgrounds.

IMPROVING RETENTION AND APPLICATION OF LEARNING WITH CONTINUOUS LEARNING JOURNEYS

By Suresh Kumar, DN

Learning tends to stick when it’s divided into bite-size portions, and available at the point of need.

26 30

TIPPING THE SCALE: THE SECRETS OF SUPER-PERFORMERS

By Steven J. Stowell, Ph.D., Emily Hodgson-Soule, MPC, and Stephanie S. Mead, MBA

Learn how employees can consistently grow and provide unexpected value to their organizations.

DRIVING SUCCESS IN ORGANIZATIONAL DESIGN: A SEAT AT THE TABLE FOR LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT

By Valerie Brophy and Michelle Crowe

Get L&D involved in organizational redesigns to ensure that learners can keep providing value.

34 38

MAKE TRAINING RELEVANT—DIAGNOSE PERFORMANCE FIRST

By Paul Matthews

To ensure training’s relevance, focus on the performance outcomes management wants to see.

YOUR MENTOR IS WAITING: LEVERAGING TECHNOLOGY FOR KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS SHARING

By Karen Tharrington, Ph.D.

Existing technology can help match mentors with mentees, even in hybrid environments.

40 45

THE TRAINING ADVANTAGES OF COMBINING BEHAVIOR AND KNOWLEDGE MAPPING

By Patrick Weir

Advancements in technology can enable a one-to-one learning experience.

DON’T MANAGE PERFORMANCE, MANIFEST IT! 5 KEYS TO TRANSFORM LEARNING INTO LEGACY

By Tracey Lorraine

Training can’t create true change until we stop responding to problems and start anticipating them.

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IN THIS ISSUE

THOUGHT LEADERS

3 9 11 13

FROM THE EDITOR

By Ken Taylor

For more relevant, effective training that moves the needle, focus on improving diagnostics.

15

By Shariem Saterfield, CPTM

53

WHAT’S NEXT IN TECH

55

GUEST EDITOR

Set clearer boundaries around the difference between training and performance improvement.

By Stella Lee, Ph.D.

Analytic technology can cross privacy boundaries if it isn’t used ethically.

BUILDING LEADERS

By Sam Shriver and Marshall Goldsmith

57

Ongoing performance improvement requires leaders to be “all in.”

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

By Dr. Kristal Walker, CPTM

To understand how to foster an inclusive workplace, you can start by looking at job descriptions.

PERFORMANCE MATTERS

By Julie Winkle Giulioni

Help your learners grow on the job by setting up opportunities for experiential learning.

SCIENCE OF LEARNING

By Srini Pillay, M.D.

Brain science and psychology shed new light on problems with performance improvement.

LEARNER MINDSET

By Michelle Eggleston Schwartz, CPTM Managers play a critical role in identifying and preventing employee burnout.

INFO EXCHANGE

48

CASEBOOK

58

CLOSING DEALS

Learn how The Bancorp applied talent management strategies to rebuild its learning programs from the ground up.

Keep up with the latest in the training industry by reading news from the last quarter.

GP Strategies’ partnership with LTG positions both companies to drive performance transformation.

CONNECT WITH US

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COMPANY NEWS

1 (866) 298-4203

editor@trainingindustry.com

TrainingIndustry.com

ABOUT OUR TEAM

STAFF EDITOR IN CHIEF & CEO Ken Taylor ktaylor@trainingindustry.com

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Mike Allen mallen@trainingindustry.com

DESIGNER Kellie Blackburn kblackburn@trainingindustry.com

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Michelle Eggleston Schwartz meggleston@trainingindustry.com

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Amanda Longo alongo@trainingindustry.com

DESIGNER Alyssa Alheid aalheid@trainingindustry.com

EDITOR Sarah Gallo sgallo@trainingindustry.com

DESIGNER Mary Lewis mlewis@trainingindustry.com

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MISSION Training Industry Magazine connects learning and development professionals with the resources and solutions needed to more effectively manage the business of learning.

EDITORIAL BOARD JUDI BADER, CPTM Senior Director of Learning Arby’s Restaurant Group

MATTHEW S. PRAGER, CPTM Executive Training Manager U.S. Government

MICHAEL CANNON, M.ED. Senior Director, Head of Learning & Development Red Hat

MARC RAMOS Global Head of Learning Strategy & Learning Innovation Novartis

MEGAN CASADOS Director of Training DISH

KELLY RIDER Chief Learning Officer PTC

BARBARA JORDAN, CPTM Group Vice President, Global Learning & Development Sims Metal Management

DR. SYDNEY SAVION General Manager, Learning Air New Zealand KERRY TROESTER, CPTM Director, North America Sales Training Lenovo

CATHERINE KELLY, MA, BSN, RN, CPTM Director of Learning Programs Brookdale Senior Living

NATASHA MILLER WILLIAMS Head of Diversity & Inclusion Ferrara

SHIREEN LACKEY, CPTM Talent Management Officer, Office of Business Process Integration Veterans Benefits Administration

KEE MENG YEO Adjunct Professor Grand Valley State University & Davenport University

LAURA MORAROS Global Head of Sales Learning Facebook SCOTT NUTTER General Manager, Research, AQP & Development Delta Air Lines

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SHARIEM SATERFIELD, CPTM

GUEST EDITOR

LEVEL SETTING PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT VERSUS TRAINING

Training professionals already know that performance improvement and training are not the same thing. Performance is based on much more than knowledge.

After all, knowing how to drive fast does not automatically qualify someone for NASCAR! True performance improvement requires analysis and a willingness to modify management practices, business processes, tools and established methods of operation to increase effectiveness, efficiency and output.

Without these considerations, the best a training practitioner can hope to achieve is knowledge transfer and improved employee motivation.

This truth is often lost on our nontraining stakeholders. It is a lot easier to request training than it is to conduct a root cause analysis of a performance problem. So how can training managers properly level-set expectations when they are asked to improve employee performance?

Remember that many stakeholders do not know that there is a difference between knowledge and performance.

Rather than push back on a request and cause frustration, introduce the concept of performance improvement versus training in your intake process.

TERMINOLOGY MATTERS Use terminology that differentiates training events from performance improvement projects. Review your project request forms and intake documents and look for ways to showcase the difference. Example:

The goal of this project is to: • Inform staff. Communicate new process, tool or guideline information required for operational purposes.

• Educate staff. Conduct training for knowledge transfer and job preparation purposes.

• Improve staff performance. Work with management to identify and solve for a specific performance-related challenge.

Introducing the concept of performance improvement through the intake process can help stakeholders understand the difference between training and performance improvement.

USE DATA Request data-based support for training directives and quantifiable post-training evaluation criteria. Help your stakeholders to identify which performance challenges are actual priorities by having them quantify their perceived problems and their desired results. If there are no metrics to support their training request and no quantifiable post-training goals, it may help them to realize that they do not have a performance-related problem.

PROVIDE FEEDBACK Make performance analysis feedback part of your instructional development process. Always ask to speak with staff who are meeting or exceeding the desired business goal before creating content for performance-motivated training. Managers rarely know why their star performers succeed where others fail. It may be up to

you to find out and to share that information.

By sharing direct employee feedback from star performers, stakeholders can learn about the non-training factors that contribute to employee success.

TRUE PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT REQUIRES ANALYSIS AND A WILLINGNESS TO MODIFY MANAGEMENT PRACTICES. TIE SUCCESS CRITERIA TO THE GOAL BEFORE THE PROJECT If stakeholders want staff educated, then the number of people trained, as well as acceptable Level 2 assessment scores, should suffice as success standards.

If stakeholders want behavior change, they need to be willing to discuss the factors that impact employee behavior, including resources, work environment and employee morale. If an increase in output is desired, stakeholders must be open to a discussion about current tools and resources.

Help your stakeholders align their training expectations with their desired performance results. Do not allow your training department to be blamed for poor performance that education alone cannot fix. Accountability should be rooted in reality, not fantasy. So, keep it real my friends!

Shariem Saterfield, CPTM, has over 20 years of training and professional development experience. She is the owner and principal consultant for Saterfield Coaching and Consulting. Email Shariem.

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STELLA LEE, PH.D.

WHAT’S NEXT IN TECH

RESPONSIBLE APPLICATIONS OF PERFORMANCE SUPPORT TECHNOLOGIES Digital technologies are increasingly integral to how we provide talent development and performance support.

For example, medical mobile apps can provide physicians point-of-care access to relevant drug and clinical information; conversational chatbots can deliver a more personalized way of learning by pushing content out to learners in the flow of work; and data analytics in the form of visual dashboards can centralize data points collected across various learning and performance-related activities, giving busy managers a high-level view of what goes on in the company.

KEEP IN MIND THAT WE DO HAVE CHOICES IN THE TECHNOLOGIES WE USE. When used well, these tools can detect useful patterns, provide new insights and help with decision-making. However, despite the creators’ and implementers’ best intentions, there remains a gap in business between the desires to close the talent gaps and the potential to cause harm.

In one such case, Microsoft 365 has a productivity score feature that allows managers to evaluate individual-level employee data, monitor activities and track where they spend their time – particularly during the pandemic when the majority of people are working from home. However, ever since its launch, this tool has garnered much criticism, and has been deemed fullblown workplace surveillance. After much backlash, Microsoft finally made changes and removed the individual names and

only provide aggregate data at the organizational level.

How can we as learning professionals who evaluate and utilize these tools think more deeply about their impacts?

BE INFORMED ABOUT TECHNOLOGY ETHICS Learn as much as you can on various aspects of technology ethics and ask questions such as: What are we trying to achieve with these technologies? Are the technologies able to solve the problems we identified, and at what cost? Who will benefit and who will be disadvantaged by the change? What kind of assumptions are we making?

Keep in mind that we do have choices in the technologies we implement and use. As an example, artificial intelligence (AI)-based conversational chatbots are implemented for coaching and mentoring sessions. Do we know if there are any assumptions built into the way the chatbots respond to people from different cultural backgrounds? Did it disengage and demotivate people as a result of biased information (or lack of relevant information)?

ENSURE TECHNOLOGY GOVERNANCE As organizations select and adopt new technologies, governance is rarely at the forefront of the project. While it is tempting to implement now and regulate later, it is important to have a governance framework in place from the beginning and throughout the adoption process.

This is particularly critical for new and

emerging technologies such as AI and machine learning since little research and few case studies have been done on their impacts, risks and any unintentional consequences. More so, when they touch on issues of privacy and mass surveillance within an organization.

For example, many talent development tools have a predictive function that managers can use to gauge people’s performance potential and make decisions accordingly. What guidelines and regulations can we use to apply these predictions in a responsible way?

PRACTICE RESPONSIBLE USAGE OF TECHNOLOGY While it is important to have technology governance in place, it does not guarantee that more ethical behavior will follow. Organizations need to adopt a responsible approach to ensure the benefits outweigh the risks, and that the technologies are there to support rather than undermine people’s autonomy.

To sum up, creating and sustaining a culture of responsible use of performance support technologies must be a deliberate, thoughtful and iterative process. It will require efforts from across the organization, but it is a journey that is well worth taking.

Dr. Stella Lee has over 20 years of experience in consulting, planning, designing, implementing and measuring learning initiatives. Her focus is on largescale learning projects including LMS evaluation and implementation, learning analytics, and artificial intelligent applications. Email Stella.

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BUILDING LEADERS

SAM SHRIVER & MARSHALL GOLDSMITH

PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT IS INSIDE OUT

When you see the words “performance” and “improvement” sitting next to each other in an article like this, the left side of your brain usually goes on full alert. It does so because traditionally strategic discussions on the topic of improving performance favor facts, data and objectivity.

You know the drill. You are a manager who needs to get increased productivity out of your team. So, first things first. You establish a baseline that accurately reflects where you are.

After that, you leverage some form of predictive analysis that identifies where you want to be. And, soon thereafter, you commit to some form of relentless measurement that allows you to incrementally calibrate your progress moving forward.

A few observations on this approach: • Structurally: Still valid! Actionable performance goals emanate from the gap that exists between the “here and now” as compared to an aspirational “what good could look like.” Hard to imagine that not remaining the case in some form or fashion for the rest of time.

• Functionally: Has been improved in epic proportion by technological evolution.

Performance-related feedback and feedforward are informed by real-time metrics that were unimaginable only a short time ago. No reason to think this trend will slow down or lose momentum anytime soon.

• Operationally: Example after example have been documented that

suggest performance improvement is increasingly becoming a function of genuine, other-centered, human connection (right-brain stuff). Creative leaders who take risks and thoughtfully approach the dynamic of continuous improvement in a personalized manner are increasingly becoming the norm.

LEADERS WHO PRIORITIZE “ALL-IN ENGAGEMENT” HAVE TO BE “ALL IN” THEMSELVES. As we are all aware at this point, leaders are primarily judged by their ability to impact three things: • Productivity: Are identified targets being hit or surpassed?

• Engagement: Are employees anchored to the mission of the company, linked to each other in the pursuit of that mission and cognizant of the role their work plays in helping them fulfill what is personally most important to them in their lives?

• Retention: Is key talent sticking around?

Defined in this manner, which parameter would you say is most important? Of course, they all are!

