It's All Training Until It Isn't

The course is a seductive solution. I've written and spoken about this before as I believe it's due in part to years of formal learning dominating our lives, better known as learning learned helplessness. And because employees can't always wait for L&D to develop a solution they will take matters into their own hands. Sometimes this is good as they find the resource (human or material) to solve their own problem or it can be troublesome in that sometimes they create a PowerPoint presentation for others. It's enough to raise the hair on a learning professional's neck... but I say don't fight it. Appreciate their moxie and shift your focus to consultant and help people rethink the decision.

 It's about  an opportunity not ownership.

So what does Consultative L&D look like? Here are 5 short examples of actual engagement with some of our stakeholders that has not only worked to pragmatically solve a business issue, but helped enlighten those we worked with to stop thinking training only. Again, each of these began with something along the lines of "we need a course on..."

1. People Don't Argue with There Own Data 

A senior divisional leader requested training.  Donning Performance Consultant we stepped in to see if there was a skill gap and if it warranted training as a solution.  This is how the conversation went: 

Me:  "How are new employees learning the methodology and approaches today?"

Him: "Our programs that employ it learn on the job. Seasoned developers already know the general methodologies and our rendition is not that much different than industry best practices. The new individuals who are less aware will have a mentor who will sit with them to bring them up to speed.

Me: "What are the biggest gaps in execution today?"

Him: "Nothing that stands out. Each team/project does it slightly different to accommodate their project, environment, customer, etc."

Me: "Since our methodology is very much based on industry methodology how/where is it different?"

Him: "It’s different in just a few ways: it accommodates customer processes, documents, and tools."

Me: The objectives speak to having employees “Understand.” How will we know they understand? i.e. how will success be determined regardless of solution chosen? Are their project executables/deliverables that can be identified that would show knowledge/skill advancement?"

Him: "We are talking about very tightly knitted teams, they “self-organize” and are accountable for what they sign-up for. It’ll become immediately apparent if someone is not keeping up or they just don’t get it." 

As we dialoged it became apparent to him that a training course was inappropriate, too heavy and unnecessary. Today we are working on small modules loosely connected, some may be podcasts, SME video demonstrations, job aids and checklists that people can pull on as needed to supplement time with knowledgeable team members.

2. When a job aid will do, do a job aid.

After a SME crafted a highly visual step-by-step on generating financial reports in a PowerPoint presentation meant for a live session, I aimed to understand the need and overall objectives after the fact. Not one to throw the baby out with the bath water, we determined that simply following each screen could produce the desired results, no direct instruction needed. The next step was to fine tune through some actual user testing, then reproduce as performance support for use when generating the reports.

3. Need a presentation? Flip it.

Sometimes content is so new or the workforce is so new to the process that a more formal solution is warranted. It's important to strive to "do no harm" to the work flow and keep learning opportunities as pull vs. push for our employees. Recently I was approach again to help develop a live presentation. Ultimately it was determined, after a bit of dialog about attention and attendance, to release the session as prerecord and then tag it in our ESN. We'd give the audience a week to view and review as needed and then ask them to post in the ESN their additional questions for the SME to address along with peers.

4. Don't Reinvent the Wheel

In a desire to reaffirm the commitment we have to our client and ensure consistency of execution, the idea of creating a course for a segment of our workforce to complete on a client methodology and tools was promoted. In our analysis we though this would be redundant as much of the material was readily available. Our solution was to curate vs. create. Tapping into the already available formal materials we proposed an internal certification program which modeled similar certifications recognized by our folks. This two level certification not only recognizes employee completion of identified materials but will also acknowledges their successful application in using the materials in the authentic situations. Additionally, they are credited for sharing their knowledge and contributing to the growth of their more novice peers.

