Training Industry Magazine - September/October 2021 - 11

STELLA LEE, PH.D.
WHAT'S NEXT
IN TECH
RESPONSIBLE APPLICATIONS
OF PERFORMANCE SUPPORT
TECHNOLOGIES
Digital technologies are increasingly
integral
to how we provide
talent
development and performance support.
For example, medical mobile apps can
provide physicians point-of-care access
to relevant drug and clinical information;
conversational chatbots can deliver a
more personalized way of learning by
pushing content out to learners in the flow
of work; and data analytics in the form of
visual dashboards can centralize data
points collected across various learning
and performance-related activities, giving
busy managers a high-level view of what
goes on in the company.
KEEP IN MIND THAT WE
DO HAVE CHOICES IN
THE TECHNOLOGIES
WE USE.
When used well, these tools can detect
useful patterns, provide new insights and
help with decision-making. However,
despite the creators' and implementers'
best intentions, there remains a gap in
business between the desires to close
the talent gaps and the potential to
cause harm.
In one such case, Microsoft 365 has a
productivity score feature that allows
managers
to evaluate
only provide aggregate data at the
organizational level.
How can we as learning professionals
who evaluate and utilize these tools
think more deeply about their impacts?
BE INFORMED ABOUT
TECHNOLOGY ETHICS
Learn as much as you can on various
aspects of technology ethics and ask
questions such as: What are we trying to
achieve with these technologies? Are the
technologies able to solve the problems
we identified, and at what cost? Who will
benefit and who will be disadvantaged
by the change? What kind of assumptions
are we making?
Keep in mind that we do have choices
in the technologies we implement and
use. As an example, artificial intelligence
(AI)-based conversational chatbots are
implemented for coaching and mentoring
sessions. Do we know if there are any
assumptions
built
into the way the
chatbots respond to people from different
cultural backgrounds? Did it disengage
and demotivate people as a result of
biased information (or lack of relevant
information)?
individual-level
employee data, monitor activities and track
where they spend their time - particularly
during the pandemic when the majority of
people are working from home. However,
ever since its launch, this tool has garnered
much criticism, and has been deemed fullblown
workplace surveillance. After much
backlash, Microsoft finally made changes
and removed the individual names and
ENSURE TECHNOLOGY
GOVERNANCE
As organizations select and adopt new
technologies, governance is rarely at
the forefront of the project. While it is
tempting to implement now and regulate
later, it is important to have a governance
framework in place from the beginning
and throughout the adoption process.
This is particularly critical for new and
emerging technologies such as AI and
machine learning since little research
and few case studies have been done on
their impacts, risks and any unintentional
consequences. More so, when they
touch on issues of privacy and mass
surveillance within an organization.
For example, many talent development
tools have a predictive function that
managers can use to gauge people's
performance potential and make
decisions accordingly. What guidelines
and regulations can we use to apply
these predictions in a responsible way?
PRACTICE RESPONSIBLE USAGE OF
TECHNOLOGY
While it is important to have technology
governance in place, it does not
guarantee that more ethical behavior
will follow. Organizations need to adopt
a responsible approach to ensure the
benefits outweigh the risks, and that the
technologies are there to support rather
than undermine people's autonomy.
To sum up, creating and sustaining
a
culture
of
responsible
use
of
performance support technologies must
be a deliberate, thoughtful and iterative
process. It will require efforts from across
the organization, but it is a journey that
is well worth taking.
Dr. Stella Lee has over 20 years of
experience in
consulting, planning,
designing, implementing and measuring
learning initiatives. Her focus is on largescale
learning projects including LMS
evaluation and implementation, learning
analytics, and artificial intelligent
applications. Email Stella.
TRAINING INDUSTRY MAGAZINE - PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT I WWW.TRAININGINDUSTRY.COM/MAGAZINE
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https://www.geekwire.com/2020/microsoft-will-remove-user-names-productivity-score-feature-privacy-backlash/ https://www.geekwire.com/2020/microsoft-will-remove-user-names-productivity-score-feature-privacy-backlash/ https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/microsoft-365 https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/nov/26/microsoft-productivity-score-feature-criticised-workplace-surveillance https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/nov/26/microsoft-productivity-score-feature-criticised-workplace-surveillance https://www.trainingindustry.com/magazine

Training Industry Magazine - September/October 2021

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