The Training Department (aka the L&D dept) has traditionally focused on designing, developing, delivering and managing instruction – in the form of courses, workshops, e-learning and other training events.  In  fact “a course” in some form or other has now become  the de facto solution to any performance problem in an organisation – despite the fact that many of my Internet Time Alliance colleagues (and others) have spoken about its inadequacies in today’s world, and that courses have little impact on performance. Read more →

This is the second part of my response. See Part 1: Corporate Learning’s Focus.

Inspired by Jay Cross, Amanda Fenton asks how her Corporate Learning department could better meet the needs of employees. I think these are excellent questions and the answers form the basis of addressing how to integrate work and learning in the enterprise. Read more →

There have been millions of words written and spoken about ‘informal’ and social learning over the past few years.

More recently at the Internet Time Alliance, we’ve been focusing not on training and learning but on ideas around “working smarter.” Jay Cross, one of my colleagues in the Internet Time Alliance, is well known for his early work and books on informal learning. Jay describes working smarter as being the key to sustainability and continuous improvement, and to productivity. Working smarter requires learning in new ways.  Read more →

The ubiquity of powerful mobile devices able to download applications that enable unique capabilities, has led David Pogue to coin them “app phones“.  Similarly, the expression “there’s an app for that” has been part of widespread marketing campaign.  However, it turns out that apps are more than just on phones.  Facebook has apps, as I just heard about BranchOut as a job hosting extension of the popular social network (I’m preparing for my talk at the Australasian Talent Conference).  Of course, there are other apps I don’t get involved in, such as all the quizzes, because I’m worried about the data they share, but there’s a meta-point here. Read more →

After a pleasant six hour journey north to Berlin I was quite tired on arrival, and the last thing I needed was to be reminded that without a valid passport I’d be sleeping on the streets – ahh! Yes, I’d forgotten to bring my UK Passport. Hoping that a credit card, a driving license and insurance card would suffice as identity, was, unfortunately a waste of time, it wouldn’t. Read more →

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 →

More Human Than Human

CLO magazine, June 2009
Column on Effectiveness, by Jay Cross

The future is people, not technology 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 →