What stops learninginnovation? One of the big blockers is the “way we have always done thingsaround here.” Another is choice.
Youwon’t find innovators if you look only at the usual suspects
I’ll give you an example.This is the process I followed as an internal L&D (learning anddevelopment) professional looking to outsource eLearning: I talked internallyabout how we thought various approaches could meet the learning “need.” Thisoften led to discussions about games, interactive movies, animations, and apps.We included our colleagues in these discussions, and they got very excitedabout the possibilities of eLearning interventions.
We then passed ourrequirements to shortlisted eLearning agencies and awaited their responses. Often,the ideas we received back were a halfway house between traditional eLearningand some elements of the different products we had discussed.
None of the options werepure-play interactive games or apps because the vendors did not have the skillsto produce them. In the end, we went with the best option in front of us, notthe best option for the business challenge we were trying to overcome.
The problem here is thatif an agency doesn’t have “eLearning” in its name, companies won’t consider it.That means, as an L&D professional, you won’t get access to the agenciesthat are expert at creating apps or animated films. These are the agencies thatwill bring fresh perspectives to your learning challenges and creativesolutions to your content.
Processas an innovation killer
This is the process thatstops digital learning innovation. But L&D wants innovative solutions tobusiness challenges. Research from learning benchmarking organization TowardsMaturity showsthat L&D professionals have high aspirations regarding what learningtechnologies will achieve. For example, 98 percent of L&D professionals wantto improve flexibility and access to learning.
And employees and thebusiness want it, too. Business wants agile solutions to support betterperformance, and employees want better digital learning at the point of need.According to City & Guilds Kineo’s latest Learning Insights report, a top priority for organizations is to supportself-led learning. The authors say that means commissioning and developingbetter-quality learning. They say, “Turn the prisoner into the explorer—makelearning a solution, not a punishment!”
LeverageALL of your choices
Which brings us to choice.There is now so much choice in digital technology and digital learningsolutions. Faced with so much choice, organizations revert to what they know,hence the outsourcing process I described in my example. The problem with thisis that you get what you have always gotten. For many organizations, choicekills innovation.
So how can you identifyapp builders, animators, and interactive movie makers?
First, get comfortablewith the fact that it is your job to take a lead in finding something differentfor your learners. You need to be keen and curious to see how digital contentbeyond eLearning could work for your organization. Having so many choices oftechnology and solutions is a good thing, so embrace it.
Second, find good agenciesthat will identify technologies that might be worth exploring.
Third, be clear on whatthe business problem is that needs fixing.
Fourth, supply agencieswith a clear, concise brief of what the solution needs to achieve, performance-wise,and with the normal information regarding target audience, budget, time scales,etc. This should be enough for them to generate ideas.
By doing this, you couldreasonably expect to receive back a number of options to meet your needs—optionsthat make relevant use of new and emerging technologies, along with moregeneric eLearning solutions. This should enable you to sit down with your team,consider the options, and agree on the next steps.
And remember, this is not about throwing thebaby out with the bathwater. Traditional eLearning produced using rapidauthoring tools has its place. The issue is to know when to use those tools andwhen to use a different approach. It can be an act of bravery to choose to dosomething in a completely different way, but it can deliver extraordinaryresults.
