Learning in the Blended Workplace | Spring 2022

Q U A R T E R LY | S P R I N G 2 0 2 2

GLOBAL AND REMOTE LEARNING | 28 How Culture Influences Training

CORRELATION TO CAUSATION | 42 Measuring the Impact of Training

CORPORATE GENDER RESPONSIBILITY | 54 Engaging and Developing Women

BUSINESS

PERSPECTIVES

ON

MANAGING

WORLD-CLASS

TRAINING

FROM THE EDITOR

MICHELLE EGGLESTON SCHWARTZ, CPTM

PUTTING THE LEARNER FIRST

The way we live, work and learn has changed considerably over the past few years. Organizations have made great strides in adopting remote and hybrid work arrangements and enhancing the efficiency of business processes through automation and technology.

However, engaging, connecting and training today’s employees remains a challenge for all organizations.

LEARNING — AND THE ROLE OF THE LEARNING LEADER — HAS NEVER BEEN MORE IMPORTANT.

As organizations struggle to retain talent, we must be mindful of the ongoing need for compassion, empathy and support as we navigate work and life. At the end of the day, it’s the people who are the heart of every organization — the employees who show up every day, live your corporate values and work toward your bottom line. Taking a humancentered approach to how we work and support employees is necessary to create a company culture that attracts, nurtures and retains top talent.

The complexity of creating an engaging company culture grows in a dispersed work environment. Connection and engagement become much more challenging, requiring leaders to use different strategies and solutions to reach employees. Our cover story in this edition of Training Industry Magazine highlights five strategies that learning leaders can use to design training that engages employees across the organization — putting the needs of the learner first.

This edition also includes articles that address creating equitable development

T R A I N I N G I N DUSTR Y MAGAZ INE - SPRING 2022 I WWW.TR AININGINDU S T RY . C OM/ MAGAZ I NE

opportunities, combatting burnout, remote onboarding, measuring the impact of training and the role of learning and development (L&D) in building a company culture that values employee development. Also, check out expert insights from our columnists who shed light on many industry challenges and provide actionable solutions.

Learning — and the role of the learning leader — has never been more important. With the pace of change and advancement of technology accelerating, and the shelf-life of skills shrinking, learning leaders are facing increased challenges to upskill, reskill and prepare employees for the future of their roles. Employees with the ability to learn, unlearn and relearn are what will separate high-performing organizations from their competition.

I hope the articles in this edition will provide you and your team with some actionable insights that can help transform learning at your organization.

Our editorial team is dedicated to delivering the content and resources that learning leaders need to create impactful learning experiences. As always, we love to hear your thoughts, so please reach out to our team and let us know what’s on your mind.

Michelle Eggleston Schwartz, CPTM, is the editor in chief of Training Industry, Inc., and co-host of “The Business of Learning,” the Training Industry podcast.

Email Michelle.

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ISSUE 2

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SPRING 2022

28 GLOBAL AND REMOTE LEARNING

42

on

CORRELATION TO CAUSATION

Ve rn

TA B L E O F

CO N T E N TS

VOLUME 15

le

By A

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54 CORPORATE GENDER RESPONSIBILITY

FEATURES

16

LEARNING IN THE BLENDED WORKPLACE: DESIGN IDEAS FOR A DISTRIBUTED WORKFORCE

38

Work environments are no longer defined by physical location — your training shouldn’t be, either.

21

42

Transformation calls for mastery and higher levels of expert performance.

24

By Dr. RK Prasad

46

28

By Neha Trivedi, MA, CPTM

50

THE 5 PARADOXES OF LEADING IN A HYBRID WORKPLACE

By Steve Dion

The workplace has changed.

Hybrid leadership requires new skills and strategies to be successful.

36

3 STEPS FOR SUCCESSFUL REMOTE ONBOARDING

By Deeptanshu Tiwari

Remote onboarding presents unique challenges. Learn how to improve the digital training experience.

L&D’S ROLE IN DEVELOPING COMPANY CULTURE

By Vanessa Wiltshire

BETTER SELLING STARTS WITH BETTER BUSINESS ACUMEN

By Sara Wolski

A more holistic view — of yourself and your clients — will give your salespeople the edge they need.

L&D must consider the cultural contexts with which learners approach their own learning.

32

By Bonnie Beresford

With the increasing need for training, L&D has a growing opportunity to shape workplace culture.

Virtual leadership training can be effective — Here are some tips to foster well-rounded virtual learners.

CULTURE’S INFLUENCE ON GLOBAL AND REMOTE LEARNING

MAKING THE LEAP: CORRELATION TO CAUSATION Correlation isn’t enough to prove training’s worth to stakeholders; you must prove direct causation.

By Michael J. Noble, Ph.D.

TAKING THE VIRTUAL ROUTE TO LEADERSHIP TRAINING

By Stephen Bailey

A strategic and equitable approach is needed to prepare a future-ready team of leaders at all levels.

By Daila Boufford

ENABLE EXPERT PERFORMANCE WITH ADAPTIVE LEARNING

THE FUTURE OF WORK REQUIRES DEVELOPMENT EQUITY

54

CORPORATE GENDER RESPONSIBILITY: A NEW PARADIGM FOR ENGAGING AND DEVELOPING WOMEN

By Alexia Vernon

L&D is uniquely positioned to build a robust leadership pipeline for women in the workplace.

58

THE BURNOUT REVOLUTION

By John Earls

Burnout is at an all-time high, but L&D can turn the tides by focusing on employee wellness.

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IN THIS ISSUE

THOUGHT LEADERS

3 9 11 13

FROM THE EDITOR

By Michelle Eggleston Schwartz, CPTM

Empathy, compassion and clear communication are needed to support employees.

GUEST EDITOR

By Kathleen Federici, M.Ed.

L&D must develop positive and confident employees in the face of change.

WHAT’S NEXT IN TECH

By Stella Lee, Ph.D.

The edtech market is crowded. Here are some considerations when making a purchasing decision.

15 63 65

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

By Dr. Kristal Walker, CPTM

Consider these key points in the employee life cycle to ramp up your engagement efforts.

CAREER DEVELOPMENT

By Julie Winkle Giulioni

Some businesses have flourished over the past several years — let’s take a look at what sets them apart.

SCIENCE OF LEARNING

By Srini Pillay, M.D.

Employees who cite a lack of opportunity as a reason for quitting might need to shift their perception.

BUILDING LEADERS

By Sam Shriver and Marshall Goldsmith

True employee engagement leads to higher productivity and lower turnover.

INFO EXCHANGE

60 66

CASEBOOK Sam’s Club is retaining workers — and building its next generation of leaders — by investing in L&D.

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

CLOSING DEALS Pluralsight and Go1 partner to address the growing global tech skills shortage.

CONNECT WITH US

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1 (866) 298-4203

editor@trainingindustry.com

TrainingIndustry.com

OUR TEAM

STAFF CEO Ken Taylor ktaylor@trainingindustry.com

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Amanda Longo alongo@trainingindustry.com

DESIGNER Cassandra Ortiz cortiz@trainingindustry.com

EDITOR IN CHIEF Michelle Eggleston Schwartz meggleston@trainingindustry.com

DESIGNER Mary Lewis mlewis@trainingindustry.com

ADVERTISING SALES sales@trainingindustry.com

SENIOR EDITOR Sarah Gallo sgallo@trainingindustry.com

DESIGNER Kellie Blackburn kblackburn@trainingindustry.com

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Mike Allen mallen@trainingindustry.com

DESIGNER Alyssa Alheid aalheid@trainingindustry.com

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 Chief Learning Officer Cityblock Health

CATHERINE KELLY, MA, BSN, RN, CPTM Director of Learning Programs Brookdale Senior Living SHIREEN LACKEY, CPTM Talent Management Officer, Office of Business Process Integration Veterans Benefits Administration LAURA MORAROS Global Head of Sales Learning Facebook

KERRY TROESTER, CPTM Director, North America Sales Training Lenovo NATASHA MILLER WILLIAMS Head of Diversity & Inclusion Ferrara KEE MENG YEO Adjunct Professor Grand Valley State University & Davenport University

A S B P E Aw a r d s o f E x c e l l e n c e

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

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PUBLISHER Training Industry Magazine is published quarterly by: Training Industry, Inc. 110 Horizon Drive, Suite 110 Raleigh, NC 27615-6520

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KATHLEEN FEDERICI, M.ED.

GUEST EDITOR

FROM CHANGE MANAGEMENT TO RESILIENCY

Change management projects and initiatives sometimes fail because the people involved are not resilient enough to deal with the change. Resilience is the quality that enables a person to bounce back and thrive through change.

Projects are often undertaken without any idea of whether the people who will be affected are resilient enough to make the change. When faced with change, people can do nothing — or they can act. Both options have consequences.

The resilience inside all of us is what makes change happen.

Change management statistics date back as far as 10 years, with a commonly cited example being that 70% of all change management initiatives fail. Change management has evolved through the years into various models. The foundation of change management formally began with The Bridges Transition Model, created by William Bridges, which helps organizations and individuals understand and more effectively manage and work through the personal and human side of change, which we now call resilience. This early model identifies the three stages an individual experiences during change: 1. Ending what currently is.

2. The neutral zone.

3. The new beginning.

This model starts with the ending. People identify with what they are losing — what was once familiar is now ending. They then move into the neutral zone where there is a reality that has ended for them and a new reality of confusion. The last stage involves new beginnings, where

these resilient people now understand their new role and purpose and can contribute effectively.

More recently, we’ve seen how change management has evolved into resiliency.

We have created certificates and formalized programs for people who are so resilient, they have made change management and people management their job of choice. We now realize that change can happen, and we acknowledge people as change management agents.

For instance, learning leaders have faced and overcome many challenges during the pandemic, helping their organization navigate rapid change and prepare employees for the current and future state of work.

THE RESILIENCE INSIDE US IS WHAT MAKES CHANGE HAPPEN. HOW TO PRACTICE RESILIENCY Resilient people have an instinctive understanding of when, for example, being proactive is more important than seeking support. Being a resilient person does not mean that you have the answers all the time. It means you keep putting one foot in front of the other, communicate your ideas and do what you can each day.

When facing a change, exercise your resiliency muscles by: • Exercising Your Positivity: Resilient people analyze any situation in a way that gives them hope.

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• Being Confident: Resilient people have a strong but realistic belief in themselves. As a result, they tend to control change, rather than have the change control them.

• Effectively Prioritizing: Resilient people have the focus needed to prioritize activities effectively.

• Trying Something New: Resilient people tend to be good at generating alternative approaches and solutions to match the change.

• Making Connections: Resilient people actively seek the support of others during times of change.

• Creating Habits and Routines: Resilient people analyze the situation and create an effective plan to implement change. One example is that resilient people incorporate the habit of physical exercise into their day.

To nurture these resiliency muscles each day, learning leaders must create habits to see and manage the change as we embrace change management and create our evolving path into resiliency.

Kathleen Federici, M.Ed., is the director of professional development for the International Parking & Mobility Institute.

With more than two decades of training, online learning and credentialing experience, she provides planning and oversight of organization-wide strategies to meet certification and education needs in a globally complex world.

Email Kathleen.

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Learning journeys that drive change.

Drawing on over 30 years of sector insights, Hemsley Fraser delivers a holistic, blended, agile, and digital-first approach to learning. As a result, its customers achieve transformative learning and development outcomes, wherever learners are located and at a pace that meets the fast-changing demands of today’s hybridized workplaces.

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www.hemsleyfraser.com

STELLA LEE, PH.D.

WHAT’S NEXT IN TECH

WHAT TO CONSIDER WHEN EVALUATING EDTECH PRODUCTS

With just about every organization going through some degree of digital modernization, and the continuing need to support workplace learning and performance remotely, educational technology (edtech) products are in high demand these days.

From learning management systems to tech-enabled assessments, edtech provides a tremendous opportunity to innovate and to address challenges in skills development. However, despite vendors’ promises of increasing learner engagement, improving performance and reducing skills gaps, many edtech products fail to meet expectations and have a sustainable impact. One of the reasons for this is that organizations lack a holistic understanding of how the introduction of an edtech product will shape the way we learn — and how it will impact the business.

To address this gap, we can start by being better informed about these products and by asking the following questions: WHAT PEDAGOGICAL ASSUMPTIONS ARE THE EDTECH PRODUCTS MAKING? Every edtech product is based on certain assumptions about learning (whether intentional or not). For example, many virtual classroom systems were designed to replicate the physical classroom, subscribing to the behaviorist theory of learning in which the instructor is at the center of learning, setting objectives and providing appropriate stimuli to elicit the desired responses. Learner behaviors are seen as predictable and controllable via rewards and punishments. Being aware of

such assumptions will help us understand why an edtech product is designed in a certain way, to determine if these assumptions align with your learning and development (L&D) goals and shed light on whether the ideology is entrenched in a limited or outdated learning approach.

DOES IT SOLVE AN ACTUAL PROBLEM? While it is exciting to explore emerging technologies, the real question is whether these innovations will result in better learning outcomes and experiences, or create a different set of problems. For example, using a learning experience platform to recommend learning content might increase learner engagement but it might also become too prescriptive, require constant feeding of data and lead people only to content based on their own interests and biases.

WHAT ARE THE ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS? All edtech products collect and record data. However, there is a lack of clarity about how learner data is being used or manipulated. Furthermore, there are concerns about AI-based learning systems with the potential to exclude or discriminate against certain groups or demographics of learners, often without a way to opt out or provide feedback. For example, online proctoring tools verify learners’ identities using biometric scans such as facial recognition. This can be problematic as facial recognition technologies are inherently biased in their accuracy. According to research, Black and Asian faces are falsely identified 10 to 100 times more often

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than white faces. As we evaluate edtech products, we need to ask questions about ownership of data and learner autonomy, privacy and security; especially if these factors are unclear.

WE NEED TO ASK QUESTIONS THAT GO BEYOND FUNCTIONS AND FEATURES. WHAT ARE THE OPPORTUNITY COSTS? Sometimes, technology is not the best (or only) solution to our L&D challenges.

When considering the cost of introducing a new edtech platform, we ought not only to factor in the cost of licensing and implementation, but also what we must give up in order to make room for the new product. Prior to setting your sights on a particular edtech product, I recommend conducting an ideation session with your key stakeholders to explore and consider all options and alternatives. This will help to ensure that whatever edtech product you are selecting is the right solution to your L&D challenge.

Edtech products present a lot of wonderful and exciting opportunities to organizations, but in order to choose wisely, we need to ask questions that go beyond functions and features.

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

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SAM SHRIVER & MARSHALL GOLDSMITH

BUILDING LEADERS

PRIORITIZING THE EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE

Let’s start with a workforce trend. A trend that has been accelerated in so many ways by the global pandemic we are all sick and tired of and is further supported by the inescapable evidence (and ongoing aftershocks) of The Great Resignation. That trend is: the employee experience.

We would suggest this trend has taken the form of a search that has its roots in the psychological teachings of Martin Seligman, author of “Authentic Happiness” and “Flourish.” That trend could be articulated as follows: “I fully understand that wherever I work, productivity matters! It’s insulting to suggest that I wouldn’t get that or somehow think otherwise.”

“But you know what I’ve really come to grips with? My personal well-being matters just as much. To be completely honest, it matters a whole lot more! I want to work at a place that I enjoy, where I am truly connected to the people I work with and to the value our positive contributions bring to others!”

It seems the notion of organizations truly prioritizing those sorts of things has been given ever-increasing amounts of lip service and promotional support.

When it came down to it, though, most continued to operate on the premise that productivity ultimately drove engagement, instead of the other way around. We are of the opinion that now — more than ever before — that premise is being aggressively challenged!

A focus on the employee experience has emerged as one of the key trends

of the past year, in terms of both talent acquisition and retention. In large part, an attractive employee experience translates to evidence that an organization prioritizes a positive and inclusive workplace; focuses on enhancing personal well-being; and builds extended stakeholder trust through transparency, empathy and integrity-based leadership.

