Digital learning gets personal!

I know I’m not alone in getting a rush from learning. There’s satisfaction in it for all of us, whether it’s for its own sake, or work-related. Right now, I’m interested in blockchain, a form of coding that provides an approach to structuring and securing data, and is disrupting industries.

Blockchain, as it happens, is relevant to the subject of this blog. It’s an enabler of distributed intelligence, and hence of digital transformation. For the next generation, learning to code will be an essential development in language, just like reading, writing, and arithmetic.

Lagging behind in digital learning

With HR being one of the main beneficiaries of this digital revolution, it’s quite surprising that business-to-enterprise (B2E) organizations have been some way behind consumer-facing (B2C) businesses when it comes to personalized digital learning. Just some of the B2C tools I use that have an amazing user experience often leverage machine learning, and are personalized to my learning style, are:

• I listen to my Blinklist while running for summaries of the latest books
• I keep my brain sharp with Linkedin Elevate’s quick daily mental exercises
• I learn kinetically with Datacamp
• I physically attend and listen to TEDx, and speakers who inspire me.

However, I’ve found B2E organizations often:

• Can’t keep step with the pace of change
• Find the when-and-where responsiveness of it daunting
• Find the personalizing of learning programs difficult
• Over-promote standard e-learning versus methods that suit different learning styles.

Why are we so behind that we can’t give our biggest asset – our people – the capability, passion, and productivity to excel within our businesses? For an answer, we should look at the three usual suspects – economies of size, content, and complexity.

And the crux of the matter is that at the sharp end, some distance from the corporate center, is the audience of one; the person who, like me, simply wants to get on and learn about something useful in a personalized way. Something like blockchain.

Catering for personalized learning

Catching up, being responsive to requirements, personalizing each response – meeting these challenges is much easier when you’re working in partnership with an experienced service provider who can deliver personalized learning through next-generation cognitive digital learning platforms.

To this end, here are four main areas that a service provider should be able to address in delivering a solution with the depth and breadth required for personalized enterprise-level digital learning:

• Organization – which academies are pivotal for the success of the company? How can learning programs be designed in line with the business’s needs and working practices? How will courses be delivered? How will logistics such as travel and accommodation for residential courses be handled?
• Content – how much of the learning is generic by function, and how much is company-specific, country-specific, or particular to a role? Which content types are suited to which formats, and which formats are best for the given audience (e.g., e-learning, podcast, virtual reality)? What native versus open-source content can be curated for academies and programs?
• Technology – which platforms are best in terms of both the delivery and deployment of the content they carry? How can technology be used to structure and manage the course and the facilities, to analyze general and individual progress, and to curate structured and native content, such as watching a relevant TED talk?
• Supply chain – enterprises can accrue considerable numbers of training vendors, large and small, general and specific. How can they best be strategically aligned, consolidated, and managed?

Next-generation technology drives value

Properly planned and implemented in partnership with the right service provider, B2E organizations are set to catch up with consumer-facing businesses, and to enjoy the substantial benefits on offer from an integrated, consumer-grade digital learning solution. This can typically include up to 60% efficiencies in learning operations, 40% savings in cost-to-serve, and 40% cost savings by optimizing learning vendor provider strategies.

But most importantly, by implementing a next-generation digital learning solution, organizations will be equipping themselves with the skills they need to grow in a fast-changing business environment. They’ll also be earning and retaining the loyalty of the talented people in whom they’re investing – people who, like you, like me, get a rush from learning and applying something new.

To find out how Capgemini can deliver personalized, next-generation, enterprise-level digital learning that drives value across your business, contact: chantelle.brandt-larsen@capgemini.com

Learn more about how Capgemini’s Digital Learning Operations provides cognitive learning platforms that transform the way you address your talent management and workforce transformation challenges.

Chantelle Brandt Larsen is a tech-savvy thought leader with over 17 years experience in organization development (OD). She is passionate about the power of technology and mindset in changing business models and operations. She has successfully designed and executed multiple OD solutions across a range of businesses.