I was interviewed recently by Michael Rochelle, Chief Strategy Officer and a co-founder of AC Growth, as part of the company’s Executive Interview series. Below is an excerpt. The full interview is available here.
What role will technology continue to play in Learning and Development and Talent Management?
Technology will continue to play a critical role in learning and development and talent management. Some of these technologies will be disruptive, leading to entirely new opportunities. But, I believe many of the technologies with us today will not soon be obsolete.
For example, some people have predicted that the era of the learning management system is almost over. They suggest that learning in the future will overwhelmingly be informal. I just don’t see that happening. For decades, deregulation was viewed as path to economic prosperity. In many industries, we’re now seeing a reversal of that movement and instead experiencing an increase in government and industry regulation. Specific examples include:
- Corporate accounting scandals by Enron and others led to greater regulation in accountancy through the Sarbanes–Oxley Act.
- The recent failure of Lehman Brothers and subsequent Great Recession is leading to greater regulation in financial industry.
- The oil spill disaster in the Gulf will almost surely lead to greater environmental regulation in the energy sector.
More so than ever, there’s a strong need for technology to manage certification, regulatory and compliance training. That will need to continue to increase. And, compliance isn’t restricted to governmental regulations. Some organizations are requiring compliance and certification to their own internal standards.
The use of technology for talent acquisition, retention, and management will increase significantly in the years to come. Lower employee loyalty will mean that people will be more likely to move from one job to another. Increased competition from developing countries will mean organizations will perpetually be in search of talent, and will be trying to keep talented individuals engaged and motivated.
AC Growth Executive Interview with Richard Nantel | AC Growth | Michael Rochelle | 13 July 2010
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Linking deregulation (aka, rampant robber-baron capitalism) to informal learning is disingenuous, to say the least.
Harold Jarche´s last blog ..PKM- Working Smarter
Regarding “some suggest the era of the learning management system is almost over. They suggest that learning in the future will overwhelmingly be informal. I just don’t see that happening.”
The days when the LMS is the primary technology in learning are drawing to a close. That doesn’t mean LMS are going to disappear. Rather, LMS will be dwarfed by technology more closely integrated into work. Social software works continuously; compliance training is episodic.
Compliance is important but we should not confuse it with learning. Due to paradigm drag, way too much compliance training is simply going through the motions. Companies that want their people to comply rather than simply gain hollow certifications should probably use their LMS to reinforce compliance on the job.
Harold and Jay: You’re correct that it’s wrong to suggest that compliance training and informal learning are at odds. Informal learning can play an important role in compliance situations.
What we’re seeing in company and vendor briefings, though, is an increase in investment in learning management system technology, not less. And many of the organizations implementing these technologies are using more formal learning strategies.