L&D Digital Transformation Begins with Rethinking the LMS

“The traditional LMS is no longer at the center of corporate learning,and it’s starting to go away.” This is the first point Josh Bersin makes in hisMarch 2017 post, “The Disruption of Digital Learning: Ten Things We Have Learned.” But was the LMS ever really at the center of learning inthe workplace? If you ask most employees, or anyone who subscribes to the 70:20:10 framework, the answer will likely be no.

Butbefore going any further, note that I’m not labeling every tool that couldpotentially support workplace performance as an LMS. Rather, I am defining alearning management system (LMS) as a platform designed to host, track, anddeliver online and instructor-led training courses.

Whilethe LMS was one of the few tools available for L&D to deliver training inthe past, times have changed. Modern technologies, combined with the way peoplewant to learn and the increasingly fast pace of business, mean the LMS isn’tenough. L&D teams are limited unnecessarily by what their LMS can (and can’t)do when they no longer need to be. After all, when all you (L&D) have is ahammer (LMS), everything (solution) looks like a nail (course).

Figure 1: What kind ofproblem are you solving?

Digitaltransformation in the workplace

AHuffington Post article quotes Brian Solis from Altimeter,who defines digital transformation as “the realignment of, or new investment in,technology, business models, and processes to drive new value for customers andemployees to effectively compete in an ever-changing digital economy.” Thisconcept has become our everyday reality, regardless of our individual habits.For example, in-store shopping used to be the norm. Then we were able to shopvia catalog. Next came online shopping. Now we can even place orders withouthaving to click anything, through a voice-activated assistant who isever-present on our kitchen counter.

Whilethe outward transformation of the customer digital experience has progressedduring the past decade, the internal employee experience has fallen behind.Simply stated, the way we do our work has not kept pace with the way we live.This is especially true when it comes to accessing and sharing information,which is a foundational consideration for modern learning organizations. We cansolve almost any problem at home, but even the most mundane tasks keep ussearching for information on the job. While L&D’s digital presence hascertainly evolved over the past several decades, it still rests primarily inthe formal training space due to continued reliance on LMS-like tools.

Impacton L&D

Theconstantly shifting knowledge and skill needs of today’s workplace are placingadded pressure on L&D to evolve its practices and better leverage modern digitalcapabilities. In fact, 45 percent of surveyed executives cite this need forevolved employee capability as an urgent or very important catalyst fororganizational change (see Schwartz, et al, in References). This makes L&D’sinability to keep pace from a tactical perspective a very dangerous propositionfor both the organization and L&D. If business leaders and employees alikecan now find their own online tools and content sources, why do they need anLMS or a training department? Digital transformation within L&D isnecessary to both restore relevance to the function and deliver an improved,value-add experience for employees in order to achieve business goals.

Thisis not just a technology conversation. Technology will play a critical role inthis experience, but L&D professionals must not get lost in their tools. Thefocus should remain on the goals of the organization and the employeeexperience that must be enabled to achieve those goals. For example,organizations don’t need an LMS because they are required to track compliancetraining information. They are expected to track compliance information andtherefore must build the right experience with the right tools to meet theimposed requirements. This simple change in perspective opens the door to amyriad of potential solutions and keeps the focus where it should be—on theemployee experience and organizational outcomes.

Rethinkingthe LMS

Forbetter or worse, the digital persona of many L&D teams is the LMS. ButL&D must rethink the purpose of the LMS based on the knowledge and skillneeds of the organization. As Josh Bersin alluded to earlier, the role of theLMS must be re-evaluated to determine what value (if any) it brings in thecontext of modern learning. In fact, according to the Brandon Hall Group, 44percent of surveyed organizations are already in the process of doing thisright now (see References). Rather than just exchanging systems to gain a fewnew features, L&D must execute a process to design a right-fit continuouslearning experience for the people they support. This process should include thefollowing 10 steps.

1. Clarifyorganizational objectives

Whatis the business trying to achieve? Ultimately, this is the only question thatmatters when it comes to enabling performance. Therefore, this should be thestarting point for identifying the best way to support the organization’sneeds. You must consider both immediate and long-term priorities to ensure theultimate experience can keep pace with the organization moving forward.

2. Identifythe audience

Whowill L&D be supporting? Enabling a continuous learning experience for onebusiness unit could require a markedly different strategy than doing the samething for an entire global enterprise. As with priorities, from the start youmust consider both the current audience as well as the expansion of future responsibilities.