But, if you had to target just one, which one would it be? Legendary leaders like Alan Mulally, Frances Hesselbein, Hubert Joly, Bill George (and no doubt countless others) would answer that question quickly and with conviction: “Engagement!” If

the people on your team are “all in,” guess what you don’t have to spend nearly as much time worrying about?

Things like productivity, performance improvement and retention. Sounds easy, but it is anything but.

The catch is that leaders who target and prioritize “all-in engagement” have to be “all in” themselves. They need to consistently exhibit and encourage activity like self-reflection, authentic disclosure and collaborative courage. In the process, they find out what truly matters to the people they work with. They find out because they ask them (directly) questions like this, “I’m curious. Why do you work here, and how does that work relate to the things that are most important to you?”

After that, they listen — from the heart — and do everything they can to help those people see, understand and appreciate how their contribution and personal search for excellence at work can contribute to the fulfillment of their most important goals in life.

This leads us to conclude that ongoing, tangible performance improvement will continue to be structured and surrounded by the tools of objective analysis while remaining (at its core) a function of a leader’s ability to establish and sustain an empowering connection fueled by personal investment.

Marshall Goldsmith is the world authority in helping successful leaders get even better. Sam Shriver is the executive vice president at The Center for Leadership Studies. Email Marshall and Sam.

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DR. KRISTAL WALKER, CPTM

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

3 LEVELS OF PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT

Companies don’t become great by accident. It takes creative, committed and skillful people to do exceptional work that results in exceptional customer experiences. This level of performance may come naturally to the highly engaged and motivated employee, but not necessarily for those who feel ostracized or lack access to the resources they need to be productive. So it is no wonder why companies who don’t invest in diversity, equity and inclusion training experience periodic performance challenges.

Over the last 18 months, organizational leaders across most industries have been challenged with keeping employees safe while improving inclusivity. These leaders are relying heavily on individual and team performance to handle day-to-day operations. As a result, stakeholders are going back to the drawing board to strategize new ways to achieve business goals, manage talent and set new performance expectations. The best way to do this is to redefine what success looks like at the individual, team and organizational levels.

INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE As basic as this sounds, individual performance begins with a job description. A “one-size-fits-all” approach will only sabotage any possibilities of a successful onboarding. It is imperative to be intentional about your processes from start to finish. Modern employees are looking to examine the heart of the organization even before considering applying.

If the employment ad does not present a welcoming culture, the odds of attracting a diverse pool of qualified talent increases dramatically. The same goes for the job description. If the responsibilities seem notably different for individuals from marginalized populations or if the task that these employees are expected to perform don’t position them to add value to the company in any way, the recruitment stakeholders (i.e., human resources and hiring managers, etc.) could possibly be setting the employee up for failure.

That failure might resemble untimely resignation, disengagement or some level of toxicity. When performance expectations are designed with individual diversity, equity and inclusion in mind, leaders are less likely to have employees with performance issues.

TEAM PERFORMANCE Even with the highest level of collective organizational goals, it takes great team effort to accomplish them.

Bruce Tuckman — who identified the four stages of team development — described how team formation will eventually lead to a storming or conflicting stage, before the team aligns on performance norms. If this is the case for teams in general, how much more might the team experience — or even prolong — the storming stage when certain members don’t feel welcomed, valued or supported.

They will be less likely to see conflict as a healthy way to initiate creativity, but rather disengage and ultimately perform the bare minimum. The

challenge is to find ways to even the playing field for every member of the team regardless of their background.

INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE BEGINS WITH A JOB DESCRIPTION.

ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE There’s tons of research that describes an organization’s potential to be successful when diversity, equity and inclusion are woven into the fabric of the organizational culture. Yet, there still seems to be a disconnect with obtaining genuine buy-in from some organizational leaders. The reality is that we may never come to a complete consensus. Despite these challenges, there are some practical things that organizations can do to improve performance at the individual, team and organizational levels. Whether it’s stepping back to ensure larger goals are clearly communicated, job descriptions are more aligned to these larger goals or simply managing team expectations, performance improvement starts with a willingness to do the work.

Dr. Kristal Walker, CPTM, is the vice president of employee wellbeing at Sweetwater. Kristal is also a facilitator for Training Industry’s Diversity and Inclusion Master Class. Email Dr. Kristal Walker.

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By Dr. Britt Andreatta

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Biologically wired to see any change as potentially threatening, people will assume the worst until shown otherwise.

The global pandemic has driven unprecedented change that will unfold for years. Learning professionals have already helped their organizations through waves of change, but more are yet to come as people reunite and reimagine how work gets done.

Given that people naturally resist change, this imperative is no small undertaking. People’s resistance has manifested as exhaustion and anxiety. Shifting to survival mode and online work has taken a toll on employees, who feel the strain of trying to connect and collaborate with colleagues from afar. The likely return to office spaces doesn’t necessarily ease worries, especially as workers now favor hybrid work and are willing to seek it elsewhere.

The good news is that humans are wired to survive challenging circumstances and grow to become their best selves. With that in mind, learning professionals are uniquely positioned to help their organizations give people the skills needed to adapt and thrive.

By understanding the human brain, learning leaders can help their organizations drive meaningful behavioral change.

HOW THE BRAIN GETS ACTIVATED BY CHANGE Change is a journey, not an event. The reason 50-70% of change initiatives fail is that typical

approaches to managing change don’t take into account human biology and that people are wired to resist change. But once learning professionals understand the four brain structures activated by change, they can mitigate their effects, increasing people’s adaptability and resilience.

The Amygdala Sees Change as Potential Danger Connected to all major sensory nerves, the amygdala is designed to detect threats and launch the fight-flight-freeze response to help people survive. It is constantly scanning the environment looking for any change that signals an impending threat. Biologically wired to see any change as potentially threatening, people will assume the worst until shown otherwise. The survival instinct is so strong that people are influenced by other people’s fear. In organizations, a few people spreading “doom and gloom” perspectives can amp up the entire group’s fear and distress.

Changing Locations or Teams Activates the Entorhinal Cortex The entorhinal cortex serves as our internal GPS, making mental maps of physical surroundings and social networks to help people successfully navigate them. Many workplace changes, like

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new workstations or office layouts, disrupt employees’ mental maps. The same is true when people’s professional networks are affected by change like an M&A or reorganization. People invest in developing professional relationships, building trust and rapport over time.

Many change initiatives erase the results of that effort, forcing people to start over and experience mental and physical fatigue as the brain makes those updates.

The Basal Ganglia Turns New Behaviors into Habits The basal ganglia is responsible for turning frequent behaviors into habits.

It shifts the activity from requiring concentration to something people can do on autopilot. On average, it takes 40-50 repetitions of a new behavior to form a habit. Change initiatives usually require employees to shift from welldeveloped habit loops to new behaviors that are awkward and uncomfortable.

Simply put, people must concentrate until they sufficiently learn the new cues and routines, which takes time and energy. Often, organizations ask people to go through a change without giving them the support or time needed to build those repetitions.

LEARNING PROS:

Get Smarter About Driving Change By leveraging brain science, learning pros can help everyone in the organization move through change effectively, despite being biologically wired to resist it: • Executives and senior leaders with the strategic view of the organization need skills for designing effective change and creating a culture of resilience.

• Managers responsible for leading their teams through change initiatives need to communicate effectively. They also need the EQ to navigate employee resistance and keep people motivated.

• Employees need to be supported and motivated to embrace change in a way that harnesses the power of the brain’s wiring.

The Habenula Can Drive Reluctance for Future Change The habenula controls decision-making and actions using chemical guardrails to moderate behavior. When a person does something right – like successfully completing a project – the brain releases the “feel-good” chemicals dopamine and serotonin as a reward. When a person makes a poor choice, the habenula restricts the flow of those chemicals, eliciting a bad feeling. It suppresses motivation and nudges the person away from the source of the failure. Because most change initiatives fail on some level – think over-budget or behind schedule – people become more reluctant to embrace change over time, which can ultimately impact the organization’s ability to hit its strategic goals.

Change Fatigue

Knowing the “why” helps the amygdala perceive change as less threatening.

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Change fatigue is the lingering mental and physical tiredness people feel when they cannot keep up with the pace or volume of change coming their way. Overlapping changes – such as continual adjustments to the pandemic – strain someone’s ability to successfully cope. Signs of change fatigue in the workplace include disengagement, exhaustion, absenteeism, confusion, conflict and cynicism.

Organizations commonly see a decline in performance, even among top performers. Because the human body cannot sustain unending change, employees often disengage since caring less about their job and workplace means they don’t feel as affected by it.

Employees also learn how to “play the change game” by looking like they are participating without truly expending much energy. In turn, leaders mistakenly believe change is happening.

PROVEN WAYS TO ENHANCE EMPLOYEE ADAPTABILITY Given all the ways the brain affects how people cope with change, it’s smart to develop strategies that account for those natural responses. The following strategies can be applied in different combinations during times of change.

Map Out the What and Why Employees are much more likely to reach the desired destination when they understand where they’re going and why.

• Explain the change and reason for it.

Knowing the “why” helps the amygdala perceive change as less threatening and

helps employees anticipate potential gains in the future. The more they understand the purpose and personal benefits, the sooner employees can shift their focus.

• Explain how the organization will arrive at the destination. Include milestones and signposts along the way to help people stay on track and feel a sense of progress and accomplishment. Taking the entorhinal cortex into account, create visual maps of places and people to address impacts on the physical workspace and social networks.

• Explain the habits and behaviors employees need to change. Get specific about what employees should do and say. Use learning events to give people the opportunity to practice and build up to the needed 40-50 repetitions.

are resistant to change. The more their effort is rewarded — whether with high fives, encouragement like “Good job!”, or prizes — the more quickly their brains will adapt to change. Plus, the brain sees rewards as part of the habit loop, encouraging it to replicate the behavior

Foster a Culture of Trust and Empathy Because change can be a disruptive and difficult process that triggers worry, anxiety and fear — and moving

SIGNS OF CHANGE FATIGUE AT WORK

Motivate with Recognition and Rewards

• Apathetic and emotionally “checked out.”

Motivation is important for combatting the brain’s natural resistance to change, helping address the various emotions that are part of the transition.

• Lack of energy, staring into space, sleeping at work.

• Center on purpose. People are motivated by three things: Purpose, autonomy (the ability to be selfdirected) and mastery (the opportunity to get better at things), according to Dan Pink’s book Drive. Since autonomy and mastery can be threatened during change, it’s even more important to connect change to a larger purpose.

• Using poor judgment and making poor decisions.

• Shift from goals to problem-solving.

Most change plans rarely unfold as expected, leading to a series of failures. To avoid this, frame each phase of the initiative as an exercise in problem-solving, allowing employees to be active participants. By activating the reward-seeking part of the brain, each solution to a problem translates to success.

• Recognize effort and progress.

Communicating and celebrating progress gives employees a boost and is especially helpful for those who

• Leaving work early or taking more sick days.

• Rising tension and conflict between individuals and groups.

• Growing complaints, skepticism and resistance.

through change requires risk-taking and vulnerability — building a team culture of trust and empathy is key.

• Start with empathy. Since the transition aspect of change is so emotional, empathy is critical. While it can be challenging to identify with others’ feelings of anxiety, frustration, and fear, leaders can learn to show empathy in meaningful ways.

• Create psychological safety. Harvard researcher Dr. Amy Edmondson defines psychological safety as “a sense of confidence that the team will not embarrass, reject or punish someone for speaking up with questions, concerns or mistakes. It is a shared belief held by members of a team that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking.” As such, it allows for vulnerability and builds trust.

• Empower social connections. Since change can impact the social maps built by the brain, identify when and where people’s social connections are likely to be new, strained or erased. Help build them up quickly by creating social experiences in a relaxed setting, or through formal team-building exercises.

• Practice patience. Patience is crucial when leading change. Leaders should find ways to stay grounded, maintain a sense of humor, and coach and support each other.

Change comes in all forms, from the small and annoying to massive shifts triggered by a global pandemic. By understanding the human brain, learning professionals can help their organizations drive real behavior change that paves the way for enhanced adaptability and a thriving workplace.

Dr. Britt Andreatta is an internationally recognized thought leader who uses her unique background in leadership, neuroscience, psychology and education to create brain-science-based solutions for today’s workplace challenges. Britt is the former CLO for Lynda.com (now LinkedIn Learning), and she has over 10 million views worldwide of her online courses. Email Britt.

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Picture this: A training session is about to start. About 10 minutes before class is set to begin, a huge rush of people enters the room. Some participants start wandering about looking for a seat, others head straight for the restroom or the coffeemaker.

Inevitably, whenever your training is scheduled for one department or for a larger “all-hands” training, one will begin to see that participants tend to sit next to the people they already know, filling in the back row of seats. And then there is always that group making their presence known — talking loudly, laughing and claiming a whole table as their “kingdom.” So, you take a deep breath and think to yourself — here we go again.

If this training scenario has ever happened to you (or maybe it’s just been our experience), we have a strategy to alleviate some of the uncertainty, allowing the trainer to focus on the training. As our scenario illustrates, the learners are already looking for guidance, and they’ve only just set foot in your classroom. How do you handle it? What should you do first? Welcome the introverted, quiet ones or introduce yourself to the alphas within the group? You already know that there are personality differences amongst your learners, but what about their life experiences?

