Training Industry Magazine - Content Development 2017 Special Edition - 39

ENHANCING PERFORMANCE
FOR MILLENNIALS AND BEYOND
Now that millennials represent the
largest generation in the workplace and
are quickly moving into management,
it is reasonable to focus on them as a
primary audience. However, the learning
solutions designed for them should
work across generations. The rise of
approaches like the 70/20/10 learning
model and the 5 Moments of Learning
Need is a direct response to the needs
of today's workers, including millennials.
Although organizations are adopting
these approaches, many of them are using
a traditional lens, where the organization
controls the structure and pacing of
learning. Too often, organizations take
the self-service mentality of "if we build
it, they will find it, learn it and apply it
correctly." Unfortunately, this approach is
only successful with true high performers
- employees who would succeed with
little support.
Training organizations must quickly shift
to a learner/performer-centric model,
where employees (not the organization)
define the learning need, contribute
the content and collaborate with others
to move the business forward. This
approach leverages and nurtures the
behaviors of high performers from all
generations. Self-starting, resourceful
employees will not let a lack of direction
keep them from learning what they
need to get the job done. This approach
also reinforces the importance of
using technology to create social
connections, collaborative problemsolving relationships, and peer coaching
and mentoring networks.
The question is: How should we modify
traditional approaches to meet the
needs of both the business and a multigenerational workforce? We recommend
a four-element model to designing
and delivering a performance-oriented
employee development experience:
Engage, Focus, Wrap and Nurture.

1| ENGAGE
The first step is to connect with the
whole performer and establish a strong
relationship between the performer
and the organization. This relationship
sets the tone for the employment and
performance experience from the
outset. Engagement based on this
two-way dialogue is critical, especially
for millennials and Generation Z.
Organizations are purposefully stepping
back to make critical decisions about
the full experience before throwing their
employees into a "learning churn."

MILLENNIALS AND GENERATION Z
ARE SHINING A BRIGHT
LIGHT ON THE FACT THAT SOME OF
OUR TRADITIONAL APPROACHES
ARE NOT, AND HAVE NOT, BEEN
WORKING. IN THE FUTURE,
SUCCESSFUL COMPANIES WILL
BE THOSE WHO ARE ABLE TO
ENGAGE EMPLOYEES FROM EVERY
GENERATION IN THEIR OWN
WORKPLACE EVOLUTION
AND DEVELOPMENT.
Onboarding is the first time organizations
can lose the millennial and Generation Z
performers.When they join an organization,
members of the younger generations are
looking for an open architecture where
they have some support and guidance
but also opportunities to create their own
experience and contributions. To meet
these needs, companies should set an
expectation that millennials are not only
empowered but also expected to lead
their own development.
During the engagement stage, the
conversation should focus on the purpose
of the organization, opportunities to
make an impact, a plan for progression,
paths to success, and ways to build their

personal brand within the organization.
This step is a great opportunity to start the
relationship with a focus on performance.
A critical output of the engagement
step is a learning approach that engages
millennials and will pay dividends when
Generation Z hits the work scene in the
next few years.

2| FOCUS
Once you have engaged the employees,
the next steps is to focus on desired
performance and outcomes. Anchor
the learning journey to the desired
performance and the performance
support network, and make sure
it reinforces problem-solving and
continuous improvement. Given that a
lot of today's work is collaborative, it is
important to integrate not only individual
performance but team performance
as well.

3| WRAP
With engagement established and a focus
on performance in place, the next step is
to wrap the performers with a performercentric learning system - delivering
the right content at the moment of
performance in the space of performance.
Although boomer and Generation X
are quickly embracing a collaborative
or social element in their learning,
millennials are already looking for it, and
Generation Z expects it. Generation Z is
the most connected and technologically
immersed generation, and this inclination
has been reinforced in the way they have
learned from birth.
In addition to leveraging sound design
approaches encompassing the 5 Moments
of Learning Need with a healthy dose
of on-the-job learning (70/20/10), a
performer-centric learning system should:
* Establish relevance by ensuring
that learning goals and tasks are
set through the learner's lens
* Leave enough room for employees
to set their own path

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