The latter 20th Century was the golden era of the training department. Before the 20th Century, training per se did not exist outside the special needs of the church and the military. Now the training department may be at the end of its life cycle. Join us for a brief look back at the pre-training world and some thoughts about what may lay ahead. Read more →
In the world of business, the era of networks is crowding out the Industrial Age. Network connections are replacing rigidity with flexibility, penetrating internal boundaries and silos and obliterating the walls that have separated businesses from their customers. Read more →
The July issue of Chief Learning Officer is now available online. It features an article in which Jon Husband and I delve into how to measure the impact of learning in the network era. Read more →
Extract: While adaptation and change are necessary for continued success, neither organizations nor individuals find them easy. Information, communication, and learning technologies offer assistance, although no single solution fits all organizations or all individuals. Author Clark Quinn explores e-learning, information portals, and e-communities in a quest for a coherent understanding of the options and a schema for effective deployment. Read more →
More Human Than Human
CLO magazine, June 2009
Column on Effectiveness, by Jay Cross
The future is people, not technology Read more →
UK politicians have been in the spotlight over the past few weeks with their creative use of the parliamentary allowance scheme. “Flipping” was one common way that some found to maximise their allowance income. This involved declaring one of their homes – either in their constituency or in London closer to the House of Commons – as their main residence, then claiming all manner of expenses against their second home. Then they’d “flip” and claim expenses on the other house. This was a really neat, if totally immoral and possibly illegal, way to spend taxpayers’ money. Now they’re being found out and punished. Read more →
Beth Kanter shares her presentation on Mapping metrics to strategy (with slide show) focused on non-profits using social media:
The session will share an overview of why the sequence listen, learn, andadapt is critical to implementing a successful social media strategy. We’ll take a look at how to use both qualitative and hard data points to refine and adapt your strategy as well as the role of continuous listening and learning through implementation of pilots. We’ll examine what can and can’t be quantified as well as various metrics and analytics tools. Read more →
Jay Cross and Xplane desined a great infographics poster for informal learning. Click the image to view a zoomable version.
Thanks to the European Commission for translating the poster. When I arrived to speak at Learning Day in Brussels in late 2010, giant blow-ups of the poster lined the hallways. Read more →
We’re in a new age. Organizations can no longer be dependent on training to meet their learning needs. When things changed slowly, we could train people and trust that they could perform or be coached to do their jobs. That day has passed. The steady acceleration of information creation and advances in technology has reached a critical point, and we have been thrust into a realization that our old models of management cannot cope. The chaotic underpinnings of the world have been unmasked, and continual adaptation is the new status quo. Read more →
Workers learn more in the coffee room than in the classroom. They discover how to do their jobs through informal learning: talking, observing others, trial-and-error, and simply working with people in the know. Formal learning – classes and workshops – is the source of only 10 to 20 percent of what people learn at work. Corporations overinvest in formal training programs while neglecting natural, simpler informal processes. Read more →