Luckily for our fellow L&D professionals, we have some tried-and-true ways to foster greater interaction among participants. It is a known reality that learners are diverse, so why not capitalize on one of the critical elements of diversity: varied backgrounds, especially professional experience, even if the experience is in various industries. Organizations that want to be leaders in training and development are keenly aware that they must prepare their training programs with perhaps the greatest age variation that has ever existed in the workplace, not to mention the usual challenges of coping with varied career experience, motivational factors and multiple training and development paths. Our strategy, then, is to utilize this reality to both foster greater participation and to drive our training objectives.

This article presents a facilitation technique which can be added into

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any company’s training toolbox. Here are three areas on which this article will focus: How to utilize a round-robin technique to add networking opportunities and skills, while also showcasing the varied level of experience and expertise in the training session.

Illustrate how this technique enables each participant a chance to engage with co-workers he or she may not otherwise be able to interact with on a daily basis (or even at all, depending on how large the organization is).

Share how employees may benefit from the variety of perspectives in the training session.

The Technique Typically, a round-robin is facilitated like a tournament, challenge or competition, where each person has the opportunity to play with or against one another. Some trainers use it as a teach-back, or even to train on a certain procedure or process where each participant must fill in the next or missing step in a procedure.

“Evil” but effective. In addition, a round-robin training strategy is an excellent technique to use group settings whenever a trainer wants the participants to generate ideas.

technique allows each learner to gain additional perspectives from one another, regardless of their experiences or exposure to the training topic.

Although three categories of employee experiences tend to be used most often in our strategy, this facilitation strategy is flexible and allows for multiple applications to be utilized within an organization.

When using this facilitation technique, it is important, as a best practice, to use the experiences and backgrounds most appropriate to the organization and to the training session’s learning objectives. We see our facilitation strategy as a “fresh take” on the classic round-robin:

The In our case, we wanted participants to share their experiences in order to generate possible solutions to some company challenges. Our round-robin

goal: To foster multiple perspectives on a given training topic, especially effective at training sessions which are focused on problem-based scenarios, solution-generation or for strategic planning.

The strategy: To deliberately group

The Categories

The

The learner’s experience can be divided into three categories: new hire, midlevel and senior-level. These are the three categories which have worked in our experience. However, this training strategy does not necessarily involve grouping or ranking by job title, nor does it need to be by organization levels within the company:

the learners — prior to when the training session begins, which is a key element to this strategy’s effectiveness. This is done by mindfully pre-grouping participants by their experience level prior to a training session, instead of letting the participants sit next to the coworker whom they know so well.

result: A more organic interaction can be cultivated, which can yield a collaborative approach to problem-solving.

This strategy is based off of one of Malcolm Knowles’ theories on adult learners. Active participation in planned experiences — such as discussions or problem-solving exercises, an analysis of those experiences and their application to work or life situations — should be the core methodology for training adults. Adults learn and retain information more easily if they can relate it to their past experiences.

New hire: Someone who is new to organization. This can range from an employee who is new to both his or her career and to the company/industry.

Experience can be up to two years.

Mid-level: Someone who may have

many years’ experience within the company/industry, yet new to your company. Experience can range from two to 10 years.

Senior-level: Someone with vast experience both within the organization

and industry. Experience is typically more than 10 years.

The best way to group by experience is to know the experience of the learner prior to attending the training session. This information can be acquired by a registration form and then arranged as much as possible into triads, with one learner representing each of the experience levels. In an ideal world, each group would have at least representative. However, this is rarely the case. The groups might end up being one senior-level with two newbies. Or a group may only have midlevel experienced learners. And that’s okay: Just know that, as a trainer, you may have to offer additional support and guidance to those groups that don’t have a more “seasoned” learner.

If you don’t have or can’t get the participants’ experience levels prior to class, you can have each learner identify themselves and situate each group in a

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different area of the training room. You can then pick a representative from each group to form a more balanced triad. Again, you may end up with some lopsided experienced groups, but the end result is to get varied experiences. Even if their years of experience may be similar, they may have different perspectives from job location or interaction with mentors and/or leadership.

The Rationale Why does this deliberate grouping work?

The “newbie” or new hire brings a fresh set of eyes. For example, the newbie may simply ask the question, “why?” or ask the reasoning behind a course of actions they are supposed to take. The mid-level person may have just encountered the topic scenario and can describe what she or he did to resolve or complete the task at hand. The mid-level learners may also be able to recall their first experiences on the job and may even be able to provide advice along the lines of “Here’s what I wish someone told me my first day on the job.” And the participants with the most experience can offer what they have learned over the years and how their knowledge of the training topic, skills and abilities morphed with each encounter. These learners will usually be the ultimate example of “learn from my mistakes” and can even act as a mentors or guides to the other learners.

The Benefits Here are a few of the possible benefits of using this facilitation strategy at your next training event. Our round-robin strategy:

course evaluation or learning survey. The statement could be written as an agree/ disagree statement or based on a Likert scale. The results can then be shared electronically with leadership. However, we have found the best way to get learners’ reactions is to build a discussion around the experience. Comments from past training sessions have been everything from, “I learned so much just talking to my other teammates,” to “I’ve been doing this job for so long I forgot all about the little stuff and why I do it a certain way.”

Fosters the known benefits of peer collaboration and peer learning.

Increases employees’ networking skills.

Encourages all participants to share their unique expertise.

Enhances the company’s learning culture.

A great way to determine if the collaborative learning experience worked (or not!) is to ask about it on the

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As L&D professionals, we know the value of our training programs and we strive for the learner to gain new perspectives,

knowledge and skill sets. So, it’s critical that every learner be engaged, from the new hire to the learner who is about to retire. The efficacy of this facilitation strategy is that it purposefully fosters and encourages learners sharing and utilizing their vast experiences to solve challenges or to create new opportunities for their organization. Moreover, by building the training session on a solid foundation of learning objectives aligned to the organization’s goals, the stage is set for a successful training event. As we know all too well, without setting the objectives in place on the front-end, neither the employee nor the company will see the connection, let alone appreciate the value of the training event.

Trent Bartholomew, M.Ed., CPTM, has 30 years of experience in learning and development, and is the lead instructional designer and course manager for the System Safety & Technical Training Department at Amtrak. Nicole Koval, M.S.Ed., is a passionate learning and development professional with a knack for instructional design and problemsolving. Nicole is a technical training consultant with a local utility company.

Email Trent and Nicole.

Enhanced learning.

Engaged working.

The world has witnessed unprecedented changes due to the pandemic.

Businesses have been affected on a global scale: Those operating through the new normal a year ago have now embraced it as a way of life defined by remote working, hybrid work and more.

Learning and development (L&D) professionals worldwide know that the old methods of embedding knowledge are no longer as effective as they used to be — many external factors have now significantly impacted the way employees improve their knowledge.

Can training take a backseat in this new reality? The answer is no. Training is now more paramount than ever before.

Learners must now manage new events and situations which never would have arisen earlier. Teams need to be abreast of the latest updates, procedures, policies and best practices.

Training once a month or once a quarter

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will not work. Many organizations need more employees to be trained daily.

However, getting employees to learn daily is easier said than done.

And employees will not enjoy a daily dose of training unless it is bite-sized, relevant, fun and something that can help them in the moment of need.

People either ignore or forget a large amount of data. The forgetting curve explains how people tend to forget the material they learned over a period of time. For example, seven days after a given training, the learner will retain less than 20 percent of what he or she learned.

Microlearning fits the bill perfectly and can be used to create continuous learning journeys that help your learners develop themselves continuously.

What is a Continuous Learning Journey?

To put it simply, apart from the core training that learners partake in, they also need repetition to help them remember the concepts.

Why does training need to be repeated in smaller doses? The reason is the forgetting curve.

Training programs need to be designed to allow for continuous learning by reinforcing the key information in smaller bites. Periodic reinforcement through regular interventions using smaller “learning nuggets” helps bridge the gap created by the forgetting curve.

Continuous learning helps learners recall their training and apply it on the job.

Delivering Better Experiences That Lead to Better Retention of Learning

To address the challenge, the L&D or HR teams must get in the driver’s seat and continuously equip learners with what they need. This is where continuous learning helps in bridging the gap.

Traditionally, we have used printed job aids and displayed them in work areas, and it has worked! However, today’s learners must internalize a lot more information than will fit on a flyer to keep pace with the competition. Being digitally savvy, they prefer the learning to be available at their convenience — at the workplace or outside. They can learn while they are commuting to the office or in the field waiting for customers.

Learning must be made available to them at their fingertips.

How to Deliver Continuous Learning Experiences When you build new programs or revise your existing programs, consider continuous reinforcement using microlearning approaches: Before and after the training for easy consumption.

Build them quickly with a focus on real-time applications.

Sustain that for a specified period to help learners build mastery.

Ensure availability on any device.

So, how are the typical learning programs rolled out?

For example, an induction program will have a combination of instructor-led training or virtual training and eLearning.

They are all combined over two to seven days or more in some industries. After the induction program is completed, the participants are handed reading material and expected to know and understand the materials without any other intervention.

Another example would be that of new people managers. They are provided with classroom or eLearning material and expected to manage people efficiently immediately after that.

Is he or she ready immediately after a course to manage people efficiently?

As mentioned earlier, after a week or so, the learner tends to forget the majority of their training — but they are still expected to be optimally efficient. That can lead to a mismatch of expectations.

Next, we will see how microlearning interventions can be designed and delivered as part of the continuous learning journey.

Various forms of interventions include:

microlearning

LEARNING NUGGETS: Bite-sized interventions, each addressing one learning objective. There can be multiple learning nuggets for a specific competency.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES: Trigger activities such as going through a PDF and answering a question, researching a topic and submitting a note on the topic.

You can also add crossword puzzles or other brain teasers to the mix.

VIDEOS: Videos built using infographics, motion graphics or with whiteboard animation.

QUESTIONS: Two to three questions

per learning nugget. Also, stand-alone quizzes to support the learning.

GAME-BASED ACTIVITIES: One gamebased activity per competency per level

(so to attain a level, one game-based activity can be designed).

Continuous learning can also be implemented as memory boosters (short nuggets based on the courses that are administered earlier). These features are generally available in LMSs, LXPs and microlearning platforms, and can be utilized by organizations to implement microlearning and continuous learning journeys.

An Example of Continuous Learning Induction and onboarding are crucial for an employee to understand an organization’s culture, its products and services, organization structure, policies and so on. Employees can’t remember everything they heard in the induction and onboarding sessions.

However, induction and onboarding are crucial for employees to feel at home and get the right perspective about organizational work practices. This lays the foundation for employee satisfaction and performance in the long run.

This is where the continuous learning concept can be implemented using microlearning interventions.

Microlearning nuggets that talk about the key people of the organization and its key processes can be provided as reinforcement to help the employees recall the information.

Conclusion These best practices can help to ensure that continuous learning journeys are the way forward in optimal training delivery that leads to better learning and better retention of concepts, thereby leading to better application of learning.

Suresh Kumar is a learning professional with over 16 years of experience in strategizing and providing learning solutions for varied customers across the globe. For the past 5 years, Suresh has been leading Tesseract Learning as its CEO. Email Suresh.

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By Steven J. Stowell, Ph.D. Emily Hodgson-Soule, MPC, Stephanie S. Mead, MBA

Tipping the Scale: THE

SECRETS OF

SUPER-PERFORMERS

Organizations everywhere need people at all levels to contribute more value in new ways to strengthen the enterprise and maintain a competitive advantage.

The volatility of the business environment in recent years has made the need for toplevel performance from everyone ever more pressing. In most organizations, performance falls along a continuum, with non-performers at one end, superperformers at the other, and reliable, consistent performers in the middle.

Super-performance is a skill that comes naturally to some people, but anyone can be taught how to raise their performance to a higher level — and it has little to do with getting more done. The difference between a steady performer and a superperformer is mindset: The way that work is perceived, approached and executed.

Super-performance is highly subjective and the way that it looks in your organization depends on the role that you fill, but there are some personal characteristics and behaviors that support superior performance across the board and aren’t bound by job-specific rules, expectations or organizational culture.

Although there are many qualities that a super-performer might exhibit, we have chosen to highlight four that we believe are critical in today’s organizations — and give you some ideas for how to nurture learners’ innate strengths and develop their skills in these areas.

PURPOSE-DRIVEN WORK Super-performers understand how they fit and why they matter in terms of the broader goals of the organization. They have a keen sense of the value they bring to the workplace, know how they can uniquely contribute to the business and care deeply about the success of their team and organization. This drive for holistic success causes them to do their best work. They are proud of what they accomplish with and through others and find great satisfaction in the work that they do each day, regardless of how sophisticated their job might be.

Super-performers work with great drive and intensity, but what is more important is their commitment: They take personal

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responsibility for outcomes and the quality of their work, act with greater empowerment and care deeply about the business mission and the contribution they make to it. They view their work not as an extension of their identity but as a reflection on their character.

Being unsure about how you can add greater value to your organization is not uncommon. Help employees discover their own unique purpose within the organization by asking them to take the following steps: • Reflect on the unique set of skills and experiences that you bring to the organization. Create a comprehensive list. Even skills that don’t seem relevant may add hidden value to the organization’s mission and purpose.

