It’s the 21st Century Right?

Lately there is a lot of talk about change, and yet at the same time there seems to be little evidence to suggest we are living in the 21st Century. For the record, we are. So where’s the proof? Cars don’t fly yet, we aren’t taking vacations on the moon, and people are still trying to set the clock on the VCR… no wait, DVD player.

“In this 2002 post by Keith A. Malo for BNET Business Networks he shares the following insight: Traditional Focus In A Challenged Time – The business climate in the United States in the early 21st century will undoubtedly be classified as a time of great challenge. During this period the economic prosperity of the 1990s evaporated before our eyes. In place came daily headlines and nonstop 24-hour cable newscasts focused on the impact of terrorism in America, accounting scandal after accounting scandal, fluctuating stock values, workforce downsizing (or right sizing, depending on your perspective), and debates on whether or not the United States experienced an economic recession. The President of the United States referred to this period as a “hangover” from the 1990s.”

He goes on to report…

“In a survey with business leaders across the United States, the AchieveGlobal research team found that business Leaders continued to place great levels of importance on classical business issues. Specifically, respondents reported that recruiting quality individuals, improving staff productivity, and managing retention and/or turnover were the three most important concerns to the success of their organization.”

It can be hard to tell sometimes, but things are changing, and in the learning and development world the changes are from many directions. Here is a look at five factors affecting how and why what you teach to adult learners in your organization can no longer be another copy of last-seasons goods.

“Globalization: Yes, I know you have heard this one before yet it is still true. How learning is created, managed, and provided is affected by the audience expansion that is part of globalization. The idea that we can focus on just a local audience is no longer applies, instead we have micro-audiences for a single message. One company with location across the country, or the globe must tailor the message, refine examples, and make the content relevant to a broader group than ever before.”

“Social Networking: The largest shift in how people related to one another and information has come in the form of social networking. Regardless of the organization, employees can quickly access peer review, support, and expertise from a laptop or a smart-phone. This changes how information is valued in during any training session by taking away the mystery of the information via the internet and merging it with the influential power of our own peer groups. While sharing information has always taken place, how we are doing it, and how quickly it is changing now more than ever. Consider the idea Poken as featured in the SWSX Music, Film, and Interactive event in Austin Texas.”

“Life-Long Learning: In a 1998 report from Confintea V to the World Conference on Higher Education it was noted “The transformation to genuine lifelong learning institutions requires a holistic approach which a) supports the institution becoming a lifelong learning community itself; b) integrates academic, financial and administrative elements; c) provides structures which are responsible for organizational, staff, student and curriculum development and community engagement; and d) aligns the various supportive structures such as academic information systems, library provision and learning technologies to the new mission of universities in learning societies.” The learning society is no longer limited to a college campus; in fact workplace learning transfers to personal space rapidly, by text message, email, and numerous other outlets.”

“Technology: The dot-com bubble may have burst, and the tech boom along with it, however it’s replacement has been a feverish pace of innovation, in pursuit of the next best thing. While E-Learning has waxed and waned in overall popularity, it the goal of reducing costs is giving it a push, for better or worse. The best way to respond to a trend away from lengthy instructional design toward e-learning automation is to ensure targeted training presents a bite-sized solution in partnership with in-class and in-person collaboration.”

“Generational Changes: Consider this statement; the increasing use of social media may create the perfect storm for learners to start taking charge of training offerings and let-me-get-it-myself content. One of my young Twitter followers recently said, “I’ve been online a long time. I really don’t know what the traditional classroom looks like anymore.” At this moment, every seven seconds a baby-boomer turns 60. When the Industrial Revolution forged an era of efficient systems for assembly and production a linear learning model was ideal. Not anymore; with changes in how people relate to their own generation, and the generation of others at an all time high, the landscape has never been more diverse across all employee groups.”

So, it’s the 21st Century and things have changed, and will keep changing. The key to addressing all these changes and the ones ahead is a very 21st Century word: Hybrid. You see, the only way to give credit to the past while advancing the cause of futuristic technologies is to create hybrid systems and methods that address your audience in the most relevant way possible.

Here’s One Example of an Hybrid Learning Experience: During training use a social tool, such as Twitter to start a discussion during break. After the session is complete, invite participants to join a Facebook page about the session topic. During the session, instead of referring to pauses in the session as ‘breaks’ perhaps call them ‘Socials’ and have participants stand up, mingle, and play music to changes the atmosphere of the room. Use these 10 minutes to meet participants, and talk casually. During another ‘Social’ ask the oldest and the youngest people in the room to share their thoughts on the subject being taught and lead a brief discussion to build connection between generations.