Feature
Quick time
Philip Reddall looks at how constant change affects the L&D profession and advocates for ‘learning at the speed of business’
I
t’s been a busy year: I’ve moved companies, changed jobs, had two new teams, and the eLearning Network has been busy with new board members and new ideas. I’ve ridden my
bike more and taken up yoga to quieten my mind when things get a bit hectic. I’ve recently found myself pondering two unusual questions. The first is: how does Learning and Development need to shape itself when businesses are changing faster than budget and planning cycles? Something in our profession has
shifted. Where once I felt a level of assurance in terms of the ground I walk on, now I feel a little uncertainty. I’ve been in L&D for more than 12 years, and for a large part of that we’ve been talking about the same things. The things we’ve talked about have been easy to relate to: the need to performance-consult and not be order-takers; the need to evaluate; the need to better define the impact of what we do; key trends; advances in learning technology – the list goes on… But this year I’ve started feeling
something else; I’ve started to see a shift in the nature of the relationship between L&D and the business. And while that might sound detached from the working life of learning professionals, I think it’s creating uncertainty for each and every one of us. However, I believe uncertainty equals opportunity. Businesses are increasingly
operating in an uncertain environment. Speaking from experience in retail and manufacturing, organisations are trying all sorts of new approaches to be more competitive, and they are doing it one
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step at a time in an emergent and agile way without an entirely fixed idea of the end result. They are trying out new services, activities and technologies almost before the ink on the paper of the idea has dried. For L&D, this has a considerable impact. How do we support skills and knowledge development when it’s still just an idea and might be gone tomorrow? How do we ensure the right behaviours are supported or developed when it’s still just an emerging idea being tested? How much effort and rigour do we put into supporting this when we’ll struggle to work through the Analysis, Design, Develop, Implement & Evaluation (ADDIE) model* fast enough before the test is finished in the business? Even this year, I’ve answered those questions in different ways, and I’ve had feedback ranging from “Amazing, thank you!” to “Too slow, we’ll do it ourselves.” This led to my second question: has the ADDIE model had its day? Is the formal process for learning development a thing of the past? Yet so many of us have our
professional credibility and experience wrapped up in delivering via that model. It’s what has defined us and helped us to help others. But when a business has a lead-time of two weeks from new idea to live trial, I suddenly feel the need to bend or break that model. Whereas before, a business ‘knew what it wanted, not what it needed’, now it feels like the business doesn’t even know what it wants, let alone needs, at least not until the very last moment. That is not a criticism of business, it’s an alarm call to L&D. Our customers are now being
forced to run fast and loose, try new things, be comfortable with failure in the pursuit of success, and be reactive and agile.
It was in this journey through L&D
strategy, mixed with macroeconomic influences and business pressures, that it became clear to me that this presents a great opportunity for L&D. We can step forward as experts in Learning and Development and contribute to solving some of our businesses’ toughest issues. In my case, the following issues arose: • Will we ditch ADDIE? (Maybe...) • Is this issue going away? (Not likely!) • Does it feel uncomfortable to throw perceived wisdom to the wind and deliver what might be seen as a ‘less than excellent’ learning solution fast and loose? (Absolutely.) • Is there a new model? (I’m not sure.)
I don’t have all of the answers (although I do have seven bullet points on what I think is key). I’m going to use my network to help me and I encourage you to do the same. Whether it’s this challenge you have, or another, the best support you will have is your network, so speak to others and learn from them. As for my seven bullet points? Why not come and ask me in the Learning Design Live Theatre and Lounge! n
*Other models are available Philip Reddall
is Partner & Proposition Lead, Learning, Development & Progression, The John Lewis Partnership and Chair of the board of directors at the eLearning Network
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