Training Industry Magazine - September/October 2019 - 27

Figure 1
The Performance Support Pyramid: The Methodology Game Changer

* Support the creation of multiple
content types
* Easy set-up and maintenance
* Flexible publishing and sharing options
* Peer review workflow

Guidelines to Ensure
Quality Information
Moving on to the final piece of this EGL
equation, how can L&D ensure quality of
information shared by SMEs and inspire
them to continue sharing knowledge?
Here are a few guidelines drawn from
our experience:

Source: Bob Mosher and Conrad Gottfredson

friendly tool that captures the knowledge
in the working moment so that it is
available to other colleagues.
To this end, we conducted a study in
2018 to understand the behavior and
content types created by SMEs as part
of the knowledge-sharing act. Our top
findings indicated that employees create
different types of content to match the
point of need. Our results tied in with
the content types illustrated in the
Performance Support Pyramid (Figure 1)
of five moments of learning needs. This
implies that SMEs may not adhere to the
standards of curriculum or courses and
can be improvised to a great extent.

L&D CAN PARTNER WITH
EMPLOYEES TO CREATE A
POOL OF COLLECTIVE WISDOM.
As Elliot Masie, educational technology
expert, puts it, think of a tool that supports
"lego-styled content creation," where
pieces can be arranged in any way to arrive
at a structure. In other words, the learning

tools must allow SMEs to share knowledge
as they experience it in their work. They
should enable authors to create discrete
chunks of information in multiple forms
and an on-demand format (i.e., checklists,
articles, tutorials, videos, FAQs, etc.).
In this context, there is a gap in the market
for social learning and knowledge sharing
tools. This was evident in Easygenerator's
research among subject matter experts
(SMEs) who helped distinguish two main
types of content tools: rich, complex
authoring tools and wiki-style document
and information systems. These authoring
tools are made for instructional designers
who are highly skilled at creating highquality training content and do not suit
the needs of SMEs who lack a didactic
background. Vast, wiki-style document
and information systems are designed for
employees to collaborate and exchange
information. These frustrate SMEs because
of their lack of structure.
In our experience working with clients like
T-Mobile, Nielsen and Electrolux, there are
a few criteria that helped L&D decide on
the right tools for implementing EGL:
* Zero-learning curve
* Collaborative content creation

Inspire: SMEs often assume that creating
e-learning content is too difficult because
it involves developing complicated,
comprehensive courses. L&D should make
clear that learning content does not have
to be a full course but can be a simple
how-to. Help them identify best practices
for the training resources.
Guide: Provide enough guidance on what
constitutes meaningful learning content.
Webinars, resources and in-person
sessions on best practices will significantly
improve the quality of content.
Monitor: You only guide once and
then start monitoring authors and
content to evaluate consumption. Use
the data/metrics to figure out what's
working and what's not, and guide your
authors accordingly.
To sum it up, L&D professionals have
always strived to produce the best
learning experience possible. But does a
perfectionist approach result in the best
return on investment (ROI)? Instead of
striving to achieve the perfect training
course, L&D teams should give SMEs
everything they need to spring into action
and do it themselves. The true power
lies in partnering with employees and
enabling them to share knowledge as they
experience it.
Kasper Spiro is the CEO of Easygenerator.
Videhi Bhamidi serves as a learning product
consultant at Easygenerator. Email Kasper
and Videhi.

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Training Industry Magazine - September/October 2019

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