Designing Learning for “When Things Change”

After more than 50 years, the American Heart Associationchanged the CPR guidelines. Instead of A-B-C (airway and breathing first,followed by chest compressions), rescuers should practice C-A-B: chestcompressions first, then airway and breathing.

This is a great example of theneed to learn “when things change,” the least explored of the five “need tolearn” moments. (See this article by Conrad Gottfredson and BobMosher.)

In the CPR example, as inmany others, we need to unlearn the old way of doing CPR (ABC), and relearn thenew way (CAB). As Gottfredson and Mosher put it, learners need to “changeskills that are deeply ingrained in their performance practices.”

The unlearning/relearning processrequires a lot of time and patience. The amount of effort required, rather thanthe change itself, may result in resistance. In this article, I provide tipsand guidelines for learning solutions and communication strategies to overcomeresistance and to facilitate change.

Communicatethe “why”

Change often fails becauselearners don’t understand why it is necessary or needed. This prevents theunlearning necessary for change.

The American HeartAssociation provides a life-saving reason for the guideline change: “Bychanging the sequence to C-A-B, chest compressions will be initiated sooner andventilation only minimally delayed until completion of the first cycle of chestcompressions.”

Let’s look at another example:a new IT system implementation. Before, during, and after a rollout, the changemanagement team needs to communicate how the new system will benefit thecompany AND the individual. Is this system faster than the old one? Can correctuse of the system save money? Is there a future state the change will helpachieve?

This is not to say that everyone willimmediately embrace the change. A small percentage—early adopters—will be eagerto embrace the change, and there will be those who are late adopters, orlaggards. The majority will lie somewhere in between. The implementation planshould encourage early adopters to advocate and reinforce the change throughoutthe organization.

Provideadequate support

Change is hard, sohandholding, or support, is critical. When there is not enough support, thelearner feels isolated, resistance builds, the unlearning/relearning process isblocked, and, ultimately, the change does not take place.

A blended learning initiative,including formal training and performance support, is an effective way tosupport change.

Formaltraining, including eLearning or mobile learning nuggets, can start the relearningprocess by introducing new knowledge or building on existing knowledge.
Equallyimportant, performance support tools facilitate relearning on the job with amentor, help desk, job aids, or social media tools. Some systems also includebuilt-in help, which is integrated with the workflow.

The “teach-back”

An effective method to build aknowledge base and reinforce change is the “teach-back” method.

The Cheesecake Factory recentlyimplemented a new inventory system. The system rolled out with eLearningmodules and a dedicated support staff. By carefully monitoring system use,management realized that employees were not maximizing the system to savecosts.

The professional developmentdepartment followed these steps to implement a teach-back approach:

Coreusers completed online quizzes to identify their key knowledge gaps.
Systemexperts trained a group of high-level managers to become subject matter expertsor mentors.
A yearlygathering of employees was a perfect opportunity to get everyone on the samepage. The session started with a reminder of the reason for adopting the newsystem. Then, using tutorials, reference manuals, and guided discussions,mentors closed the key knowledge gaps for the core user group.
The coreuser group is now using the same resources to teach-back to those employees whodid not attend the conference. They can contact their mentor with anyquestions.

Assess the change and take action

Barriers often block a change.Learners may go through formal training, but have little opportunity to implementthe change. They may still be using legacy systems or their own work-around. Perhapsthey don’t have access to the tools, or don’t have the opportunity ormotivation to take action.

Part of any change cycle isassessing the results. It may be necessary to track system use or, in the caseof soft skills, check in during personal action planning or performancereviews.

Summary of Key Points

Communicatewhy the change is necessary before,during, and after the rollout
Leveragethe support and expertise of early adopters
Before anychange initiative, ensure there is an adequate number of knowledge experts whoare available to answer questions
Provide performancesupport tools, including print-based job aids, and facilitate the use of socialmedia (blogs, wikis, micro-blogging) within the organization and from outsideexperts (hi-tech)
Provide phoneor virtual support (hi-touch)
Use theteach-back method to increase the application of the change and the number ofexperts
Ensure thereis no overlap with other tools, processes, or procedures
Monitorthe use of the tool during personal development meetings or by using a trackingsystem
Addressskills gaps with a blended-learning solution, including formal learning eventsand performance support

Change is here to stay

Workplace change is here to stay. On personaland organization-wide levels, workers will need to continuously unlearn andrelearn skills to achieve mastery. The right approach for rolling out andsupporting any change is critical. Always explain the “why,” provide hi-touchand hi-tech support, and assess how employees are using their new knowledge andskills. Also remember to throw time and patience into the mix.