23
New Trends
Insight
Making
use of text messages or hand-held devices Whether setting up fabulous mentoring
see technology innovations about which
as a learning tool, increasing provision schemes, training line managers in
the developers eulogise, but in fact the rest
of social networking and creating virtual coaching techniques or putting the
of us see the results, shrug and wonder
innovations
worlds, games and immersive screen-based learning design tools in the hands of
what all the fuss was about. Yes, how
environments. The key here is that all these subject matter experts, these innovations
this piece of code was designed may have
innovations are simply using an existing need constant support if they are to really
been a breakthrough, but does anyone
stick
technology in a slightly different way. A make an impact. Albeit not the most
care? Certainly not if we make helpful
kind of innovation, granted, but these often sexy of innovations (there’s too few shiny
suggestions and then they are ignored.
fall down because of learner indifference, buttons to press for one thing) they can
Get your potential users to work on
especially if the ersatz version of the real have the furthest reaching results. HR
prototypes as early as possible and act on
thing looks a bit amateurish. I’ve seen innovation such as line managers setting
the feedback given.
games that fail simply because the massive learning goals with their team members
budgets and increasing sophistication of the before they are involved in a development
Once you’ve got something that’s ready to
newest high street computer games can’t programme, or following up course
go, sell it like crazy, but don’t over promise.
possibly be replicated on the shoestring attendance properly, can make a real
As an awards judge I see some interesting
and pretty neat ideas described as a major
budget of even the most well-resourced difference. Are these innovations? Not in
breakthrough in the training field. This
training team. concept, but innovation in implementation
is rarely true and nothing switches off a
– getting the managers to do these things
potential audience more quickly than the
Number two for innovations is the ‘make and recognising them appropriately for
bitter whiff of disappointment. Once you
one, use many times’ model. This is often their involvement – is long overdue.
have learners, gain their feedback, amend
where training companies come into
(remembering to collaborate some more)
their own, creating activities, models and
based on the insights gained and market
exercises that can be rolled out many times
“The best ideas come again – don’t just expect everyone else to
to enable users to think or act differently,
stay as enthusiastic as you. You may need
providing insights from beyond the comfort
from teams working
to go around and around this mini-cycle
zone. Some of these have been the most
together to resolve many times. In fact, the best innovations
successful innovations in recent times
that last longest seem to have done this
– especially those with a psychological
problems linked to
again and again over many years.
basis such as profiling tools – who hasn’t
business goals”
done a Honey and Munford learning
Those of you who have been paying
styles questionnaire?. The challenges with
attention will already have worked out
these exercises are two-fold. The first is One of the things that bedevils all these that this takes time, effort and – probably
to protect the intellectual property and innovations in all three areas is that often – money. Yes, it’s hard work. As Thomas
thereby create a safe space for investment innovation fails to stick. We have a great Edison said: “Genius is one per cent
in new ideas, without everyone and their new idea and we work it up so that we can inspiration and 99 per cent perspiration”
mother ripping off the idea at the first use it to support learners and then.... Well, and innovation comes from the same
opportunity. Learning and development not much really, because the innovation stable. Soichiro Honda also had it right
departments have been the most rapacious – unless a major success from the start – when he said: “Success is 99 per cent
of intellectual property pirates in the past rarely gets any further.So how do we get
failure.” But if you do plough energy and
and all of us who have used the typex and innovations to stick? This is my process.
effort, time and resources (yours and your
photocopier approach to designing training It’s not an innovation, just a rehash of the
employer’s) into an idea that ultimately
sessions should hang our head in shame thoughts of others. It’s not copyrighted –
doesn’t fly, please promise me two things.
as we may have made the likelihood of the feel free to nick it if you want. If you have
Don’t make out that it works brilliantly
next innovation that little bit less likely. any ideas for how it can be improved, let
and don’t cover it up. One of the great
me know. Because the first stage of my
innovations in learning and development
The second challenge is that if the exercise innovation stickability cycle is...
would be if we celebrated failures and
becomes popular, you simply can’t use
learned from our collective mistakes a
it any more. Again, who hasn’t done Collaborate. While we may think
little more.
a Honey and Mumford learning styles innovations are made by obsessive
questionnaire?! The fact is that three of individuals in their equivalent of the
Robin Hoyle is a writer and senior partner
the four times it was included on a course garden shed, in fact the best ideas come
in independent consultancy Learnworks.
He has worked in training for over 20 years
you attended and the fact it was actually from teams working together to resolve
– specialising in materials development for
badly debriefed by someone who clearly problems linked to business goals. Too
large scale development programmes.
didn’t get it, isn’t the point. The fact is, many so-called innovations are solutions
good training exercises become ubiquitous in search of a problem. Commitment Robin will be a judge in this year’s
and quickly lose their impact. from the organisation and from your
World of Learning Awards and is speaking
collaborators comes when everyone
at the World of Learning Conference on
Number three in our innovation hit parade believes the reward is worth having.
‘Innovative appoaches to L&D’ at
11:15 – 12:15 on 19 November. For more
is about getting others to take a fair share
information visit www.learnevents.com
of the responsibility for what has been Next. Pilot. You have to get real user
or call +44 (0)20 8394 5171.
traditionally seen as the trainer’s role. feedback and act on the results. Often I
Learning Magazine
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