5. Pull not Push

Choosing a performance support solution over a course is not always the correct option. People need formal especially when they are new to the content or safety or security is on the line. However when people are more experienced they need less formal and more informal or social opportunities. This was the case with one of my first efforts. Initially a Project Manager's boot camp was proposed but this made little sense for our experience Project Managers just needing to understand the nuances of our organization's project management approach; which for the most part was very similar to what most Project Managers knew from their certification through the Project Management Institute. So instead we leveraged numerous SMEs to co-create job aids, templates and short recorded sessions to orient and reinforce our unique ways of executing project tasks. Each of these could be pulled on in the time of need.

Each of these efforts in and of themselves is small. They grew out of small conversations via email or phone call. In each one we have reinforced the approach I think L&D needs to take; small, embedded, impactful, and integrated with the workforce solutions focused not on just on learning but performing. For L&D to reinvent itself it must not only meet the business need but reframe the thinking throughout the organization one problem, one person, one conversation at a time.

...Of These, Isn't The Greatest Modeling?

I found myself inspired by the #wolweek (work out loud) movement that took place across the Web a few weeks ago. The concept is relatively simple; share what you're doing, make the tools of your work visible and open so others can see, comment, and contribute.  This means working in more public "spaces".  So if you followed #wolweek on Twitter, many people blogged about their work, successes, struggles, thoughts, questions, etc.  Still others really opened the gates and let people see materials and prototypes. 

I shared the concept internally in our ESN. I said: 

...Organizations have the same opportunity to do this and reap the potential rewards within their own walls.  In a small way we do this already without thinking. We ask questions of others in and outside of our ESN such as Who has a certain certification? Where can I find a form? What's the best way to...?  In each of these questions we really reveal a little about our efforts. Imagine then if the work that the answer to these questions fed was just as visible? Would we have to even ask as many questions anymore?

I didn't get much of a response to the idea.

So....it's been said that L&D is ideally positioned to lead organizations in Social Learning, Curation and Personal Knowledge Management (PKM); supporting people in learning how to learn independent of courses and classes.  Of course doing this means L&D must let go of formal approaches and instead serve as coaches, models and guides. Most important in my opinion is the modeling. It really is the least intrusive action where others can see, reflect on, and if done right, feel they can approach to have meaningful conversations. 

A little back story first.  L&D in my organization has been moving (slowly) on an initiative to help create a mentoring culture.  The idea is ultimately to 1st help new hires acclimate to life and work here by not only having material resources readily available but a real human resource to lean on.  We always knew this how how people really get up to speed in an organization and the idea of finding a "buddy" has always been haphazard... left to the individual to figure out.  What if this was just something we helped everyone with? What if each new person came aboard and in addition to their team and manager they had another they could just tap into. Having an expert available, get a question answered, and a few tips on "how it really works here" goes a long way.  Can't this model scale we thought? And so through research inside and out, we began the slow process of developing a multi phase program to not only to help new hires but also look to weave a program like this into the career path as well. Imagine someone desiring to be a manager and having to show that they can first successfully mentor another? Isn't that the main job of a manager, to develop his/her people? 

Behind the scenes, in our own silo, we talked, researched, developed, reviewed and shared all of this. And I thought it time we eat our own dog food (for lack of a better expression) regarding openness and transparency and WOL.  We needed to practice what we preach and take what has been a young internal L&D initiative and make it very public - wild hairs, half-baked prototypes and conversations included.  It was a perfect way to model open collaboration in the workplace and build proof of concept, help others see how it can scale, and ultimately open the door to conversations on how to get it going in their own areas. Our once hidden work and process is now available for all to see and comment on... and some have. In the end people outside our area can add much value by sharing their own experiences in mentoring with us, maybe post a few good documents and ideas we should consider in making this a reality.  Maybe they will do nothing at all but "lurk" but at least now they are in the know and invited to the conversation.

Putting Curation in Context

We learn better when we can be immersed in actual context.  As you learn the tasks to be performed you also learn how the environment interacts with the content which is critical to success. This is why isolated, separated from the work context, event style training often falls short.

Some learned skills though are more hidden, the outputs are the only evidence of the work performed as the majority of the process happen within ones mind.  Artists are a good example.  Yes, many artists learned techniques and tools and those are visible but the decision-making and planning of a great work is happening inside the artists brain, often in micro-instances.  We often only see the work forming but not until its "done" can it be appreciated and meaning made.

