In recent years, organizations have considerably transformed their learning and development strategies to improve employee performance and commitment. During my recent webinar, I discussed how this evolution unveiled three crucial implications to carry out an effective learning transfer: skills obsession, between sessions and set the mixture. In this blog, we will explore each of these key aspects, providing ideas on how to start implementing them successfully within your organization.
1. Obsession with skills
The emphasis on skills has intensified, leading many organizations to obsess count, classify and categorize skills – thank you Trish UHL for capturing the perfect language here. Although understanding the skills is essential, it is crucial to recognize that the simple fact of following these measures will not stimulate the desired results.
The key lies in the application of these skills in the context of real work. It is not enough to provide skills individuals; We must make sure they are not only able to apply them effectively, but they TO DO Apply them effectively. This means to pass our attention from the acquisition of knowledge to the promotion of behavioral change. The “knowledge gap” remains an important challenge; We have to work to close it by encouraging individuals to appropriate their learning and impact.
A large point raised by Nick Shackleton Jones in a recent blog article underlines that we must not rename existing frames without solving underlying problems. Instead, we need to focus on how skills can be applied in real situations to obtain significant results.
2. Between the sessions
The learning path often extends beyond formal training sessions. With the boom in mixed learning models, participants are expecting more and more to apply their learning between sessions. However, many organizations have trouble taking this expectation beyond the practice of competence between sessions.
Traditionally, we had clear learning phases – before, during and after training. However, the complexity of modern learning environments blurs these borders. Not only do many people find it difficult to integrate new skills into their daily routines in the face of the requirements of their roles, but they keep the new skills associated with learning, separating them from their daily role.
To remedy this, we must create intentional opportunities for deliberate reflection between sessions. The simple fact of giving participants time to practice skills is not sufficient; We must promote an environment where they feel empowered to make decisions about how they apply their learning, regularly connecting on a daily basis. This implies providing continuous support and responsibility to help integrate new behaviors in their workflows.
3. Mixture failure
The transition to mixed learning has opened new paths for the scale of effective training programs. After-confort, organizations have the opportunity to take advantage of technology parallel to human interaction to improve learning experiences.
A significant advantage of this mixed approach is the ability to combine learning with coaching and significant reflection. Research shows that the combination of coaching with training can lead to four times more efficiency. However, it is essential that coaching is aligned with the learning process rather than treated as a separate entity.
By integrating coaching into the action plans generated during training, we can improve individual responsibility and guarantee that learning is directly applied in real contexts. This alignment creates a powerful synergy that promotes behavioral change and stimulates performance improvement.
While organizations are navigating in the evolutionary landscape of learning and development, by adopting these three implications – the obsession with shortcuts, between sessions and mixing mixture – will be crucial to carry out an effective learning transfer. By focusing on the application of skills, by facilitating practice and reflection between sessions and by taking advantage of mixed learning approaches, organizations can maximize their learning results.
Photo of Sierra Koder on Disable