• Understand the longer-term goals of the organization by doing your homework, talking with leadership and really listening to what is being said and done.

• Assess how your experience and abilities intersect with the strategic goals of the organization and the expectations of your role.

TALENT AND SKILL ACQUISITION Super-performers offer talents in many areas but never stop learning.

They seek opportunities to leverage, strengthen and expand their capabilities so that they can contribute to the organization in deeper, more significant ways. They take pride in continuously improving their abilities and challenging themselves to learn more and be better in their current roles, but they also set themselves up for greater influence in the organization in the future.

This is not to say that all superperformers desire a management track; to the contrary, some superperformers are most effective as individual contributors — but they willingly share their knowledge and are often viewed and respected as experts and mentors. Super-performers hone and leverage their strengths but are also keenly aware of their weaknesses.

This humility allows them to readily

seek feedback, be coachable, learn from others and grow continuously as people and professionals.

Making an honest assessment of your strengths and limitations can be difficult even for people who are profoundly self-aware. To help employees gain a better understanding of what they bring to the table (and some things they may need to work on), ask them to complete the tasks below: • Ask someone you trust to create a list of your strengths and a list of your development needs. Meet with that person to discuss their perspective and be very open to their feedback and ideas.

• Decide which of the listed items have a bearing on the way you want to work, your career aspirations or your ability to contribute more value to the organization.

• Create development goals for both your strengths and your limitations that will allow you to get to where you want to be. Discuss your goals with your leader or a trusted mentor.

FOCUS, DISCIPLINE AND FORWARD MOMENTUM Super-performers have a clear understanding of their priorities and focus their attention and efforts on the tasks and projects that will support their larger goals. They are less concerned about the volume of work they do and more focused on how it provides inherent value to the organization.

Super-performers spend their time doing the right things rather than more things.

They make tradeoffs by weighing the urgency, importance and value of a task against the finite time and physical and mental resources they have available.

They use their understanding of the organization’s mission and their own intuition to decide what really needs to be done to move themselves, their teams and the organization forward — and then they get to work.

They have the fortitude to set ideas into motion and the drive to finish what they

Anyone can be taught how to raise their performance to a higher level — and it has little to do with getting more done.

start, using their situational awareness and knowing instinctively when a given set of conditions may require greater levels of effort, timeliness, precision or care. Super-performers are creative but also extremely disciplined. They know when and where to follow strict rules and use prescribed processes to ensure that they meet their responsibilities with accuracy, efficiency and speed, but they also know when they can improvise in order to increase their output or meet a tight deadline. Many super-performers create their own processes or structure within their workflow, allowing them to move through their responsibilities with greater speed and ease.

With seemingly endless to-do lists, many people in today’s organizations struggle to keep their heads above water. To help employees prioritize their responsibilities and decide where they really need to be spending their time, use the process below for guidance: • Document your responsibilities and rank their importance in terms of their true value to the organization. Decide what can be deleted, delegated or

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deferred. Be honest. You can’t and don’t need to do everything.

Super-performers understand how they fit and why they matter in terms of the broader goals of the organization.

• Meet with your leader or a trusted mentor to discuss your streamlined list. Decide together how to prioritize your tasks and then create a stepby-step plan for making progress on those items.

• Decide which disciplines, processes or procedures will help you to focus on your priorities in the most effective way. You may choose to use or modify existing processes or create entirely new ones depending on the situation.

BALANCE, RESILIENCE AND SELF-CARE Super-performers have an extraordinary work ethic but don’t put themselves at risk of burnout because they understand and respect their limits. Employees are often encouraged to work themselves to the breaking point, and while this may result in short-term gains for the business, the organization and its employees will both experience negative consequences from an overly demanding culture in the longer term.

Super-performers apply their energy in a focused and intentional way, give everything they have to the demands of the job when it’s necessary and then they step back to breathe and take care of themselves. They build up their physical and mental durability by cultivating an optimistic outlook and use that strength and positivity to face enormous tasks or difficult situations with good humor and a healthy response to intense pressure.

When super-performers encounter adversity, meet resistance or make mistakes, they take responsibility for their contribution to whatever has gone wrong, learn from the experience and create a new way forward. Challenges are viewed as puzzles to be solved, not impassable barriers. Nothing will prevent super-performers from reaching their goals, they may just need to get creative to achieve them — and sometimes that means taking some time for themselves.

Allowing for personal time and space helps super-performers refill their well of

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energy and return to work with renewed vitality and drive. Encouraging self-care and building resilience is good for the individual and good for the business.

Physical and mental health are essential components of a productive workforce and a greater quality of life.

Here are three ideas to help employees take better care of themselves on and off the job: • Create a list of things outside of work that bring you joy. Schedule some time in your calendar every week to engage in those activities and be committed to following through.

• Strengthen your ability to focus on what is possible and what can be done rather than what can’t be done. Being in tune with the positive aspects of a situation will give you a more confidence and allow you to find opportunities for growth and change in difficult situations.

• Use your time off and make an effort to completely unplug while you’re away.

Equip your colleagues with the skills and authority to handle the workload while you’re out.

Super-performance is about the kind of person you want to be and the life you want to live. No matter where employees currently fall along the continuum, a shift in mindset can boost their contribution and value. Performance excellence has the power to change your life, both personally and professionally — and the benefits of that are immeasurable.

Steven J. Stowell, Ph.D., is the founder and president of CMOE, a leadershipdevelopment and organizationeffectiveness solutions provider.

Emily Hodgson-Soule, MPC, is the senior director of program design and development at CMOE. Stephanie S. Mead, MBA, is the executive vice president of CMOE. Email the authors.

TAKEAWAYS Super-performers are valuable to the organization because they are self-directed and require little formal management. In addition, higher-level leaders often follow the guidance of super-performers because they are talented in so many different areas and are so firmly committed to their work and the mission of the organization. No matter where a person sits in the organization, super-performance is a wanted commodity.

L&D functions play an important role in helping all members of the organization grow into super-performers, offering development tools, training and other resources that support and inspire people to elevate their performance and influence in the organization. In our work, we have seen an intense appetite for insights into improving performance at all levels in all types of organizations.

MAKE YOUR TRAINING STICK Transform your learning content into microlearning activities that make workplace training more engaging and more productive, with results you can measure.

Microlearning | Reinforcement | Measurement

MINDMARKER.COM

DRIVING SUCCESS IN ORGANIZATIONAL DESIGN A SEAT AT THE TABLE FOR LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT

by Valerie Brophy and Michelle Crowe

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Organizational design initiatives are happening with increasing frequency — and the stakes for getting them right are incredibly high.

The world in which we work is changing quickly. Business leaders are more frequently evaluating their organizations’ operating models and structures to keep pace with dynamic environments and emerging competition, as well as to meet evolving customer needs.

This means that organizational design initiatives are happening with increasing frequency — and the stakes for getting them right are incredibly high.

Organizational design is the process of aligning and optimizing an organization’s capabilities, culture, structure, processes and technology, people and talent practices, and metrics to drive the achievement of its strategy and goals.

Each of these areas is critical for the full system to operate in an organizational redesign. From a talent perspective, success occurs when employees are equipped with the new skills and mindsets that allow them to take on the new roles, work and culture that power the changes required to drive organizational success. This can only happen when the organization aligns its talent and expertise to drive the design of its future and accelerate the speed of adoption of the new behaviors, skills and mindsets needed to enable that future state and drive culture shifts.

system through which work is done and organizational strategy is attained. To build that complex system, organization design is typically broken into a series of interconnected focus areas (see Figure 1) that build on each other. This process should be driven by a multidisciplinary team of experts, including sponsors, leaders and subject matter experts (SMEs) from across the organization, HR leaders and business partners, organizational design/development, learning and development (L&D), change management, and talent management to maximize the success of the new design.

As a L&D practitioner, you play a pivotal role in organizational design

by equipping employees with the knowledge and skills they need to be successful in the shift to new ways of working, expected behaviors and culture change.

L&D plays a role in each step of organizational design:

STRATEGY:

Understanding the organization’s strategy and the anticipated outcomes of the initiative at a deep level provides L&D experts the information needed to create learning solutions that will propel the organization toward meeting its goals.

CULTURE: If culture shift is part of the change, L&D should also be involved

SAVING A SEAT FOR L&D AT THE ORGANIZATIONAL DESIGN TABLE At its core, organizational design is about creating a holistic, aligned

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in creating solutions to enable the new culture and behaviors.

ORGANIZATIONAL CAPABILITIES:

doesn’t always happen. As a L&D expert, it may be up to you to get yourself a seat at the organizational design table.

An organization’s L&D team is often comprised of experts on the organization’s current talent strengths and opportunities. Business leaders are the experts on what future capabilities are needed to advance the organization.

Collaboration between the two groups enables a full view of current and future talent capabilities that will drive the future state vision and strategy.

As a L&D practitioner, how can you make sure you are a part of the action?

First, we recommend that you come prepared with a strong elevator pitch, or a persuasive speech that creates interest and conveys your ideas, on the importance of L&D in the organizational design process. This will help you convince the right people to let you pull up a chair.

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE: L&D

Because organizational design impacts employees directly, change management should already be sitting at the table. If they’re not, they need to be involved to ensure successful adoption of the change.

L&D is often included as a component of preparing employees for the change, so you should have some advocates for why you should also be involved in the organizational design process.

will need line of sight into the future state structure of the organization to begin planning for future knowledge, skill and ability needs.

PROCESSES AND TECHNOLOGY: In this phase of organizational design, L&D needs to understand updated or new processes and technologies, conduct training needs analysis and plan for training to ensure compliance with the new ways of working.

PEOPLE AND TALENT PRACTICES:

L&D should be involved in talent conversations because the team will be involved in new employee onboarding, as well as upskilling existing employees to prepare them to work in the new reality.

METRICS AND MEASUREMENT: Lastly, in this phase, training and learning metrics (completion, proficiency, etc.) can be good measures of adoption, change success (process compliance, etc.) and how the initiative is measured and reported.

This means that as a L&D leader, you should be involved from the beginning of an organizational design initiative through to the end. Being involved in the solution design early reduces project risks and ensures a more holistic organizational design solution, leading to a better outcome.

Ideally, the organizational design project lead is pulling all critical players to the table at the start of any engagement such as this. However, we all know that

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It is best not to wait until a change management practitioner comes to you.

A 2020 article, “3 Ways Learning and Development Can Affect Change Management,” made the case for how L&D can have a strong impact on change management by arguing that ”[L&D] can engage from end to end in the design, development and delivery of the change management program, not simply the training portion of it.” A comprehensive change management approach should include L&D as a strategic partner, involved throughout the process, to ensure strong readiness to adopt the change. This is true not only for organizational design changes, but any transformation.

It is best not to wait until a change management practitioner comes

to you, though. If you know about upcoming changes, get involved. Start by inserting yourself in the changes you know about by creating a business case to demonstrate why L&D should have a seat at the table. Is it because significant upskilling is needed? Are there significant process changes as a result of changing ways of working?

Are roles changing because of the new organizational design? These are all areas where L&D specialists can provide incredible value to ensure the workforce is positioned for success when the change is implemented.

Strategically, it would be ideal to advocate for a change in the culture and practices of your organization.

In close partnership with L&D and change management leaders, gain leadership buy-in with your business case and elevator pitch so that your organization’s leaders fully understand the value of an integrated approach.

If your company has a strong learning culture, it will likely be easier to gain buy-in from leadership. However, if your company’s culture is less learningfocused, this may prove to be more challenging. If this is the case, we recommend partnering with change management or another influential team of experts (such as sponsors, leaders, and SMEs from across the organization related to the organizational change, HR leaders and business partners, and talent management) to assist with your business case and advocate for your involvement.

Organizations with more advanced capabilities may find it valuable to consider a structure similar to a program management office (PMO) where change management, program management and L&D are on the same team to ensure strong alignment across all disciplines. This integration can ensure fluid exchanges of information, which can be critical in a rapidly changing environment. It ensures everyone is working toward a shared objective and allows for work to occur in a more agile way by having more visibility to plans, upcoming changes and barrier points across the three

teams, who can be proactive and course correct when needed.

Research conducted by Prosci (2016) has shown that 58% of participants that integrated program management and change management met or exceeded their project objectives. Because L&D should be well connected to change management, it can be argued that a strong partnership across all three disciplines in an organizational design initiative will increase the ability to meet project objectives and ensure a best-in-class experience for affected employees.

BENEFITS OF SITTING AT THE ORGANIZATIONAL DESIGN TABLE There are many benefits of having L&D practitioners involved in organizational design decisions that can help form your business case: • A holistic view of the organization’s organizational design strategy and its expected outcomes will enable the

entire project team (including change management and L&D practitioners) to be better equipped to support, coach and grow employees through organizational changes.

• A clear understanding of the knowledge, skills and resources employees need will ensure they are successful in the change and enable future organization growth.

• Aligning desired behaviors and skills with organizational goals at the beginning, rather than retrofitting your strategy to the implementation plan later, minimizes impacts to the project timeline and ensures better end-state outcomes.

• An L&D view of stakeholders’ learning needs will inform change management tactics and ultimately inform the organizational design implementation.