CULTURE EMANATES FROM THE HEART AND SOUL OF THE CEO. Considered in terms of supply and demand, you could confidently state that cultures that truly prioritize the employee experience are in limited supply compared to the talent demand for the kind of sophisticated and meaningful relationships those cultures routinely cultivate. While creating and sustaining such a culture is a complicated and multifaceted endeavor, the roles fulfilled by the CEO and the learning and development (L&D) function are critical.

CEO Culture emanates from the heart and soul of the CEO. A culture defined by the employee experience recognizes the power of an engaged workforce. If the most visible person in the organization not only articulates the mantra about trust, people and the benefits of working together but provides “24/7-365” modeling of that mantra, others will take notice! Beyond that accountability

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(at all levels) for those who behave in a manner that challenges or threatens the spirit of that working environment must be in place.

THE L&D FUNCTION The L&D function needs to support the culture visibly and responsively by providing explicit and ongoing learning that helps employees develop the skills to effectively: • Behave: Collaborate effectively when emotions are high, and the stakes are even higher.

• Include: Make sure every voice and every perspective is heard.

• Appreciate: Show appreciation for customers, leadership and each other.

Traditionally, organizations have been judged by their ability to hit targets and deliver results. For the record, that isn’t going anywhere! But the trends identified above force all of us to consider the question: If employees are truly engaged at work, and routinely exert discretionary effort because they truly care about those they work with, work for and serve, is there any way that organization is going to fall short of hitting their productivity targets?

We think not!

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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TRAINING NEEDS ASSESSMENT

UNDERSTAND THE NEED PROVIDE THE RIGHT SOLUTIONS VIEW BROCHURE

DR. KRISTAL WALKER, CPTM

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

RELENTLESS ENGAGEMENT: CREATING A PATH FOR INCLUSION ACROSS THE EMPLOYEE LIFE CYCLE Traditional methods of attracting and retaining talent are requiring organizations to rethink their entire business strategy.

As companies leverage best practices to build pipelines of qualified and diverse talent, they are also struggling to find ways to keep their existing employee populations engaged. A sense of belonging is foundational to engagement and self-actualization for employees.

Let’s take a look at five areas of the employee life cycle that could be used to create intentional paths to belonging and engagement.

THE PREBOARDING STAGE In this stage, we consider activities, events and points of contact that occur prior to an employee joining a team. This might include how the company’s brand appeals to the prospective employee, the design of the candidate experience or the job posting itself. In all three of these examples, the company can assert inclusion. For example, prospective employees should see themselves in the employer’s marketing material, whether on the company’s career page or creative assets.

THE ONBOARDING STAGE This is the stage where the employee has a front-row seat into both the dominant and sub-cultures that exist within the company. As such, their interpretation of the culture extends well beyond what was shared during the preboarding stage.

Ask new employees about their preferred pronouns, create clear goals and

expectations with applicable resources to support performance and engage the new hire in cultural competence training.

The onboarding stage may vary from one company to the next, but whether the experience commenced after 90 days, six months or even a year, the employee’s transition between stages should be acknowledged by an introductory evaluation or a one-on-one check-in.

THE INBOARDING STAGE The primary focus of the inboarding stage is to avoid scenarios that cause employees to question the organization’s commitment to their continued success.

This is the stage where employees can step up to take on responsibilities that exceed their initial job expectations.

Inclusion activities at this stage might include rotation assignments to give employees exposure to areas outside of their existing role, or career mobility programs that create clear paths from entry level to more advanced career opportunities.

THE OFFBOARDING STAGE The offboarding stage occurs when an employee is promoted, transitions to another team within the same company, leaves the company for another career opportunity or retires.

Despite the negative connotations that come with offboarding, employers can still be inclusive when it comes to employee departures. For example, rather than looking at a retiring employee’s departure

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as a loss to the company, you can find ways to preserve their knowledge. In this way, the employee feels valued for their contributions over the years and the company minimizes disruption.

THE REBOARDING STAGE One common example of reboarding is when employee returns from maternity or paternity leave — they may need time to readjust back into their role. Another use for reboarding is when companies want to realign staff expectations after experiencing significant changes in operations.

INCLUSION EFFORTS DON’T HAPPEN ORGANICALLY. For example, if there are changes in leadership, employees may need to be realigned on vision and objectives.

Another example would be if an organization experiences a merger or acquisition. Inclusion in both instances may include offering a diverse range of resources to support the employee’s personal well-being through the transition.

Inclusion efforts don’t happen organically. But the results will ultimately speak for themselves when employees refuse the bait of competitive offers.

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. Walker.

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If you haven’t embraced the “new normal” yet, it’s time to face reality.

If you haven’t embraced the “new normal” yet, it’s time to face reality.

The workplace will never be the same. Learning and development (L&D) professionals are tasked with providing relevant and engaging learning experiences for a distributed workforce at a time when the stakes have never been higher. Employees are leveraging the current economic climate to job shift, look for increased flexibility and potentially change careers.

At the same time, organizations are rethinking their team structure, revising projections based on supply shortages and demanding high performance from employees at every level.

How Will the Way We Define the Work Environment Impact Our Approach To L&D? Many work environments are no longer defined by the physical aspects of an office building. The blurring of lines between work and home has become seamless, with employees switching between project and home tasks throughout the day, enabling them to increase efficiency and productivity.

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Team member demographics also continue to shift as companies hire global talent to get the best of the best and utilize contractors to make the most of their resources.

According to Gartner’s “9 Future of Work Trends Post-COVID” report, “32% of organizations are replacing full-time employees with contingent or contract workers as a cost-saving measure.”

As we plan for 2022 and beyond, consider the following when designing for the blended workplace: • When creating training programs that will include contractors, what additional information might they need to fully understand and act upon the concepts covered in the training?

• How inclusive is your training strategy? Do all employees feel as though they are part of the group, or do some feel like outsiders, due to their employment status?

• Have you considered how to manage on-site employees who may want to attend a virtual training session as an in-person group?

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• How might you adjust your training plan to accommodate for global team members who are located outside of the home-office time zone?

When March 2020 hit and the U.S. moved work and school into the virtual space overnight, L&D teams had to scramble to come up with a new plan.

Not only did they have their existing training programs (many of which were planned for in-person environments), they now had an entire workforce that needed training on how to maintain productivity and manage teams in a virtual office environment.

How Has Our Approach To Learning Shifted as a Temporary Situation Turned Into Lasting Change?

L&D is tasked with creating learning that can be delivered online or in person, asynchronous, but also allowing for discussion, topic-focused and highly relevant for each role in the organization. Let’s look at some strategies we can implement to guide planning moving forward.

Strategy 1.

Plan for Multiple Delivery Methods: Why limit a learning experience to only online or only in person? People need options. Recently, my team created a 20-minute eLearning that could be easily converted into a 60-minute face-to-face session with a facilitator.

The content remained the same; we simply tweaked the flow and some of the activity directions to allow for face-to-face discussion versus online interactives. We knew at the beginning of the project that multiple delivery methods were desired, and we planned the design accordingly.

Strategy 2. Take Learning Out of the

Classroom: For large-scale training initiatives, don’t limit content to the classroom (virtual or physical).

Identify your key points and create a communication plan for sharing them before and after the training.

Get creative with how and when they can be embedded into other

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As L&D leaders, we play a key role in helping our talented team members feel valued. communications or events in the organization. For example, if your organization has recently changed to a new learning management system (LMS) and you need to get people up to speed on how to use it, identify two or three key messages and then send them out in a catchy video and post it on your company communication platform. Perhaps host a Q&A session with your chief learning officer about the new tool. This will raise awareness of how to use the tool, drive people to the training event and generate higher adoption rates.

Strategy 3.

Rock the Virtual Live Events: Sometimes it’s just easier to get everyone on a video call.

Whether learners are in the office, at home, on the road or an ocean away, communication platforms are now a part of the typical workday and can be quite useful, especially when time is tight. But if you are going to go this route, especially if you have in-person groups logging in together, you must be able to keep their attention. Content alone will not keep people engaged.

Consider the following: • Have a facilitator who is different from the trainer. People get tired of hearing the same voice the entire time.

• Use your virtual meeting tools: polls, whiteboards, breakout groups and meaningful chat activities help to keep people focused.

• Require video on for all participants and regularly switch between slide view and gallery view. People want to see each other when engaged in discussion activities.

• Do not go more than one hour without a break. Give your learners time to check their email, to message a co-worker, to get up and walk around. Build this into the schedule and communicate it in advance so learners can manage their expectations.

• Add a competitive element. Conduct a pop quiz, give points for speaking up or providing input through chat, add in something fun to give learners a quick brain break.

Strategy 4. One Time Does Not Fit All Zones: Chances are your organization has expanded its talent search to include new hires who are outside of the physical office time zone. Additionally, many workers have taken advantage of flexible working hours to better accommodate family needs. Working nine to five has changed to working sometime between the time you get up and the time you go to bed. L&D must now consider offering multiple times for synchronous training events. If your attendance numbers have dropped in the last year, consider reaching out to your learners to find out what barriers are preventing their participation.

Strategy 5. Consider the Expanding Learning Audience: The gig economy began before COVID, and it has only gotten larger as a result. It is becoming more common to hire contractors for extended periods of time as opposed to hiring them on as full-time employees.

This strategy helps organizations manage costs during the ebbs and flows of their business. A potential flaw in this method is that these “outside employees” are often not privy to organization initiatives, particularly

within L&D, and therefore they miss out on key information that will help them better collaborate with their internal partners. As we continue into 2022, it will be important to include all who can benefit from the training, to ensure that workflows remain efficient, consistent and productive.

How Can We Leverage L&D to Turn the Great Resignation Into the Great Retention?

In the current economy, employees have the upper hand and are on the lookout for better benefits, more opportunity and potential for personal growth.

While salary still plays a role, the truth is that no one wins when it becomes just a numbers game. Employees who get

starstruck by a big jump in salary may quickly find themselves disappointed if the culture of the new workplace leaves them feeling underappreciated.

As L&D leaders, we play a key role in helping our talented team members feel valued, to identify opportunities for growth and development and to know that they are part of a company who truly wants the best for them. To do this we must: • Support our team members throughout their careers: When an employee is promoted, what are we doing to ensure it is a smooth transition? Onboarding is not just for new hires. Work closely with your HR team to determine the key skills that will be needed in the new role and create a structured learning plan to help that team member succeed.

• Be proactive in showcasing talent: What best practices do you see in your organization? Who is creating these, and who else could benefit from knowing them? L&D doesn’t have to have a monopoly on learning — how can we enable high

performers to share their expertise across the organization?

• Reduce ambiguity: We’ve had two years of uncertainty and people are tired. How can we work with our leadership teams at all levels to increase empathy, promote decision-making and encourage transparent communication?

• Utilize upskilling and reskilling as a key retention strategy: According to a recent Korn Ferry report, 75% of surveyed employees who plan to stay with their current organization for at least five years cite “opportunities for learning and development” as a key factor in their decision.

L&D has an opportunity to increase the value we provide to organization stakeholders by embracing these challenges and renewing our charge to always put the learner first. The “new normal” is here to stay, and who knows, we might just be all the better for it.

Daila Boufford is the training manager for client success at eMoney.

Email Daila.

Taking a

Proactive Approach

to Learning

Within L&D, we need to take a proactive approach to providing learning opportunities for our increasingly diverse learning audience. We must: • Redefine what it means to have a holistic approach to learning.

• Innovate to meet learner demands while minimizing seat time.

• Create learning that is highly relevant to individuals, but also scalable to make the most use of our resources.

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CONGRATULATIONS

CPTM GRADUATES!

Congratulations to all of those who became Certified Professionals in Training Management (CPTMs™) since the beginning of 2022! We would like to recognize 76 graduates from diverse industries and roles around the world. Your accomplishment places you amongst an elite group of learning and development professionals. We can’t wait to see how you will lead the change!

Mike Allen Training Industry, Inc.

Rommell Cooper, Jr. Vivint

Sheila Ambrose TaskUs

Eddie Darrisaw Honeywell

Priscila Anaya Mosaic

Bennae Donnell-Cobette Internal Revenue Service

Noeleen Ashton Henry Schein One

Sarah Early Telaid

Joel Balderas Peak6 InsurTech

Diana Ecker Klaviyo

Jorge Becerra Ford Motor Company

Tina Erickson Cleveland-Cliffs

Jana Berg SapphireK12, Inc.

Samah Forgus Internal Revenue Service

Fabiana Biasini UNICEF

Dale Fox Wilson Learning Corporation

Patrice Bobala Generali Global Assistance INC

Christine Fritz Manatee County Government

Sarah Boutwell CyberCoders

Sean Garrett Empower

Catherine Browne SAIC

Hudson Garrett, Jr Community Health Associates, LLC

Sarna Bryant Peripheral Vascular Associates Heidi Burrows Cincinnati Insurance Timothy Buttermore Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts

January Gilley Virginia Lottery Catrice Hayes Internal Revenue Service Kristin Hebe Amazon

Kristi Cable Hach Company

Kate Hixson Dauntless

Monica Campbell HUB International

Anh Huynh

A special congratulations to the 1000th graduate of the CPTM program: Michelle Weber of Amazon!

Deneena Lanius Enterprise Knowledge

Michael Petruso OptumRx

Caleb Lee SRK Consulting

Bayan Qoul Expedia Group

Suzanne Leopold Acclaim Technical Services

Fidimalala Rakotomanantsoa Ambatovy

Sarah Logar Mid-City Electric

Eddie Richards Ergon Refinery, Inc

Joy Mahon NASCAR

Alli Roach Brew Dr

Joe Makston Early Warning Services

Christine Rondeaux APSYS

Shanna Martin The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis

Jeffrey Shaw Trimedx

Lavern Mason-Howard New York Edge Erik McCoy Puget Sound Energy Kathleen McMillian-Roberts Internal Revenue Service Kathy Meader Retail Solutions Providers Association Miguel Francisco Melo dos Santos

Ryan Carroll Mueller Water Products

Lindsey Iversen SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, Busch Gardens

Sylvia Cherry BD

Renee Moore Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts

Emily Sheedy Dellbrook | JKS Melinda Shoemaker Walsh College Kalena Sikorski MDR LaShawna Smith Conservation International Fazier Smith VMware Denise Teixeira IG Wealth Management Jelto Von Shuckmann APSYS

Frederick Osei Boateng Asanko Gold Ghana Ltd

Cynthia Wagner Orangetheory Fitness

Marita Janson Insmed

Taier Parsnow Charter Communications

Andrea Weston Technimark

Alvin Chun-Lau HUB International

Nicole Johnson Creation Technologies

Cheryl Paulsen Gravity Diagnostics

Robert Wiess Motiva

Micaela Cook DentalQore

Alexandra Kubebatu USAA

Márta Pellek Technical University Delft

Maayan Yankelevich Vivid Money GMBH

Visit trainingindustry.com/cptm to learn more about how you can earn the CPTM credential and join over 1,000 CPTM graduates.

f Enable

EXPERT PERFORMANCE a with b ADAPTIVE LEARNING g

By Michael J. Noble, Ph.D.

M

astery inspires awe. In the arts, sports and in the workplace, masters and expert practitioners are exceptions, outliers. If aware, intellectually, of the science of expertise, we yet prefer, emotionally and psychologically, the mystique of mastery.

For instance, when my son sits down to play Rachmaninoff, his grandparents tear up in awe of their extraordinary grandson. And he is extraordinary, especially if you accept that no one is ordinary. Mostly, he has developed a daily habit of rising at 5:30 a.m. to practice and receives guidance from a private tutor on a weekly basis. He is no prodigy, if that means that he’s endowed with innate qualities or gifts.

When listening to a prodigy, we would never assume that level of proficiency

would be within our grasp. It would be foolish or arrogant to think, “I could do that.” In “Pride and Prejudice,” Lady Catherine boasts of her unproven but inevitable genius for the piano, “If I had ever learnt, I should have been a great proficient.” What if she is not as foolish as she seems?

