How does your LMS make you feel?
Depending on which report you read, anywhere from 30to 70 percent of organizations are looking to make significant changes in theirlearning technology stack. But if the current tool(s) isn’t getting the jobdone, where should L&D go next? LMS? LXP? LRS? CMS? ML? VR? AR? AI? Allpossible letter combinations seem to be an option. In fact, there are more than800 “learning technologies” in the marketplace today with new market segments emerging allthe time. Eight hundred! And now,thanks in part to misguided ideas like “workplace learning should be more like Netflix,”a lot of this technology is starting to look and sound extremely similar topotential buyers. If you’re exploring new learning tech options, what can youdo to make smarter learning tech decisions?
Good tech isn’t cheap. And, because you’re likely tobe stuck with your chosen platform for at least a few years, your decisioncould impact the credibility of L&D across the organization. How can you besure that you’re doing what’s right for you, your team, your business, and yourpeople?
The task of improving workplace learning technologydoesn’t start with vendors. After all, vendors build what organizations want tobuy. It starts with L&D. L&D needs technology to provide timely,scalable, consistent support to employees. But that technology must also createa simple, familiar, value-add experience for the employee every time. In reallife, this is an exception rather than the norm. To make the shift, L&Dpros must rethinkthe way they support people in the modern workplace and subsequentlythe role technology can play within their ecosystems.
Rethinking learning tech starts with letting go ofpervasive myths that often drive pros to make bad decisions. These mythsinclude…
- Every solution must include a course.If L&Dcontinues to look to default to courses, technology options will remainextremely limited.
- Everything must be tracked.Data is an extremely important part of modernL&D practices, but not everything has to be tracked—especially if itinhibits the ability of the employee to easily access necessary information.The right things must be tracked in the right ways to inform the overalllearning and support experience.
- One platform can do it all.No, it can’t. That’s why you have more than oneapp on your smartphone. Right-fit, purposeful tech should be introduced as partof an overall experience.
- You need “learning technology” to support learning. A platform doesn’t need to be built for L&D to support workplaceperformance. The definition of “learning technology” must be expanded toinclude an array of functional tools.
- You are buying tech for you. Some tools, such as authoring platforms, arealmost exclusively for L&D use. However, regardless of what the tech does,it ultimately should be acquired for the value it can provide to employees andthe organization, not L&D.
By removing these roadblocks and shifting theirmindset regarding the use of technology in their work, L&D pros can thenapply an improved set of principles for making tech decisions.
Identify the problem
Why do people buy cars? Is it to drive around … or toget where they need to go? The same idea should apply to L&D tech. Learningis not the objective. Enabling people to solve problems is the desired outcome.Therefore, L&D must haveclarity regarding business priorities and resulting employee needsbefore making tech decisions.
Start with what you have
Escaping the myths above opens the door to an array ofnew learning tech options. Many of these options are already in place withinyour organization. Before buying something new, consider how the toolsemployees use to do their job could be repurposed to provide training andsupport. Stretching the capabilities of existing operational tech through smallexperiments can also help you build the case for adding new tools.
Ditch RFPs for experience designs
RFPs are the worst Excel spreadsheets in L&D. Theyartificially narrow technology options based on typically extensive andarbitrary lists of desired features. And, because they tend to be rather vague,they allow vendors to make less-than-accurate claims regarding functionalityjust to get past the procurement process. A modern tech ecosystem is ameaningful combination of right-fit tools that solve specific problems.Therefore, tech exploration should be guided by an experience design, not afeature list. L&D pros can then use their designs to challenge vendors toshowcase how they can uniquely enable the desired elements of the userexperience.
Build a business case with stakeholders
L&D budgets tend to be … limited. “Cheap and free”are the official mantra, especially when L&D is perceived as a cost center,not a revenue-generating function. While these options can certainly help yousolve problems, they may also unnecessarily limit L&D potential. Toovercome budget challenges, L&D should partner with operational stakeholders.After all, they are on the frontlines of the problems L&D is working toovercome. By building a business case with these partners, L&D can open thedoor to additional resources based on the clear value to be provided to theorganization.
Stay up-to-date
Technology is a movingtarget. How many times have you agonized over the purchase of alaptop or smartphone only to see a newer, improved model hit the market a fewweeks later? To make the best possible decision when the time comes, L&Dpros must stay up-to-date on the progress of both learning and generalworkplace technology. Building a professional network of tech-savvy L&Dpros and industry analysts is critical given the breakneck pace of techevolution. This ongoing effort will streamline future acquisition processes andreduce the chances for surprises or mistakes.
Making smarter tech decisions can help L&D closethe gap between home and workplace learning experiences. It can also fosteragility and help employees keep pace with ever-changing business priorities.No, tech will never be perfect. Yes, it will require ongoing evaluation. Butthis shift will lessen the negative impact of L&D’s historical love/haterelationship with technology and keep everyone focused on what really matters:improving business outcomes through people.
For more L&D tech principles, check out How to Make Good Technology Buying Decisionson SlideShare.
