Digital is the new order of the day, whether it is about ordering your morning coffee through a mobile app or turning in your day’s work on the cloud. Digital technologies have started to encompass every aspect of our professional and personal lives. Added to that, technology advancements such as Automation, Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence have brought in unimagined efficiencies at a fraction of the cost.
Businesses have no option other than to evolve with time and embrace these disruptive changes if they hope to survive. For individuals that run and support these businesses, the choice is not too different. It is no contest to know that upskilling and relearning have become imperative to stay relevant and employable. But will traditional methods of learning be sufficient enough to match the speed and agility of the changes that are staring at us in the face? As power users of digital technologies in our own personal lives, we are now used to an on-demand lifestyle where what we seek comes at the click of a button or a swipe of the screen.
There is no more scope to allow a specific time or day to learn in our hyper-busy lifestyles. In this scenario, the demand for upskilling and relearning, however critical they are, becomes painful and taxing. Just as digital has shifted the control of businesses to the hands of the users, there is a need to have far greater power and flexibility in the ways and avenues we learn from as well. In other words, what professionals need today is digital learning —the ability to learn anytime, anywhere, on-demand, personalised. The last two decades or so has positioned e-Learning as a revolution in modern learning. However, today, traditional e-Learning has rapidly evolved into ‘digital learning’ that leverages tools and delivery modes that are capable of addressing the needs and pressures of modern-day professionals. Digital learning offers far more promises to suit the personalised needs of every individual while serving the underlying objectives of learning on-demand.
It lets the individuals decide the time, the place, the path and the pace at which they will learn. Its personalised and curated delivery model guarantees a high level of engagement that is sure to fulfill its goal of imparting knowledge. Organisations that are looking to ride the digital wave and come out profitably must consider digital learning as one of their main strategies, along with other business imperatives, to modernise their operations. They need to embrace it in total, if they wish employees to upskill themselves successfully, indirectly upskilling the organisation itself. Digital learning must be viewed as a new possibility to foster the culture of learning that they have always promised their employees.
So, given this opportunity to revolutionise Learning and Development, what are the specific steps one must take to ensure a successful alignment of the organisation’s learning strategies and business goals?
Here’s a top-level guide that will attempt to help you answer this question and roll out a successful digital learning program.
1. Audit your existing learning strategy, its effectiveness in fulfilling your employees’ renewed learning needs, and identify the gaps between your existing learning outcomes and desired future business goals.
2. Based on your business objectives and priorities, decide how you would like to improve your current learning methodologies to be more digital — either re-building your existing platform or buying/building a new platform.
3. Select learning content that is aligned to your business objectives and is proven to deliver results. Choosing the right content partner who can address your comprehensive current as well as future needs is crucial.
4. Don’t be afraid to roll out different learning modalities for different learning needs based on their effectiveness — include videos, simulations, gamification, formal eLearning courses and blended learning.
5. Make learning available across devices — accessibility is the key to success.
6. Encourage your target audience to see upskilling as a means to enhance their employability. At the same time, identify the desired skill sets that they currently lack or are weak in. Explore ways in which digital learning can be pitched as an avenue to address this issue.
7. User experience is paramount. Ensure your Learning Platform delivers this through a personalised and intuitive user experience and recommended learning modules.
8. Market your programme well — your learning strategy should include a well-thought marketing plan.
9. Make sure your content delivery platform uses advanced analytics to monitor user behaviuor and continuously improve your system to be more effective in getting employees to take up new learning based on their interest areas and organisational needs through contextual learning recommendations.
10. Have a measurable system of learning outcomes for continued business support.
11. Ensure your users stay engaged and motivated through personalisation, social sharing, and rewards and recognition.
12. Finally, deploy the right resources to manage programme implementation. If you do not have the expertise, seek support from your digital learning partner to manage the programme for you. As they say, the best plans are those that are executed well. Digital learning can be one of your precious weapons to evolve as a winner in the digital era. It’s up to you to use it effectively.
(Vinay Pradhan is Country Manager – India at Skillsoft.)