Certainly, high levels of mastery have not been the goal of corporate learning.

Most would avoid claims that digital learning facilitates true mastery. And, generally speaking, innovation in digital learning over the past 20 years has led to broader distribution of instructional content; it has not optimized learning.

So, what makes good learning? Many would answer engagement, which could mean minimally interesting

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or even somewhat experiential.

We aim for a high rate of course completion paired with high marks for engagement. The types of business challenges successfully addressed through such a learning model are not insignificant, but they are rarely transformative. Transformation calls for something else, something more than minimally prepared knowledge workers. It calls for mastery and higher levels of expert performance.

The What and Why of Adaptive Learning The goal of adaptive learning, in contrast to that of other digital learning solutions, is not subjectively defined engagement; at its best, that goal becomes deliberate practice. It takes effort, specific guidance

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and spaced repetition. Decades of research evidences the efficacy of one-on-one tutoring. Yet, for the most part, digital learning is modeled on classrooms and textbooks. Adaptive learning, in contrast, recognizes the individuality of learner needs.

One way to better understand adaptive learning, at least how the term is used today within the context of learning and development (L&D), is to note what it is not: › It isn’t a solution that accommodates the largely debunked concept of “learning styles.” › It isn’t a strategy for increasing the accessibility of learning (for those with sensory impairments). › And it isn’t synonymous with personalization, as there are several ways to personalize a learning experience that may not align directly to the goal of individual mastery. For example, showing or hiding content depending on the learner’s role may be described as personalization, but unless that showing or hiding is triggered by learner performance (and not just by the learner profile), it isn’t adaptive.

What does constitute adaptive learning, on the other hand, is being shaped by two key factors — learning science and artificial intelligence (AI). Today’s adaptive learning, within the most sophisticated educational technology (edtech), automatically calibrates to the needs of individuals, recreating at scale the efficacy of a tutor using real-time data analysis. Consider three types of adaptivity in learning: › Curriculum adaptivity matches a learner’s needs to available offerings.

This automates the recommendations provided by the system. › Adaptivity of the learning sequence within a course enables dynamic pathing based on learner performance. › Finally, adaptivity of the practice and learning activities ensures that

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learners receive the content that will be most effective in building their individual proficiency.

AI-enhanced learning has been likened to the smart recommendations of video streaming services. This comparison really doesn’t explain adaptive learning.

Netflix, after all, isn’t giving users an individual cut. An adaptive movie might, hypothetically, deliver a unique combination of car chases, sword fights, love scenes, musical interludes, etc.

A user might have a very long or very short movie, based on detailed analytics of response cues.

A better metaphor may be a GPS or selfdriving car. We can use a GPS to help us identify a destination, but its unique value is helping with the route, which we could liken to learning sequence, and with the changing conditions, which we can liken to the adaptivity of the practice and learning activities.

eLearning and Adaptive Learning Most eLearning offers roughly the same experience for all learners. A contrast to adaptive learning begins to suggest a new benchmark. › eLearning targets the average user with a standard course design while adaptive learning creates a unique learner experience for each individual.

Transformation calls for mastery and higher levels of expert performance.

› eLearning is often a linear, contentfirst approach while adaptive learning can be non-linear with smart practice in place of content presentation. › eLearning assessment strategies often include quick checks and a final (summative) assessment; adaptive learning uses learner-specific practice (formative assessment).

Learners come with relatively low expectations for eLearning. They expect to review information, click through content, answer a question or two, and receive their completion. When they encounter an adaptive solution for the first time, they may feel like they’re being tested. They may be worried about failing, or they may even be frustrated by the fact that adaptive learning requires more effort and attention. The shift requires effective change management.

Learners need to experience an increased reward (proficiency and retention) before giving up the ease and convenience of the informational slides that they click through to completion.

Applied Research The research behind adaptive learning arguably predates the affordances of AI to enable it at scale. AI isn’t needed to create adaptivity, but it is needed to achieve scale.

True learning adaptivity, with or without technology, factors in a complex set of learning variables. The research into these variables is diverse and spans decades. It goes beyond Bloom’s taxonomy to include his research into the efficacy of one-onone tutoring over classroom instruction. It is informed by the psychological states in learning progression, the zone of proximal development, the value of interleaving, the criticality of self-efficacy and the inverse logic of the Dunning-Kruger effect.

It embraces the science of expertise and the science of individuality.

With adaptive learning, the ability to target individual learners supports the best of learning science. It should also help us to evaluate and measure effectiveness. The data from standard eLearning consists of completion and maybe a score. Mature adaptive learning provides detailed, micro-level analytics:

› Rather than duration or seat-time of a learning experience, adaptive learning can measure time-to-proficiency.

x

IS IT ADAPTIVE?

w

› Instead of ambiguously targeting engagement, an adaptive learning strategy measures it, capturing where learners put their focus, how much effort it takes, how confident they feel about their performance, etc.

Several learning platforms feature adaptivity. Here are 10 questions to ask:

› In addition to gathering learner perception of the content, an adaptive learning platform provides content analytics indicating accuracy, difficulty, etc.

3.

True learning adaptivity, with or without technology, factors in a complex set of learning variables.

1.

2.

What changes in the learner experience?

What type of data is being gathered?

When and how does data shape the experience?

4. Are the sequence, duration, practice and content specific to individual performance?

5.

Does the AI merely recommend, or does it accelerate individual learning?

6.

Is the adaptive algorithm leveraging a large, geographically and culturally diverse pool of data with multiple, granular inputs?

7.

Are the metrics being gathered valid from the perspective of learning science?

8.

Do the results demonstrate efficacy in the short and long term?

9.

Can learners see their data? What are they learning about how they learn?

10.

What future innovations in the platform will expand and integrate the value of the adaptive learning approach?

s Learning Engineering and Data-informed Design This type of information enables an entirely new way of approaching learning design. Rather than letting courses die a slow death, as we post them to the learning management system (LMS) and move on, the content analytics make possible an iterative, data-driven design. When content is rapidly developed, a minimally viable module provides data on the content and on the learner experience, giving insight for real-time improvement.

The sub-specialization that focuses on using learning and content analytics to inform their design process is referred

jk

to as learning engineering. But, before audibly groaning about having yet another term for a training professional, consider the term’s origins in cognitive psychology. Next-generation adaptive learning affords opportunities to apply this broader body of research that is more interdisciplinary and dynamic. Yes, it further disrupts the industry’s collective commitment to stagnated but performative models like ADDIE and other, still-popular norms of instructional design, but it also legitimizes and refreshes the work. We don’t need to envy or mimic advances in marketing automation — personalization within the context of learning and powered by AI-driven adaptive learning becomes not a tool for increasing page views but one for predicting the type of unique practice,

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r

rehearsal, guidance and pathing to achieve mastery.

Closing Thoughts The next wave of adaptive learning solutions will be even more ambitious, integrating a variety of additional approaches to support knowledge, skills, character and meta-learning. While the promise of advancing our various business interests is compelling, the possibility of advancing that most central element of our humanity, the capacity to learn, instills a depth of purpose that is perpetually fresh, resilient to inevitable setbacks.

Michael J. Noble, Ph.D., is the president (Americas) of Area9 Lyceum. Email Michael.

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Taking the Virtual Route to Leadership Training

By Dr. RK Prasad

According to the Global Leadership Forecast 2021, a whopping 55% of CEOs are preoccupied with the problem of developing the next generation of leaders. While traditional approaches to leadership training (such as physical classroom sessions and dedicated workshops) have huge takers, the pandemic has rendered them unworkable for many organizations for the immediate future.

Leadership is taking on the challenge to motivate colleagues to move forward — the challenge here is in guiding people and helping them to see their potential value in the future.

Leadership and related areas are top priorities for learning and development (L&D) units and top management as organizations battle the pandemic and its effects, including hybrid working and virtual teams.

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Leadership training — along with onboarding and technical training — is in the spotlight as it is a difficult subject to move online. Leadership training calls for collaboration, peer-to-peer interaction, supervision, coaching and feedback. Most organizations conducted leadership training in a physical setting before the pandemic.

Adding to the challenge is the need to get learners (leadership trainees) acquainted with new technology — particularly the various software and platforms that are increasingly being used to facilitate virtual instructorled training (VILT) sessions. This is compounded by these platforms evolving to offer more, sometimes on a daily basis.

Let’s explore some insights into using online training (with an emphasis on

VILT) to ensure uninterrupted leadership development without losing the effectiveness of the human interaction afforded by the classroom.

How Do Organizations Traditionally Train for Leadership?

Heres’ a snapshot of three likely scenarios for leadership training programs in organizations: ■

■

■

A training program to nurture new or first-time managers.

A training program for managers of managers.

A career development program for high-potential emerging leaders.

(as well as everyone else involved).

It can be effective in many ways and for a multitude of audiences although some may have a harder time focusing.

The ability to learn in a virtual world is an acquired skill. The challenge is that most people need human-to-human connection and interaction to stay engaged. This is where a blended learning program can help.

Using Virtual Training for Leadership Development

Can the Virtual Delivery Work for Leadership Training?

eLearning courses can also be used post VILT sessions to offer learners a chance to practice the skills component in the form of scenario-based modules.

Absolutely! Technology plays a key role in both enhancing and supporting the delivery of a great learning experience.

Key challenges involve helping participants stay active and engaged, creating a sense of community and connection across a cohort, and keeping materials and tools as simple as possible.

While each of these cater to different groups of learners, it is undeniable that leadership training is in equal measure an art and a science. It involves a lot of behavioral components and soft skills.

That brings us to the next question.

Is Online/Virtual Training Effective?

Online learning is like any other modality: It’s only as good as the design and setting allow it to be. Online learning can work for leadership development and actually be a more effective modality for certain purposes, but the design needs to be carefully considered, given the modality and learning objectives.

Virtual learning is flexible and can save time for subject matter experts (SMEs)

And there are certain misconceptions: that you can’t possibly keep people engaged for longer sessions, that it’s impossible to build connections and networking opportunities and that virtual delivery is inferior to in-person delivery. However, most of these can be overcome with good design.

Designing a Winning Virtual Leadership Training Program While there are certain challenges, such as limitations of technology, short attention spans, lack of facilitator knowledge and varying levels of ability with digital interactive tools, virtual training is the way ahead.

It cuts down the effort and expense needed to get experts onboard every time. Use eLearning courses that can be reused for different groups for learners. Record your virtual sessions and offer snippets as ready reckoners, post training.

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eLearning

eLearning courses — whether standalone or configured as curricula — can be used to provide knowledge. In fact, they make a good predecessor to VILT sessions by covering the theoretical frameworks and concepts.

Microlearning modules can be used to: ■

■

■

■

Push learning in spaced intervals to improve retention.

Pull learning resources that learners can access on-demand from the learning management system or internal portals.

Deliver job aids such as PDFs and charts.

Check and assess recall at periodic intervals in stress-free formats.

VILT Virtual instructor-led training (VILT) is becoming an indispensable part of leadership training, as it’s commonly considered a close substitute for faceto-face training. However, the challenge lies in designing material to replicate the classroom and getting learners familiar with technology.

To address the latter, it’s better to organize a couple of “Getting Started” webinars to build familiarity. It’s also better to have a host/moderator assist the instructor in conducting the sessions.

Here are a few guidelines on replicating leadership training in the virtual space.

■

■

Reconsider the learning objectives and decide what needs to be covered via VILT. Decide on the optimal duration of each session. It is recommended to have short VILT sessions, interspersed with breaks.

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■

■

■

■

Design collaborative activities to capture classroom exercises — breakouts can be used to let learners collaborate, work on small projects or complete workbooks.

Build rapport prior to the session in virtual lobbies — these can be made fun by asking participants to introduce themselves via their pet or favorite superhero.

Assess participation and moderate the pace of the session using interventions such as polls, chat, whiteboards and annotations.

Have small, manageable groups for collaboration.

Building a Blended Learning Program for Leadership Training Using a mix of online modalities can help you build a strong blended learning

framework for leadership training. Here’s a virtual road map you can try:

conduct what they’ve been doing — over a different medium, with new technology.

VILT for group exercises, discussions or one-on-one mentoring.

Leverage the bookend blended learning model, where VILT or one-onone coaching sessions are preceded and followed by online training. Where eLearning can be used for self-study, utilize microlearning for practice.

■

■ ■

■ ■

Virtual workshops for skill building. eLearning for self-study — branching scenarios for problem-solving, case studies for conflict resolution.

Online forums for one-on-one coaching.

Podcasts by experts and thought leaders.

Tips for Designing Effective Virtual Leadership Training Programs Don’t skip a pilot or test run — especially for virtual instructor-led training sessions.

Get SMEs onboard and partner with experts in the design and development of VILT materials. Train your trainers to

Trends in Leadership Training

Here’s what training professionals need to do to ensure learners receive the best possible leadership training, the virtual way:

■

■

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Move from episodic learning to modularized and skillsbased development.

Keep up with, and collaboration tools.

leverage

enhancements

Coaching and mentoring opportunities can be arranged virtually on online forums or scheduled in small group meetings with the facilitator for follow-ups.

Organize webinars for common, straightforward topics that need a lot of collaboration — this will help disseminate knowledge faster and in a more consistent manner. It’s also a great way to reduce the costs and logistics associated with classroom training.

Videos are a great way to offer ondemand learning — whether getting seasoned managers to share their tips and success stories or recording your instructors in action.

Parting Thoughts

Thanks to various virtual training formats, leadership training is a great alternative as we shift to a new normal.

Online learning is here to stay and will find an increasingly important place to supplement and complement the classroom.

■

Spaced repetition. Practice opportunities can be spread across weeks to negate the effect of the forgetting curve, and to nurture a sense of belonging, networking and continuity.

to

Prepare employees to be able to learn by creating a digital/growth mindset.

There’s no magical one-size-fits-all solution. Put together a virtual program that works best for your learner demographics and organizational goals.

Do not develop content alone: Engage with business leaders and SMEs from within the organization. Make it diverse (different audiences and content) and fun. Keep pushing it forward and gaining sponsorship from top leaders.

Promote successes. Define clearly what will be done in virtual platforms and what will not.

Dr. RK Prasad is responsible for formulating the business strategy. A UGC certified lecturer in management, an engaging speaker, and an effective trainer, RK has 34 years of experience in sales, corporate training, university teaching, and eLearning. Email Dr. Prasad.

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Culture’s Influence

on Global and

We must be careful not to let our own cultural perceptions influence how we treat learners.

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While our increasingly global and remote work environments have led to greater innovation and more creative uses of technology for learning, they have also revealed a variety of deficiencies in training and overall learning transfer.

These differences are not new — they existed before the pandemic (and even before companies expanded their global footprints). However, they’re getting more attention as businesses focus on the return on investment (ROI) of learning in the wake of rapid transformations, and the value of “time in learning” is being scrutinized. One often overlooked parameter involved with creating quality and impactful learning involves

Remote Learning

By Neha Trivedi, MA, CPTM understanding the cultural contexts with which learners approach their own learning and development (L&D).

This is where the discipline of Anthropology may factor in: Specifically, the discipline of learning across cultures. We must be careful not to let our own cultural perceptions influence how we treat learners, but instead consider how the learners’ cultural and regional backgrounds may impact their learning preferences. This does not mean that individuals don’t have their own learning preferences beyond cultural influences. However, we can become better enablers of learning if

we take time to understand that cultural impacts exist and may add an additional layer of complexity that can potentially impact the success of learning transfer.

leaders and how we design learning for diverse learning populations (culturally, regionally, technologically and linguistically).

How can we apply this in our corporate, global and remote work environments?