3. Assesshow work is done

Whereand how do the people L&D supports do their jobs every day? The context inwhich work is done will ultimately become the setting for continuous learning.After all, a primary benefit of a technology-enabled experience is thatlearning opportunities can come to the employee, rather than the employeehaving to stop working to pursue any type of development. Information flow andproductivity tools are critical considerations in establishing the context forcontinuous learning.

4. Identifygaps in the current learning experience

Whereis support falling short today? A continuous learning experience requires abalance between push and pull resources to help employees overcome immediateand long-term performance challenges. L&D must talk to the people they hopeto support in order to find the gaps in their current strategies and shapetheir future tactical decisions. The limitations of the LMS experience are alikely consideration during this stage.

5. ClarifyL&D’s role in closing existing gaps

Whatother teams must you engage to support continuous learning? L&D doesn’t ownworkplace learning, just as corporate communications doesn’t own informationflow. L&D will play a critical part in enabling continuous learning, butmust also foster partnerships with the right teams across the enterprise,including IT, HR, and operations.

6. Locatethe data necessary to drive continuous learning

Whatdata will L&D need, and who has it? Supporting the timely needs of anindividual employee requires data. L&D must understand what people know anddon’t know, as well as what they are doing well or not so well in real life, inorder to provide optimal support. While some of this data is likely accessiblevia existing L&D tools, additional sources of performance and outcome datafrom a tool like an employee knowledge platform will also be necessary to paintthe full performance picture.

7. Assessexisting technology

Canthe LMS enable continuous learning? This is the point in the process at whichL&D must take a long, hard look at the existing LMS and determine where itfits in the overall continuous-learning-experience puzzle. Depending on thefactors discussed so far, including audience and context, the LMS may continueto play a role with formal and compliance training. In some cases, it may notbe the right tool at all for the experience L&D needs to build.

8. Selectnew technology

Whatadditional tools will enable continuous learning? With a new continuouslearning experience in mind, L&D must identify the technology needed todrive improved capability. This may include a social network, an employeeknowledge platform, or any mix of right-fit digital tools. Rather thanapproaching the RFP process with a generic list of feature requirements,L&D can provide potential technology partners with a much more informativelearning-experience design.

9. Integratenew technology into the continuous learning experience

Howcan L&D introduce new tools into the existing experience? At no point inthis process is L&D expected to throw away everything it’s already doing.Rather, the focus is on rethinking the current state in order to build thefuture. L&D must be purposeful when adding new tools to the learningexperience so it all makes sense for employees who may have become used to theold ways. This will likely require L&D to engage the audience withmessaging around their overarching strategy so employees better understand howthey will be supported moving forward.

10.Iterate, integrate, and evolve

Howcan L&D keep up? The business will constantly change. Therefore, L&Dmust remain flexible in its strategy and tactics in order to keep pace andremain relevant. Rather than making broad, sweeping changes that can takeconsiderable time and effort, L&D should focus on iterative solutions andprove value organically by solving small but meaningful problems. This willhelp L&D stay close to the needs of the business and remain capable ofpivoting as needed.

Whatdoes a modern learning organization want?

TheodoreLevitt is quoted as saying, “People don’t want to buy a quarter-inch drill;they want a quarter-inch hole.” The same is true for learning technology. Wewant employees to become more capable so that customers are satisfied and theorganization achieves its goals. A modern learning organization recognizes thatit needs to look at other technologies, besides an LMS, when it comes tobringing these desires to life. L&D must catch up with the ongoing digitaltransformation of the workplace and provide a continuous learning experiencethat is simple, engaging, and personalized—just like the technology experienceeach of us has outside of work every day.

Fromthe editor: Want more?

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References

Afshar,Vala. “6 Stages of Digital Transformation [Research].” Huffington Post. 3 May 2016.

Bersin,Josh. “The Disruption of Digital Learning: Ten Things We Have Learned.” JoshBersin.com. 27 March 2017.

BrandonHall Group. Learning Technology 2016: Embracing Innovation for a Better Learner Experience.

Schwartz, Jeff, Laurence Collins, HeatherStockton, Darryl Wagner, and Brett Walsh. 2017 Deloitte Global Human Capital Trends: Rewriting the rules for the digital age. Deloitte University Press.