Curation is a similar, hidden process. There are many definitions and practices of curation today and many have long been held by academia and in institutions like Zoos and Museums.  Similar to the work of a traditional curator, content curators must understand their audience, select and discard various pieces, and tell a story that benefits the audience and influences their opinions and behavior.  Curation as a marketing activity is more widely known. These corporate curators sift through the Web and share works of others as a means to inform and educate consumers, thus increasing their company's value in their eyes.

Content creation for learning has grown exponentially with Web 2.0 as well. Articles, video, audio, demonstrations, step-by-steps, strategy pieces, etc are churned out world-wide from practitioners and experts alike. Today, as Dr. Clark Quinn stated, Curation Trumps Creation. Successful individuals are practicing PKM or Personal Knowledge Management and when doing so deliberately and in the open, they become the curators of digital content; separating the wheat from the chaff and helping others to makes sense of it all.

Like the exhibits seen at a museum, much of this curation work is done in the heads of a curator making it very difficult to understand the "how" of curation not just the "what."  It's time to have them Work Out Loud!  With this challenge in mind I set out to work with our local CNY ASTD chapter to put curation in context and immerse the curious in the world of curation to better understand its historic and modern value.  On July 31st The Everson Museum of Art and CNY ASTD are joining forces for From Art to Information: Curation - a Strategy.

The event will start by plunging attendees into the most common setting for curation. For the first hour will be led by  David Prince, Curator of the Syracuse University Collections. David has intimate knowledge of the galleries at the Everson Museum and will lead the group through various exhibits discussing the backstory of the curation process; why the pieces were selected and others not? Is there a reason behind the way pieces are displayed? What story was the curator trying to tell? Were they successful? The attendees will have the opportunity to look beyond the Art and engage a Curator to dig deeper into the principles and practices.

In the second half David Kelly, Program Director for the eLearning Guild, will pick up where David Prince leaves off and share why and how individuals and organizations are curating digital content. David is uniquely qualified as a conference curator and international speaker on learning and performance in the information age. He will share how curation can help individuals and organizations focus on the most relevant and critical information to meet their needs. He will lead an examination of various examples where curation is used for learning, and some of the tools that are used for curation purposes.

I expect the event will deepen attendees understanding of curation and accelerate their own as well as their organizations curation practice.  If it isn't obvious, I'm extremely excited to be a part of something that can bring personal and organization benefits to so many in Central New York.  If you're in the area or can make it into town on July 31st. click here to register and join us for an enlightening evening!

Curation in the Enterprise

Being a digital curator gets much attention today and rightfully so as information is being created exponentially and knowledge is in a state of ever-change. Having people and tools to help capture the relevant and make sense (and use) of it is critical.  It's obviously easier to see curation happening in open social networks as tools like Storify are used and we can easily follow those who share consistent, vetted content.  Likewise curated courses like "How to be an Effective Digital Curator" led by Sam Burrough recently using Curatr were open and available to all.

However when the conversation shifts away from ones own professional development and into curation by individuals in organizations its a little harder to see. For me, all curation activities align pretty well with Harold Jarche's model of Seek-Sense-Share but with the benefactor of the new understanding not being just the one curating, because curation is what one does for others.  I think the goal of curation, like learning, is a change in behavior.  Traditionally if one attends a curated art exhibit are they not intended to walk away with a deeper understanding and an emotional reaction?  In work contexts curation should serve to help people better understand in order to do their work, do it more effective and/or efficiently.

