Training Industry Magazine - Winter 2024 - 28

Asking Why
You may be prepared to answer " why "
to your senior executives, but you also
need to get comfortable asking " why "
more frequently and to more people.
Part of experimentation is not taking
things at face value. The " five whys " get
spoken about a lot. But really, the key
is continuing to question until you're
satisfied you can test something against
the right goal.
L&D teams should be problem-solvers
at the core. This means thinking critically
and creatively about what's in front of
you. Part of problem-solving effectively
is breaking down larger scenarios into
smaller, easier to manage parts. One
way to do this is to question effectively.
Using a framework such as the " five
whys " could be useful here, but it
doesn't need to be rigorously adhered
to. It's simply a good reminder to keep
digging until you get to the root cause of
a perceived problem.
useful exercise to uncover bias and
reframe expectations.
Starting Small to
Get Bigger
Mindsets are shifting, you're asking
" why " more frequently and you're
prepared to bring people along on the
journey. But that doesn't mean you
need to go after everything at once or
start with the biggest experiment you
can think of. Experimentation usually
works best when you're testing lots of
small assumptions concurrently, just like
Booking.com does in its business.
Starting with smaller, less risky
experiments also means you can test
the waters and get more comfortable
before exploring larger challenges. It
might also be sensible to partner with an
external provider to help guide you on
the first steps to take and ease you into
carrying out experiments.
L&D TEAMS
SHOULD BE
PROBLEM-SOLVERS
AT THE CORE.
There's always a starting point for what
we think the problems are, but as we
start to dig deeper, we end up in a
very different place. Once teams have
been able to identify the root cause
of problems, they will then be able to
create experiments that tackle the most
pertinent things. At least at this point,
the experiments will be focused on the
right areas and the opportunity to target
impact is magnified.
Overall, asking why requires you to be
curious and open minded, but when it
comes to experimentation, it's always
useful to think about how your opinions
are often biased based on your own
experiences. If each of your team takes
the time to list out their own predictions
at the start, reviewing them can be a
28
If you want to edge toward a culture of
experimentation, it means that you're
having to change people's habits and
expectations. It will happen faster if you
introduce numerous small experiments
that are less risky, with lower cost, and
allow feedback to be shared more
rapidly. It's a win-win: Testing the waters
and bringing people along for the ride.
Shifting Culture
It takes time. By its very nature,
experimentation means there is an
element of the unknown in what you're
doing. But adopting an experimental
mindset has become crucial for L&D
teams to stay ahead of the curve. This
mindset encourages a willingness to try
new approaches, embrace failure as a
learning opportunity and continuously
refine strategies based on insights
gained from experimentation.
Helen Marshall is chief learning officer at
Thrive, an all-in-one learning management
system (LMS) and content solution. Helen
has spent over a decade vendor-side,
has a background in learning experience
design and is currently leading the vision
of what good learning looks like for Thrive.
Email Helen.
ADDITIONAL
RESOURCES
If you're thinking about how to begin
your experimentation journey, here
are some book recommendations
to get you started:
* " The Insightful Innovator "
By Danny Seals
* " The Future Ready L&D
Professional "
By Ross Thornley
* " Atomic Habits "
By James Clear
https://trainingindustry.com/articles/measurement-and-analytics/getting-to-the-heart-of-the-matter-understanding-training-needs-cptm/ http://www.Booking.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/helearning/
Training Industry Magazine - Winter 2024

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