TM - August 2007 - (Page 50) [techniques] by Nigel Paine W W Essentially, the impact of this is to shift from a focus on an object (a particular course) to thinking about the total culture you build for elearning. You are taking talent into a particular place, and the nature of that world and the employees’ comfort with it will affect the quality of the learning, as well as employees’ willingness to come back regularly. The Changing F ace of Environments hat we define as work and the places where we work are changing. The environment is becoming less hierarchical, more informal, with looser job descriptions and fewer specializations. The same shifts are occurring in the e-learning space, and they have to, if e-learning is to remain relevant and useful. I have characterized those changes as three significant realignments. The first of these is the most important: the move from e-learning courses to elearning environments. pens because informal encounters with people or resources are encouraged to speed up the exchange of knowledge. It is rather like renting an unfurnished apartment as opposed to checking into a hotel — you want to make the apartment your own by adding furniture, pictures and books. It is also a place where you can invite your friends over to socialize. Above all, it is someplace where you feel at ease and want to spend time. leagues’ great ideas and are guided by the content, not dictated by it. The third movement is from single structures and closed platforms to free flow. This can be likened to the shift from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0, that is, consumption to participation. If you add these up, you have not simply a shift in process but a shift in philosophy. This approach mirrors the contrast About the author The environment is becoming less hierarchical, more informal, with looser job descriptions and fewer specializations. Nigel Paine is the former head of people development for the British Broadcasting Corp. (BBC), where he ran the learning operations for 27,000 employees in 44 countries. He can be reached at editor@TalentMgt.com. If you can make that environment as rich and participative as possible, the learning beyond the virtual classroom will take place. When employees participate in e-learning, it will achieve a larger learning outcome and impact than dictated by the confines of the course. In fact, the course is the excuse to get the learner into the environment, to experience a world of learning in and around the chosen program. Therefore, the quality of the user experience is crucial, as is users’ ability to wander freely and explore that environment. It must be a world that can be personalized and, in effect, give a sense of ownership to the user. It is a place where serendipity hap- This differs from a hotel, which is a temporary space. It clearly belongs to someone else, and it is not really an environment in which you want to spend a lot of time, or one in which you feel that you have much stake. You spend time there on your own, and you do not expect to meet anyone else. The second shift follows logically from this: from knowledge delivered to knowledge shared. It is no longer effective to assume learners know little and that the course is simply piling on content to be tested later. An environment in which knowledge is co-created is a deeper and more complex one, and it more closely mirrors the changing world of work. It also implies that you must work in teams to develop — you share col- between direction and empowerment. The one is a world view away from the other. And for the generation used to Flickr, MySpace, blogs and podcasts, it is the only way to generate engagement and participation. The new face of e-learning is far more personal to the learner than the old face, and it is simple to navigate and use. At least some of the resources will be co-created, and users will have their own voice and ability to personalize their environment. This will create a sense of “always on and always learning” through whichever device works at a particular moment. The ultimate aim is to build deep experiences that are backed by deep support and in-depth leadership. The boundary between learning and working almost disappears as the two mingle seamlessly on the desktop. That is a goal worth aiming for. 50 August 2007 talent management magazine www.TalentMgt.com http://www.TalentMgt.com
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