Learning in Context:

1
Learning in Context Leveraging Portals to
Enable On-Demand Learning Dr. Tony
ODriscoll Lead Learning Strategist IBM On Demand
Learning
2
Current Reality Where Learning Fails
Future Possibility Why Learning Matters
Project Overview
3
Training Today Seven Scary Problems

• The Autonomous Learner Problem
• The Timing Problem
• The Packaging Problem
• The Performance Problem
• The Routinization Problem
• The Transfer Problem
• The Value Problem

4
The Autonomous Learner Problem
As learning migrates from Just in Case to Just
in Time to Just for Me the learner continue
to take more control of their learning and
information needs Merrill Lynch, 2000
Many organizations report that 85-90 of a
persons job knowledge is learned on the job and
only 10-15 is learned in formal training events.
Raybould, 2000
If almost two-thirds of learning in organizations
happens informally, can we afford to leave it to
chance? Peter Henschel, 1998
5
The Timing Problem
The time between original experience in the field
and the time it again reaches the field is, on
average, well over two years Aldrich 2001
Nortel networks products have a life cycle of
nine months. A typical training initiative takes
a year to develop, pilot, refine and roll out
Harris, 2001
The rapid pace of technological innovation and
economic change almost guarantees that formal
learning will be dated Cross, 2001
6
The Packaging Problem
As the speed of business continues to
accelerate, courses will become highly perishable
goods, knowledge workers dont need old theory,
they need new ideas Aldrich 2001
LearningContext
Work Context
Information
Instruction
75 of e-learners fail to complete courses CUE
2001
People dont deal in subjects they deal in work
Cross 2003
7
The Performance Problem
In complex organization systems, most performance
problems are multi causal. Too often training is
asked to assume the responsibility for problems
with root-causes that have very to do with skill
gaps Rummler
s
Person
Environment
Skills and Knowledge
Data
10.5
35.3
Information
Root Cause Performance Levers
Capacity
Tools and Setting
7.5
29
Instrumentation
Motives
Incentives and Rewards
6.3
11.3
Motivation
Source Gilbert and Dean
8
The Routinization Problem
Weve experienced time-and-again how new
technology arrives and paves cow pathsautomating
the past bad assumptions and all
Of the 2.2 billion spent on learning this year,
the vast majority will be spent on tools and
content to create e-training and services to
automate the existing training and development
processes Merrill Lynch 2001
9
The Transfer Problem
The impact of common training practices is
shockingly small, no more than 20 of investment
in training pays off in transfer to the job
Brinkerhoff and Gill, 1994
At least 90 of American Industrys spending on
training fails to result in transfer to the job
Ford and Weissbein, 1997
10
The Value Problem
Increasingly, expenditures in training are being
viewed as an investment rather than a necessary
business cost
On average, Training expenditures represent 1.8
of corporate payroll spend ASTD, 2002
e-enablement of key Training and Development
processes could reduce operational costs by 50
Linkage, 2000
11
Synthesizing the Problem Space
100
Problem Overlay
Autonomous Learner Timing Packaging
Performance
Performance
Routinization
Transfer
e-Training
Value
0
Formal
Informal
Learning
This analysis begs the following question How
must learning reinvent itself to add strategic
value in the information age organization?
12
Current Reality Where Learning Fails
Future Possibility Why Learning Matters
Project Overview
13
In the On Demand Era, successful organizations
will be required to drive innovation, accelerate
transformation and increase productivity

• I believeand Im not alonethat innovation is
  the best way to spur job growth. I have no
  crystal ball to tell me what industry or
  industries will create the next boom in job
  creation. But Im confident in predicting that
  innovation will be the engine. Sam Palmisano

Innovation
Transformation
It's not about taking costs out of a business,
said Palmisano, but about transforming the
processes. Dow Jones
Productivity
Palmisano expects the entire On Demand initiative
to yield 5 productivity gains, worth 2 billion
to 3 billion a year, for the next five to 10
years. Business Week
14
Learning has a significant role to play in each
area
Innovation
How can an organization innovate without first
learning something new? David Garvin, Harvard
Business School
Transformation
Learning is at the heart of a companys ability
to adapt to a rapidly changing environment. Sir
John Brown, CEO BP.
Productivity
In the knowledge-driven economy 50 of any
employees skills will become obsolete every 3-5
years. Merrill Lynch
15
Linking Training, Productivity, Learning and
Innovation
If we apply knowledge to tasks we already know
how to do, we call it productivity. If we apply
knowledge to tasks that are new and different, we
call it innovation. Drucker
Preparing Workers with Existing Knowledge to Work
on Known Tasks
Applying New Knowledge to Produce Greater Market
Value
Innovation
Training
Learning
Applying Existing Knowledge to Achieve
Managements Existing Objectives
Creating New Knowledge via Informal Learning on
the Job
Productivity
Learning involves not only absorbing existing
information but also creating new solutions to
not-yet-fully-understood problems. Kanter
16
The key challenge for any organization today is
to maintain an appropriate balance of innovation
and productivity
Innovation
Productivity
Explore
Exploit
Transformation
Exploitative practices that maintain the status
quo and drive productivity are orthogonal to
explorative practices that drive innovation and
growth within the firm. This is the Innovators
Dilemma. Christensen
17
Furthermore, most skill knowledge development
activities fall squarely into the
non-differentiated generic quadrant of an
outsourcing matrix
Achieve Superiority
Consolidate

• Enterprise Learning Strategy
• Learning Planning
• Marketing Communications Planning
• Enterprise Expertise Planning
• Learning Offerings and Services Portfolio
• Learning Governance
• Learning Innovation ..

