How future-proof corporate learning works: 5 theses on learning culture, architecture and formats

Over the last 1.5 years, each of us - thanks to Covid - has left the familiar paths of work routines behind us and has been on a steep learning curve. Even skeptics have understood in recent months that experience and "old" knowledge are increasingly losing out to agility and experimentation. Learning has not taken place with prepared knowledge in the seminar room, but through personal action in various ad hoc situations in the workplace. And since the new hybrid work standards at the latest, the 70-20-10 rule is more relevant than ever: learning only takes place to a small extent (10%) with prepared knowledge in the seminar room, but primarily in exchange with others (20%) and through one's own situational actions in the workplace (70%).

However, as is so often the case, practical implementation lags behind theoretical insight: in very few companies are qualification programs up to the new learning requirements, but are still dominated by classic frontal classroom training.

There is a lot to do. I have formulated five theses on what I consider to be the greatest areas of action for contemporary skills development.

 

1. in order to be sustainable as an organization, the learning culture needs to be updated.

Learning culture is the expression of the importance that learning has in an organization. It combines an open mindset, an independent search and shared knowledge with the mission and goals of an organization.

What is the state of the learning culture in companies? Let the latest figures speak for themselves:

• • A full 10% of organizations can point to a learning culture.
  • Just 20% of employees demonstrate effective learning behavior.
  • According to a LinkedIn study, 50% of the most sought-after skills today were not even on the list three years ago.
  • Anyone who stays in their job will have to change 40% of their core competencies in the next 5 years.

OK, there is still room for improvement. But what role does a vibrant learning culture actually play? Business analyst Josh Bersin sums it up aptly: "Learning culture means life or death for many organizations". Learning, shared knowledge, openness and experimentation are becoming more important and time-critical, so they must be a living, integral part of the corporate culture.

 

2. personalized learning paths replace "one-fits-all" offers.

On average, 70% of learning takes place in an individual application context. And with the increasing complexity and granularity of job profiles, the "one-fits-all" approach to training is becoming obsolete.

What is required and expected are individually tailored qualification recommendations, learning paths and content. The learning process is tailored to specific needs, personal set-up, technical possibilities and individual time budgets. The heterogeneity of individual framework conditions presents organizations with complex challenges.

At the same time, the demands of learners go hand in hand with a high degree of personal responsibility. If learning is to be personally relevant, it can no longer be a convenient full-service delivery. Instead, pull instead of push applies: in the sense of personalization, learning is largely organized and implemented by the learner themselves.

 

3. traditional one-off knowledge transfer events are losing out to learning experiences and programs.

Once or twice a year for 3 days in a fancy conference hotel to get a pressure refueling on programming, project management or personnel management? Relics of the past! Today's employees want to stock up on new knowledge as and when they need it instead of learning on demand. According to a Gartner study 57% of employees expect efficient just-in-time learning.en.

Many new core competencies, such as collaboration, creativity or complex problem solving, require new attitudes and behaviors. These can only be "installed" to a limited extent through traditional training. At best, they are practiced and developed continuously. For real attitude and behavioral change, it makes sense to think beyond one-off learning events in sustainable multi-format programs that combine input with theoretical self-study, practical application and social interaction. Effective qualification programs offer ...

• • ... self-determined application competence,
  • ... flexible formats and modules that integrate well into everyday working life,
  • ... self-organized "peer to peer" learning circles,
  • ... regular impulses from outside and
  • ... personalized topics and formats co-determined by participants.

 

4. digital becomes the default mode and physical events the exclusive highlight.

At the beginning of 2020, i.e. before the pandemic, already 80% of employees were able to work without a desk. However, even today, many companies still only design their training content for mobile learning to a limited extent. Digitalization, automation and flexibilization are logical answers to the question of maximum learning efficiency. Access to learning opportunities should be low-threshold, not tied to time and place, "snackable" and interactive. Digital formats are predestined here to meet individual needs, self-determination, networking and interaction.

As described, the focus of knowledge acquisition is shifting away from learning events towards sustainable hybrid programs: an integrated combination of self-paced e-learning, e.g. according to the flipped classroom approach (knowledge transfer), transfer (e.g. trial and error, application and personal experience) and events (exchange and expansion of experience, reflection) makes sense. These - often physical - events then become exclusive meetings of newly qualified experts on the respective learning topic, which allows for significantly more depth and substance than the face-to-face training courses of the past. Designed in this way, the high costs (premises, travel expenses, etc.) are easily justified.

 

5. educational technology developments open up didactic and methodological possibilities.

The aforementioned personalized learning paths require smart learning technology solutions. No wonder that the education technology sector (EdTech for short) is growing rapidly.

The most relevant technologies include IoT (Internet of Things), XR (Augmented / Virtual / Mixed Reality) and AI (Artificial Intelligence). Supported by technology, different content, methods and formats can be combined flexibly and in line with requirements. Thanks to the intensive, immersive primary experience, mixed reality applications in particular also appeal to all those types of learners who are not addressed by traditional information transfer. While XR was initially used primarily in the physical area (machine use), non-physical training (rhetoric, change, etc.) is currently also gaining in importance.

Despite all the enthusiasm for technology, it should not be forgotten that even the best technologies are useless if they are not integrated sensibly.

 

And what exactly do we need to do now?

A shared understanding that the future viability of the company depends on the skills and qualifications of its employees is an important starting point. New learning cultures and opportunities are needed to effectively support employees in developing their skills. Personnel development and management should take the following guiding principles to heart:

• self-determined, competence-oriented learning in the work context,
• flexible formats that integrate well into everyday working life,
• self-organized "peer-to-peer" learning circles,
• regular impulses from outside and
• personalized topics and formats co-determined by participants.

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