Open Your Organization’s Learning Network—and Improve Employee Skill Development

Early in my career, I worked for IBM. Back then, the “glass house” data center controlled access to all information technology resources. This model demanded centralized management of IT assets, tight control over all development efforts, and long planning horizons. Stability, reliability, and rigidity were hallmarks of this era. 

Eventually, however, the enormous cost and slow pace of this model was its own undoing. First, it failed because of the growth of distributed computing. More recently, the rise of software-as-a-service aided its downfall. Each evolution has reduced the cost of managing computing and, more importantly, has significantly accelerated the pace at which new technology initiatives are deployed. 

Time to Harness the Innovations of Higher Ed 

A parallel situation has been occurring with the management of corporate learning and development. Trying to centrally manage training and employee development is too slow and too expensive to meet the rapid pace of change within organizations. In fact, recent studies show the half-life of workplace skills are five years or less. How can any group possibly have the knowledge and know-how to keep up with all of the change? 

A more organic, open source model is needed: one that enables an organization to respond more quickly to the rapid changes in workforce skills.  

Currently, the higher ed community is taking on this challenge. Innovations are bringing about lower costs and more rapid development. In the past few years, we have seen the emergence of MOOCS (massively open online courses), competency-based learning programs, short-course formats, and accelerated degree paths, to name a few. These innovations open up game-changing opportunities for L&D professionals. 

Learners (whether they are consumers or employees) are already taking advantage of this opportunity. They recognize that in today’s economy there is intense pressure to continually learn new things and stay competitive. Witness the growth of MOOCs; the top five MOOC providers served nearly 17 million students in 2014, according to data from EdSurge. More than 400 universities now offer MOOCs, with 2400 courses offered increasingly in specializations that are of interest to employers. Think: cybersecurity. 

Employers can gain the following advantages by harnessing these innovations, including: 

• cost-effective—less costly than developing your own programs or sending employees to traditional programs

• speed—quick access to new content in order to develop new skills in a rapidly changing world

• learner appeal—programs are delivered in consumer-friendly, online formats that drive utilization. Even better many of these programs provide a credential. 

New Model for Corporate L&D 

Rather than focusing on developing training, the L&D function should focus on developing employees. This requires a new approach that enables L&D professionals to open source the skill development programs in their organizations. In this new model, time and effort spent building content and infrastructure is redirected toward providing access to the vast array of relevant programs already available from higher education and training suppliers. 

There are four key elements of this open model: 

• Create a learning supplier network. Some may call this a learning portal, but it’s essentially a network of participating education and training suppliers. L&D would have the ability to direct existing supplier relationships into the network as well as augment it with new providers that are providing innovative content and programs, ideally at a preferred price. Support for different formats (such as online, classroom, and blended) to meet the different needs of learners as well as support resources such as advising will be important.

   

• Map learning solutions to employer needs. Having learning content for content’s sake serves no purpose. The learning must ultimately support the skills and competencies needed by the employer. This model can automatically map educational programs to the company’s unique talent development needs. However, L&D professionals will need to set the standards and choose the providers that are associated with quality in their organizations. 

• Focus on sourcing and procurement. Finding and identifying new suppliers is an on-going effort because the learning needs of the organization will evolve. Mechanisms to make that happen easily and quickly are critical. Because the learning is delivered by an external supplier, the need to securely purchase programs is critical.  

• Take advantage of analytics. In this model, it’s important for the L&D team to understand which suppliers are performing and which ones are not. This measurement can take several forms such as program utilization, employee satisfaction, cost, or a combination of factors—it all depends upon the employer’s needs.  

Bottom line: Education is undergoing a sea of change, and now is the time for smart employers to leverage the innovations. Organizations that adopt a different corporate L&D model will gain significant advantages, especially in their ability to rapidly deploy new and relevant programs for their employees and stay competitive. 

Editor’s Note: This post first appeared on LinkedIn blog, “Open Source Your Skills Development.”