Training Industry Quarterly - Fall 2008 - (Page 23) D id you know that there are at least 10 times more words in today’s English language than in Shakespeare’s time? Did you know that most of those words were created in the last 10 years? Did you know that most of these words are more internationally understood than all of the words from Shakespeare’s time? We live in times of change and there is ample opportunity to harness the power of creative freedom. We’re moving from an economy of labor to a knowledge economy – and the ability to learn is more valuable than ever. Learning and knowledge are no longer local commodities; rather they are enhancing and progressing on an international level, at an escalating rate of improvement. What are we learning? How is learning technology advancing now? What three things can a learning leader do today to leverage these learning advances? This article will answer those questions and more. What are we learning? Technology is enabling a framework for learning exactly what we need to know at the exact time when we need it. As individuals, we are learning how to learn from each other. As organiza- tions, we are learning how to acquire, transfer and retain knowledge. Take an example from the Ford Motor Company. In 2005, one of the production crews for the Ford F-150 truck found that only two steel body frames could only be shipped per cargo train car. One production crew was able to rent a cargo train car for a weekend to determine if more frames could fit in a single car. Sure enough, with some hard work and dedication, the engineers found a way to double the capacity and fit four steel frames into a single cargo train car. Thanks to an existing enterprise community of practice at Ford, this cost-saving knowledge was transferred to every production crew around the world – where they could begin discussions on their steel body frame shipments. The technology is available, and the people are ready, we just need to facilitate the learning. How is learning technology advancing now? Web 2.0, Learning 2.0 and Enterprise 2.0 are driving forces for learning leaders to study, understand and leverage. Learning is advancing in correlation to these revolutions. 23
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