Questions to ask ourselves when we are creating any training experience:

Designing Learning for Diverse Learning Populations There are two ways to approach cultural learning contexts. The first involves our own perceptions as learning

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ɐ Are we aware of our implicit biases and cultural assumptions? ɐ Have we identified where specific training examples or scenarios may have the potential for misunderstandings among learners? ɐ Are embedded learning examples culturally relevant to learners, while

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avoiding a slant toward one culture or region in the world? ɐ Are we minimizing the use of slang and local colloquialisms in the learning materials? And if we are using abbreviations or acronyms, are we making sure to define them? ɐ If English is the language used in the training, are we providing translated learning materials based on the depth and breadth of knowledge that may be needed by non-native English speakers? (Do we know the level of English proficiency our company requires for its workforce?)

Questions to ask ourselves in consideration of diverse populations agnostic of region or culture include: ɐ Are we creating learning or using tools for hosting learning content that support colleagues with limitations (visually impaired or color-blind, hearing impaired, etc.)? ɐ Are we considering timing of live learning sessions (time zones) and also creating a combination of synchronous or asynchronous learning opportunities if timing is unsuitable for some learners? ɐ Is the learning modality designed to be flexible enough to withstand varying methods and tools for learner access (bandwidth, webcams, computer speed, etc.)? ɐ Is there a variety of ways for learners to interact with the instructor (mute/ unmute, chat, email, polling, learning communities, reference libraries, recordings of sessions, etc.), taking into consideration modalities that allow for more introverted learners to be involved?

Understanding the Cultural Dimensions of Learning The second way to apply cultural learning contexts involves understanding the cultural dimensions of learning. This is

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by no means easy. It requires the learning leader to introspect and “be acutely aware of their own culture because their world views cannot be separated from the training that they develop. They should become cognizant of how their own cultural perspectives are represented in the design decisions they make.

Furthermore, instructional providers should examine the assumptions they hold about how learners will and should respond, keeping an open mind for potentially unexpected response.”

The Cultural Dimensions of Learning Framework (CDLF) (Table 1), adapted from the work of Hofstede and Hofstede (2005), Nisbett (2003), Levine (1997), Hall (1983), and Lewis (2006), by Parrish and Linder-VanBerschot is useful for understanding the spectrum of cultural differences that impact the teaching and learning enterprise.

The spectrum shown in the CDLF does not address all potential cultural dimensions of learning. However, it

Table 1.

The Cultural Dimensions of Learning Framework This table highlights three of the eight cultural dimensions and provides examples of questions to consider within those dimensions along with how learning contexts may be shaped.

Cultural Dimension

Equality vs.

Authority

Context: Questions to Consider

Learning Contexts Based on Cultural Preferences

How is inequality seen?

Value equality: Dialogue and discussion are critical learning activities.

How is status demonstrated?

How is respect shown?

Focus on authority: Instructor is the primary communicator and will likely not be challenged.

More individualistic: Students are allowed to speak up and express their opinions.

Individualism vs.

Collectivism

What is key: The interests of the individual or the interests of the group?

To what degree are interpersonal relationships valued?

Hard work is motivated by individual gain.

More collective: Students speak up in limited situations.

Students accommodate the teacher’s point of view.

Hard work is motivated by the greater good.

More nurturing: All students are praised.

Nurturing vs.

Challenging

Which is more important: cooperation and security or recognition and advancement?

Collaboration is cultivated.

More modesty.

More challenging: Excellence is praised.

Competition is cultivated.

More assertiveness.

does represent a range of behaviors, and the individuals within any specific culture will differ in how strongly they display the tendencies. For example, gender roles and differences in nonverbal communications are treated only indirectly. It is difficult to fully represent a comprehensive framework due to cultural complexity and the impacts of education and training.

The CDLF contains descriptions of eight key cultural dimensions which may provide learning leaders with insights on how to approach learning initiatives based on their knowledge of cultural backgrounds. These include the following: equality vs. authority, individualism vs. collectivism, nurturing vs. challenging, stability vs. uncertainty, more logical vs. more reasonable, focus on causality vs. focus on systems/ situations, clock focus vs. event focus, linear time vs. cyclical time.

While not all of the dimensions need to be considered and addressed in every learning design initiative, it may be useful to review the general framework which allows the learning leader to prepare for potential differences among learners (specifically in globally impacting training initiatives). The CDLF may also be used by learning designers to understand and be aware of their own cultural biases.

to compensate for their own cultural conditioning when they participate in another culture by adopting specific behaviors from that culture.

Given all the challenges outlined above, where does this leave us as the purveyors of learning, instruction and quality knowledge transfer? We can navigate through some of these challenges by increasing our own awareness, challenging our biases and by adding a few key practices to our learning design toolkits. Suggested practices include: ɐ Creating flexible learning design using different learning modalities and opportunities from opposite ends of the cultural dimensions to meet in the middle. For example, selfpaced learning or sessions that allow learners to add inputs anonymously or through polling. ɐ Taking time to research trainees’ cultures and backgrounds and collaborating with leaders and managers who have a strong understanding of those groups to participate in developing or reviewing learning initiatives. ɐ Building in a plan to conduct a pilot launch of specific initiatives that can be scaled after initial feedback

is provided by a smaller group of representative trainees. ɐ Being observant and aware of what is happening during training sessions.

How are trainees participating, interacting and behaving? While this is even more challenging in remote learning situations, it’s important to be able to assess and pivot as needed.

While some of this information may be overwhelming, remember that awareness is a key starting point. Start small and keep evolving your learning toolkit. Keep up with learning research and learning modalities, challenge your own assumptions, continue to understand bias and use your trusted network of advisors to compare notes.

As learning leaders, we are all in this together. We can and should continue to learn from each other as we contribute to building the culture of learning at our respective organizations.

Neha Trivedi, MA, CPTM, is a certified coach who leads enterprise learning strategy and colleague development at Alight Solutions. She provides thought leadership for learning transformation by identifying needs and creating plans that enable business functions to reimagine their approaches for optimized learning solutions. Email Neha.

Overcoming Cultural Awareness Challenges Though learning leaders can arm themselves with cultural awareness, there are still unique challenges that remain. They include separating learning behaviors that are based on deeply entrenched cultural values against those that may be more superficial. It is easy to make false assumptions when we attribute ways of thinking and behavior to the wrong sources of influence (as these can be attributed to human nature, culture or personality). It is also easy to over-generalize conclusions about a particular culture from a few individuals when their behaviors may be personalitydriven. The CDLF may help in avoiding false assumptions. However, it’s important to note that people have the ability

As learning leaders, we are all in this together.

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As we pass the two-year anniversary of the COVID workplace shutdown, it seems safe to assume that learning professionals have been given an adequate amount of time to adjust their organizations’ leadership development programs to address the new reality of leading in today’s hybrid work environment. Yet, many training and development teams, and the leaders they work for, may be stuck in pre-pandemic thinking, hesitating to alter or update long-standing talent management programs. “What worked before, will work now,” they tell themselves, “We will be back to normal soon.”

To a degree, they are right. Leaders have always needed to learn and adopt the fundamental practices that are the foundation of well-functioning leadership programs.

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However, the new hybrid workplace has brought unforeseen challenges unlike any experienced since the modern workplace emerged. Leaders are also adjusting to a hybrid workforce that is brimming with a newfound zeal for flexibility, well-being, socially responsible practices and aligning to a strong corporate mission.

Inherent in the complexity of today’s hybrid workplace are five paradoxes.

Understanding these paradoxes will provide training and development professionals new insight into the valuable unintended consequences — or opportunities — resulting from the pandemic. These perspectives will provide a new base of knowledge from which training and development staff can engage with leaders in meaningful conversations about the differences

between leading in the past and leading in the “new normal” work environment.

It is time to let go, embrace a new talent management framework, and optimize all that a hybrid organization, powered by new technology, management frameworks and interpersonal expectations can offer.

Paradox 1 ///

People skills become even more important when in-person connection is less frequent.

Rare are the opportunities for a leader to close their office door, look an employee in the eye and have a conversation. The non-verbal cues that were easy to spot in an office

environment are much harder to surface during a phone call or video conference. Leading in the virtual environment requires more focused attention on reading employees’ moods and picking up clues that may indicate a looming problem. Leaders need to proactively create opportunities for meaningful interactions. No matter where they work, people still want and need connection, and even more so when they are engaging with colleagues who are not in the same physical location. Figuring out how to replace the casual “water cooler talk,” motivate an employee, sense when something is amiss and show the caring and compassion today’s workforce expects — all from a distance — requires significant upskilling.

To embrace this paradox, consider teaching the following leadership skills: emotional intelligence, communication, and listening.

Paradox 2 ///

The less you see your employees, the more you can trust them.

While there may be familiar comfort in the buzz of a busy office, it’s a false comfort. Even when everyone is present and accounted for, leaders can’t really know what their people are doing all day. When their teams work alternative schedules or from remote locations, leaders are forced to transition their productivity measure from the physical indicators of “busy-ness” to work output.

liberating and empowering for both the person receiving trust and the one giving it. Focusing on results (and allowing for flexibility in how an employee achieved them) will create stronger and more productive organizations.

Paradox 4 ///

To embrace this paradox, consider teaching the following leadership skills:

Necessity has flipped the use of virtual meetings from an infrequent occurrence used to report out on activities in a loose committee format to the primary vehicle to work with your core team to problem-solve, action-plan, provide feedback and make important business decisions. Expanding the paradigm that meetings don’t have to be confined to a physical conference room made it easier to involve colleagues in different geographies in real-time.

• Goal setting.

• Accountability.

• Performance management.

• Trust-based leadership.

Paradox 3 ///

The more flexible work schedules become, the more leaders need to provide structure.

Alternative schedules and workanywhere policies can result in a chaotic dynamic. When people work at different times in different places with different time zones, the procedures and systems that were once relied upon to aid productivity, such as a metrics bulletin board or daily standup meeting, break down.

To combat this disorder, leaders need to create clear connection points, systems and pathways for people to collaborate, solve problems and get work done. With practice, leaders can effectively use virtual meetings to build relationships, share and process information and make decisions. They can do project planning, provide clarity around deadlines, and ensure resource and contingency plans are in place.

When a baseline of agreed-upon productivity indicators is in place, leaders can trust the employees that consistently deliver without the need to constantly watch over them. Once trust is extended, leaders can easily test that trust by extending more autonomy.

Keeping an eye on output will quickly show leaders if the trust is warranted.

As trust is given, empowerment and engagement typically follow.

The range of collaborative technology tools keep teams connected while allowing individuals to work in a way that is productive for them. When the right underlying systems are in place and expectations for their utilization are clearly communicated, employees will thrive in the new, soon-to-befamiliar structure.

Leaders who grew up with the paradigm that seeing someone at their desk is the only way to know work is being done may find this challenging to accept. It is

• Feedback.

To embrace this paradox, consider teaching the following leadership skills: • Execution.

• Courageous leadership.

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The more we are separated by physical distance, the more we’re inclined to create closer connections that are far away.

More sophisticated conferencing, communication and collaboration systems make the world smaller.

Through video-on meeting etiquette, employees can see non-verbal behavior, stay engaged and help people feel more closely connected than our past phone conference line would allow. It’s possible to have the same level of connection and frequency of communication with a worker halfway around the world as with the co-worker that previously shared a cubical wall. We can equally spend time with anyone, anywhere — avoiding the trap of gravitating to others like us or near us.

To embrace this paradox, consider teaching the following leadership skills: • Understanding unconscious bias.

• Motivation and personality styles.

• Inclusion and influence.

Paradox 5 ///

The more employees work from home to manage work-life stress, the more they may work and the more stressed they can become.

While many workers expected that working from home would provide a much-needed relief from work-life conflict, the exact opposite proved to be true for some. Setting boundaries for working is harder when your living space is also your office. Home schooling children,

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uncertainty about health risks, learning new work skills and other life stressors have accelerated in the last 24 months.

and retain top talent, their employees need to feel cared for and supported in all aspects of their life.

Employee burnout has reached unprecedented levels. Isolation, overwork and other personal stresses can sideline employees at all levels as well as senior leaders. Creating a safe space and time for surfacing well-being issues is key. Managers need to be equipped to assess an employee’s level of work stress and engagement and have more personal coaching conversations to help an employee find work-life alignment.

The days of managers sending someone to human resources so they can avoid a delicate “personal conversation,” have passed. If organizations want to attract

To embrace this paradox, consider teaching the following leadership skills: • Mindfulness.

• Resilience.

• Managing burnout.

In addition to shaping traditional leadership training to address each paradox, organizations can benefit from providing specific training that equips managers with a process, skills and tools to help walk the tightrope of providing newly expected flexibility within the organization’s talent management system.

Research by Dr. Ellen Ernst Kossek (Purdue University) and Dr. Leslie Hammer (Portland State University) indicates that an employee’s ability

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Moving Forward /// These paradoxes highlight the natural tensions that exist in our new ways of working and offers a fresh perspective for thinking about what’s needed from leaders to make the hybrid workplace successful. Choose the paradox that

describes your organizational situation and use it to gain some inertia and buyin for change. Once understood in the context of their organization, learning and development professionals can modify existing leadership development programs or create new ones that help leaders manage these dualities and develop the skills and behaviors that are now required.

The workplace has changed. Leadership development programs must respond accordingly.

Steve Dion is the founder and CEO of Dion Leadership, a leadership and organization development consulting firm based in Michigan. Email Steve.

to align their work and personal responsibilities hinge on the extent to which people managers demonstrate four specific behaviors.

RETHINK /// Organize work in their

Connect /// Make employees feel

behaviors in how to juggle work and personal responsibilities.

comfortable talking with them about their conflicts between work and personal responsibilities.

RESPOND /// Work effectively with

employees to creatively solve conflicts between their work and personal responsibilities.

department or group to jointly benefit the employees and the organization.

Model /// Demonstrate effective Consider teaching these four behaviors to all of your people managers. To support you in these efforts, this webinar shares a rich discussion on the research and insights behind work-life balance, flexibility, and well-being.

Enhanced learning.

Engaged working.

to assimilate and process new information coupled with meeting a lot of new people, documents to sign and more. That’s why a smartly structured and well-organized onboarding plan can help with workplace efficiency and the outlook of the employee toward the company. So how does one make that possible?

Digital workplace experiences are different from the conventional in-person workplace experience — hence, it is extremely important that the virtual onboarding process is on-point in terms of inclusion and integration. Leveraging technology can help with creating an effective employee onboarding process.

Facilitation of remote onboarding is possible by using digital tools, such as video calls, and other collaborative tools, such as shared documents.

The focus should be on the delivery of the brand promise that was made while hiring. The key to onboarding is a strong pre-boarding module that includes information on aspects of company culture and communication. Feeling plugged into the workplace without an inperson experience is an important first step for your new hire.

The COVID-19 pandemic has seen organizations realign to working remotely — making virtual onboarding skills a need-to-have for learning and development (L&D). The challenge of creating a seamless virtual onboarding experience, however, can be daunting.

While most organizations are trying to figure ways to tackle the roadblocks that come with it, it would be fair to say that operating in the virtual mode broadly requires enhanced digital intervention, coaching, mentoring and a structured

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approach to retain a semblance of the in-person experience.

The remote version of onboarding, while retaining the essence of the traditional onboarding process, leverages the help of digital tools, thereby offering the employee an exciting and inclusive experience.

Effective employee onboarding helps with making the right first impression. The stress of the first day for a new remote hire can be overwhelming as he or she is expected

Given that a large number of companies now are hiring remotely, the onboarding task mandatorily involves the use of digital tools and dedicated onboarding software to make the task at hand immersive and seamless for the employee. Deploying live speakers and facilitators, video conferencing software, and guides who can potentially walk the hire through a virtual onboarding program can ensure an optimal onboarding experience. Appropriate and timely functioning of all these tools becomes extremely important. Assigning a mentor for the first few weeks can keep the process personalized. Higher levels of interaction with all departments will lead to more immersive and collaborative experiences.

involved are doing their share when they need to.