All components are interconnected and should be documented in the implementation plan.

• Enable leaders to be leaders of change.

Training professionals support leaders through the change by reskilling them to lead in the new organization.

• Setting employees up for success will ultimately increase employee engagement and satisfaction throughout the change, which will mitigate resistance, increase the speed of adoption and decrease the likelihood of turnover.

GO BE THE LIFE OF THE PARTY Hopefully, you now have all you need to get an invite to your organization’s next organizational design initiative. By inviting the right teams to priority initiatives, your organization will see increased speed of adoption, accelerated goal attainment and higher return on investment.

Valerie Brophy is a change enablement manager with over 10 years of consulting experience in organizational design, change management, L&D, leader development and coaching and employee engagement. Michelle Crowe is a change management and organization design consultant with over nine years of consulting experience in L&D, change management and organizational design. Email the authors.

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T

hink about it — if training is not seen as relevant by the learner, or their manager, how likely is it to change behavior?

People don’t care about stuff they see as irrelevant, especially when they are busy. They certainly don’t care about training they see as irrelevant. If they are forced to sit in the training room, they will be thinking, “This doesn’t apply to me,” and then they will disengage. Who wouldn’t?

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Without relevance, learners won’t engage and won’t translate their training into new action — and without new action, there is no ROI. Therefore, without relevance, training is pointless and a waste of money.

To give your training any chance of being successful, you must prove genuine relevancy.

And there is only one way to do that — through a performance diagnostics process.

WHEN YOU COULDN’T DO A TASK, WAS IT YOU OR YOUR ENVIRONMENT THAT WAS CAUSE OF THE POOR PERFORMANCE?

GETTING STARTED Someone asks for training. It’s what they want, but is it what they need?

What someone wants and what they really need can be two quite different things.

If it is what they genuinely need to solve their problem then this need should be provable, and the relevance established for all to see. If it is what they want, but they have not really thought it through properly, there is work to be done to establish the real need and see if it aligns with what they say they want.

It’s critical that you establish the real training needs before investing training budget into programs that somebody says they want. Only by delivering what they truly need will you have any chance of success, so find out what they truly need. They probably don’t know, although they think they do, so you must help them discover what they need. Once they get visibility of what they need, they will align their wants to that newly exposed need.

Let’s assume the person asking for the training is a manager. Let’s call her Mary. Unless it is for compliance reasons, she is asking for training because she wants the people on her team to do things differently.

Ask her what people are doing or not doing that needs to change — in other words, focus on behaviors.

BEHAVIORAL NEEDS ANALYSIS Doing a training needs analysis (TNA) or a learning needs analysis (LNA) is a tacit admission that a training or learning intervention is the optimal solution. It probably isn’t, certainly not on its own, so start with a BNA. Start with the end in mind, start with the desired behaviors. Focus the requesting manager’s mind on what their people need to do rather than a knee-jerk idea of training as a solution.

Given a task, how does Mary want them to do the task instead of what they are doing now? How will she know they are doing it adequately well? Brilliantly well? Poorly? A BNA should result in a list of the required behaviors and against each one, some means to see or measure whether that behavior is taking place at the required level.

Thinking about the required behaviors will inevitably bring some focus to the current behaviors and the evidence Mary is using to prove their existence. In other words, what evidence did she use to arrive at the conclusion that she needed to ask for training? Thinking about current behaviors establishes the behavioral gap between the current and the required behaviors.

Here’s a useful question to ask Mary at this stage of your BNA: “If

you don’t make any changes, and the existing behaviors continue for another 6 months, what will this cost the organization?”

Very few managers have thought about this, but with some prompting, most can come up with a very rough estimate of the negative impact on the organization for not crossing the exposed behavioral gap. You need to know what this estimate is so you can prioritize requests from different managers and understand where the often-limited L&D budget will have the most impact for the organization.

CROSSING THE BEHAVIORAL GAP The next step is to figure out how to get employees to cross the behavioral gap. In other words, how can you deliver the required behaviors to the employees who need to do them?

An obvious question at this point is why the required behaviors are not already happening. What is inhibiting them? What is present or absent that is stopping people from doing the required behaviors and thus rendering them incapable on the job? To answer that question, it’s necessary to dig into what we mean by “capable on the job.”

Capability on the job, at the time and place an employee is asked to perform a task, is dependent on

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TO GIVE YOUR TRAINING ANY CHANCE OF BEING SUCCESSFUL, YOU MUST PROVE GENUINE RELEVANCY. two components: individual and environmental competence. If these two components are at or above a threshold level, the employee will perform the task well. Notice that this has shifted naturally into talking about performance and it is probably a lack of performance that brought the manager to you with their request for training.

Individual competence is made up of knowledge, skills, the insight and understanding of how to apply the knowledge and skills, mental and motivational state and sometimes physical abilities.

ENVIRONMENTAL COMPETENCE Environmental competence is made up of all the things outside and surrounding the employee that affect how they do their job. It includes things like systems, processes, IT provision, tools, spare parts, organizational culture, management provision, support from colleagues and more.

It’s common to talk about the competence of an individual, but people seldom talk about the competence of the environment surrounding that individual to support them in what they are tasked with doing. A competent employee can be rendered incapable on the job if their environment conspires against them.

Ask yourself: When an employee is unable to perform a task, is it their

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incompetence, or the incompetence of their environment that cause the lack of performance?

Consider your own experience; think back over the last month or two at your job. When you couldn’t do a task, was it you or your environment that was cause of the poor performance? Most people, when asked this question, say they knew what to do and wanted to do it, but couldn’t because of outside factors. In other words, it is more common for the environment to cause poor performance than lack of competence of the employee.

Of all the components of individual and environmental competence required for performance, the only ones directly affected by training are knowledge, skills and understanding. If, and only if, these are lacking will training be relevant, and then only as part of a holistic solution that addresses any other inhibitors to performance.

This is why a performance diagnostics process is essential to establish the relevancy of training and to give you an ‘audit trail’ to prove that relevancy to other stakeholders, especially the delegates and their managers. If you can’t prove that training is required with this process, don’t do training.

You need to find another solution to the performance problem, and that solution is probably now much more obvious after the performance diagnostics process.

Mary, the manager who requested the training, should now see whether

the initial desire for training was valid or whether this was wishful thinking that would not have solved the performance problem.

Let’s assume that the diagnostics process did indeed confirm a need for better knowledge and skills and that training, amongst many other possible L&D interventions, looks like the best way to proceed. The next step is to establish the relevancy of the training to the target employees.

You must ensure that the training is not only relevant – it must also be perceived as relevant to delegates so they see what is in it for them.

This means you now have a marketing exercise to convince the delegates, and any other important stakeholders, of the relevance of the proposed training. They all need to see that it is relevant to them personally, or they simply won’t invest much of their precious time and energy into engaging with your training, and even less into transferring what they see as irrelevant learning into action in their jobs.

This raises the concept of learning transfer. Relevance is one of many factors required to ensure learning transfer and thereby make training effective.

Returning to the first sentence of this article, “Think about it – if training is not seen as relevant by the learner, or their manager, how likely is it to change behavior?”

If you seek behavior change through training, your training must be relevant.

Think about it!

Paul Matthews is one of the leading learning and development experts, with three best-selling books. As well as being a sought-after speaker, Paul provides consultancy services, training workshops and webinars for blue-chip clients in the UK and beyond. Email Paul.

YOUR MENTOR IS WAITING LEVERAGING TECHNOLOGY FOR KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS SHARING

BY KAREN THARRINGTON, PH.D.

Mentoring in the workplace is a highly valued benefit. Mentoring not only provides employees with someone to go to for guidance or career planning, but it can also help them understand what goes on in other departments, can facilitate growth with decision-making or leadership skills, and can help improve a company’s overall feedback culture.

Employees crave opportunities to learn and grow — but with shrinking learning and development (L&D) budgets, it’s becoming more challenging to offer expansive learning programs.

Many employees attribute some of their success to having a good mentor from the start. Knowing who to go to for help can be difficult, especially when employees are working remotely or in larger organizations with globally based employees. There may be external opportunities, but they can be expensive for someone who is just starting their career. While formal mentoring programs that are maintained by organizations are still popular, studies have also shown that informal mentoring can be more effective on career development (Underhill, 2005). Enter the idea of skillsharing as a complement to mentoring.

MENTORING VERSUS SKILL-SHARING Mentoring is a professional relationship in which an experienced person (the

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mentor) supports another (the mentee) in developing specific skills and knowledge that will enhance the less experienced person’s professional and personal growth. While mentoring provides one-on-one opportunities to discuss various goals or skills, skill-sharing gets straight to what’s needed. Think of it as “mentoring on demand,” where employees can connect with someone who has the skill they are looking to develop. This hybrid approach gives employees a platform for knowledge and skill-sharing in hopes of connecting with experts who can assist with projects or professional goals.

and are used to dealing with software in the form of apps. By using a platform like those in which employees interact in their personal lives, we can leverage technology to drive engagement.

By using a platform like those in which employees interact in their personal lives, we can leverage technology to drive engagement.

LEVERAGING TECHNOLOGY Mentoring may be critical to the success of junior employees, but there can be obstacles that make it more difficult to succeed, including time, follow-up meetings, clarity on the proper way to structure meetings or who is supposed to make contact first (Franko et.al, 2019).

With the current number of remote workers, location is now an issue when considering mentoring relationships.

Current technologies can bridge the gap of static relationships and take away the “guesswork” involved.

Employees engage with technology all day long, whether for work-related issues or in their personal lives. Everyone has their phone with them all the time

Using mobile applications with the mentoring process is not necessarily a new concept; there are several mentor apps available that work independently or alongside an in-house program.

Many companies are finding that it is more cost-effective to use technology to complement in-house programs or even replace more traditional ones. In addition, connecting employees and mentors online opens opportunities for location-agnostic pairings. Whether through an app, an LMS or an organizational platform, technology can support the development of mentor/ mentee relationships at all levels.

“Mentoring is the most costefficient and sustainable method of fostering and developing talent within your organization.”

- David Clutterbuck, Author, “Everyone Needs a Mentor”

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN AN APP The driving idea behind mentoring apps is that people can create profiles specifying their skills and talents and communicate with others informally through the app. There is no need to involve specific departments or talent specialists. Rather, allow employees to find each other based on their immediate needs, within, or outside of, the organization. Some of the apps are customized to work within a company’s established mentoring program. Many apps function similarly to a social connection app with landing dashboards, users’ names, photos, knowledge, skills, hourly fees and ratings. Users can often search for a specific skill to find a mentor or request to be matched based on similarities or goals. Some contain in-app systems for scheduling meetings or pushing info to mentors and mentees regularly.

Mentoring apps that envelop all communication, organization and data through the app are the most helpful.

An additional feature might be rating systems like other share-economy apps, where both parties rate each other and provide optional reviews, which are only visible afterward.

When considering technology for mentoring programs, companies will

want to ensure that the platform is easy, quick and relevant to employees. Apps that function easily and similarly to other apps they use regularly will engage them more than software that has a steep learning curve.

IMPACT Retaining talent and knowledge/skill sharing is critical in today’s corporate workplace. Leveraging technology with mentor apps can help with creating a learning culture within a company and encourage cross-department collaboration, all of which can drive employee engagement. For L&D departments with shrinking budgets, out of the box apps might be one way to jumpstart a coaching or mentoring program. HR departments can also consider some of the more customizable products to launch a new mentorship program.

Whatever your L&D mentoring needs are, apps can revolutionize knowledge sharing and provide an easy launch to more formal mentoring. Opportunities for skill-sharing and mentoring are often noted as value-adds when employees are considering a job; mentor apps can promote collaboration and knowledge sharing solutions with “mentors on demand” who can quickly help employees solve a problem or learn a new skill quickly.

Karen Tharrington, Ph.D., is a senior learning specialist at Kiwi.com, an online travel agency and tech company based in Brno, Czech Republic. With more than 20 years of experience in education and instructional design, Dr. Tharrington is responsible for leading curriculum development and train-thetrainer programs for the learning and development department. Email Karen.

KEY TAKEAWAYS • Mentor apps: Leverage technology to reach employees.

• Skill-sharing: Use the expertise you have in the company for knowledge-sharing.

• Informal mentoring: Consider mentors on demand to help as needed.

• Usability: All-in-one app where everything is contained within the platform.

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THE OF AND

F

or the majority of human history, to learn a trade, an apprentice worked side-by-side with an employer, learning directly from him (or her) and then practicing the craft until they perfected it. Employers didn’t just give the apprentice a multiplechoice test to evaluate their readiness.

Rather, they watched how an apprentice behaved and performed, and then provided feedback — ensuring the apprentice learned the necessary skills and could confidently apply them.

WHY ONE-TO-ONE LEARNING? The days of the traditional apprenticeship are long gone. But, as study after study has shown, this level of personalization and one-to-one interaction is hard to beat when it comes to its efficacy and efficiency. Additionally, studies also show that one-to-one learning promotes greater learning, increased motivation,

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and also enhances persistence, retention and degree attainment.

Why is it so effective? One reason is that in the one-to-one scenario, the coach isn’t just paying attention to what a learner knows. They are also observing and adjusting based on learner behavior. For example, a coach is gaining actionable insights by evaluating what a learner does when they haven’t mastered a skill: Do they go back and source the skill? Do they attempt to problem solve?