For example, recently having numerous people obtain a foundations level certification became a growing interest in our organization.  Like any certification it was assumed by leaders that testing and coursework were required.  The initial request was to "look into how much it will cost us to get X amount of employees trained and certified."  Normally L&D would run off and either develop or identify vendors that could deliver the training.

excerpt of curated materials

My colleague Nona Gormley and I decided to go in a different direction. I asked her to dig around a bit and gain a better understanding of the needs of obtaining the certification [seek].  She followed by processing the resources and information she collected. Reflecting individually and collectively (with me) and adding context to each resource [sense]. And then made this information available in our ESN within a conversation to encourage people to openly discuss and share the information [share].  The context she added was extremely valuable as the research and the story she crafted was ultimately that the 90% of people who took the foundations certification exam passed and training was not required.  She provided links to resources, tips, practice assessment questions and videos. In her web search for this information she drew upon the crowd sourcing to help determine the most valuable content; items most highly rated as useful in the passing of the exam. This is a topic that we will continue to monitor but more importantly encourage others to contribute to.

In essence this is an example of curation in the enterprise.  With collaborative tools we can openly model curation approaches and help others learn how to help themselves and their colleagues. I think too that conducting activities such as curation really shows (not just tells) a shift to the new value of L&D in organizations.

Overcoming the Learning Professional's Lizard Brain

Executive: We need a course on blah, blah, blah.

Learning Professional: ...Right. OK, who is the audience? What is the objective?

Really? Back up. What the heck just happened? 

There's a good chance their Lizard Brain kicked in, that's what happened.  If you're not familiar with the Lizard Brain, also known as Reptilian Brains, Primitive Brain, Old Brain and a slew of others, you can read up on the details here. However if I just remind you of these little words - "fight or flight",  you probably know I'm talking about the Amygdala and this scenario makes some sense.

Simply put this inner area of our brain activates In stressful situations, when our survival instinct kicks in and we take on the stress or retreat to fight another day.

For millions of years we had fight or flight encoded in our brains. Our gut reaction to survive today is not that different than it was 150,000 years ago on the Savanna. However today, rather than flee a tiger to survive, we can take retreat from our knowledge about how most problems don't require training to resolve. In the face of an authority's demand, the corporate tiger, our encoded lizard brain can take over to better ensure we can pay the mortgage. 

Couple this with our years of schooling and systematic indoctrination and we have a deeply encoded brain telling us learning really happens in formal settings. I wrote similarly about this in the post: Cognitive Dissonance and the Denial of Social and Informal Learning and again as I compared our conflicts to the theory of Learned Helplessness. Both of these however focus on the issue from the point of view of leaders, executives and stakeholders; those outside of L&D. But the Lizard Brain is something we need to contend with as learning professionals. Just like the growth of the logical mind countered instinct and help advance humanity, this action must happen for learning professionals to truly help their organizations.

How can we detach then from the reptilian response system and succeed in using logic when faced with the requests?  Here are a few of my approaches.

Before the request arrives: (as you know it inevitably will)

Most of the work happens here!

1. Support - The shift away from Lizard brain responses takes some augmentation. We can't remember everything especially in the heat of the moment! Quick reference materials and prompts help you better articulate your message. I have tapped the grid in Is it a Training Problem? from Jane Bozarth's and the Expertise by Learning Mode graphic by Clark Quinn of The Internet Time Alliance more times than I can count. These simple tools are great to reference or re-purpose on a napkin to help people really see the issue. They also aid in helping you be clear and not get caught up in jargon. 

I also find Evernote indispensable. When in the conversation I have my own tips and notes handy to reference and level set with. Plus, demonstrating your own ability to quickly find information at that very moment is a powerful statement in demonstrating management of your own knowledge and the power of performance support.

2. Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) - Now is the reason why you have been doing all this work! Your ability to tap into that of which you have collected, created and curated is a key ally to fend off the training first, training always request. Learn more about it through Harold Jarche and his work and writing on the topic

3. Networks - turn towards the others you (hopefully) have nurtured as your community. This is often called a Personal Learning Network (PLN). This trusted community is there to help you surface information or validate your thinking.

When the request arrives:

Pause - Most important, make a commitment not to immediately commit. A pause to invite reflection is your greatest opportunity to let the logical brain kick in and get warmed up. This is the time to engage your network, PKM, and tools

The Lizard is not your friend. What are you doing to keep it at bay?

Check out this solid read on the impact of the Lizard Brain from Seth Godin- Seth's Blog: Quieting the Lizard Brain