The tools of Learning

I was quite taken aback to see some discussions going around tools of learning. Some have opined on how power point actually originated for trainers and today it is being labelled "Death by Powerpoint" as people sit through boring meetings to see power point slides. In a similar manner another discussion is on where, comments about E-Learning authoring tools being made so simple that anyone can use. Likewise, some are struggling with newer resources like Social Media web 2.0 and discussions are more about the issues as opposed to anything else. From the great educational technology breakthrough of the 19th century (THE BLACKBOARD) to slide based presentations using transparencies to CBT , a constant change is visible.

The funnel from one to many ( the typical classroom format ) to one to one is emerging. I was amazed to see guitar tutorials being offerred by kids -barely into their teens over youtube. Students can learn to play irrespective of where the tutor is. This has taken learning into one more high, you can now at your own pace and in your own time learn from anywhere. All you need is an internet access and a device that helps you to browse. One can use a multiplicity of learning formats to best address your needs of interest, time and access . Content available is presented in media that can appeal to your favourite learning style.

Happily we have a problem of abundance allowing immense flexibility to the learner. The issue is not use and mis-use but one of application. This has happened in the past in other categories (take telephony and communications integrating to enhance applications) and newer paradigms are emerging(now the same technology is integrating commerce and entertainment. I see a similar upheavel taking shape where technology will allow people to add knowledge and skills aiding competency development with minimal specialised instructional development and deployment skills. Research has established that 70% of coroporate professional learning takes play through informal means such as discussions, coaching, information update etc., and in future the trend is likely to remain similar. If we break up phases of learning into exponential requirements (needed when new to a job/role) and incremental requirements (when needed for augmenting and maintaining existing knowledge) it is possible to have different tracks. Professionally validated learning systems designed,developed and deployed by qualified experts may be neccessary while the incremental learning may be added on by anyone. One major stepping stone is to create pool of professionals who are knowledgeable and familiar with all the nuances of training, learning and performance so that they initiate the process and act as core change agents.

Drop in training spent in the USA

A recent report on Talent Facts 2009 issued by Bersin and Associates indicate that in the USA Training Spend dropped from $ 56 Billion 2008 to $ 48 Bill 2009- (14%). The number of training professionals per 1000 employees have also dropped from 7 to 6.2. While the reasons seem obvious it appears that some major developments are taking place. The per participant spent has dropped from just above $1000 in 2008 to about $750 (approx). It is difficult to imagine that people development would receive such a back seat. The management is getting more demanding is evident for every dollar spent,and this forebodes well. Linkage to performance is a priority. In India, we have accepted that training and education are essential for success. Budgets are very rarely denied. As businesses, we can draw a close parallel with our education system - which has a hierarchy of top 10% quality and the remaining 90% quantity. Most companies are very happy to impart training . Has it shaped our porfessionals better? Those who have come out of quality institutions have excelled anyway. What about the ones who come from the remaining 90% ? A study conducted by Wharton had indicated that Indian Managers scored 2.65 in a scale of 5 (the least among developed and developing country professionals). The corporate training is still a ritual which ties in well with our culture of knowledge and ascription. Applying it as a skill remains to be a challenge. Here lies the opportunity to develop systems which help in skill development as opposed to knowledge enhancement only to drive performance . With higher focus and demands on returns , I am sure we can pro-actively accelerate in this curve as we have demonstrated well in IT. This calls for applying thought to what we do and how we do to implement what we must do. Given our historic opportunity we cannot afford to straddle all hope on the top 10% world class Indian leaders, we need to widen this base. We can achieve this by being focussed on Performance.

Can subject matter experts train ?

Came across an interesting observation about subject matter experts training. Many have opined that training and knowledge expertise are often disconnected . I am a bit confused, that the citatedels of high intellect often miss out on the expertise of imparting knowledge or skills. It appears that most of these experts are blessed with knowledge absorption and assimilation capabilities, which is one side of communication, but have a challenge on dissemination. A stuttering cousin of mine , went to consult a doctor for his stuttering problem. The doctor told his parents (my uncle and aunt), that his mind works faster than his speech and hence the mismatch. Much , that I laughed then, i continue to do the same at my ignorance today. The same cousin qualified as a scientist from a premier Indian university , served as a research scholar, went to Canada and taught in a prestigious university before settling down as a scientist in a innovation center. For major part of his work , he has been interacting , educating and leading teams all of which requires communication and engagement skills. As long as the SME has a people centric approach and attitude, with minimal skill development they can become very good trainers. Going back to SME's- they are experts because they have the knowledge , skills and experience to create coherent understanding . With a training on how to engage learners , they may be able to do a great job. Most of the Indian IT companies have been immensly successful from this approach. Therefore, it is possible to have subject matter experts as great trainers. A word of caution here , my focal point of discussion is based on classroom experience . Not so sure , how they can create content based on Instruction Design principles. I am assuming that in most cases these trainers would be engaged in pedagogy and hence actual contextual requirements for experiential learning may be minimised.

