Focus Magazine - Fall 2016 - 44

TECHNOLOGY 3 Technology Trends to Try ■ By Darleen DeRosa W hen was the last time your employees got excited about training? ose responsible for training must continually find new, creative ways to "sneak in" learning opportunities whenever possible to make it accessible and engaging. Technology has drastically changed the way we learn, and employers are incorporating it frequently to reduce the time and costs of training. In fact, technology-based training can be up to 90 percent less expensive than traditional classroom-based training. It cuts down on the time employees spend traveling as well as travel expenses (airfare, gas, mileage, hotel rooms, food). Fortunately, trainers are an innovative bunch. Moving ahead, we'll continue to see companies adopting new, innovative forms of learning. Here are three leadership training and development trends to keep on your radar. 1. Blended Learning Blended learning - using eLearning or the virtual classroom as well as in-person sessions - is on the rise as technology becomes the norm for training. More than 29 percent of training hours were delivered through blended-learning programs in 2014, a 0.8 percent increase over the previous year. 2. Using Gamification Companies are moving toward using games and simulations to foster greater employee engagement by tapping into the innate human preference for fun. By applying games, employees can use their problem-solving skills to develop business solutions. For example, Deloitte built a leadership development training program for its senior executives, but had diﬃculties getting them to complete it. e company revamped the program to include gaming components like badges, leaderboards and status symbols to track the executives' progress. is change resulted in a 50 percent shorter completion time and a 46.6 percent increase in the number of users returning to the site daily. 3. Using mLearning Said to be the future of learning, mobile learning - or mLearning - is expected to coincide with the rising use of mobile for everything. e key benefit mobile provides is access to information anytime, anywhere. For learning purposes, mLearning condenses lessons into shorter, bite-sized micro-lessons that can be easily ab- sorbed on the go. Micro-content, such as graphs, charts or two-to-threeminute videos, can be consumed while commuting or during a lunch break. Less formal than structured learning environments, mLearning is mostly done in between other tasks and is self-initiated. Some mobile learning platforms even include social elements that encourage learners to share their experiences and learn from one another on social media. e global market for mLearning is expected to reach $12.2 billion by 2017. The Bottom Line Research has shown that when companies spend more time and money on training they have lower turnover rates, more top-performing employees, higher promotion rates and overall higher engagement and satisfaction. When employees feel like their company invests in them by providing training and advancement opportunities, they are more likely to perform better. is means employees are more satisfied in their positions and with the company as a whole. e ROI of leadership development eﬀorts is clear for high-potential employees who aspire to leadership roles. As workplaces continue to update their training processes, it's important to choose approaches that will keep employees engaged and design programs that play to their preferred methods of learning. Using newer techniques like games, mLearning and blended learning can set your employees up for success and have a positive impact on your organization. ■ Darleen DeRosa, Ph.D., is a managing partner at OnPoint Consulting. Email Darleen at dderosa@onpointconsultingllc.com. 44 FOCUS | FALL 2016 | www.L-TEN.org http://www.L-TEN.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Focus Magazine - Fall 2016