Do they lose confidence? Based on a learner’s behavior, the coach can offer individualized remediation and practical recommendations for improvement.

They can also optimize the level of difficulty of the learning, making for a much more effective and efficient learning experience.

Historically, one-to-one learning hasn’t been widely adopted because it’s not scalable and often not logistically possible.

However, we have entered a new era of possibilities. Through a combination of learning science, artificial intelligence and machine learning, UI/UX, and data analytics, the most advanced digital learning platforms are leveraging new insights — derived from behavior and knowledge mapping — to emulate the personalized, one-to-one learning experience at scale. And in doing so, they are tapping into the other 50 percent of the learning equation.

WHAT IS BEHAVIOR AND KNOWLEDGE MAPPING? Behavior and knowledge mapping leverages machine learning algorithms to monitor learner behavior (the choices that they make within a learning platform), along with learning performance, to dynamically adjust content, hints, feedback, recommendations and “nudges.”

Through behavior and knowledge

mapping, adaptive learning platforms can effectively mimic and scale the one-to-one learning experience — dramatically improving the amount of content that’s mastered, remembered and accurately applied, with confidence.

learning platforms to operate like a one-to-one coach at scale:

With a combination of technology, UX and data science, this behavioral input becomes a critical part of the adaptive learning puzzle. And it’s important to note that a system’s AI capabilities are only as good as the accuracy, depth and breadth of the input it gets fed.

When, as historically has been the case, systems rely only on knowledge as the core data point, they’re not providing the AI with the whole picture.

As a result, they are less capable and less efficient.

• Dialing content for optimal challenge, meaning it’s the appropriate difficulty level for the “sweet spot” of learning — not too easy, not too hard.

But combining these two data sets — performance and behavior — drives dynamic adaptivity with greater precision and accuracy, and allows

And because behavior and knowledge mapping does not rely on or need any personal identifiable information (PII) from the learner,

• Intensively personalizing the learning experience in real time to increase application-level mastery and boost learner confidence.

• Flagging any skills gaps and encouraging deliberate practice and self-remediation (with support).

• Offering insights into behavioral drivers, including the attitudes, aptitudes and eventual output of each employee.

the resulting recommendations and real-time content alterations are completely unbiased.

HOW BEHAVIOR AND KNOWLEDGE MAPPING WORKS It all begins with choices.

Research has demonstrated that when people have autonomy over their learning experience, they pay better attention, they’re more engaged, and they remember the training more accurately and for longer periods of time. And these choices — or behaviors — not only increase learner engagement, but also increase an adaptive system’s ability to get to know and understand the learner and better serve them. This includes providing an adaptive system’s AI with the data it needs to dial in the learning “sweet

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spot,” or optimal challenge, for each individual. Optimal challenge is when the level of content difficulty is just above someone’s current capability, which pushes him or her to achieve greater learning gains and retain them long-term. Coupled with deliberate, purposeful practice, learning science has shown repeatedly that this is the most efficient and effective approach to learning and retention.

Choices within the learning experience might include allowing learners to: • Choose how they want to engage with content (e.g., read it, watch a video, engage in a practice session with Q&A, etc.).

• Select how they want to receive feedback — immediately, on occasion or not at all.

• Respond to or ignore prompts reminding them to revisit/source content where they demonstrate weak performance.

Each choice that a learner makes (along with the patterns of clicks that lead up the respective choice) yields a new behavioral data point, allowing an adaptive learning platform to map, analyze and adjust to the needs of the individual learner more efficiently and effectively.

These data points accumulate as a learner moves through a system — making choice after choice.

And in the most advanced, datascience-driven, adaptive systems, they can be analyzed in real time

by AI to generate an increasingly comprehensive picture of each learner’s aptitude, attitude and needs.

Armed with behavior and knowledge mapping, adaptive learning programs can also amalgamate the behavioral data

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of individuals into a group view that can predict bottom-line outcomes like productivity, performance, revenue and even culture. That’s right, this data can tell organizations if their people are dialed in, or just attempting to “fake it til they make it.” And because behavior and knowledge mapping is AI-powered, its predictions and recommendations get smarter and smarter with every learner interaction.

When people have autonomy over their learning experience, they pay better attention and they’re more engaged.

BEHAVIOR AND KNOWLEDGE MAPPING IN ACTION Behavior and knowledge mapping provides a wealth of advantages for both the learner and the organization.

Here are some examples of behavior and knowledge mapping in action:

EXAMPLE 1: A MORE EFFECTIVE LEARNING EXPERIENCE One of the keys to one-to-one learning is that it’s interactive, dynamic and tailored to the unique needs of the individual. With behavior and knowledge mapping,

adaptive systems can deliver something very similar, providing learners with: • Their optimal challenge — meaning the content is challenging and engaging, to get the learner into and maintain their “learning flow.”

• More effective and timely learning “nudges” based on knowledge and behavioral input.

• Perfectly timed memory boosters to address the Forgetting Curve.

Behavior and knowledge mapping can also give an organization a much better understanding of who might be struggling, where (which skills and learning objectives) and why, with behavioral insights that are relevant and actionable.

EXAMPLE 2: PROFICIENCY WITH EFFICIENCY Most adaptive platforms simply focus on efficiency, with proficiency being secondary. Because behavior and knowledge mapping can deliver learning that’s hyper-targeted to the needs of the individual, learners are able to progress much more quickly through the content while the system objectively measures proficiency, in parallel.

Behavior and knowledge mapping has effectively flipped the old way of learning (where time was fixed and proficiency was the variable), to now having proficiency fixed and time being the variable. Learners maximize time by quickly moving past what they already know and focusing on the content they have yet to learn, with behavior and knowledge mapping directing them back to specific portions of the learning that need more attention and delivering relevant memory boosters. This process can help learners get back to work faster, and fully prepares

them with the knowledge and confidence they need to succeed.

A coach gains actionable insights by evaluating what a learner does when they haven’t mastered a skill.

• If learners can demonstrate mastery of skills by answering assessments correctly via deliberate, purposeful practice.

• If learners review incorrect answers.

content

for

• How successful their practice attempts are and how quickly they improve over time.

This behavior and knowledge mapping data can also be extrapolated organization-wide to form a picture of the entire workforce’s engagement, the perceived relevance of training goals and the effectiveness of content.

CONCLUSION EXAMPLE 3: PREDICTING APPLICATION OF SKILLS Will learners remember what they learned in training? Will they be able to apply it once they’re back on the job? Behavior and knowledge mapping data can predict the answers to these questions by evaluating things like:

Behavior and knowledge mapping is a technology breakthrough with multiple advantages for the learner and business. It’s like working out with a personal trainer who really gets to know you. The trainer not only knows that you can bench press 200 pounds (which you might not know), but also knows that you like to sit on the couch and eat chips – and who, in knowing both what you’re physically capable of and how you behave, can prescribe a personalized workout and nutrition

plan to keep you motivated and help you achieve your goals.

In the scenario above, traditional digital learning would only know how much you could bench press. And when you didn’t reach your goals, the system would be in the dark as to why. That’s because digital learning platforms have never before been able to measure the full equation of learning — knowledge and behavior — that provides a total picture. The behavior part has always been missing.

Once in place, behavior and knowledge mapping can help organizations deliver more effective learning experiences, reduced training times, predictions about on-the-job training application and improved learner engagement. It can also help organizations evaluate culture, identify the next generation of leaders and get ahead of costly mistakes before they happen.

Patrick Weir founded Fulcrum Labs and led the company to develop a world-class, Adaptive 3.0 learning platform that leverages a proprietary behavior and knowledge mapping (BKM™) system, powered by AI and machine learning, UX/UI design and quantitative learning analytics.

Email Patrick.

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THE ONLY SOURCE FOR SITUATIONAL LEADERSHIP® situational.com

Don’t Manage Performance, Manifest It!

5

Keys to Transform Learning into

By Tracey Lorraine

Traditionally speaking, people manage performance rather than manifest it.

This includes setting business and competency-based goals, ensuring employees understand what is expected of them and holding them accountable for achieving results.

When a gap surfaces, it is typically addressed through coaching, training or, when warranted, corrective measures. While taking a traditional, training-as-mitigation approach may produce short-term results, it is not likely to inspire drastically different energy, effort or long-term improvements.

To manifest strong performance, a greater investment of time and thought are required on the front end.

By incorporating each employee’s unique skills, aptitudes and interests into the goal-setting equation, a higher degree of success can be achieved.

The best managers learn to leverage training as a dynamic catalyst and succession planning tool for the benefit of the workforce and the business. They replace stale, cookiecutter learning delivery mechanisms with adaptable, pivot-with-purpose techniques that spark interest in the hearts and minds of their workforce, while also preparing them to deliver excellent performance.

Throughout my career, I’ve led various business and human resources functions, ranging from training to organizational change management to communications. Along the way, common themes emerged that undoubtedly fueled workforce and business success. Internalizing and applying these five keys can serve as a catalyst for transforming your learning organization or business.

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5 Cultivate a Three C’s Culture

1

Foundation First

Cultivate a Three C’s Culture (Organizational Readiness)

The first piece of the transformation puzzle involves taking an honest and below-the-surface look into the organization as it stands today. Ask yourself, “Is my organization wellpositioned to transform learning into legacy?” Consider how shortterm decisions today may impact long-term results.

To drive lasting change requires datainformed, values-based decisionmaking, and the presence of three cultural traits: curiosity, collaboration and continuous improvement.

Employees must feel comfortable being curious, asking questions, and sharing brave new ideas. Teams should be encouraged to work across lines, optimizing diverse perspectives

Remember that it’s not about the certification.

It’s about how you bring learning to life.

Keys to Transforming Learning into Legacy

ConnectAbility

Pivots and Ping Pong

and partnering to solve problems and build sustainable solutions. Without a continuous improvement culture and mindset, organizations may produce suboptimal results, or fail to pursue ideas that could take their holistic performance and capabilities to a whole new level.

President Harry S. Truman once said, “It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.” Cultivating a three C’s culture will increase employee trust and enable them to learn and work from a place of courage, rather than fear. It will position them to leave a lasting mark on the organization, regardless of how long they choose to stay, by contributing their very best today.

2

Foundation First (Employee Readiness)

The genius of Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs was laying out a pathway for personal growth. The first step focuses on ensuring a person’s primary physiological needs are met.

Maslow emphasized the importance of building a solid foundation before advancing toward more complex arenas such as self-esteem, belonging and the realization of full potential. In the same vein, before new learning is introduced, a solid work foundation must be in place.

Three essentials to consider before new learning plans are implemented: core, chore and ready for more.

Core: Employees must have a clear understanding of their role and

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It’s Not About the Certification

responsibilities, as well as how their contributions serve the greater good of the organization. When a role is not clearly defined or understood, it is difficult for employees to map to a targeted learning goal that both inspires them and gives them confidence they’ll advance their capabilities, as well as contribute to the success of the company.

Chore: Just like life outside of work, daily chores must be tended to. Managers play a vital role in removing roadblocks to training readiness. This may take the form of deferring existing work or delegating superfluous tasks to another employee for the duration of the training.

These steps are vital to ensure the employee can fully engage and benefit from the training experience.

Ready for More: Managers must partner with employees to ensure they are truly ready for more learning and development. Is the purpose of learning clear and compelling? Will it benefit the employee and the company? With dwindling learning budgets, it’s more important than ever to ensure learners are ready and willing to invest in their growth and apply what they have learned to meet increasingly complex organizational challenges.

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ConnectAbility (Intersection of Workforce and Business)

ConnectAbility lives at the intersection of workforce and business strengths.

A recent Association of Training and Development study revealed that the most essential element of a learning culture is close alignment between learning and business strategies. To that, add a third leg of employee potential and possibilities. To inspire legacy performance requires employees to see and experience themselves at the intersection, or sweet spot, where they can fulfill their own career growth goals, while at the same time adding increasing value to the organization.

As a learning leader, you have a unique vantage point to shine a light on this opportunity to pair passions with productivity. By experiencing robust and future-minded learning, employees become more confident, capable and ready to navigate business challenges now and into the future.

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Pivots and Ping Pong (Innovate to Make Learning Great)

The pandemic made it clear that organizations would need to quickly innovate and pivot with purpose to survive. Many organizations surprised themselves with how quickly they were able to respond to ping-pong-pace challenges brought forth during this unprecedented time. Entire workforces were sent home and became teleworkers overnight. Training was virtualized at an astonishing rate.

As we move toward the next iteration, it is important to resist the urge to backtrack to the traditional training strategies of yesteryear. We must look forward with creativity, flexibility and heart to design the future of learning. Seek feedback from all levels of the organization. Ask them which virtual tools were effective, and what training or tools were most compelling or effective in boosting their ability to thrive in a remote work environment. Build on the momentum by celebrating employee success in adopting new technology and tools. Remind employees how far they have come. Encourage them to keep going, growing and testing new learning pathways.

