Organizations are talking about learning in the flow of work. They are aware of the benefits of reducing time away from work and better supporting employees when they most need support: on the job. However, companies struggle with how to do this. They often start by reviewing their instructor-led and eLearning courses but don’t know where to go from there.
To deliver useful learning to employees when and where they need it, companies must rethink what learning content is, as well as the tools used to deliver it. Companies should focus on the following:
- Strategy – Identify what formal learning must truly occur away from the job that will create the necessary knowledge foundation
- Quality and Productivity – Optimize learning and reduce time spent away from the job by providing performance support that will improve employee effectiveness on the job
In particular, to meet their goals for transforming to performance-focused learning, companies must provide appropriate support that is concise, tailored to a specific role and task, and can quickly be found by the employee while they are performing that task. Effective workflow learning cannot be designed and developed without understanding how it will be used.
Finally, companies need to choose how they will deploy the performance support. What tool or format will make the workflow learning accessible at the specific moment of need? How will the employee find the right asset for the specific task they are working on?
There are multiple options for deploying workflow learning. These include technology solutions such as an Electronic Performance Support System (EPSS), a Digital Adoption Platform (DAP), a simpler solution built in SharePoint; or even a collection of PDFs organized and accessible via a bookmarked table. The workflow learning approach is flexible, scalable and can meet an organization where it’s at. But it must be designed with the employee and the work or task being performed in mind.
Brandon Hall Group Platinum Preferred Provider Conduent has extensive experience helping clients adopt a performance-focused approach. They provide help with rapid workflow analysis to assess what support should be provided while someone is working and what training is necessary to create a knowledge foundation. They also know how to recommend technology options best suited to meet business objectives and learning solution needs. You can learn more about Conduent’s approach to workflow learning here.
–David Wentworth, Principal Analyst, Brandon Hall Group
