Future-Focused with Christopher Lind

It’s time we have a tough conversation. Diversity and inclusion programs AREN’T working. 2020 has shown us that WE aren’t there yet and WE need to improve. The search for the answer to a viable and sustainable program is pertinent to the #futureofwork. Organizations NEED to take positive steps to remove systemic barriers and promote inclusion. In this episode, Elisabeth Cooke and I are talking about the exciting new ways Dignii is helping organize demystifying D&I training with a holistic view of diversity, inclusion, and employee engagement.

Too frequently our learning leaders are draining resources on a multitude of external systems that work against the environment they are trying to create. It’s not you, it’s me. In reality, building a larger capability map to design and weave both internal and external systems to work together in tandem is how a true ecosystem should function. There is no “I” in team with the #futureofwork and collaboration is key in a blended learning environment. Let me ask you this. Is your organization’s learning ecosystem self-sustaining? Have you identified the components of your ecosystem and are there ways restructuring would provide nourishment to those wilting components? Are you MAXIMIZING your learners collaborative experience? In this episode, Matt Donovon with GP Strategies Corporation helps us to answer these questions by demystifying the learning ecosystem and provides the tools to combine learning ecosystem components to create an XL blended smoothie learning experience with whipped cream on top. Yum

VR with VR. Value Realization with Virtual Reality. We are witnessing the new age of products that require a sales pitch like nothing we’ve ever seen before. How do we present products in the #immersivetechnology sector to businesses that HAVE a need but HAVEN’T realized it yet. Leaders are seeing the importance of LISTENING in on these important conversations that concern the #futureofwork to learn how these technologies may be deployed and plan accordingly for their impact on the workforce. In this episode, James Watson and I talk about his experience in the immersive technology sector and the challenges that companies face when building a sustainable business model and effectively marketing to the right customers.

Organizations often make the fatal assumption that their leaders already have the skills they need to thrive in the current business environment. Unfortunately, many leaders have received little to no development on these critical skills. As a result, avoidable mistakes are frequently made, and countless opportunities are missed. However, when it comes to developing leaders, it takes a lot more than getting people the right content and curriculum is important. Like developing any skill, it’s about architecting a comprehensive experience that brings together content aligned to skills with plenty of opportunity for practice. In this episode, I’ll be talking with Matt Confer about what it takes to develop leaders from all levels of the organization at scale and with impact. We’ll also dig into the way Abilitie is using immersive simulations designed to develop the behaviors your leaders need most.

Mikael Wornoo, Co-founder of Techwolf, dives into the revolutionary impact of AI on skills data analysis for workforce planning. He explains how massive datasets generated by employees can be harnessed to provide organizations with unparalleled insights into their skills landscape. The conversation covers the challenges of navigating skill gaps, the importance of ethical AI use, and how real-time data can empower talent management. Wornoo also shares the transformative journey of Techwolf from student job matching to a vital tool for enterprises.

In complex organizations many people work, we collaborate with people from around the world to solve important problems together. Given that’s the way work is done, why aren’t more learning opportunities designed around that kind of experience? It’s a good question and a gap worth discussing as we kick off 2021 and continue to enhance the way we develop real skills digitally. However, one challenge when encouraging people to engage in their development is showcasing the purpose and outcomes that development is driving toward and providing a clear pathway to get there. Tomorrow on Learning Tech Talks I’ll be talking with Matthias Klein and Guido Schnarwiler about a fun and engaging way to do by architecting a mission-based simulation that aligns people to their development pathway and steps them through the journey. You’ll also hear how theMission is making this a reality.

Regardless of the function you’re in or the industry your company serves, #digitaltransformation is affecting everyone. Yet, it is estimated that somewhere to the tune of 70% of digital transformations fail. That’s because digital transformation isn’t about simply seeking out the latest in tech and layering it on top of the way work is done today. Making it a success requires diagnosing root issues to identify opportunities where the change will net the greatest return. It also requires diligence and discipline to ensure efforts not only make it to market but remain sustainable. In this episode, I’m talking with Aurimas Adomavicius, President at DevBridge, about the mindset, process, and capabilities required to do digital right.

There’s a reason YouTube boasts over 1.9 billion users with over 500 hours of video content every minute. The reason is video is an extremely powerful tool for a multitude of use-cases. Whether it’s an inspirational messaging about the latest organizational change or a clip highlighting the most efficient way to repair a product on the front line, video can be a powerful way to drive organizational success. Unfortunately, creating video within an organization can be a lot more complicated and overwhelming than people realize, especially when attempting to do it at scale. Fortunately, technology is making it easier and democratizing this capability, making it easy and manageable for the masses to create content. In this episode, I talk with Sunil Gaitonde and Shridhar Shukla about the value of video for learning, communication, and change management. We’ll also gain a better understanding of the way kPoint is making it easy.

There’s a number of well-known tools out there that many are familiar with for creating digital learning content. However, many of these tools require an advanced skillset and reduce the speed at which content can be created. This is especially dangerous at a time when content needs to be created and delivered faster than ever before. Unfortunately, it’s easy to mitigate this challenge by using basic office tools for content creation, which doesn’t create a desirable user experience. So, how do we get the simple and rapid capability without sacrificing the designer and learner experience? In this episode, I talk with Kasper Spiro about how we can best address the iron triangle of digital learning content and the way EasyGenerator was designed to address this challenge.

While content has an important role in the growth and development of employees, it also requires dialogue, reflection, practice, and feedback. In other words, content needs context and collaboration. Is it possible to create that type of learning environment digitally? This was one of the biggest challenges faced by learning organizations faced in 2020 as they fought to maintain the quality of experiences while delivering them in an unfamiliar way. Now, while technology isn’t a silver bullet that makes it happen, the right tech is an important step in going digital without sacrificing quality while increasing scale and impact In this episode, Todd Moran and Juan Morán, NovoEd’s Chief Learning Strategist and Solutions Consultant, and I will be exploring the possibilities and impact of collaborative online learning and bust the myth that digital is somehow a second-class experience. We’ll also explore NovoEd and its portfolio of capabilities and discuss what it takes to engage learners, promote accountability, and strengthen and sustain learning across the enterprise.