Revolutionize Learning & Development

Transform learning and development practices to make your programs relevant and meaningful

Existing training and development practices need a major overhaul. Learning and development practitioners and managers must increasingly face the fact that old methods are no longer relevant in today's tech-savvy world and, in many cases, they simply don't work. In Revolutionize Learning and Development, you'll get a straightforward look at how people really learn and get introduced to practical steps for rethinking, redesigning, and reestablishing learning delivery. This book shows you how to take advantage of new understandings and new technologies so you can make a meaningful impact on your organization.

In four sections, the book lays out crucial background knowledge, conceptual frameworks, and practical steps for transforming learning and development so that it has the greatest return for businesses. Managers, practitioners, and executives will benefit from the illustrations, vignettes, and sidebars that highlight the author's advice and expertise.

• Learn to avoid the pitfalls of outdated and irrelevant learning solutions, including those that ignore the importance of clear objectives, proper execution, and thorough evaluation
• Discover the practical steps for implementing the best and most effective strategies for making the most of training programs
• Benefit from a thorough examination of what happens when managers and practitioners make major changes in strategy, leadership, and technology
• Get familiar with the roles of research-based frameworks, performance support, and informal learning

Don't let learning and development myths derail you. Find out how to breathe new life into your programs with practical guidance designed to inspire today's best learning technology solutions.

Foreword xi

Preface xv

Acknowledgments xvii

About the Author xxi

Introduction xxiii

Why xxiii

What xxiii

How xxv

Use xxvi

1 A Call to Arms 1

#Fail 1

Harnessing Magic 4

Performance 6

Bottom Line 7

Section 1 Status Quo 9

2 Our World 11

Change 11

Change in Companies 14

Bottom Line 16

3 Our Industry 17

Inadequate 18

Event-Ful 19

Cobbler’s Children 21

Wrong Focus 22

Disengaging 24

Insufficient Practice 25

Antisocial 25

Unresolved 26

Rigid 27

Mismeasured 28

Mythed Foundations 28

Barriers 30

No Credibility 31

Bottom Line 31

Section 2 “To Hand” 33

4 Our Brains 35

Our Brains in Action 36

Our Brains on Learning 39

Bottom Line 45

5 Our Organizations 47

Empowerment 48

Communication 49

Culture 53

Bottom Line 55

6 Our Technology 57

Formal 57

Performance Support 61

Social 62

Mobile 66

Infrastructure 68

Bottom Line 71

Section 3 Aligning 73

7 A Framework for Moving Forward 75

Bottom Line 80

8 What Does This Look Like? 81

Stakeholder Perspectives 81

Case Studies 89

Mark Britz 89

Tulser 93

Jane Bozarth 99

Allison Anderson 104

Charles Jennings 109

Assess Yourself 115

Bottom Line 124

9 Re-Think 127

Performance as Strategy 128

Doing Less 131

Learning as Culture 132

Organization 135

Supporting Work 136

Bottom Line 138

Leader Reflections 139

Allison Rossett 139

Marc Rosenberg 142

Section 4 Path Forward 147

10 Re-Do 149

Performance Consulting 150

Development Facilitation 160

Prioritization 165

Measured 167

Tech 170

Pragmatics 176

Bottom Line 179

11 Moving Forward 181

Parallel Paths 182

The Money Story 185

The Long Game 186

Conclusion 188

References 191

Appendix A: The LPI Capability Map 199

Appendix b: The Towards Maturity Model 203

Appendix c: ASTD Competency Model 207

Index 209

Clark Quinn, author of Engaging Learning, Designing mLearning, and The Mobile Academy, is a well-known and respected contributor to the eLearning field. The first recipient of the eLearning Guild’s Guild Master award, he has spoken internationally and consults to Fortune 500 corporate, education, not-for-profit, and government sectors.

THE PATH TO THE FUTURE OF LEARNING IN ORGANIZATIONS

Co-published and sponsored by ASTD, Revolutionize Learning & Development examines the steps required to shift corporate learning onto a more meaningful trajectory. Taking a new approach means aligning more closely to how people really think, learn, and work. The shift to a focus on performance and innovation meets the challenges resulting from increasing change and a need for organizations to be more agile.

Written by the author of three books on organizational learning and performance, this book leverages technology advantages within the context of larger L&D objectives. It exposes the broken state of today’s corporate training and outlines a path forward for broadening the scope of impact on organizational success through new technologies such as mLearning and social media.

“‘This is a spark, not the whole fire,’ Clark Quinn states in the opening pages of this manifesto on the future of the L&D profession. I am grateful to Clark for his courage, insight, and willingness to write this important book and to challenge the profession to strive for the next level of impact it can achieve.”

—Tony Bingham, President and CEO, ASTD

“Clark has written the book I have been waiting for. He succinctly explains why current practices fail to deliver results and outlines the path forward. Just what the 21st century CLO needs to know.”

—Kevin Wheeler, Founder and President, Global Learning Resources

“I love this book. Clark Quinn says what needs to be said to L&D leaders—and he says it with the perfect blend of respect, frustration, irreverence, and hope. It’s time!”

—Marcia Conner, Executive Advisor, and best-selling author of The New Social Learning

“This book raises fundamental questions for us all. Everyone involved in workplace learning who wants to play a part in the future—or even to have a job—should read it.”

—Donald H Taylor, Chairman, Learning and Performance Institute

“Clark Quinn has succinctly and adeptly drawn together all the evidence to make an undeniable case for fundamental change within Learning & Development. After reading this book, you will be ready to join the revolution, and begin the process of shifting from a focus on learning to a focus on performance.”

—Jane Hart, Centre for Learning & Performance Technologies

“Work is learning and learning is the work. Clark Quinn gives a clear path forward for today’s L&D profession on the cusp of revolution or extinction.”

—Harold Jarche, International Speaker and Principal, Jarche Consulting

“In this book, Clark Quinn pulls no punches in addressing many of the factors that are handcuffing organizational learning, and provides tangible solutions learning professionals can implement to make things better.”

—David Kelly, Program Director, The eLearning Guild