Training Industry Magazine - Winter 2024 - 20

HOW-TO
HOW DO YOU GET YOUR EMPLOYEES TO
TAKE OWNERSHIP OF THEIR LEARNING?
BY DANIELLE HART AND JOHN CLEAVE
The value of learning and development
(L&D) has soared as leaders seek to
keep pace with rapid change, futureproof
their organizations and retain
great people. The ways people learn
on the job (and outside of the job) have
steadily shifted from formal training
programs to on-demand, just-in-time
resources: video, microlearning,
instant messaging or ad hoc sessions
with colleagues and so on. How and
what people decide to learn is as
unique as they are, and, given the
right
circumstances, they'll follow
their instincts and seek out learning
through their own volition.
And yet, they're not seeking it out
- or not as much as leaders would
like. " We want our people to take
ownership for their own learning "
is a common refrain in L&D. As the
conversation around " creating a
culture of learning " (one of the top
challenges reported in our L&D trends
survey year over year) evolves, there's
growing frustration and an increasing
tendency to blame learners for their
lack of motivation, even to imply the
root cause is laziness. This is not
accurate or helpful.
Instead, executive, human resources
(HR) and learning leaders should
seek to foster an environment where
a spark of curiosity can ignite into
a sustaining flame of discipline and
perseverance required to learn nextlevel
skills. It is a complex challenge:
People have very little time for
training and managers may be more
focused on productivity than on
development (not to mention they
20
are busy as well). Often, the training
being offered simply doesn't inspire
learners to take the time to benefit
from it.
The solution lies at the heart of the
problem: The uniqueness of every
individual. We each have different
motivations, and if training doesn't
tap into them, it won't work - and if
learners get enough experience with
training that doesn't work, they will
eventually avoid it whenever they can.
To establish and enhance a culture
of learning, the training you offer
needs to connect with your learners
and offer them (and their managers)
high value for their limited time.
How is this accomplished? By
centering learning design on the
learner, with empathy and a genuine
desire to understand them. We
believe that training, in any form, has
to meet these seven learner-centered
design (LCD) criteria to be successful:
1. EFFECTIVE
Training is a means to improve
performance, so simply put, it must
improve performance. Learners should
feel that training contributes to
improved performance, positively
impacting their careers and lives,
which motivates them to take and
complete the training.
3 TIPS FOR DESIGNING
LEARNER-CENTERED TRAINING
Include learners in the design process:
Empathy interviews and testing prototypes are
great ways to start.
Build checks into the process:
Use the criteria to measure the goodness of a
learning design.
Evaluate, evaluate, evaluate:
Make time to share lessons learned and drive
continuous improvement in learning design.

https://trainingindustry.com/research/content-development/research-what-learners-want-new-strategies-for-training-delivery/ https://trainingindustry.com/research/content-development/research-what-learners-want-new-strategies-for-training-delivery/ https://trainingindustry.com/glossary/on-demand-learning/ https://trainingindustry.com/glossary/on-demand-learning/ https://trainingindustry.com/magazine/sep-oct-2021/performance-improvement-is-inside-out/ https://trainingindustry.com/magazine/sep-oct-2021/performance-improvement-is-inside-out/

Training Industry Magazine - Winter 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Training Industry Magazine - Winter 2024