Elearning - September/October 2008 - (Page 24)

WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM JAPAN ABOUT E-LEARNING AND ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP BY ANTOINE DUBEAUCLARD This may well be remembered as the year when the impact of human expansion into our natural environment has become internalized by the masses. Freak storms, unusual weather, gas prices and energy costs tell the story more poignantly than bold headlines. This year and next may also be remembered as the years when environmental stewardship appears as new corporate values and — perhaps in the near term — corporate transparency and position related to these global issues become as ubiquitous as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and similar regulations. Mottainai is a Japanese term that embodies reverence and respect for things, including the 5R mantra of “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Refuse, Repair” and a sense of loss derived from waste. Japan has a very different philosophy regarding environmental consciousness and the importance of the community and corporate community being aware of these issues. I have a theory that this emanates from the small-island(s) mentality and an early realization of the need to preserve and manage resources. Many of these organizations put out an annual environmental report of some kind. It requires transparency regarding their own emotions and gets reinforced by commitments from the leadership on what they’re doing to continuously improve. Obviously, there is much we can learn from the advances and systems in place in the Japanese corporate responsibility culture. The challenge for most organizations is how to connect corporate values to these more global issues, institutionally and emotionally engaging the workforce to innovate, gain cost efficiencies and manage the environmental stewardship of the communities where the business operates. To be “green” is good public relations, good business and increasingly important to the workforce. In my experience over the past 12 years of doing Web- and computer-based training, the general premise always has been cost cutting. This year, we’re excited to see many companies approach e-learning on the premise of reducing their carbon footprint, being smarter and faster, and connecting with employee values. Other than e-learning as a vehicle for environmentally conscious, sustainable approaches, we’re also seeing these values emerge as content. In some cases, we’ve run entire campaigns through e-learning and Web 2.0 techniques (like getting sales consultants to do product presentations on video, having peers vote online for the best ones, and using those as expert content for elearning). Result: less travel, less stand-up, more ability to distribute globally, and lots of interpersonal contact. Being green, or embodying Mottainai, can take three dimensions as it pertains to human development and training. REDUCING FOOTPRINT E-learning lends itself in its very nature to be greener than traditional training methods. Thus, wherever possible, e-learning can minimize the carbon footprint that is often associated with training due to travel and/or printed resources. >>Wherever print support materials are needed, they can be first provided as an on-demand Web-based resource or job aid, printed on a page-by-page basis rather than an entire book. >>For progressive companies, traditional printing can be under- Mott 24 September/October 2008 Elearning!

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Elearning - September/October 2008

Elearning - September/October 2008 Contents Editor’s Note News IBM Goes Green Green Resources Deals Trendlines Learning Leader Up to Speed Cover Story: Going Green The Green Mindset? Cutting Down Turnover Tips: EET Case Study: Pacific Pulmonary Services Case Study: British Telecom Case Study: Allianz SE Case Study: LXR Case Study: St. Elizabeth Tips: Green Initiatives New Products LMS Tools Pop Quiz Last Word

Elearning - September/October 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.