• Client Relationship Strategy Planning
• Solution Development Planning
• Development Standards
• Solution Delivery Planning
• Delivery Standards
• HR Operations

Company Specific
Manage as Utility
Leverage Specialists

• Internal Market Research
• Solution Design, Development, Deployment,
  Delivery
• Solution Pricing
• Learning Support Planning
• Procurement
• IT Infrastructure Operations
• Data Operations
• Learning Support Administration ..

• Customer Satisfaction Management
• Learning Marketing Programs
• Communications Campaigns
• Learning Measurement Planning
• Learning Asset Management Planning
• Learning Investment Management
• Alliance and Supplier Management

Generic
Non -
Differentiating
Differentiating
components internal to the learning function
18
Summarizing the Issue Set

• To survive in the On Demand era, organizations
  must simultaneously drive innovation, accelerate
  transformation and increase productivity
• To date, most learning strategies have been
  focused on individual development via skill
  knowledge transfer with tenuous claims of
  organization productivity
• Within the learning value proposition spectrum,
  the skill knowledge development component of
  learning is moving towards commoditization and is
  least strategic to the business overall
• The major leverage for learning in moving forward
  lies in applying strategies that accelerate
  alignment around business objectives and enable
  innovation around new opportunities, yet we spend
  the majority of our resources and budget on the
  area of the business that is becoming
  commoditized Individual Learning
• Team and Organizational learning strategies aimed
  at transformation and innovation differ
  significantly from traditional formal learning
  focused on individual development and are largely
  carried out informally within organizations today
• Much research is needed to determine how
  learning can add value in the higher leverage
  areas associated with accelerating transformation
  and driving innovation

19
Learnings Strategic Value Framework
Explore
Exploit
Enable Innovation
Define learning strategies that enable innovation
focused on optimizing existing enterprise
practices
Define learning strategies that will enable
innovation focused on delivering business growth
Accelerate Transformation
Define learning strategies that will accelerate
transformation around new business models
Define learning strategies that accelerate
alignment around existing enterprise initiatives
Improve Productivity
Define learning strategies that improve existing
business productivity
Define learning strategies that will improve
future business performance
20
Business Value and Learning Investment Framework
Learning Investment Value Proposition
Business Value Metrics
Enable Innovation
Define business innovation metrics that map to
specific learning strategies
Define business case justification for learning
strategy investments based on innovation metrics
Accelerate Transformation
Define business case justification for learning
strategy investments based on transformation
metrics
Define business transformation metrics that map
to specific learning strategies
Improve Productivity
Define business productivity metrics that map to
specific learning strategies
Define business case justification for learning
strategy investments based on productivity metrics
21
Learning Value Quantification and Validation
Framework
Investment
Validation
Enable Innovation

Validating Learnings value in enabling
Innovation
Quantifying Learnings Value in enabling
Innovation
Accelerate Transformation
Quantifying Learnings Value in
accelerating Transformation
Validating Learnings value in
accelerating Transformation
Improve Productivity
Quantifying Learnings Value in
improving Productivity
Validating Learnings value in improving Productiv
ity

22
Learnings Value Scorecard Framework
Individual
Team
Organization
Enable Innovation
Time to Innovate
Time to Insight
Time to Market Offering
Accelerate Transformation
Time to Expertise
Time to Alignment
Time to Transformation
Improve Productivity
Time to Best Practice Adoption
Time to Execution
Time to Performance
23
Current Reality Where Learning Fails
Future Possibility Why Learning Matters
Project Overview
24
2005 Timeline
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec
Literature Review
Project 1 (Strategy)

Write
Validate

• Innovation/NPD/NSD
• Transformation
• Productivity
• Workplace Learning
• Formal Learning
• KM
• Collaboration

• Research
• Argument (p.11)
• Value (p.12)
• Strategies
• Conclusion

• IGS
• IBM Lrng
• TDF

Literature Review
Project 2 (Metrics)

• Innovation Metrics
• Transformation Metrics
• Productivity Metrics
• Business Case Literature
• Learning Investment Decisions
• Learning Metrics
• Balanced Scorecard

Validate
Development

• IGS
• IBM Lrng.
• Trng Conf.

• Method
• Quantify (p.13)
• Metrics (p.14)
• Scorecard

Potential
Deliverables
Detailed White Paper/Case Study
Fact Base and Overview White Paper
Academic Paper Submission
Valuation Overview White Paper
Detailed White Paper/Case Study
Method and Scorecard