William Arthur Ward, an American motivational writer, said, “Curiosity is

the wick in the candle of learning.” Do everything you can to spark continued curiosity and thirst for learning. Inspire employees of all levels to become change champions in learning, creating a legacy of openness, adaptability and resilience. Celebrate forwardthinking pioneers who embrace new ways of thinking, learning and thriving in the workplace. Instead of focusing on the teachability of a particular generation, celebrate examples of multiple generations coming together to test and learn, as they build strong relationships and results that will stand the test of time.

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It’s Not About the Certification (Mindset and Momentum)

It’s not about the certification. A Harvard Business Review study revealed that we forget about 75% of what we

Closing Thoughts For sustained success, learning leaders can partner across disciplines to sync up these five keys in their respective organizations. In a company that visibly values learning, employees will be able to appreciate the beauty of living at the intersection of business and employee learning. They will be inspired to measure M’s beyond baseline metrics, expanding to measurements of momentum, meaning and making an impact.

Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook COO, said, “Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence, and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.”

The same can be said for Learning. You have a front row seat to the future. You can be a catalyst for transforming learning into legacy in your organization. Ignite and cultivate a three C’s culture, with curiosity, collaboration and continuous improvement. Help employees build a

The best managers will learn to leverage training as a dynamic catalyst and succession planning tool for the benefit of the workforce and the business.

learned after just six days. While the moment we achieve a certification or pass a virtual exam is important, it is just the beginning. What’s most essential is what happens next. What we do with the knowledge we acquire — and how we bring that learning to life.

Let employees know before training even begins what they can look forward to, and how they will be able to immediately apply what they learn on the job. If framed appropriately, employees will tune in to not only the short-term outcomes achieved, but how what they learned planted a seed to bear fruit in the months and years to come.

strong foundation for learning success.

Live at the intersection of business and employee learning. Embrace the beauty of ongoing discovery and the power of the pivot. Finally, remember that it’s not about the certification. It’s about how you bring learning to life and transform that learning into legacy: One day, even one employee at a time.

Tracey Lorraine, M. Ed., is the director of workforce development at the Virginia Department of Transportation, as well as a heartinspired, results-wired success coach. Her passions are leadership, learning and organizational change.

Email Tracey.

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CASEBOOK

USING LEARNING INITIATIVES TO DRIVE EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

BY SARI DAISEY AND MARIA MEJIA

If you’ve never heard of The Bancorp, that’s by design. We offer private-label banking and technology solutions to non-bank companies ranging from entrepreneurial start-ups to those on the Fortune 500. However, chances are that The Bancorp is already in your wallet or phone.

Over the past year, The Bancorp — like many other companies — has experienced sweeping change. Our employees have adapted to new modes of working. We’ve faced many challenges head-on because of the workforce’s collective ability to navigate change. As a result, The Bancorp finished a challenging year with double-digit revenue growth, increased lending and expanded service offerings.

Breakthrough success doesn’t just happen. Even under the best circumstances, exceptional performance is only possible because of employee resilience and the ability to evolve in a changing landscape.

How does any company, especially one in a heavily regulated industry, promote an environment where individuals are motivated to perform well? At The Bancorp, the effort to boost employee engagement is years in the making (since 2018). Our story begins by reimagining the learning experience for all employees — individual contributors and people leaders alike.

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This article shares the three talent management strategies we applied to rebuild our learning programs from the ground up while fulfilling regulatory requirements.

HOW DOES L&D TRANSFORM OUTDATED PERCEPTIONS OF LEARNING? Our first step was to take a hard look at what we — the learning and development team (L&D) — were doing. We examined three questions through the prism of talent acquisition, employee experience, learner needs and business objectives: • What strategic value does L&D provide for the organization?

• How can L&D drive strategic opportunity and move beyond necessary functions?

• How else can L&D encourage employees to invest in their professional development?

We crafted a vision that captures the spectrum of work: To maintain regulatory standards while cultivating an environment that educates and inspires all employees to reach their full potential. The team identified ways to embed learning throughout the organization at all levels — from the C-suite to front-line staff. Three approaches guide our work:

1. Weave our vision into established processes and secure executive buy-in.

2. Engage managers and highperforming employees as learning advocates.

3. Co-create new experiences with our audience to gain a fresh perspective.

STRATEGY #1: PUT VISION INTO PRACTICE THROUGH SELFDIRECTED LEARNING We focused on overcoming our most significant barrier to learning — time. To start, we worked on creating frictionless experiences across several platforms.

As a result, employees can now access relevant learning content in their moment of need. We also removed administrative hurdles such as course approvals. This change provides employees greater control over their development path.

Next, we concentrated on communicating learning as “part of” work, not “apart from” work. We seized an opportunity to augment The Bancorp’s performance management process. Our Take8 program helps bridge any knowledge or skill gaps identified by employees or managers throughout the year.

Take8 encourages employees to complete at least eight hours of elective professional development annually. To be clear, L&D is not asking employees

to take on more commitments. The Bancorp is simply offering recognition for this work and celebrating it. Take8 awards credit for various live and asynchronous learning experiences such as webinars, technical boot camps, academic coursework, conferences, and workshops.

At The Bancorp, L&D works with individuals, teams, and departments trying to achieve specific goals — often deepening or expanding skill sets. We’re responsible for facilitating effective performance. This charge includes supporting the infrastructure for sharing and practicing newfound knowledge.

To that end, ask yourself if you have the guardrails in place to sustain selfdirected learning: • What are your employees’ barriers to learning? Are they different from what managers perceive?

• If you already have programs in place, are you rewarding the behavior you want replicated?

• Do you recognize employees when they meet the goals you’ve set out for them?

STRATEGY #2: SPREAD THE WORD Our audience hears about L&D offerings through traditional communication channels such as email campaigns, corporate initiatives and targeted events for managers and emerging leaders. We also integrate our learning programs into the onboarding process. Besides these tried-and-true approaches, we make it a habit to brainstorm additional marketing tactics that activate a broader cross-section of the workforce.

that elevate individual contributors.

Each department identified a nonmanager to represent them as a liaison with L&D. We sought out individual contributors to discover their pain points and hear how we can refine our offerings — a bottom-up approach to improving engagement. Next, we started holding monthly meetings with our ambassadors to initiate a dialogue. We focused on making each interaction with L&D, especially our group discussions, better than the last.

Through regular touchpoints, we’ve learned what’s on their minds and what matters to their peers.

EXCEPTIONAL PERFORMANCE IS ONLY POSSIBLE BECAUSE OF EMPLOYEE RESILIENCE AND THE ABILITY TO EVOLVE IN A CHANGING LANDSCAPE.

By engaging directly with employees, we’ve cultivated another channel to amplify our messaging and raise greater awareness about L&D services. As a result, participation rates in Take8, and other programs, have grown considerably because of peer recommendations from learning ambassadors. In turn, we express our gratitude for their support through public recognition and visibility to senior leadership.

We created the learning ambassadors program to engage departments and develop leadership opportunities

Since the program’s inception, The Bancorp has promoted several learning ambassadors. These alumni, who

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are now in new roles, have selected ambassadors of their own—what better way to encourage continuous learning as a worthwhile investment at work!

Learners lead busy lives. More distractions are competing for their attention than ever before. We leverage every communication outlet at our disposal to reach our audience. If you would like to explore this approach, consider the following: • Audit your existing communication channels. Identify which avenues were successful.

• Are you effectively leveraging high performers across the organization at all levels?

• How can you get others invested in spreading your message?

WE HAVE TO TAKE RISKS TO SHIFT EMPLOYEE PERCEPTIONS ABOUT L&D.

STRATEGY #3: PROMOTE WORKPLACE LEARNING THROUGH CO-CREATED EXPERIENCES Our third approach to boosting engagement was to promote workplace learning. Inspired by Employee Learning Week (ELW), a campaign developed by the Association for Talent Development (ATD), we hosted our version in 2019. Our theme was “learning is everywhere” to socialize the idea of self-directed learning as a catalyst for employee engagement.

Our goal for ELW was to transform the outdated perception of corporate education as driven solely by regulatory requirements and tedious training exercises. To help envision this event, we borrowed an element of design thinking called co-design.

This well-established problem-solving process uses creative participatory

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methods to meet the needs of endusers (or, in our case, learners). We reached out to our community of ambassadors, managers and senior leaders to gain a fresh perspective.

They were eager to share their ideas, and we gladly listened. Thanks to their candid feedback, we planned an event that sparked curiosity.

In our first year, ELW consisted of employee-led, in-person sessions and a series of asynchronous digital

experiences. Live and virtual offerings covered topics ranging from public speaking to healthy eating — each designed to address professional skill development or personal wellbeing. We generated repeat traffic to our event website by sharing “try-athome” activities and “five-minute skills,” catering to time-pressed attendees. In addition, we encouraged learners to “share their favorite moments” to be eligible for our daily raffle. The feedback we captured from the daily contest

provided us with a wealth of data on the employee event experience.

Last year, we pivoted ELW to become an entirely virtual experience — inviting employees from across the organization to share their skills and knowledge with us. Thanks to the data we collected previously, we avoided the common pitfalls of making assumptions about our employees’ wants and needs. ELW 2020 provided a mix of synchronous and on-demand experiences on topics ranging from fostering inclusion in the workplace and managing mental well-being to prepping a keto-friendly meal together in real-time. By co-creating events like ELW with engaged members of our workforce, we highlighted the talent our employees bring to The Bancorp community while demonstrating the value of ongoing professional development through skill improvement.

Creating a culture of learning takes time. Although many employees are engaged with L&D today, our team

is acutely aware that maintaining this level of awareness and trust is a continual investment. When other priorities take center stage, ongoing development and a growth mindset are the first things to fall by the wayside. As a result, we have to take risks to shift employee perceptions about L&D. To that end, ask yourself: • What is your organization willing to do differently?

• What’s the cost of not trying something new?

• What is the manager’s role in driving learning and engagement in your organization?

After reading this, what actions do you plan to take? It could be as simple as scheduling a brainstorming session with some of your key stakeholders to explore the next steps.

At the beginning of this article, we asked how L&D fosters an environment

where individuals are encouraged to achieve their best. Learning is one way for employees to feel connected to one another and valued at work. Since 2018, we’ve shared our vision. We continue to be frank about how we could improve L&D with every level of the organization.

Through many cycles instituting new initiatives, soliciting feedback, and adjusting along the way, we transformed perceptions about L&D into a strength and a chance to realize new opportunities. Today, every interaction with the business is another chance to flex a habit of working together to solve problems and navigate changing circumstances together.

Sari Daisey is the director of talent management for The Bancorp. She has over 20 years’ experience in the learning and development field.

Maria Mejia focuses on projects related to organizational training and human performance needs, ranging from compliance to skills-based and technical subjects, at The Bancorp.

Email the authors.

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MEASURING THE IMPACT OF L&D

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JULIE WINKLE GIULIONI

PERFORMANCE MATTERS

EXPERIENCE-BASED LEARNING: TRANSFORMING WHILE PERFORMING

Everyone loves a good “two-for-theprice-of-one” deal. Perhaps that’s why experience-based learning is such a critical element of the L&D ecosystem.

It allows people to transform (learn, grow and develop new skills) while they perform — making it the ultimate workplace “two-fer.”

Learning in the flow of work is an important dimension of many organizations’ development strategies.

Whether facilitated through job shadowing, performance support tools or automated systems that offer automated content and coaching, it’s become increasingly popular given today’s workplace pressures. Leaders and employees appreciate opportunities to bring training to the trainee within the powerful context of their work.

Of all the workflow-embedded learning opportunities, experience-based development offers an important and distinctive benefit: Real-time contribution. When employees take on these experiences, they’re gaining new skills and abilities while giving back in the form of enhanced performance.

NOT ALL EXPERIENCES ARE CREATED EQUAL For an experience to meet the criteria of “development,” it can’t just be normal work — or more work. It must be intentional work: Work that has been specifically selected because it has the potential of help someone grow.

Meaningful, experience-based learning is also personalized and unique to the individual. Interestingly, two employees

could take on the same experience, each with a different focus, and walk away with entirely different lessons. For instance, both Eli and Tomas assumed leadership of cross-functional teams. Eli used the opportunity to develop her collaboration and influencing skills, whereas Tomas’ focus broadened his understanding of the organization overall by learning about and getting to know employees from other departments and functions.

SETTING EXPERIENCES (AND EMPLOYEES) UP FOR LEARNING Realizing the benefits that are possible through intentional, personalized experiences, opportunities and assignments require a partnership between the line manager and employee.

Managers who understand this engage actively before, during and after the development experience occurs to ensure the best possible outcomes.

Here’s a checklist to guide high-impact, experience-based learning: Before • Brainstorm activities that will support the person’s growth. Generate a range of options that connect back to their development goals and identify one that interests the employee.

• Clarify the goal of the experience.

Crystalize a learning focus by asking: What will you know/be able to do as a result of this experience?

• Create a concrete (yet flexible) plan.

Treat this experience just as you would any training and craft a plan that plots

out the “what,” “how,” “who” and “by when” to ensure focus.

During • Check in frequently. Even a three-minute “How’s it going?” conversation surfaces issues and offers encouragement.

• Recognize effort and highlight the learning. Help others remain focused on the “learning” part of “experiencebased learning” with frequent pointers back to the development goals.

• Identify challenges. Learning by doing involves experimentation and bumping up against the unknown. Be an active partner in identifying the support and resources required for success.