Here are some of the challenges to look out for with your remote onboarding processes: ♦ Keeping new hires engaged before their first day: The challenge here is to keep the enthusiasm and anticipation of a job role intact to ensure that the process is immersive and engaging. This can be facilitated by communicating with the new hire with relevant updates days before their first day. ♦ Keeping remote employees fully engaged during the process: The uninspiring processes of mundane paperwork and policies drains the hire of both time and productivity.

Brevity and clarity on procedures are integral here. ♦ A disorganized onboarding processes: This keeps the hire from being productive as they get caught up in the introductory meetings, paperwork and the like. It is important therefore to keep the process and procedures streamlined and simple.

So, how will you avoid the challenges listed above? Here is a step-by-step approach to the remote onboarding process.

STEP 1 | Engaging Communication Prior to Day 1 Plenty of engaging digital communication prior to the first day throws light on the company culture, while also making sure that the hire feels included and engaged.

STEP 2 | Leaving Nothing to Chance Automated reminders to all people involved in the onboarding process will keep the onboarding seamless and trouble-free by ensuring that all parties

STEP 3 | Creating a Roadmap for the Future

The remote onboarding process is perennially evolving in its attempt to ensure a smooth and seamless transition for the employees, thereby contributing to maintaining the company’s performance and productivity.

Charting a road map that throws light on both short-term (the first six months) and long-term (the next three to five years) goals lends clarity on what the organization expects of them and their performance goals. This helps with keeping motivation high and being more productive. It also helps the employee envision career growth and goals to align with the company's objectives and vision.

FOR ORGANIZATIONS ♦ Create flexible policies related to remote onboarding and train all personnel involved in the process.

Eliminating stringent, one-size-fitsall approaches can help personalize the process and bring about a smooth transition for the new hire into the workforce. ♦ A step-by-step approach that combines the requisite resources needed by the employee, a checklist on the how and why of getting set up on company platforms and channels, with information and insights into the company's vision and values, will foster a healthy and productive work environment. ♦ Creating a remote onboarding checklist (while factoring in the inability to connect in person with the employee) calls for incorporating video chat platforms, clearly defining roles and expectations and creating a remote culture that helps instill a sense of belonging. ♦ Welcome the new hire and help him or her understand organizational policies and procedures irrespective of geographical boundaries. This helps new hires gain a better understanding of the company's vision and values. ♦ Upgrade your organization's skills, capabilities, processes and systems.

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FOR THE EMPLOYEES ♦ Employees get the option and flexibility to join an organization remotely and smoothly slip into their respective roles. ♦ Employees exhibit flexibility and adaptability, and feel connected to the new organization, thereby proving to be a long-term and effective contributor to the company. ♦ The focus is on training and empowering new employees, elevating long-term employee engagement and making the overall experience enriching and collaborative.

In conclusion, it’s important for organizations to invest in the right strategies and procedures to implement remote onboarding processes. The best way to do this is to factor in the skills, capabilities and processes the company needs to refine in order to be successful.

An effective remote onboarding program unfetters the employee's ability for success, thereby enhancing the business’ overall well-being.

Deeptanshu Tiwari, executive vice president at MRCC, devotes his time to analyzing and strategizing eLearning and technology solutions that foster a transformative environment where organizations can thrive.

Email Deeptanshu.

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The

Future of Work Requires Development

Equity

By Stephen Bailey

The future of work is human.

Not in the traditional sense of human capital and high-potential employees, but in the sense of the humanity that emerged with such force from the events of the past two years. Employees expect to be seen, heard and appreciated. They also increasingly expect to marry their values at work with their values at home.

The Great Resignation is the most obvious evidence of this new employer/employee dynamic.

Yet not everyone can take part in this movement. It’s just one example of how a lack of privileges disproportionately affects people of color and other underrepresented groups in the workplace. And while this disparity isn’t new, recent events have brought organizations and their leaders to an inflection point.

Internal pressures and external expectations have led many companies to make public commitments to support greater diversity and social justice. The increased scrutiny that comes with this kind of commitment has led to exceptional pressure to uphold them in meaningful ways. Yet many organizations don’t recognize how they can invest in existing talent to show all employees that they are appreciated, that their contributions are valued and that their professional growth — particularly into leadership roles for women and people of color — is a valuable component of what it will take to thrive in the future of work.

What is Development Equity?

There are several reasons people of color and women continue to be underrepresented in leadership.

Whether intentional or unconscious, they are often the ones most likely to be unsupported, undervalued and unseen. Organizations without objective, formalized selection

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and succession processes to address this will not be able to achieve their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) goals because they lack development equity: Equitable access for underrepresented groups to career-enhancing development opportunities.

When over 70% of sponsors in an organization are the same gender or race as their protégés, it perpetuates a cycle of exclusion. Many organizations base selections for prime learning and development (L&D) opportunities on nominations from leadership, rather than objective and consistent review of a candidate’s performance.

This actively curtails leadership development opportunities for those who don’t have the right connections, negatively affecting their potential impact within the organization.

Recognizing that

this current shift is

about humanity and how best to support everyone in your

organization is how

you will find success.

We know from experience with pay equity efforts that accountability is key, and that starts with metrics.

For development equity, the key is to benchmark the percentage of female and underrepresented minority leaders who are gaining access to high-quality leadership development opportunities. If you don’t establish a starting point, you won’t be able to set milestones, goals and an actionable plan to move your organization forward.

Once baseline data is established, auditing nomination and selection

processes for bias and structuring programs in the right way are key levers to achieve more development equity.

You Can’t Manage What You Don’t Measure

Talent Challenges in the Future of Work There was already considerable competition for diverse leaders before the pandemic, but the lack of an inclusive cultural climate in some organizations led to the isolation of many diverse employees.

Whether by design, unintentional or self-imposed, these employees were often minimized as contributors and their upward mobility stalled.

Now there’s an even smaller pool of diverse leadership talent at exactly the time when broader, diverse leadership pools are more important than ever before. In many cases, the pools of favored leadership prospects reflect the leadership models and skill sets organizations prioritized prior to 2020. Yet market needs and expectations — and thus the capabilities needed for effective leadership in the future of work — are rapidly shifting.

These “future-ready” leaders must possess the agility needed for business transformation, the empathy needed to ensure the well-being of employees both physically and virtually, and a focus on DEI not just as a concept, but as a proactive strategy to ensure an organization’s foundation and resulting structures and culture make diversity efforts sustainable.

It’s a difficult combination to find.

Which means organizations need to shift resources from a focus on talent acquisition to more focus on developing internal talent. And that brings us back to development equity and the need for an honest assessment of how well an organization is prepared to ensure that achieving equity in L&D is not just a paper commitment

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Benchmarking: Organizations must hold themselves accountable by measuring how development opportunities are distributed across multiple identity categories. Only with a solid understanding of current practices can you move toward truly equitable access for all employees.

Nomination and selection processes: Examine subjectivity in your own processes, solicit and incorporate opinions from a diverse network of individuals and identify quantitative components to add for more process objectivity.

Program structure: L&D opportunities need real-world relevance that participants can apply to solve critical business challenges.

Stretch assignments can be leveraged into upward mobility for people not previously under consideration for advancement.

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but a blueprint for progress and a catalyst for organizational change.

L&D Professionals Driving Sustainable Success The drivers of that change will be the human resources and L&D professionals who are responsible for an organization’s greatest resource in the future of work: its people. As I continue to see more members of the C-suite invest in L&D opportunities to meet the demands of the future of work, I’m also seeing a greater recognition of the importance of providing those same opportunities to more people within an organization.

We’ve entered an era of transition — from remote work environments where professional and personal boundaries blurred to hybrid environments where employees and leaders must learn to navigate the new challenges related to working in a distributed office. From hierarchical leadership towers to flatter leadership strata, where the responsibility for organizational leadership is shared.

From employer-defined culture and brand priorities to employee-led calls for authenticity, transparency and better representation of real-world diversity.

Shifting legacy mentalities in an organization is challenging. The hardest part for you as an L&D professional will be to take a step back and apply an objective eye to the processes — informal or formal — that are in place in your organization. Harder still may be the realization that you need an outside

observer to provide insights into areas where unrecognized biases exist.

for initiatives that may have struggled to progress in the past.

The good news is that this heightened awareness and subsequent reflection and reaction will lead us to greater, more meaningful diversity through a new “Learning Economy.” The future of work in this new economy will be defined by companies who are able to leverage technology to deliver development training — without compromising quality — in ways that are more impactful and equitable than ever before.

Naturally, L&D professionals are wellversed in the vagaries of progress. You know that the future of work is not a point in time; it’s always waiting around the corner from the next big shift in workplace paradigms or approaches.

Recognizing that this current shift is about humanity and how best to support everyone in your organization is how you will find success. development equity is critical to that support, but it is also part of a larger conversation and examination of what is at the heart of your organization’s view of its employees.

If you don’t establish a starting point, you won’t be able to set milestones, goals,

and an actionable plan to move your

organization forward.

In other good news, this heightened awareness is also leading to an increased appreciation for some of the leadership capabilities needed to position organizations at the forefront of the future of work. There’s been a noteworthy rise in the number of HR professionals on corporate boards of directors. Not only does this bolster the shift toward a human-centric approach to business, but it increases the opportunities for HR and L&D professionals to garner support

To shift focus and fear away from The Great Resignation and toward the promise of a great revival, it’s important to develop a strategic and equitable approach to preparing a future-ready team of leaders across all levels of your organization.

Not only does it demonstrate respect for your employees’ goals, it allows you to find and strengthen the parallels with your organization’s goals. That, in turn, inspires everyone to not only be productive, contributing members of your team, but to confidently embrace the challenges and opportunities of the future of work as you move through them together.

Stephen Bailey is the co-founder and CEO of ExecOnline, an enterprise platform company that partners with top business schools to deliver online leadership development programs that connect all leaders to their future potential.

Email Stephen.

Key Takeaways Development equity is equitable access for underrepresented groups to career-enhancing development opportunities. Intentions aside, many organizations lack formalized and/ or objective L&D processes for highperforming individuals.

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The events of the past two years have culminated in increased demonstrations of employee influence.

Some, like The Great Resignation, have greatly increased competition for talent. All have highlighted the need to prioritize investing in employees and demonstrating a strategic path for career advancement.

We’re entering a new learning economy defined by companies providing high-quality, high-impact L&D experiences like never before. HR and L&D professionals are uniquely positioned to be key drivers in the growth and sustainable success of their organizations in the future of work.

When one variable leads to a specified effect on the other variable.

those skeptics. “Yeah, I know sales are up after training, but it’s probably because of the great ad campaign, not the training.”

Stakeholders frequently challenge claims of training’s impact by suggesting that the economy, a pandemic, a new product or a good territory might be the true cause of an improvement in performance, not the training. Sound familiar? Faced with arguments like these, how can a learning leader move beyond correlations and make a causal argument that credibly demonstrates and isolates the impact of training?

Nearly all learning leaders face a common struggle — credibly measuring the business impact of their initiatives.

Often, attempts to show the impact of learning investments are met with skepticism. Simply showing a correlation between training and results won’t quell

It’s not for lack of desire. Survey data from Leo Learning and Watershed indicates that 95% of learning leaders want to measure impact. Further, according to “The Future Is Now: Learning Strategy 2020” report, only 16% believe they are effectively able to do so. The Watershed research goes on to report the reasons learning organizations stop their

The relationship by which two or more variables vary together ... without implying that one causes the other.

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measurement and evaluation efforts short of Kirkpatrick’s Level 4 (results): • Competing priorities.

• They don’t know how to start.

• They don’t believe they can get the data.

The second reason, “they don’t know how,” resonates across the learning industry, encompassing reasons from not knowing what to measure to not knowing how to make that elusive causal argument. Indeed, making a credible causal argument takes some effort.

MAKING A CAUSAL ARGUMENT There is no silver bullet for causation.

As noted by Kahn Academy, “Causation can only be determined from an

Making a causal argument is really like running a science experiment and testing a hypothesis.

appropriately designed experiment.”

Making a causal argument is really like running a science experiment and testing a hypothesis. In learning and development (L&D), the hypotheses typically center around whether the training had the desired results.

Framed as a testable hypothesis, it could look like this: “Trained salespeople will see a greater gain in sales performance than untrained salespeople.”

At its roots, this is a research question and requires research principles and a designed experiment to answer.

The research principles of causal modeling and experimental and observational study design are wellentrenched in many fields (e.g., social sciences and physical sciences), but they are not vigorously practiced in L&D departments. Learning professionals who are serious about measuring business impact need to become familiar with these techniques. Getting started means understanding the specific elements that go into making a credible causal argument.

A causal argument must meet three fundamental requirements:

• The cause must precede the effect.

• There must be a correlation between the cause and effect.

• Other plausible alternative explanations need to be ruled out.

The first two are quite straightforward (as illustrated below). It is the final requirement, ruling out plausible alternatives, that frequently stumps L&D practitioners.

THE CAUSE MUST PRECEDE THE EFFECT This first requirement is the easiest to meet. Did the training happen before the change in performance was observed? If it did, as in Example 1, then the customer service training program might be a contributing factor to the increase in customer satisfaction.

Obviously, if customer satisfaction went up before training the customer service representatives, as in Example 2, then clearly the training was not the cause.

THERE MUST BE A CORRELATION BETWEEN THE CAUSE AND EFFECT Correlations illustrate how two or more variables move together. For example, charting hours of training to sales volume in a scatterplot helps visualize the presence (or absence) of a correlation (Example 3 on page 44).

Example 3 on the top, the two variables (training hours and sales volume) show no correlation — they are not moving together. This indicates that the sales training did not impact sales volume.

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On the other hand, the example on the bottom shows a positive correlation between training hours and sales volume — as training hours increase, so does sales volume. It is tempting to proudly pronounce such a correlation as a causal result of training. But something is missing: Ruling out all those other factors, such as tenure, territory and advertising budget.

While a correlation is a requirement for causation, the well-known mantra holds: Correlation does not equal causation.

Many fun (and spurious) correlations illustrate how treating a correlation as causation can lead to erroneous conclusions. One of the most famous

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is the correlation between ice cream consumption and shark attacks.

Claiming this relationship to be causal suggests that shark attacks could be reduced by reducing ice cream consumption. As in the sales training example, when factoring in “other plausible alternative explanations,” it becomes clear that time of year actually drives both ice cream sales and shark attacks. When it’s warm out, people are more apt to go to the beach and swim in the ocean (where sharks live). People are also more apt to eat more ice cream in warmer weather. Stopping consumption of ice cream will not reduce the number of shark attacks.

RULE OUT OTHER PLAUSIBLE ALTERNATIVE EXPLANATIONS Clearly, the ruling out of other plausible alternative explanations is critical to

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making a causal argument and is the most difficult of the three requirements.

It involves two key elements:

A. B.

Developing a strong logic model.

Formulating a good study design.

A. A Logic Model for Learning As defined by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), a logic model is a graphic depiction (road map) that presents the shared relationships among the resources, activities, outputs, outcomes, and impact for your program. It depicts the relationship between your program’s activities and its intended effects.

Creating a logic model for learning follows the same principles as outlined by the CDC for drug trials (see sidebar).

It involves explicitly laying out a causal chain of evidence from the learning intervention to its intended effects — its business impact. Often called a Measurement Map®, learning practitioners can build a logic model

INVESTMENT

LEADING INDICATORS

BUSINESS RESULTS

STRATEGIC GOALS

# of Customer Contracts Appointments

New Customer Sales Volume

(# and %)

Closing Ratio Gross Profit Per Sale

Appointments Selling Success

(# and %)

Total Sales Volume Increased Market Share and Profitability

Proposals Presented (# and %)

Customer Satisfaction Index

with business stakeholders, together defining what success would look like, starting with initial training activities through outputs, outcomes and impact — all in measurable terms.

