Getting the Most Out of Your Capital Investments

Totake full advantage of the capital investments made in their organizations,today’s senior-level executives and learning leaders must first know about and understandthe myriad technologies that exist to support formal and informal learning andperformance. Think of these technologies as a learning ecosystem—that is, the interconnected strategies, systems,tools, and the like that support your learning infrastructure across theenterprise. And building an ecosystem requires a major commitment from everylevel of an organization, in terms of drafting a viable strategy, understandingimportant technology considerations, and implementing the infrastructure basedon known best practices.

The learning ecosystem mindset

It’s no surprise that much of the learningand performance support that occurs today is happening outside of formalclassroom environments. What is surprising, however, is that many organizationshaven’t kept up with this shift. To best align with our learners’ true needs,those responsible for creating strategies and building learning ecosystems—CLOs,training directors, learning managers, etc.—must soon adopt a new way ofthinking. Successful strategies within the learning ecosystem are those thatconsider all of the various ways that support learning and performance in asingle system. So, rather than define training, performance support, eLearning,mobile learning, and other methods as separate and distinct delivery mediums, alearning ecosystem mindset assumes interconnectedness between each medium and acomprehensive strategy that integrates them all. This new mindset incorporatesthe various ways to support people in their day-to-day work with howorganizations can provide necessary support to make the most impact.

It should also not come as a surprise thattechnology drives much of the learning that takes place within organizations,and the related expenditures represent a majority of learning and developmentcapital investments. It stands to reason, then, that a thorough understandingof those technologies is a prerequisite to building a learning ecosystem.However, most organizations make isolated purchasing decisions, with littleconsideration for how to incorporate the new technology within the existinginfrastructure or how it will work with other new technologies. Additionally,many organizations do not realize the full value of their existing systems andtools, thus vastly reducing the value of an already costly capital investment.Just as a learning ecosystem requires a new strategy mindset, it also requiresan updated approach to thinking about the systems, platforms, and technologiesto best support your organizational learning and performance goals.

And finally, when it comes to embracingthis new mindset and implementing your strategy, learning executives might takea cue from Marshall Goldsmith, because “whatgot you here [most certainly!] won’tget you there.” Fortunately, many organizations have begun the journeytoward a learning ecosystem mindset and are ready and willing to share theirsuccesses, challenges, and lessons learned. Hearing these stories and casestudies can help all learning executives as they, too, take steps tostrategize, build, and implement learning ecosystems in their organizations.

Leveraging technology to meet learners’ needs

Neverbefore has a single conference existed to explore, discuss, and shape thelearning ecosystem … until now. At Ecosystem 2014,co-located with The eLearning Guild’s Learning Solutions 2014 Conference &Expo, executives and senior-level learning professionals will have thefirst-ever opportunity to take a deeper dive and discover how to create acustomized learning ecosystem that delivers training and support, driveslearner engagement, leverages collaboration, and tracks performance across theorganization.

Ecosystem 2014 offers27 discussion sessionsfrom which to choose, with three individual tracks focused on the strategy,technology, and implementation considerations for building your own learningecosystem. Table 1 identifies the tracks and some representative topics—followthe links within the table for a detailed look. This is a unique opportunity toexplore the questions—and the answers—that will help bring real change to yourorganization. If you’re involved in building the strategy for learning andperformance support within your organization, consider registering for Ecosystem 2014today.