Training Industry Magazine - July/August 2020 - 10

DR. SYDNEY SAVION

GUEST EDITOR

LEARNING TRANSCENDENCE:
PREPARING FOR CRISIS

Since the beginning of the 21st century,
we have experienced five global
pandemics: severe acute respiratory
syndrome in 2003, H1N1 influenza
pandemic in 2009, Middle East
Respiratory Syndrome in 2012, Ebola
virus in 2015 and now COVID-19 in 2020.
However, the coronavirus pandemic has
been the most crippling by far. As this
crisis threatens to devastate business
operations, companies must not only
improve business continuity plans (BCP)
but also drive a resilient learning culture
that can weather disaster.
There is a pressing need to reimagine a
system of prevention and preparedness
rather than recovery. Companies that
have discovered learning transcendence
- the proven capability to bolster
simplification, harness modernized
technology and employ workforce
cross-skilling during a bull market -
will protect their people and corporate
performance against unknown events.

CROSS-SKILLING
BOOSTS PRODUCTIVITY
AND FOSTERS THE
AGILITY COMPANIES
NEED TO PIVOT IN
TIMES OF CRISIS.
A business continuity plan has been
the traditional system of prevention and
recovery from potential business threats,
including supply chain interruption and
loss of or damage to critical infrastructure
such as machinery, technology network
resources, buildings or employees.
However, learning is often overlooked.

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If the BCP is supposed to ensure that
assets and personnel are protected and
can continue functioning in the event
of a disaster, why isn't it working? Can
learning transcendence ensure it will
fulfill its intended purpose?
Much like the science-fiction film
"Transcendence," COVID-19 has taught
us that it is not enough to create a BCP
with the best of intentions. We must verify
the application is reasonably stable. In
the film, Dr. Will Caster and his team build
a living computer in which they upload a
digitized form of Caster's consciousness
to outlive the death of his body. In his digital
afterlife, Caster builds a virtual utopia
focused on advancements in medicine,
biology, energy and nanotechnology. As
he grows more powerful, Caster's team
grows suspicious of his intentions. To
prevent potential harm, the team creates
a computer virus to destroy Caster, as
well as the utopic digital civilization.
Although the film is fictional, it illustrates
the necessity to have a fully vetted and
sound plan in place.
According to a study conducted by
Mercer, 51% of organizations around the
world do not have a BCP in the case of
emergencies or disasters. Yet, roughly
31% of organizations have a plan that
has not yet implemented. So, where do
learning professionals start?
To reliably inoculate against company
collapse and loss of performance and
morale, organizations must create
an organizational learning utopia by
integrating three advancements into the
flow of work.

1. BOLSTER SIMPLIFICATION
Steve Jobs once said, "Simplicity is the
ultimate sophistication." He simplified
products by getting laser-focused
on their essence and 
eliminating
unnecessary features. Hence, there are
no instructions in the Apple iPhone box;
you simply need to follow the intuitive
on-screen instructions.
Simplification
means
streamlining
processes by eliminating unnecessary
steps and automating to drive business
efficiency. Rewarding efforts to map
processes and workflows to simplify
unnecessary tasks yields a culture
of endless curiosity, prioritizing the
efficiency of organizational processes.
During a crisis, your organization
operates from a position of lower
cost-basis, heightened transparency,
increased time, human resource
and asset management efficiency,
productivity, and minimized risk related
to process and workflow complexities.
2. HARNESS MODERNIZED
TECHNOLOGY
The COVID-19 crisis has exposed risks
associated with legacy technology
systems, especially learning platforms.
It has proven that ignoring outdated
technology until it is broken does not bode
well in a crisis and is harmful to a company's
brand and customer satisfaction. To
get and stay ahead with learning, put
cloud adoption transformation and
investment at the center of your business
strategy to continuously adapt and
modernize technology.
https://www.mercer.com/content/dam/mercer/attachments/global/gl-2020-mercer-covid-19-global-survey-coronavirus-impact-to-global-market.pdf
Training Industry Magazine - July/August 2020

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