Note that the map expands the typical L&D purview of data, bringing in the business data that is essential to showing business impact. With these key performance indicators (KPIs), the map tells the hypothesized causal story, making the argument that positive results on leading indicator metrics will lead to positive business outcomes and that positive business

# of Referred Customers

Repeat and Referral Sales Volume

# of Repeat Customers

Gross Profit Per Sale

outcomes lead to an impact on overall organizational goals.

Total Gross Profits

SOURCE: Developming Human Capital, Bonnie Beresford (2014)

A measurement model helps in getting aligned with stakeholders, building agreement on the causal chain of evidence, defining “what to measure,” and serving as the foundation for a good research study design.

found and if there were any interactions with the influencing variables. Now, when sharing results, L&D is in a strong position. Stakeholders have already bought into the map they helped create.

The research design addressed other plausible factors. This is the makings of a strong and credible causal argument for the business impact of training.

B. A Study Design for Learning

SUMMARY

The logic model defines “what to measure.” The measurement plan or study design describes “how to measure.”

It includes hypotheses to be tested, data requirements, time parameters, study approach (e.g., observational study using test and control groups) and other influencing variables — those other plausible explanations (e.g., region, tenure, ad campaign and so on) that must be controlled for in the analysis.

The “causation dilemma” really isn’t new.

Nor is it unique to training. Today, across industries, scientists and practitioners use experimental and observational study design approaches to test hypotheses and make credible causal arguments. It’s time for the learning industry to follow suit and draw on the study design methods used so successfully in the social and physical sciences.

With all the details laid out and data in hand, the hypotheses can be tested, and the other influencers can be examined for their effect. The analysis will determine if an effect of training was T R A I N I N G I N DUSTR Y MAGAZ INE - SPRING 2022 I WWW.TR AININGINDU S T RY . C OM/ MAGAZ I NE

Bonnie Beresford is an industryrecognized human capital strategist, performance consultant, speaker and author who leads the learning and performance analytics practice at GP Strategies. Email Bonnie.

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earning and development (L&D) today may have more opportunity to impact culture than any other area within an organization. Why? Because culture is about mindset and behaviors. And for many organizations, the culture that is needed to operate successfully in today’s new reality consists of many new behaviors and perspectives that need to be learned and developed.

L&D also touches all parts of an organization, across job levels and business units, from new hires to senior leadership and everyone in between. Learning professionals can weave an organization’s purpose and values into the stories and examples that bring learning to life. During workshops, facilitators have a unique opportunity to really observe the cultural climate and explore how people are feeling about their day-to-day experience.

WHAT IS CULTURE AND WHY IS IT CRITICAL TO AN ORGANIZATION’S SUCCESS? An organization’s culture is characterized by the set of underlying mindsets and behaviors that define how work gets done. Therefore, how individuals think about their workplace is critical to competitive advantage and sustained corporate success.

An organization’s ability to be innovative and agile is dependent on having the right culture in place.

Today, CEOs recognize the need to be plugged-in, peoplefirst and purpose-led. They recognize that creating a

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purpose-driven organization, one that embeds purpose in everything they do is critical in today’s environment.

Customers look for it, employees expect it and the public increasingly demands it.

And it’s not just what an organization stands for, it’s also about how it walks the walk, particularly in regard to sustainable practices and equity of access and opportunity. There is evidence that proves diversity makes good teams great, and leads to better decision-making, greater creativity and fresh innovations – but this only happens when an organization knows how to harvest the value of its diversity.

And at no other time in recent history has business faced a phenomenon like The Great Resignation. People want to practice self-determination in all aspects of their lives, and they want to continue to learn and grow through their careers so that they can make an impact. If an organization is not looking within to ensure they can truly offer this employee experience, then they may find themselves upstream of the talent flow. Managing such individuality and diversity in the workforce also means new management practices and new

L&D touches all parts of an organization, across job levels and business units, from new hires to senior leadership and everyone in between.

leadership skills. The pandemic has also turned up the pace of change.

Digital, virtual, skills-based approaches to resourcing, front of house and backoffice transformation all mean people need to collaborate more, thrive in ambiguity and change, and build strong resilience muscles. All of these are skills that can and must be developed, and all these factors impact culture – the mindsets and behaviors that define how work gets done.

THE ROLE OF L&D L&D plays a central role in building the skills needed in the new reality and broadening the perspectives of leaders and their teams.

Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) action plans that are co-created by workers and their leaders can focus on building an inclusive culture built on trust; an educated, empathetic workforce; and advocating for equitable opportunity. Education is a core enabler of a more inclusive culture. This is why programs that upskill the workforce on unconscious bias and build cultural intelligence are becoming part of the core curriculum.

Corporate values tell workers what matters in how work gets done. L&D can help workers connect values to their day-to-day experience. For example, KPMG refreshed its values in 2020, making them bolder, simpler and more memorable to give their people real behavioral guidance. They wanted their values to play a more active role in the organization, and inform decisions, actions and interactions with all their stakeholders, every day.

To do this, they needed to go beyond a values campaign and instead weave their values through the fabric of the organization. Their people and leaders needed to really understand each value and what it does and doesn’t look like in practice, and they needed the skills to know how to call out behavior or decisions that don’t align with their values. Incorporating values in learning brings them to life and shows people

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how corporate values relate to all aspects of their work, whether that’s by producing quality work, doing the right thing or collaborating across business functions so that teams can bring more value to clients.

People want to practice selfdetermination in all aspects of their lives.

For many organizations, remote work will continue moving forward. While there are many benefits to working remotely, it does reduce opportunities for reflection and informal mentoring.

The classroom can provide the space people need for dialogue, for reflection and to share experiences. This could be virtual or in person.

For L&D, the classroom is also an opportunity to listen and explore how employees are feeling and anchor people back to the organization’s purpose and values. L&D can use storytelling to show people how purpose and values are being demonstrated across the organization, instilling a sense of pride and advocacy.

Learning designers can bring leaders into the learning space to share their own stories or to simply listen.

Facilitators can lead by example, providing a psychologically safe space where everyone feels they can contribute openly.

OTHER OPPORTUNITIES TO IMPACT CULTURE In many organizations, L&D plays a central role in creating the induction experience for new employees.

Often that begins before day one. How

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learning is delivered in these early days of an employee’s life cycle gives an impression of what sort of culture they might expect — and whether this lines up with the value proposition shared during the recruitment period. Is the learning experience employee-centric? Are they treated as adults? Is it contemporary, fun and engaging? L&D must consider the cultural signals they are sending through a new employee’s early learning experience. Does this reflect the mindsets and behaviors the business values?

As leaders transition in their careers, they find increased responsibility

to be leaders of culture, to embody the values and purpose of the organization and create opportunity to inspire and motivate their teams.

But managing others has become more complex. Hybrid working means team members often have different schedules and workspaces, so finding a team’s optimum operating rhythm takes effort and skill. Managers must learn to communicate more often, set clearer expectations and measure output. They have to understand how to ensure equity of access to information and a leader’s time, and equity of opportunity to contribute and be recognized. This all takes intentional action, and many people

Transforming Company The pandemic has accelerated transformation and changed what people want from work. This means company cultures and the employee experience must evolve to achieve sustainable business growth. Here are a few considerations for building a sustainable workplace culture:

Help employees find purpose in their work.

Employees want to do work that matters and makes a meaningful difference to the communities they live in.

Promote diversity at all levels.

Employees now expect diversity at all of levels of an organization.

Fostering a culture that promotes a sense of belonging is the new expectation.

Build authentic leaders.

Employees want to work with authentic leaders who show care and compassion and who have a vested interest in helping them learn and grow.

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Upskill talent.

Companies must invest in upskilling and reskilling to keep pace with change and ensure employees are future-ready.

Focus on wellness.

Create a culture that values work-life balance by focusing on employee wellness and well-being initiatives.

Foster psychological safety.

Build a culture where all employees feel safe speaking up, taking initiative and working together toward shared goals.

leaders need to learn why it matters, as well as how to manage their teams in this way.

L&D can provide opportunities for people leaders to learn from one another, to explore new ways of working and problem-solving together — all while reminding leaders of the influence they have in creating the culture within their own teams.

SO, WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR L&D PROFESSIONALS? L&D professionals can embrace their role as culture ambassadors. They can look and listen for examples of purpose and values to weave within learning content. If collaboration and innovative thinking are important to an organization, they can incorporate these skills into each learning experience. They can use learning to create spaces for colleagues from all parts of the organization to get to know one another, build networks and broaden internal knowledge.

As ambassadors of culture, L&D professionals must upskill themselves in DEI and grow their own cultural intelligence. Building a practice of reviewing learning design against DEI guiding principles can help ensure learning experiences are inclusive and equitable. And before any training, facilitators can take a few minutes to think about the inclusive experience they want to provide, moving any biases into consciousness where they can be managed.

L&D professionals have the opportunity to help grow a company culture that has a shared sense of purpose, anchored in common values and led by skilled people whose mindset and behaviors promote an inclusive and diverse workplace that fosters collaboration and innovation. Let’s embrace the challenge and find ways to influence a culture that is good for employees, organizations and society.

Vanessa Wiltshire is the deputy head of people, performance culture for KPMG Asia Pacific. Email Vanessa.

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How many times have you heard that the key to selling well is for the customer to see the salesperson as a partner or trusted advisor rather than a vendor? Countless sales training programs will say this in some form in their advertising collateral.

homeowner? Likely not. Having an established business relationship with a customer organization ahead of time can certainly shorten the distance to trust and partnership, but the process cannot be rushed.

The reality is that most of the time, sales professionals think they are perceived as partners, but their customers do not really see it that way. Building a relationship as a trusted advisor comes from consistently displaying credibility and creating value over time.

A few things that can bridge the gap between a salesperson starting out as a vendor and later being perceived as a partner are knowing the audience, the customers’ businesses and the larger context of the marketplace. Business acumen is the foundation for doing these things well.

Do you answer the door at your house to someone trying to sell you something and, after a brief conversation, perceive them as an expert who truly understands your needs as a

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David J.P. Fisher defines business acumen as “the ability to combine experience, knowledge, perspective, and awareness to make sound business decisions. It’s

the practice of good judgment and the capacity to consider a holistic, long-term view of organizational needs.”

The urgency of business leaders’ challenges today makes it harder for salespeople to get (and hold) their attention. Businesses are squeezed by external challenges (supply chain issues,

recovering/adapting to pandemic impacts) and internal challenges (talent retention and acquisition in The Great Resignation). Thanks to shrinking budgets and organizations scrutinizing their bottom lines, sales cycles are longer and include more decision-making stakeholders. Data is expected in purchasing decisions to illustrate a clear ROI. Being nimble and creative are no longer unique distinctions — they are required qualities of leaders in organizations.

A salesperson must be empathetic about these things and insightful about solutions, while translating the value of what they are selling into a seamless business conversation.

When developing salespeople and providing them with educational opportunities, here are tips to keep in mind that will increase business acumen and create better selling behaviors.

Know Your Audience It might seem controversial to say that not all salespeople need to be seen as trusted advisors. But if they are selling into a procurement department, that might not be the best audience for a holistic business discussion. A procurement contact might be more interested in direct answers and knowing they have secured the best economy of scale for their purchase.

Business acumen and thorough research are required for conversations with any kind of C-suite or senior-level stakeholders in the decision-making process. No matter who a salesperson is selling to, they must know their audience and what their contacts value in a conversation. Customers should feel that a discussion with a salesperson was a good use of their time.

If it is a business discussion with a senior-level stakeholder, going in with thoughtfully prepared questions about the business will create a foundation for partnership. Jumping into a features and benefits conversation or asking leading questions that segue into a sales pitch will solidify vendor status.

Salespeople should use research about their contacts, the company and

the industry to explore the contact’s business goals, needs and pain points — then articulate how the product or solution addresses those items. This approach can lead to more meaningful opportunities for both parties (for a customer, discovering additional capabilities or needs that can be addressed; for salespeople, additional business opportunities).

Know Their Business Salespeople might think they have strong business acumen, but most C-suite executives will be able to tell the difference between simply name-dropping financial metrics and asking insightful questions about the economics of their business.

Taking a walk in a customer’s shoes means understanding the challenges and opportunities in their industry, their business model and what is important to their customers. A knowledgeable salesperson will always read the annual report of any publicly traded company.

What challenges and successes does the annual report mention? What risks to the business? These are common items included in the narrative that explains the story behind the numbers.

Know Their Context Consulting firms publish industry each year (and the year), as well as CEO leader surveys across

trends by throughout and senior industries.

Sales pros, if you cannot answer these questions, you need to brush up on your business acumen.

Why do many organizations choose EBITDA as a key profitability metric?

What is the difference between cash and profit?

What are key financial metrics for asset-heavy companies?

What are financial metrics for platform-based companies?

What external events are impacting your customer most right now?

What specific financial metrics are unique to your customer’s industry? For example, crack spread in the oil and gas industry, RevPAR (revenue per available room) in the hospitality industry, MTTR (mean time to repair) for equipment, technology and service companies.

How do your customers’ financial ratios benchmark against their competitors?

If your customer is publicly traded, what is the story behind

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the quarter’s or year’s stock price fluctuations? What are analysts saying about the company?

Other Tips Learn how to read an annual report and extract the story behind the numbers.

Read the industry publications your customers are reading about their market.

Explore the industry reports and CEO surveys distributed by consulting companies each year.

Stay in the loop with their insights on trending topics.

Connect, follow and engage with your customers on LinkedIn and Twitter. This can expand your network of contacts within an organization and keep you posted on company news (which you can reference in ongoing customer correspondence).

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These reports helpfully consolidate trends within and across industries from leaders’ perspectives and through extensive research. For example, in Protiviti’s “2022 and 2031 Executive Perspectives on Top Risks” report, key issues in board rooms around the world include succession challenges and top talent retention as a top-three risk in the short-term (2022) and long-term (2031).

Labor costs, rapid speed of disruptive innovation, cyber threats and hybrid work environments are also listed as top-10 risks in the short and long term.

It is not enough for a salesperson to only follow general world news to be an informed professional. Knowing the bigger context of a customer’s business and how it fits into the big picture — their industry, marketplace and global impacts — will create better insights to connect the dots between the salesperson’s solution and the customer’s needs.

Educating salespeople this way will also help them speak the customer’s language, as every industry has its own terms, key metrics, unique challenges, competitive scene and emerging opportunities.

Research and relationship building take time. But so do most B2B sales cycles.

Salespeople can utilize the information

they learn to keep a conversation going with the customer between milestones in the sales process, congratulating customers on third-quarter results and asking their contacts’ perspectives on industry news.

Is the extra work worth it? Compare this to a buying situation for yourself. Would you rather work with a realtor who is intimately knowledgeable about their market and its nuances, or one who relies on search results alone to find you a new house? Trust takes time — and it takes work ethic.

“The consultative sales approach may seem simple, but it isn’t easy to execute well … Consultative selling is a fundamental business strategy centered on creating value through insight and perspective that paves the way toward

long-term relationships and genuine solutions for your customers,” Scott Edinger writes.

The research and self-education in which a salesperson invests creates a foundation for a better business conversation. It may take practice to weave thoughtful questions and insights that add value to a customer conversation, but it cannot happen at all without a baseline of business acumen.

Sara Wolski is director of design at Duke Corporate Education (Duke CE), a premier provider of leadership offerings for global organizations. Duke CE works with clients to understand their context and to craft the right offering for any level of leadership, from midlevel managers to C-suite executives.

Email Sara.

A few things that can bridge the gap between a salesperson starting out as a vendor and later being perceived as a partner are knowing the audience, the customers’ businesses, and the larger context of the marketplace. Business acumen is the foundation for doing these things well.

When training and developing salespeople, use programming that includes education about business acumen, customer research and market research. It is also important for the training practitioners to understand why these elements are important for salespeople to build credibility — and training experts need to learn how to use these tools themselves.

