For a learning and development (L&D)leader, the list of priorities is endless. Surrounded by opportunity and drivenby demand, the question is not “what should we do” but rather“what can we afford to do?” But L&D is caught between anever-increasing need for training and an ever-shrinking budget. The pressurehas never been greater.
What if you could have it both ways?
What if you could increase therange, scope, and quality of your training without increasing your budget? Whatif you could increase learner buy-in and learning outcomes without burning thecandle at both ends?
The answer lies in democratizingtraining by spreading the load—crowdsourcing.
Empowering individuals and teams inyour organization with the permission, the know-how, and the tools can help you to achieve a great dealmore than you currently do.
Imagine if you empowered people across your organization to becreators or curators of learning content?
This question tends to elicit twovery different responses: either a shocked and worried “That would be an utterdisaster!” or an ecstatic “That would be incredibly efficient!”
Those who respond negatively usuallyshare a few relevant concerns in common:
- How could we be sure that staff were learning everything theyneeded to?
- What if employees passed on their bad habits?
- Who would be responsible for quality control?
- Wouldn’t that make training inconsistent in both format andcontent?
- What about evaluation programs? How would those fit in?
These concerns are focused on two key areas: The quality of thetraining and the structure of the delivery
Part of the reason that formalizedtraining programs are so prominent is that they give organizations a feeling ofcontrol over the process and a sense that (whether true or not) the employee isgetting everything they need to succeed on the job.
Formalized training programs seem topromise uniform, consistent informational exchanges en masse to multiplelearners.
And to be fair, it’s been verychallenging for most businesses to rapidly or easily create the training theyneed, so formalized training programs have been a necessary approach.
But here’s the thing…
Democratized training is already happening in your organization—andit’s making up for the failures of your formal training program.
According to Digenti (2000) andCross (2007), formal training (like that in a long classroom session or foundin a company manual) isn’t working as intended because it typicallycommunicates only 10% to 20% of what people actually need to know to do theirjobs well.
The other 80 percent to 90 percent ispicked up informally through people other than your trainers.
If that sounds shocking, think of itthis way: how much of an employee’s on-the-job learning comes from consultingothers on their team or those who share their role?
How much information is deliveredimmediately at the point of need—for example, when one employee asks another tostop over and explain a process to them on the fly?
This exchange of knowledge andinformation happens quickly and far away from the restricted environment of atraining session. It is perhaps the most organic type of learning there is.
Consider the advantages of a democratized approach
Crowdsourcing offers several benefits:
Flexibility
Formalized training is limited tothe availability of certain finite resources: instructors and their time,meeting rooms, and so on. One trainer can only deliver and create so muchmaterial on their own; they’re a natural bottleneck.
When employees are empowered tocreate training on their own, these limitations no longer apply. Trainers canfocus on other areas of the job, like overseeing development of important newareas, reviewing modules for quality and accuracy, and evaluating performance.
Relevance
Training programs are often designedand delivered by those who no longer hold the role on which they’reinstructing. There are degrees of separation inherent between the trainer andthe actual worker on the frontlines, creating a disparity of information andgaps in understanding that come out of the fact that only someone who isactively in the role would encounter the problems for which others will needanswers.
Formal training programs need towait for these problems to “filter up” to whomever is designing the trainingbefore they can be incorporated into the curriculum.
This problem is non-existent whenthose who are actively in the role are empowered to train others. Theirperspective is hyper-relevant to the task; they know exactly what someone elsewho is trying to do what they do will need to know, and can voice solutions ina relatable way.
Agility
One of the greatest limitations ofcentralized training programs is their ability to stay current in environmentsof rapid change. Formal programs typically undergo long, comprehensiveoverhauls, so that by the time the new versions are released, they’re alreadyoutdated.
When many contributors build yourtraining, response to change can be near immediate and come straight from thesource with the most information to share.
Culture of learning
Creating a culture of being a“learning organization” only happens when that vision is actively shared andparticipated in by everyone from the bottom up.
When employees are empowered toshare their experience, and given the tools to help one another, thosereciprocating relationships and moments of recognition (who doesn’t love beingable to share what they know and love with others?) create an environment wheresharing isn’t just encouraged—it’s the norm.
Rather than fear democratized training, liberate it
You have the opportunity tofacilitate democratized training by providing platforms and processes forcreation and, in doing so, empower everyone to take part in the process. It’sthe seemingly paradoxical idea of centralizing all of the decentralizedtraining; organizing it in a way that is easy to access, share, update, andtrack.
There needs to be an infrastructurein place to help hold it all together. That’s been near impossible for companies to accomplish, but technologyis changing all of that—and fast.
The web has given everybody theability to create and collaborate in real time, and mobile devices make it easyto consume information from anywhere. The tools are there—it’s just a matter of implementing them.
Barriers are eroding
Trainers are just as important asever—only their role is evolving. They can play an invaluable role in rollingout, monitoring, and improving this collaborative approach—and because theirenergies aren’t focused on constantly trying to create, update, and deliverprogramming solo, they can invest time into curating, enforcing quality,reviewing development, and encouraging further collaboration.
One strong advocate of the democratizationof training is David James, Disney’s former director of talent and learning inEMEA and founder of the L&D supplier recommendation website WeCommend: “Inmy experience, the moment you empower others within your business to contributeto L&D initiatives, that’s the moment that you start to capitalize on thelimitless potential of your L&D function. We developed whole programs atDisney with the contribution and expertise of others outside of L&D or HRroles and increased engagement, as well as capability, as a result. Imaginewhat you can do in areas such as induction, knowledge sharing, and careerdevelopment by empowering the individuals and teams in your organization.”
