HR learning: 16 Jan, 2017

1.

2017 HR Trends: Agile & micro learning will be trending: Hemalakshmi Raju

Some learning trends that we can anticipate in the New Year.

India is amongst the top 10 online learning countries, and mobile learning accounts for 25 per cent of all learning worldwide! Also, classroom-based, instructor-led training has shrunk to a mere 32 per cent in 2015 from 77 per cent in 2009. These disruptions for sure will continue. Here are some learning trends that we can anticipate in the New Year.

Drivers of learning
External World
The larger macrocosm of the world at large and what is happening there — for example, a recent Gartner report says that by 2018 more than three million workers will be supervised by a roboboss; by 2020, 30 per cent web browsing will be done without a screen and by 2019, 20 per cent of brands will abandon their mobile apps. All of this will have an implication on how we approach learning in the corporate context, in 2017

Business
In an ever changing VUCA world, knowledge and skills become extinct fast and frequent structure changes to address market needs become common place. In this scenario, learning will help the organisation stay agile. 

Learner
In a hyper connected world with deep digital penetration, individuals keep learning on a continuous basis. 

Key Learning Trends for 2017

·         Align learning with business needs: 

·         Metrics that matter:

·         Just in time, just enough and just right: 

·         Power of Analytics: 

·         Widening focus on technical skills and deep focus on soft skills: 

What does this mean for the learning professional?
The learning agility of learning professionals needs to be at its best; they need to be on the lookout for what is happening inside so that they can pick up the live needs and also what is happening outside so that they can offer the best solutions.

2.

5 TRENDS FOR THE FUTURE OF LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT

Five key trends and best practices that companies should consider include the use of mobile technology, adoption of social learning tools, alignment with corporate objectives, use of adaptive learning principles, and the ability to measure effectiveness.

In today’s world, organizations that fail to adjust their learning management practices and solutions often struggle with organizational growth or productivity. As a result, leading companies are abandoning traditional methods of learning in favor of more effective solutions—often involving technology innovation—that engage talent and improve performance. This report highlights key trends affecting the future of enterprise learning and recommendations for selecting the right provider.

Key Findings

1.      One-third of companies are increasing their budget for learning and development.

2.      41 percent of companies describe their culture as “Controlling.”

3.      Only 10 percent of companies are leveraging mobile learning solutions.

4.      59 percent of companies are leveraging social learning activities.

Trends

·         Going Mobile.

·         Understanding Social. 

·         Considering Adaptive Learning. 

·         Aligning with Business Objectives. 

·         Measuring Effectiveness.

Key Takeaways

Most companies must adapt their learning strategies to meet the demands of today’s workforce.

·         Select the right provider. 

·         Collaborate with the business. 

·         Put the individual first.

3.

Recruiters Must Learn Talent Development (and vice versa)

Recruiting and training specialist need to learn about each other’s roles.

A speaker asked an audience of about 100 human resources professionals – who has a great talent acquisition function. The surprise? Not one person raised their hand.

Recruiting is tough right now. But not one person raised their hand. One could understand if half of the audience didn’t raise their hand, but not one. It was eye-opening for sure.

The speaker turned the conversation toward the reasons that recruiting is struggling to meet the needs of the organization. Whether its candidate quality, time to fill, cost per hire…or any combination of…there’s a disconnect.

But it occurred as the discussion was taking place that part of the solution lies in the organization’s talent development efforts. Talent development also includes career management and development, organizational development, and activities like succession planning.

In order to become good at talent development activities like succession planning, you must understand recruiting. How can you create a plan to develop talent within the company if you don’t understand where and how to attract the best talent? How can you manage a plan to develop talent within the organization if you don’t understand what talent needs to be development (versus hired from the outside)?

Conversely, recruiters need to understand talent development. They need to know that the candidates being hired will fit into the organization’s succession and/or replacement plans. They also need to understand how the company’s programs will elevate the candidate’s skills to fit the future needs of the organization.

Organizations continue to be challenged with finding and keeping the best talent. While one aspect to solving this challenge is looking at company culture, another piece is making sure that the company’s efforts to hire and development talent are aligned with the business. Recruiting and training specialists need to learn about each other’s roles and collaborate to deliver – and develop – the best talent.