After • Debrief the experience to extract learning. Educational reformer Help employees engage in reflection with a simple question like, “What did you learn?”

• Document the development. Treat experiences just like any other activity.

Capture it in development documents, succession plans and skill inventories.

Efficiencies are the holy grail in today’s fast-paced workplace. Experience-based learning offers not just efficient but also value-driving development that allows people to transform while they perform.

Julie Winkle Giulioni has 25 years of experience working with organizations worldwide to improve performance through learning. Email Julie.

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SRINI PIL LAY, M.D.

SCIENCE OF LEARNING

PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT AND THE BRAIN

When most people think about personal or organizational performance, they think about setting and hitting target goals. If this were as simple as it sounds, why do most people have trouble performing at their best?

think. There are often remarkable differences between two people who practice for the same amount of time.

In fact, it accounts for less than 1% of performance when it comes to many forms of work.

According to Keller and Schaninger at McKinsey & Co., “Performance is what an enterprise does to deliver improved financial and operational results for its stakeholders.” But focusing solely on performance will not bring about the changes that organizations want. Instead, performance metrics must also be accompanied by a consideration of how effectively people work together to pursue a common goal. Called “organizational health,” this factor goes hand-in-hand with performance and refers to an organization’s level of internal alignment, quality of execution and capacity to renew itself to sustain high performance in an ever-changing external environment.

Looking at these factors, organizations can explore scalable programs that enhance attachment, promote movement and go beyond practice.

Alignment, execution and innovation remain challenges, especially at a time that is being called “the great resignation.” Insights gleaned from brain science may offer a perspective in optimizing organizational health that truly helps people to enhance their performance when applied artfully: • Efficient task execution requires brain synchrony, which is highly dependent on the quality of attachment between team members.

• Movement can improve cognitive performance.

• Deliberate practice is far less impactful on performance than we

FOCUSING SOLELY ON PERFORMANCE WILL NOT BRING ABOUT THE CHANGES THAT ORGANIZATIONS WANT. ATTACHMENT Based on the team attachment levels, a program to strengthen interpersonal connection and psychological safety is likely to enhance performance, given that improving attachment also improves performance.

Questions to ask: • Does it seem like people on the team are synchronized and safe to connect?

• Is this team-specific or part of the culture?

• How can I design a program to facilitate attachment and psychological safety?

MOVEMENT Frequent breaks can reinvigorate the brain, and there are several things

that companies can do to enhance the chances of this happening.

Questions to ask: • Have we designed spaces so that people can move about with ease?

• Have we made movement a cultural norm by encouraging people to stand or walk about during meetings?

DELIBERATE PRACTICE Training programs must involve more than mere practice.

Questions to ask: • Have we incorporated feedback mechanisms? Is the practice meaningful?

• Is the experience of the practice enjoyable?

• Has the goal of agility been incorporated?

Overall, performance enhancement in humans would benefit from a multipronged approach, which brain science may significantly inform in measurable ways.

Dr. Srini Pillay is the CEO of NeuroBusiness Group. He is a Harvard trained psychiatrist and neuroscientist, on the Consortium for Learning Innovation at McKinsey & Company, and author of “Tinker Dabble Doodle Try.” Srini is also co-founder, chief medical officer and chief learning officer of Reulay. Email Srini.

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MICHELLE EGGLESTON SCHWARTZ, CPTM

LEARNER MINDSET

COMBATTING BURNOUT: THE MANAGER’S ROLE IN REIGNITING EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT It’s a misnomer to think that our personal life has no bearing on our work life. Employees face countless obstacles before starting their workday – from getting children to school to transportation issues to juggling appointments and errands. Seamlessly disconnecting from a hectic morning and transitioning into “work mode” is challenging – if not nearly impossible.

For many employees, personal and professional priorities are constantly competing, which can lead to decreased productivity, increased anxiety and stress, and ultimately, burnout. However, the signs of burnout often go unnoticed in the workplace. With so much hustle and bustle in day-to-day work – from emails to meetings to endless tasks – employees can be on the brink of burnout without anyone noticing.

IDENTIFYING AND PREVENTING BURNOUT Symptoms of burnout can surface in the form of negativity and cynicism, increased absenteeism, missed deadlines and decreased quality of work. Managers play a critical role in helping employees more effectively manage their time, set priorities and handle stress in a positive way.

Many leaders believe that simply reducing work hours will solve employee burnout, but according to Gallup research, this is one of the biggest myths surrounding burnout. While logical, hours worked is not the primary source of burnout. The research suggests that burnout is attributed to a variety of factors, including unmanageable workload, unclear communication from

managers, lack of manager support and unreasonable time pressure. All of which are in a manager’s control.

Learning and development has an opportunity to develop leaders who advocate for their employees and set them up for success. Here are a few ways that managers can provide employees with a healthy, balanced approach to work.

EMPLOYEES CAN BE ON THE BRINK OF BURNOUT WITHOUT ANYONE NOTICING. HAVING REGULAR MEETINGS One-on-one meetings are a great opportunity for managers to gain clearer insight into an employee’s workload and challenges the employee may be facing.

Managers should ask specific questions that can reveal employees’ feelings related to their work. For instance, asking, “Do you feel confident that you have the capacity to handle your workload?” can reveal whether an employee may have competing priorities or an unmanageable workload. Equipping managers with communications skills such as listening, problem-solving and empathy can enable more productive conversations.

FINDING BALANCE After uncovering any potential issues contributing to burnout, managers need to identify strategies to help employees find balance. If an unmanageable workload is an area of concern, then managers can consider reassigning

projects to other employees. Ensuring employees have a variety of tasks that range in difficulty can help ease pressure.

High performers are often given difficult projects because their track record shows that they can execute, but this tactic can lead to burnout and stress. All employees need and deserve a chance to breathe with a variety of assignments.

MAKING TIME TO REFLECT AND LEARN Time is a barrier to learning for employees.

Employees need time to learn, and few employees have the luxury. Managers must advocate for their employees and encourage them to block and dedicate time each week to learning, exploration and creativity exercises. Stress can stunt creativity, so managers must stay involved to ensure their team has the bandwidth to innovate and maintain a fresh perspective on work. Having learning resources that are easily accessible can help learners embed learning into their workday.

MOVING FORWARD The pandemic has brought more awareness to employee burnout and the need for work-life balance. The good news is that many organizations are taking active steps toward creating solutions to help employees manage anxiety and stress in a positive way. Managers are a crucial part of the solution. By providing leaders with the necessary tools, organizations can reignite employee engagement and elevate the performance of all employees.

Michelle Eggleston Schwartz, CPTM, is the editorial director at Training Industry, Inc. Email Michelle.

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CLOSING DEALS

GP STRATEGIES AND LEARNING TECHNOLOGIES GROUP (LTG) JOIN FORCES TO ACCELERATE WORKFORCE PERFORMANCE TRANSFORMATION

BY SARAH GALLO, CPTM

Now more than ever, companies are looking for scalable, turn-key solutions to upskill their workforces to stay competitive in an evolving market. In fact, the World Economic Forum found that 54% of current employees will require “significant upskilling and reskilling” by 2022.

With 2021 quickly coming to an end, it makes sense that the demand for comprehensive workforce performance solutions is high. This is reflected in Learning Technologies Group (LTG)’s agreement to acquire GP Strategies, a leader in workforce performance transformation, for $394M, which is one of the biggest mergers we’ve seen in the corporate training industry to date.

THE PERFECT PAIR The deal is largely a symbiotic one, offering unique benefits for both companies. LTG’s portfolio of learning technology companies, which includes everything from learning record stores (LRSs) to learning experience platforms (LXPs), will provide scalable platforms to help GP Strategies deliver their top-notch learning services and large-scale workforce performance improvement initiatives.

For LTG, the merger will mean instant access to GP Strategies’ inherent expertise in building complex learning solutions, which is a notoriously difficult skill to recruit for and would have taken considerable time to develop in house.

With expertise in all of the core process capabilities of great training organizations, the merged company will

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be well-equipped to help even Fortune 100 companies with complicated learning systems environments deliver successful programs. But that doesn’t mean middle-market companies will be left behind: The combined company will boast an impressive toolbox of ready-touse, out-of-the-box solutions that smaller organizations can implement right away.

Ultimately, with both GP Strategies and LTG’s portfolio of companies making a regular appearance on Training Industry’s Top 20 Training Companies Lists — and a market cap of $1.79B — we can reasonably expect the combined company to make waves across nearly all segments of the corporate training market.

ALL YOUR EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT NEEDS IN ONE PLACE More and more organizations are looking to not only adopt learning technologies but also to bring in the knowledge and services needed to implement them effectively. Thus, the merged company will offer a comprehensive solution that many buyers have been looking for. That’s why this merger makes sense, says Ken Taylor, chief executive officer at Training Industry. “As companies look to deliver great training, they’ll want to partner with a vendor who has a deep understanding of how learning technologies can support large-scale programs successfully.” The merged company, he says, is positioned to do just that.

With the ability to identify innovative solutions to workforce performance problems, and to deliver solutions using cutting-edge technologies, the combined

company will provide the marketplace with a one-stop shop for buyers’ employee performance improvement needs. This will be a key competitive advantage for the merged company, as organizations are looking to improve performance quickly and at scale to keep pace with shifting business priorities.

THE DEAL IS LARGELY A SYMBIOTIC ONE, OFFERING UNIQUE BENEFITS FOR BOTH GP STRATEGIES AND LTG. GOING GLOBAL In addition to designating itself as a one-stop workforce performance improvement shop, the merger will create a notable global footprint for the company.

This is another competitive advantage worth noting: With business becoming more and more globally distributed, the combined company (which will boast around 5,500 employees worldwide) will have a presence in 80 countries globally, according to the press release.

Agreeing to merge companies during COVID-19, a turbulent time for businesses across industries, is a major feat for both LTG and GP Strategies. It proves that they can not only survive but thrive during adverse times, and that their workforce performance transformation solutions can help their current — and future — customers do the same.

Sarah Gallo, CPTM, is an editor at Training Industry, Inc., and co-host of “The Business of Learning,” the Training Industry podcast. Email Sarah.

COMPANY NEWS

ACQUISITIONS AND PARTNERSHIPS Bigtincan, a world leader in sales enablement automation, announced that it will acquire Brainshark. The acquisition will allow Bigtincan to further expand its course authoring and content creation solutions. This move will strengthen Bigtincan’s role as a leader in the sales enablement and readiness market.

Cognizant has acquired digital engineering assets from privately held project management agency Hunter Technical Resources. Cognizant continues to expand in key digital focus areas, including engineering, cloud, data, and artificial intelligence. With this acquisition, Cognizant will be able to better provide clients with capabilities to compete in the modern digital landscape.

Seismic, the global leader in sales enablement, announced its acquisition of Lessonly, the training, coaching and enablement solution. With Lessonly, Seismic’s platform can provide a seamless seller experience with quick and easy access to marketing and sales content, alongside learning programs and coaching plans, all in one location.

Whatfix, a leader in digital adoption solutions, acquired learning management system Nittio Learn. The move comes amidst a groundbreaking quarter, and further advances Whatfix’s application training ability by enabling more personalized, adaptive learning. The acquisition will lead to a dramatically reduced ramp-up time for new learners.

DataCamp, the leading interactive learning platform, strengthened its partnership with learning experience platform Degreed, providing all Degreed clients with free access to their most successful data literacy courses. The courses, which require no prior experience in coding, are ideal for organizations initiating digital transformation projects.

Cornerstone OnDemand, a global leader in talent management software, has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Clearlake Capital Group, L.P., a private equity leader. As a result, Cornerstone will become a private company, but will continue to provide market-leading software-as-aservice solutions.

INDUSTRY NEWS NEW ORGANIZATIONAL CRISIS CURRICULUM TO KEEP WOMEN IN THE WORKFORCE

The Mach 1 Group (Mach 1), an award-winning crisis, strategic communications and public affairs firm, unveiled its new service offering: Championing Women Leaders, Curriculum for Supporting Women in the Workforce. This program is a crisis planning and communications curriculum for companies faced with females leaving the workforce.

WALMART TO PAY 100% OF COLLEGE TUITION AND BOOKS FOR ASSOCIATES

Walmart announced that it will pay 100% of college tuition and book fees for associates through its Live Better U education program. This move aims to provide approximately 1.5 million partand full-time Walmart and Sam’s Club

associates in the U.S. with debt-free college degrees or trade skills.

LEARNING PERFORMANCE BENCHMARK TOOL

Mind Tools for Business launched a free, confidential L&D comparison tool called The Learning Performance Benchmark, to help measure the impact of organizations’ learning strategy, as well as gauging organizations’ learning maturity. The Learning Performance benchmark helps L&D leaders perform gap analyses, while also comparing their function’s strategy against industry peers.

PARTNERSHIP TO ADDRESS HISTORIC RISE IN MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES

firm, announced their partnership with eMindful, the leading provider of live, virtual mindfulness solutions.

The partnership will help MINES & Associates support behavioral health of their employees, clients, and members.

The move will combine eMindful’s eM Life solution with MINES’ award-winning Employee Assistance Program offerings.

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MINES & Associates, a nationally recognized business psychology

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