Can you guarantee training impact ?

A raging discussion is on ,in this topic . I am alarmed , that opinions are being shed by our professionals where understand of the word training is suspect. Business houses have been TRAINING people for both explicit needs and implicit reasons. Many a time , as vendors , we have been called to do a training program just to address the needs of an event (timed with a conference). The explicit need being to get people under a roof and undergo some thought leading input. Does it leave a professional impact? Difficult to say. If you look closely, the need was more implicit -in this case of building awareness; and the training function doing a cursory job of building training mandays like a ritual. We seem to have forgotten that by definition training is a process of modifying actions and behaviours aligned to effective best practices that have been known to deliver results. By this definition , it may be evident that training is a time consuming process. The process does encompass a series of interconnected events that offer relevance to the learner as a replication of everyday work. By this expansion, it assumes that the modified behaviour is applicable in the work arena and hence the event is a simulation for the learner to engage , absorb and apply. Most trainers are trainers of the head i.e they appeal to the body above the neck. Very few appeal to the hand (symbol of action), which is where the challenge lies. Now let us go back to the starting point - what should he or she be able to do differently after the training that can guarantee resultant success for the participant. The debate should therefore be focussed on how we can make a difference to the learner as opposed to debating on the result.

Looming large a great opportunity

The Indian L&D industry seems to be in the crossroads. Some original thinkers have cropped up, and most of these are using the wealth contained in religion, and mythology. Not a bad idea considering that a vast majority of Indians have heard the grandma tales for generations and have grown with a deep belief in symbolic manifestation of life and it's nuances. What is good about this approach is that the tech savvy youngsters undergoing tectonic changes in beliefs values and attitude may have some traditional influence to retain the Indian character.

Our ancient sages and seers were qualified to use different learning techniques ranging from Gurukul discourses, to debates in kingdoms, from Self control to mind control, from active team effort to individual competency besides using all learning methods such as visual through art forms, auditory through songs and bhajans, kinesthetics through dance form and plays, festival participation such as rituals creating a knowledge bank which has survived the vagaries of time.

While the western world has provided concepts , we have perfected the art of systemic execution.

Time is ripe to marry the best of both worlds.

One more train accident

This morning one more train accident took place. Wonder , how many more do we need before we can be woken up from our deep slumber. Every successive government introduces populist programs and of course indian railways steal the show. Look at comments after every railway budget, and you will see introduction of new trains (hopefully to ministers home state/town), tinkering with fares and subsequent roll back after a so called debate. No discussion takes place on safety. Ofcourse, life is dispensible in our country. The overburdened tracks, high pressure work , zero/insignificant investment in technology , poor quality disaster training are some of the known malaise. How do we get over this ? Making people do a thankless job and then train them for some barebone civil etiquette was thought as a solution for transforming the railways by a previous minister. The new minister lost no time to present a dismal picture of the previous one. One common thread ties them both. More people continue to die everyday on accidents.

I think , we need to speak up and train ourselves to resist from resigning to fate with every passing day.

Transforming India - a skill view

It is scary to live through these times. Look at these kids with back breaking backpacks plodding to school. The college kids with sling bags go to college , as if in defiance , to say "I am happy and I am out of school". Out off canteen, and enter into some pre-employment career coaching institutes trying to get a toehold in a career , that is horribly at a mis-match. With every passing day we are becoming slaves of a hierchial education system that was valuable for the industrial age of the 19th Century. India , seems to have got obsessed with competitive education , by happily discarding the timeless storehouse of knowledge given to us from our seers. In CII meet 2007 January , Gordon Brown (then FM of UK) had cited that India had more engineers then technicians, which meant more people with heads were available and less of the able-bodied people, forcing foriegn investment to take a back seat. Our great education system throws out 3 million graduates with less than 5% being employment ready and compare this to Singapore where 85% are work ready? How do we change this? More education ? I am afraid to mention that according to Ma Foi survey more than 10 million people are engaged in education with a half a million higher education teachers. We love white collar jobs and despise Blue collar . It is time that a systemic approach towards moving from head to hand is developed before we miss the bus of development and sink in the quick sand of poverty