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Corporate

Responsibility: A New Paradigm for Engaging and Developing Women

In the wake of the #MeToo movement, it’s tempting for companies to make preventing sexual misconduct their top gender training priority. While sexual harassment training for all employees is important, too much emphasis on women’s protection can sometimes impede women’s empowerment — though companies cannot achieve the former without the latter.

Adding to the persisting lack of organizational gender parity, 18 million working mothers of school-aged children in the United States have disproportionately shouldered family and caretaking responsibilities during the pandemic. From virtual schooling to caring for children at home

due to sickness, quarantines and intermittent school closures, too many women are not only leaking out of leadership pipelines, but they are also leaving the workplace indefinitely. Since February 2020, women in the United States lost more than 5.4 million net jobs. For companies to earn back the trust and respect of their female employees and attract and retain top female talent, it’s time to prioritize corporate gender responsibility (CGR).

CGR is a company’s ability to recognize and proactively address the unique and often-overlooked needs of its female employees, board members and customers.

While the number of employees who identify as nonbinary (meaning neither male or

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female) is growing, and non-binary employees often experience marginalization in the workplace, for the purposes of this article, the focus will be on employees who identify as men and women — and how companies can foster more safety and belonging for women. Just like corporate social responsibility (CSR), CGR must focus on four pillars: workplace, marketplace, community and environment. For those in learning and development (L&D), this means working in tandem with senior leaders to create a culture that values the voices of its women; cultivates a robust women’s leadership pipeline; develops products, services, and messaging that empowers women and girls; and ensures that there is adequate training to protect employees from sexual misconduct.

Value the Feminine Corporate gender responsibility initiatives must address the devaluation of feminine communication and leadership styles and create space for all people, irrespective of gender, to see the value of the feminine. In addition, women must be given opportunities to play a proactive role in shaping their organizational cultures so that their

values don’t have to retroactively be integrated into the workplace.

Gender bias, which is often unconscious, must be identified and addressed wherever it shows up so that it doesn’t develop into prejudice or discrimination.

L&D teams can lead gender bias training for staff or work with teams to recognize their own biases and ensure they are not influencing hiring, promotion or compensation.

Cultivate a Robust Women’s Leadership Pipeline While for every 100 men promoted to manager only 86 women are promoted, the majority of women are leaking out of leadership pipelines at the director and vice president levels. Companies must identify exactly where women are getting stalled in their advancement; address why they are leaving or are failing to be promoted; plug existing leaks through coaching, training, mentorship and sponsorship; set aggressive and achievable parity goals; and develop programming to achieve them.

Companies with a commitment to CGR recognize that women’s leadership development must empower women to

develop the confidence and competence to lead from their strengths and with their own authentic style. Women also need opportunities to speak up about the gender-based barriers and constraints they face, including micro-aggressions like being spoken over in meetings, experiencing unwanted touching or sexist humor, career interruptions due to childbirth or being asked to shoulder the responsibility for family caretaking.

Too many women are leaving the workplace indefinitely.

Women’s leadership development often happens best in single-sex learning environments where there is the psychological safety to address systemic barriers to advancement while developing as a leader. The best women’s leadership training gives women opportunities to get up on their feet and put into practice what they are learning about themselves and how to lead others — it also provides realtime coaching and feedback so women can solidify and, when necessary, refine their leadership skills.

Gender Bias In Action A decade ago, I arrived early to a conference — in time for the participants’ pitch fest. Each of the approximately 100 20-somethings in attendance had a couple of minutes to present their idea for how to solve a big social, economic or environmental problem. The finalists at the event were voted on by fellow participants, and the group was 50% female and 50% male. Yet not one woman was chosen as a finalist.

When I discussed what had happened with attendees, the feedback from the group was consistent across genders. The group was asked to pick the best “pitcher,” or the person who fit the model of how they thought a good “pitcher” should appear: confident, speaking with a lot of volume, taking up space and communicating with certainty. Yet, when participants were asked for examples of pitchers they felt most connected to and whose ideas they wanted to champion, many of them gave women’s names. They said that while many of the women told stories, communicated with vulnerability, asked for feedback and were transparent about what they still had to learn, they didn’t see this as good pitching.

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Upstander Training Effective upstander training includes men by showing them how they can be a part of the solution. When men learn to recognize toxic behaviors in themselves, their colleagues and their clients, it prevents CGR from being siloed and seen as a “women’s issue.” When all employees, irrespective of gender, can experience safety, dignity and belonging, everybody wins.

This is where too many well-intentioned women’s leadership programs fall short.

Many programs are centered around conferences or mentorship programs where participating women are passive recipients of advice given by others.

Women serving in senior-level roles and on boards can be a part of women’s leadership pipeline development, but for learning transfer to happen, women need opportunities to role-play the many conversations and skills they will need in their personal and professional lives to be successful leaders.

This happens best in participantcentered, experiential women’s leadership training.

Develop Products, Services and Messaging That Empower Women L&D practitioners should also be engaged in supporting employees to develop offerings that elevate women and girls. This includes providing training for employees in product development, marketing and sales on how to identify and eliminate gender-based bias and stereotypes that might show up in their creative work. For example, while some gender-specific products address true biological differences between men and women, many gender-tailored products and gender-based marketing messages promote stereotypes. Not only does this cause harm to women, it also turns them off as customers.

L&D can also support leaders in customer-facing roles to create gender diverse teams so that those making and marketing products and services reflect the perspectives their intended customers. When women are present on creative teams, their voices valued and their contributions acted upon, companies show their commitment to

CGR. They also set themselves up to be more profitable.

Protect Employees from Sexual Misconduct While companies committed to corporate gender responsibility should not hyper-focus on protecting women employees at the expense of addressing the other key contributors to CGR, they do need to provide adequate training for all employees on how to prevent sexual misconduct. Such training must address the differences between gender-based prejudice (preconceived opinions that are not based on facts), gender-based discrimination (acting unfairly based on these prejudices), and sexual misconduct (which can take the form of intimidation, harassment, unwanted touching and sexual violence).

In addition, training must go beyond labeling what is inappropriate and harmful and telling people not to do it. Training must also offer employees the opportunity to practice what to say and do if they experience sexual harm, witness it or are informed of it.

Women must be

given opportunities to play a proactive role in shaping their organizational cultures.

Upstander training, another name for training that empowers employees to speak up about wrongdoing, addresses the communication skills employees must possess to play their individual role

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in creating and upholding a culture that facilitates safety, trust and wellbeing for all employees, irrespective of gender or any other identity marker. Through role-play and simulations, upstander training gives employees opportunities to practice speaking up when they experience or witness wrongdoing so they develop the mindset and skillset to be a trusted ally for those who are experiencing harm. Upstander training also centers the impact of behavior: It shows employees how to take responsibility when they make mistakes and communicate how they will repair any harm they have caused.

Conclusion Corporate gender responsibility is a little like yoga: Once you recognize the benefits, you’ll want to make it a priority. Nonetheless, when you first start to take action, it can feel uncomfortable and overwhelming.

But, just like yoga, when you focus on movement and momentum rather than on perfection and overnight success, within time it gets easier, and you start to see significant results.

Identify one area of CGR that can create positive impact for your company. Get other key internal stakeholders on board. Identify your goals and how you’ll measure success.

Then, start taking action.

Alexia Vernon is the founder and president of Step into Your Moxie, a coaching, training, and messaging company that helps business leaders, and those who develop them, speak up for the ideas and issues that matter most to their company’s success.

Email Alexia.

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THE B URNO There is a revolution coming from businesses that are starting to understand the importance of workplace training in well-being, psychological safety and burnout. Burnout is defined as emotional and physical exhaustion, loss of the ability to focus and a disengagement from work and/or life. Burnout in the workplace is a major threat to mental health – and governments, businesses and employees are recognizing the need to prioritize initiatives to combat it.

WHY?

If organizations want to attract and retain top talent, they need to have a culture that promotes well-being and prevents burnout. No one wants to work for a company that does not look after their staff’s welfare — but since the pandemic, the cases of burnout have increased dramatically.

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VOLU TION

R T U E

By John Earls

Burnout is one of the main threats to the economy globally. It can lead to a decrease in an employee’s productivity and performance, as well as increased absenteeism and illness. When a person is burned

The way we work affects our energy — and our levels of energy affect our performance.

out, their ability to concentrate and focus is dramatically affected, along with the energy and drive needed to function effectively in their jobs.

As organizations grapple with increased turnover, today’s employees want to work for companies that prioritize employee wellness and well-being. Leading expert in the field of energy management, Tony Schwartz says we have come a long way from the days when eating stress for breakfast was considered a slogan for success, but we still have a long way to go to have healthy working cultures that don’t burn people out.

PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY

Google ran a project called Project Aristotle to identify the key components that made a successful team. Psychological safety was found

to be the number one aspect that makes a team successful. In an environment with psychological safety, employees are comfortable taking risks, speaking up and sharing concerns without fear of being ridiculed or punished.

Without psychological safety, teams are inhibited. Team members feel undervalued, are less likely to put extra work in and are more likely to burnout.

MENTAL TOUGHNESS

Learning and development (L&D) is uniquely positioned to deliver training that can target burnout and improve psychological safety, as there are now a range of tools that can be used alongside traditional training to make this easier.

For example, over the last 20 years, a lot of research has gone into developing various tools to help assess and improve psychological resilience needed to be psychologically safe at work. The most well-known tool is the psychometric test, Mental Toughness Questionnaire (MTQ). The MTQ assesses various facets of either an individual’s or an organization’s psychological resilience and then suggests training based on the results. Interestingly, one of the key variables that is examined in this test is psychological safety (taking risks).

Trainers using evaluation tools like the MTQ are able to help organizations accurately assess leadership capability in being able to manage their own wellbeing and resiliency, as well as being able to support their people and teams to do likewise. This focused analysis identifies strengths and pinpoints gaps that need to be addressed, which can create a culture of well-being, with better individual and organizational energy and performance.

Interestingly, the MTQ assesses psychological safety through a component they call risk taking. By measuring an employee’s propensity to take risks, the MTQ can confirm how psychologically safe that person is.

Modern assessment tools can assess multiple people at once, meaning teams, departments and even whole companies are able to understand their psychological safety levels. If there is a deficit, then specific training can be used to increase performance in this area.

ENERGY MANAGEMENT The way we work affects our energy — and our levels of energy affect our performance, our resilience, and our likelihood of burning out. What has become apparent during the pandemic is how much the changes to our lifestyles have impacted our overall energy levels. There could be many reasons for this change in energy levels, including employees working longer days at home, taking fewer breaks, and being unable to effectively switch off from work.

This has led to a resurgence in the energy management system being used by trainers to help burned out employees. Energy management is a simple system first popularized by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz. Training professionals using this system ask clients to improve focus by splitting their time and activities into manageable chunks. Rather than dealing with one task after another, allot a specific chunk of time for each task (no longer than 120 minutes). Follow each task with a 20-minute break, then change to a new activity. This model posits that human beings have a maximum cognitive attention span of 120 minutes — when humans concentrate for longer; they do not do it well.

A popular practice to develop better energy management is to encourage people to build regular breaks into their routines, getting employees off their phones and computers and away from their desks every 90-120 minutes – no matter how busy they are. In this rest period, they are not allowed access to digital devices. Often, clients use this time to walk, eat something nutritious or even have a short nap. The real power was not the training that was delivered but in the way it could be evidenced. Some trainers have used the MTQ to assess employees preand post-energy management training to demonstrate the massively positive effects upon employees. The results can also be reviewed qualitatively with the organization using systems such as an employee audit, which adds details around the specifics of the reasons for the change.

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If organizations want to attract and retain top talent, they need to have a culture that promotes well-being and prevents burnout.

EXERCISE Systematic reviews and metaanalyses of all have concluded that any workplace program or training that aims to tackle burnout is going to be far more effective if it includes exercise.

There have been many studies that have investigated the effects of exercise upon burnout symptoms, and all have found that exercise reduces emotional and physical exhaustion.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

There is a plethora of opportunities for training professionals to upskill themselves with tools, techniques and qualifications to help their organization overcome burnout. This could include using the MTQ system to assess and diagnose or energy management and exercise programs to improve physical health. What is clear is that now is the time for training professionals to educate themselves on ways to combat burnout and improve employee well-being.

John Earls is one of the UK’s leading experts in burnout research in the workplace and is currently researching how to reduce burnout in the workplace using mindfulness and exercise.

Email John.

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CASEBOOK

HOW SAM’S CLUB IS TRAINING AND RETAINING CURRENT AND FUTURE LEADERS

BY SARAH GALLO, CPTM

Too often, leadership training is reserved for those already in management, or for those on the cusp of landing their first management role. However, in today’s dynamic business environment, employees across levels benefit from quality leadership development — especially if there’s a chance they may move into a leadership role in the future.

When employees continuously hone and fine-tune their leadership skills, their eventual transition into management will be a natural one, reducing the time they need to become adjusted and effective in their new role.

EMPLOYEES ACROSS LEVELS BENEFIT FROM QUALITY LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT.

At Sam’s Club, approximately 75% of salaried managers started with the company as hourly employees. In addition, every year, approximately 20,000 employees are promoted into jobs with more responsibility and higher pay.

So, from a business perspective, making leadership training widely available made sense. But it wouldn’t be easy: The warehouse club giant, which is owned and operated by Walmart Inc.,

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has approximately 100,000 employees across 599 locations in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. It also has locations in Brazil, China and Mexico.

It was clear that associates wanted learning and development (L&D) that would not only support them in their current role, but also prepare them for future ones. Buchanan and her team got to work.

PREPARING FOR TAKEOFF Based on the feedback they received from the needs analysis, the team designed a prototype solution for piloting. Prototyping allowed them to iterate early, which was key in preventing costly mistakes.

Let’s explore how Sam’s Club is training, and retaining, current and future leaders through its Manager Quality (“MQ”) program.

GETTING STARTED The idea for the MQ program came from a needs analysis, when a focus group of associates offered feedback on the type of development and support they were looking for, says Jennifer Buchanan, senior director II, field learning and development at Sam’s Club. “They wanted customized learning and development opportunities that could prepare them for future roles; they didn’t want to spend hours in a training room; they felt managers were putting varying levels of importance on talent development; and they wanted managers to be more invested in their career.”

The result was the MQ program: a fiveweek learning program consisting of instructor-led training (ILT) for depth, in-the-flow-of-work training for practice, and video and audio learning for realtime reminders, Buchanan says, with the goal of bringing career development to associates across levels.

The program is based on a framework that trains associates across four pillars, including how to identify, develop, manage and reward talent. While each pillar teaches “foundational concepts” that are applicable to all Sam’s Club roles, learners can customize the content according to their desired career path, Buchanan says.

In July 2021, the team piloted the program in 91 Sam’s Club locations to over 1,200 associates ranging from hourly workers to managers. The pilot addressed topics such as effective communication,

meaningful development plans, effective interview skills, managing conflict and time management. The team received feedback that training on these topics could “improve the experience for new associates and [increase] the longevity of their careers at Sam’s Club,” Buchanan says.

After a successful pilot, the team made a final iteration to the program before its launch. “We decided that every associate journey in MQ would begin with a week-long training on valuesbased decision-making, or ‘VBDM,’” Buchanan says. The newly added training was designed to help learners develop what Sam’s Club refers to as “leadership expectations,” which are attributes that the company wants every leader to possess.

CAREER PATHWAYS ARE A CRUCIAL FACTOR FOR RETENTION.

Delivered in a microlearning format, learners can access the VBDM training on their phones, in their moment of need. The training covers what VBDM is, why it matters and how to model it.

“Once associates complete the VBDM content, the values training doesn’t end there,” Buchanan says. The curriculum is embedded throughout the rest of the program.

After a successful pilot, and completing final iterations, the MQ program was ready for takeoff: It launched within Sam’s Field U, the company’s broader training portfolio, in October 2021, when approximately 95,000 front-line associates in both Sam’s Club and supply chain locations were on track to accessing the program.

