Mobile Learning for Talent Development: Critical Questions for Learning Leaders

Attentionlearning leaders: Pause for a quick moment to think about your organization.Are you thriving or are you merely surviving? If you’re thriving, well done! You’veprobably realized that having the right people in the right positions,performing consistently day in and day out, is part of the secret sauce ofsuccess. But don’t rest on your laurels—today’s complex learning ecosystemrequires that you stay ahead of the curve to manage organizational talent. Andif you find your organization on the other side of the curve, merely survivingand doing your best just to stay afloat, take heart in knowing you’re notalone.

Althoughthere are many elements involved in fostering ongoing employee development, wecannot ignore the potential that lies beyond the traditional classroom andoutside of a structured eLearning curriculum. And although we know that mobilelearning is just one element of the learning ecosystem, it does hold promisefor learners to access what they need when they need it. So then, for thosetimes when mobile learning is the perfect complement to your existing learningand talent-development strategies, how can you take full advantage of itspossibilities?

Where is mobile learning making an impact?

First, let’sconsider where mobile technologies are making a real impact. Natural examplesinclude outside sales teams and field-service technicians who need access tojust-in-time information when they’re on the go. Similarly, healthcare workerswho must stay abreast of changes in a turbulent industry, but who rarely havededicated time for focused learning, would be a natural fit. And over the pastfew years, even commercial airline pilots and the NFL have realized the benefits of using tablets. For learning leaders,consider the following questions:

• What are the critical positions in your organization? Whatcompetencies do they require?
• What talent is available to meet your needs—internal and external?
• What learning and development opportunities exist to prepareindividuals to move into those critical positions?
• How would mobile learning improve the status quo and add value toyour organization?

What do the numbers say?

According tothe Pew Internet Project (January 2014), 90 percent of Americanadults have a cell phone, 58 percent have a smartphone, and 42 percent own atablet computer. The same research shows that nearly 90 percent of thesmartphone users have used their devices to access some sort of just-in-timeinformation, be it to solve a problem, settle an argument, or get help in anemergency. Globally, Cisco reports that mobile devices and connectionsincreased from 6.5 billion in 2012 to 7 billion in 2013; and this number willeasily surpass the global human populationin the next year or two. More often than not, these same individuals arebringing these same devices into the workplace. But, perhaps surprisingly, onlyabout 30 percent of respondents to a recent eLearning Guild survey reported using mobile phones or smartphonesfor learning in their organizations. So what does all of this really mean forlearning leaders tasked with developing a learning and talent managementstrategy?

• Begin with yourself—how do you use your own mobile device(s)?
• Now, looking to the enterprise—where would mobile learning ormobile support increase capacity, address problems, or create new opportunitiesfor learning?
• How are you using LMSs and other learning-related data within yourorganization?
• What is your organization’s BYOD (bring your own device) policy?How does this impact the way forward?

What’s culture got to do with it?

Asbusinesses and organizations become more interconnected, more social, and moreglobal, it becomes increasingly important to know how your organizationalculture might adapt to changes within your learning architecture. Is yourlearning culture evolutionary in nature, where changes happen gradually overtime? Or are you able to withstand revolutionary change, with a 180 degree shift in perspective? As a learning leader, you must knowto what extent you can leverage your existing culture when the time comes tochart a new path forward. In the meantime, think about the following:

• What is yourorganization’s learning culture?
• How can yourculture support continuous learning and development as part of your overalltalent-management strategy?
• What level ofresponsibility do individual employees have for their own development withinyour learning culture?
• If you want togive mobile learning a go, where can your learning culture support a low-risktrial? (Think post-training checklists, new-hire orientation messages, ePubsfor regulatory details, short instructional videos, etc.)
• What otherstakeholders would you need to involve? How willing, or not, are others to makea change?
• How will youensure mobile learning or mobile support initiatives align with and supportyour organizational culture?

Now what? What’s next for you?

Your learners are already mobile learners. Whetherthey’re listening to podcasts at the gym or accessing a Lynda.com tutorialabout HTML tags while in line for coffee, they are using mobile technologies tolearn. In general, giving your learners access to on-demand content allows themto learn when it is most convenient for their schedules. And in terms ofeffective performance support, mobile technologies are a natural way to provideour learners what they need, when they need it. However, the dizzying array of devices, platforms,terms, vendors, and the like can be a serious impediment to even exploring themobile-learning landscape. And if your organization prevents employees frombringing their own devices to work (and yes, those policies do exist for some),then mobile learning is probably not the most realistic solution.

As you explore opportunities to providecontinuous development to your employees across multiple platforms, rememberthat your primary challenge is to attract and develop the best mix of talent tosupport your organization’s goals. And then, even with the inevitable budget,security, or integration constraints, know that mobile technologies give yourorganization the opportunity to provide the exact information to your employeesat the exact moment they need it.

From the Editor: Want more?

Be sure to check out the great sessions in San Diego, June 24-26,2014, especially designed for leaders like you at The eLearning Guild’s mLearnCon 2014, the leading mobile learning conferenceand expo. Featured sessions on the state of mLearning today and the directionsmLearning is moving towards tomorrow, together with the new Mobile Foundationsprogram (included as part of your conference registration), will give youcomprehensive guidance for defining your mobile learning strategy and for connectingto business results. And we’ve added mLearning DemoFest to show you mobilelearning solutions that your colleagues have already executed in a widevariety of organizations!