Mongkol Ban-Wolter, a fresh manager at a Colorado-based Sam’s Club, was part of the first group of learners to go through the program in late October

2021. Ban-Wolter, who has worked at Sam’s Club for 19 years, has been in various roles at the company. However, she says that her current role, as a fresh manager, is her “most favorite.”

MEASURING SUCCESS

Ban-Wolter says that the MQ program helped her “grow as a manager and as a teacher” to help others achieve their career goals. “I love being a part of something that helps associates grow within the company,” she says.

• Execution metrics, including project rollouts, progress against strategic projects, how many associates are completing learning experiences and more.

WHY IT WORKS A key reason for the program’s success is that learners have the flexibility to create a custom learning journey based on their individual job role and build a detailed learning map to future roles within the company.

Christopher Shryock, chief people officer at Sam’s Club, says that the program has “framed learning as a tool that associates can use to advance their careers.” Through targeted career pathways, learners can “see possibilities for their future within the company,” he says.

Lance de la Rosa, chief operating officer at Sam’s Club, says that these career pathways have been a “crucial factor” for retention — which is a common challenge in front-line industries. “We want to show our associates the limitless career opportunities at Sam’s Club,” and outline the learning opportunities that can help them “achieve their career dreams,” he says.

To recognize learners’ hard work, the program uses a digital badging system, where associates can display their certifications on internal social media platforms. This helps reinforce their accomplishments and validate their skills.

After an associate completes the full MQ program, they can attend a virtual ceremony and graduate to become an “MQ program ambassador.” Buchanan says that program ambassadors have been critical in extending the program’s reach long after its initial rollout.

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Buchanan and her team track three types of metrics on a quarterly basis to gauge the program’s success, including:

• Feedback metrics, including those tracked in Kirkpatrick Level 1 and Level 2.

“We run pre- and post-learning surveys and tests to get associate feedback on their training experience and to determine if our learning construct transferred the knowledge as planned,” Buchanan says.

• Behavioral metrics, including those tracked in Kirkpatrick Level 3. These metrics are tracked by monitoring unsolicited posts on internal social media platforms to see how associates discussed the program, what they learned and how it is changing their behavior. “This observational approach let us capture behavior change without our presence or a direct request for feedback influencing [learners’] responses,” Buchanan explains.

With over 2,500 digital badges issued as of early March 2022, it’s safe to say that the MQ program is in full swing.

Shryock says that he’s excited to see the long-term impact of associates fully leveraging the MQ framework and, in the future, hopes to see the program’s impact on employee attraction, engagement and retention.

Whether your organization is looking to develop meaningful career pathways for employees or upskill leaders with the skills they need for the future, the MQ program is a testament to the fact that when all employees have access to leadership training, everyone wins.

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

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JULIE WINKLE GIULIONI

CAREER DEVELOPMENT

RECLAIMING DEVELOPMENT

It’s clear that employees want opportunities to grow. What’s less clear, however, is what exactly employees mean when they reference a lack of opportunity as a reason for resigning.

After all, many organizations invest heavily in developing career pathways, transparent platforms and internal marketplaces. And yet, might these very systems be part of the problem? Have our efforts to enable development actually masked the genuine prospects for growth that are always available?

Are we conflating advancement with development — and in the process generating employee confusion and dissatisfaction?

Many of the employees who are considering leaving a position because of its lack of development offer some interesting answers to these questions.

They talk about how long it’s been since their last promotion, how many open positions are going unfilled or are being eliminated, the stiffer competition for open slots in an “all-virtual” organization, or a lack of mobility. Comments like these suggest that many employees believe that if they’re not moving, changing positions or being promoted, they aren’t being developed. They are defining the phrase, “opportunities for development,” in very literal terms as advancement.

This narrow definition presents an obvious problem. It’s impossible to satisfy everyone who wants to grow if a promotion (or even role change) is the exclusive definition of development.

Engagement and retention today demand updating the equation and changing the calculus of employee expectations. Success requires a shift

of focus from advancement (an external experience that we have little control over) to development (an internal experience that individuals own).

The good news is that development is available every day in countless ways to those who are willing to shift their focus.

Look around your organization and you’ll be overwhelmed with opportunities to learn, grow and develop: managers offering coaching, peers sharing feedback, networking events.

DEVELOPMENT IS AVAILABLE EVERY DAY IN COUNTLESS WAYS. But opportunities like these are quieter and less shiny than a splashy promotion or move — so they’re frequently overlooked for what they are: rich, robust development.

How can we reclaim development and refine people’s definition and expectations beyond advancement to include all that is already available almost anytime and anywhere? It boils down to two priorities: label it and enable it.

LABEL IT L&D, as well as leaders and executives at all levels, must raise awareness of the ubiquitous and unnoticed development opportunities that already exist within the organization. Make sure that the word “development” is among the most frequently used within an organization.

It’s the perfect descriptor for so many activities: Say things like “development coaching” or “development feedback,”

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instead of simply “coaching” or “feedback.” It’s necessary to ensure that employees recognize the growth opportunities that abound.

ENABLE IT Make sure that leaders and managers are prepared to double down on development. Help them understand the importance of emphasizing the growthrelated intentions behind so many of their interactions with others. Make sure that they’re helping their employees establish development goals that go beyond the desire for advancement.

Ensure that “development” appears on every one-on-one agenda. Check that organic learning and growth is celebrated as much as — or more than — advancement.

The loss of talent is troubling at any time. But especially now, organizations must do whatever it takes to retain their workforce. Some reasons for attrition may be outside of your control.

However, the frequently cited “lack of development opportunities” is not.

Despite the reality that advancement might be limited, your organization is offering rich prospects for growth, dayin and day-out. Let’s reframe growth.

Let’s help employees recognize and appreciate that development opportunities are available to them.

And let’s usher in a new era: The Great Reclaiming of Development.

Julie Winkle Giulioni is the author of the bestselling books, “Promotions Are So Yesterday” and “Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go.” Email Julie.

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SRINI PIL LAY, M.D.

SCIENCE OF LEARNING

MINDSET STRATEGIES FOR BUSINESS GROWTH IN 2022

Earlier this year, Madgavkar et al at McKinsey & Co. explained why 2022 may be a year for CEOs to harness growth jolts. They pointed to several growth sectors, including e-commerce and virtual health care, that leveraged the upheaval of the pandemic to launch and develop new business models.

While some businesses sought stability, others took advantage of the tailwinds and sped up. The result is that the gap between the high performers and the rest of the field has widened. Let’s take a look at some of the strategies that have enabled businesses to thrive amid upheaval.

FOCUS ON HOW YOU CAN BOOST THE CONFIDENCE OF INDIVIDUALS AND TEAMS. ADD IMAGERY TO MASTERY AND PERFORMANCE GOALS This type of goal must be accompanied by a performance goal — the aim to outperform others. When business leaders can align on an image of how they might achieve both of these goals, the chances of success are higher.

Action: Get the senior leadership team together. Address mastery and performance goals separately. Then, get aligned on how you imagine this might occur. Develop a strategy to engage everyone in the organization on this mission. Developing this mindset can boost the morale and performance of the organization.

DEVELOP WIDESPREAD PSYCHOLOGICAL MOMENTUM IN THE ORGANIZATION Psychological momentum is a key factor in success. There are three factors that boost psychological momentum: confidence, perceived competence, and internal (ability-skill) attributions. When doing performance evaluations, focus on how you can boost the confidence of individuals and teams. Provide positive feedback where it is deserved. Invest in training and reskilling to increase perceived competence. Where you can, match tasks with skills that people possess.

Action: Think of the spirit of a sports team that’s together at half-time. If they’re ahead, they’re fired up, and the captain or equivalent will use this “fire” to pump them up even further.

If they are down, then they will use the break to reset. Do exactly this.

Depending on where you are, share winning messages with the entire organization. And if you’re down, focus on a reset and how you will benchmark this to help people join you in your momentum shift.

USE EMBODIED LEARNING Many learning programs ignore the importance of the body for the mind to develop. Yet, embodied learning is crucial to adopting new ways of being. Rather than espousing cognitive theories to people, help them to feel it in their bones. Wellbeing, self-awareness, and stress relief are enhanced when the

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learning is embodied. For any mindset intervention to work, people must have optimal stress (that is motivating, yet not debilitating), as well as selfawareness. Virtual reality experiences can help to embed learning. This can enhance real-world learning. It’s not just competencies, but mindsets that need to be embodied.

Action: Add virtual reality to your learning strategy to help embed learning. Remember that embodiment can help the learning of competencies as well as the implementation of a growth mindset. Trying to skip over aligning on mindsets may prove to be costly in the long run. Aligning on mindsets offers great competitive advantage, especially if you can do this for the entire organization.

This year will likely offer tremendous growth for business leaders willing to dig deep to implement strategies to achieve mastery and performance goals, enhance momentum and get the organization aligned deeply in these aspirations. Leaders who invest in these mindset strategies are likely to build more sustainable wins, especially if this investment is continuous and relevant to the changing circumstances at hand.

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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CLOSING DEALS PLURALSIGHT AND GO1 PARTNER TO ADDRESS THE GROWING GLOBAL TECH SKILLS SHORTAGE

BY SARAH GALLO, CPTM

The global tech skills shortage is anticipated to affect more than 85 million people, representing an estimated $8.5 trillion in lost annual revenue by 2030, according to the International Monetary Fund.

While tech skills have been in demand for some time now, the demand for a digitally fluent workforce has spiked due to recent shifts in how we work and learn. Pluralsight’s 2021 State of Upskilling Report found that the COVID-19 pandemic, The Great Resignation and the rise of remote work have “exacerbated the global workforce challenge to adapt to a landscape that relies on digital-enabled solutions,” says Ken Leonard, senior vice president of global ecosystem solutions at Pluralsight. “While many organizations had to undergo tech transformations at great speeds to survive, individuals were impacted by the growing tech skills gap that continues today to affect their ability to do their jobs.”

The need for technical training and development is something that Go1, one of the largest eLearning libraries on the market, has seen firsthand. “We’ve repeatedly heard from our customers of the impact of the global tech skills shortage on their businesses,” says Basem Emera, vice president of partnerships and alliances at Go1.

It was clear that Go1 — which partners with top training providers to provide a curated suite of courses across topic areas — needed to partner with a technical training expert to tackle what has become a pressing, global business challenge.

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TEAMING UP When looking for a technical training partner, Emera says that Pluralsight “stood out amongst the rest.” It’s easy to see why: Pluralsight has one of the best-perceived technical training catalogs on the market, with courses fit for learners across levels, on nearly all technical training topics, from data analytics and coding languages to machine learning (ML) and even specific courses on cloud concepts for cloud hosting platforms like Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Azure.

The partnership will play a key role in helping Pluralsight execute its strategy, which is “to be relevant to those who see solving [the technical skills shortage] as a priority directly aligned to their capacity to deliver on key business outcomes,” Leonard says. Partnering with Go1 aligns “with this strategic thinking.”

DEMOCRATIZING TECHNICAL TRAINING With the partnership, which was announced in February of this year, all of Go1’s roughly 3.5 million corporate learners (including learners in nontechnical roles) have access to quality video courses through Pluralsight’s technology skills platform, Pluralsight Skills. Historically, technical training has primarily been accessible only to learners in technology roles, Emera says.

Therefore, the partnership is bringing technical training “to areas of the market that may not have seen this before.”

By democratizing technical training, more learners can access the courses they need to improve their ability to use

innovative technologies and improve their performance in today’s digital business environment. And with a more technically adept workforce, businesses will be able to remain competitive in the age of digital transformation.

While making technical training accessible to all learners is a great first step in closing the growing tech skills gap, the training also needs to be personalized to be effective. Pluralsight’s curated learning journeys help “stagger” learning based on the learner’s existing knowledge and desired career path, Emera says.

After all, the role of a software engineer is vastly different from that of a security professional and, therefore, targeted training is “of the utmost importance.”

TECHNICAL TRAINING, SIMPLIFIED Tackling the global tech skills shortage is no easy task, and learning leaders are struggling to roll out timely, highquality training that can help. By making personalized technical training available through the Go1 platform, learners can access all the technical courses they need on demand, all in one place. As a result, learning leaders will have more bandwidth to roll out other types of training and to continue acting as a strategic business partners.

The global tech skills shortage won’t solve itself, but strategic partnerships like this will help pave the way forward — no matter what digital disruptions lie ahead.

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

COMPANY NEWS

ACQUISITIONS AND PARTNERSHIPS Cornerstone OnDemand, a leader in adaptive cloud-based HR software solutions, announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire learning experience platform (LXP) provider EdCast. The acquisition will allow Cornerstone to continue to reimagine the people growth experience and innovate experiential learning, as well as content and skill building.

Pearson, the world’s leading learning company, announced its acquisition of Credly, the market leader in digital workforce credentialing. The move is projected to expand the company’s presence in the workforce skills sector, while adding robust credentialing services to a repertoire that already includes workforce analysis, learning and assessment capabilities.

Cengage Group, the global education technology company, completed its acquisition of Infosec, a leading provider of cybersecurity education and training. With this acquisition, Cengage Group continues to develop its Workforce Skills business, improving their ability to provide online training and education.

Docebo Inc., the leading artificial intelligence (AI)-powered learning suite provider, announced its acquisition of Skillslive, an educational consulting agency. With the addition of Skillslive, Docebo continues to expand its footprint in Australia while accelerating its time-to-market by adding talent and infrastructure in the Asia-Pacific region.

eLearning Brothers, the world-class eLearning solutions provider, announced its acquisition of Origin Learning, an award-winning provider of result-driven digital learning. The acquisition will grow eLearning Brothers’ learning solutions team, as well as its product development capacity. This move will position eLearning brothers to better help organizations of all sizes tackle their learning and development challenges.

360Learning, the global collaborative software-as-a-service (SaaS) leader, announced its acquisition of Looop, the UK’s top-rated learning management system (LMS). The acquisition will enable both companies to better realize their goals of creating a positive, premium user experience while helping companies adapt and succeed in the face of unprecedented shifts in the business world.

INDUSTRY NEWS APPRENTICE NOW LAUNCHES TO NARROW TECH TALENT GAP

Apprentice Now is a new apprenticeship and train-to-hire provider aiming to solve the growing shortage of qualified IT professionals in the workforce.

Apprentice Now provides customized training programs to employers in the technology sector. Apprentice Now also connects qualified job-seekers with actively hiring employers.

THE BEHAVIORS AND SKILLS SALES LEADERS CARE MOST ABOUT – AND HOW TO MEASURE THEM

ValueSelling Associates, Inc. and Training Industry, Inc. released research findings which indicate that only 25% of sales organizations are directly measuring the behaviors that drive

sales success. ValueSelling and Training Industry surveyed 464 sales leaders and decision-makers to explore how remote salespeople can be successful in an environment of increasingly virtual B2B sales.

PARTNERSHIP TO TRAIN 1 MILLION WOMEN AND GIRL CODERS

Skillsoft, a global leader in corporate digital learning, announced a strategic initiative with iamtheCODE, the first African-led movement to mobilize public- and private-sector foundations to advance STEAMED education for women and girls in marginalized communities.

The partnership will align Skillsoft’s social impact mission with iamtheCODE’s goal to train 1 million women and girl coders by 2030.

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NEW VR DIVERSITY, INCLUSION AND BELONGING (DIB) TRAINING SOLUTION

SkillsVR, the immersive virtual reality (VR) training company, announced the launch of a new diversity, inclusion and belonging (DIB) training solution. The solution features interactive scenarios customdesigned for experiential learning and will guide users through a program designed to improve self-awareness and reduce unconscious bias.

INTERESTED IN SUBMITTING COMPANY NEWS? PLEASE SEND TO EDITOR@TRAININGINDUSTRY.COM

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CONGRATULATIONS TOP 20 COMPANIES VIEW THE LISTS The Top 20 Companies are a service provided by Training Industry, Inc. Because of the diversity of services offered, no attempt is made to rank Top 20 lists.