• Facebook. -More than 800 million active users, each with an average of 130 friends. More than 50% of active users log on to Facebook in any given day.
• LinkedIn - 100 million professionals worldwide.(March 2011). Impressively there are 17.8 million members in LinkedIn Groups who post 1.2 million posts and comments per week .

In terms of the social learning flavour, what better example than Wikipedia, where people generously give their time and expertise to build this impressive knowledge base. Check out the discussion forums at www.whirlpool.net.au. I have benefited numerous times from the in depth knowledge shared by that community about IT hardware and software issues (highly recommended that you check the forums before a hardware or software purchase).

An easy assumption to make in light of these success stories is that social learning at work will work. Certainly this is what social learning technology vendors will have you believe from their marketing efforts. Case studies of success of social learning at organisations such as IBM are compelling.

However beyond these few but well publicised success stories, I have struggled to hear about other social learning initiatives have been sustained beyond the initial launch.  I have been involved in setting up social learning for customers and this first-hand experience has led to a healthy scepticism about the predicted success of social learning at work. Four reasons for this healthy scepticism are:

1. The ingredients for successful of social learning go against the grain of traditional organisations.

Working at IBM and Google is very different from working at, let us say a bank or a mining company. People and their intellectual outputs is the lifeline of businesses (technology and professional services). The culture, processes and the reward systems reflect this and tend to be more “employee centric”, open and based on shorter power distance (Geert Hofstede’s model).

Organisatons in more traditional industries tend to less open and more hierarchical. They are characterized by the need to manage risk and the predominance of top down communication. Social learning which is based on more democratic principles struggles to establish itself and grow in this environment. Many social learning initiatives in such organisations begin with a flourish and usually end up being another channel for top down communication with very little participation from the employees.

Another barrier to social learning in organisations is the low tolerance for risk. While social media in general tends to be self-regulating, the possibility of a post being inappropriate is real and too risky for many organisations. Some organisations approve comments before they can be published to remove the risk but it takes way the spontaneity and authenticity of the participation. I hasten to clarify the difference between the approval and moderation. Moderation adds value to the discussion and increases the rate and quality of participation

2. The employment social contract has changed

In world of increasing retrenchments and outsourcing the message sent to employees is “fend for yourself”. Employees have less motivation to contribute to the success to the organisation beyond what is mandatory or what is incentivised. The success of social learning depends on employees taking the time to participate and contribute their insights, knowledge and expertise without any extrinsic rewards. As mentioned people contributing to wikipedia or whirlpool.net.au don’t have any monetary incentives but they are generous with their participation but when it comes to contributing to social learning in the organisation, the state of mind is likely to switch to a “mercenary” or “what is it in for me” mode.

3. Underestimating ingredients for success

Many organisations see the deployment of technology to enable social learning as the “silver bullet” and the “end game”. Some of this misconception is created by technology vendors but mostly it is due to organisations failing to understand that selecting and deploying technology to enable social learning is probably the easiest part of the process.  One thing makes social learning a different beast – it is not mandatory for employees to participate but its success entirely depends on their participation.

Lack of “business purpose” is another common reason for failure. Many social learning initiatives are commenced for the sake of trying “social learning”. The success of social learning depends on the ability of the community and its contribution to provide value add. At its best it acts as a performance support system for employees trying to solve a business problem.

Another grossly underestimated aspect is the effort and skill required to nurture and sustain a community. Initially communities may need a dedicated community manager or a moderator (part time or full time) who provides the necessary energy and structure in the forming stage. This is rarely catered for.

4. Where is the time?

Ok let me ask you a question. In between your growing workload and the need to maintain work life balance do you have time to participate in social learning? Would you rather spend time on Facebook with your social community (friends and family) in an environment you can express yourself with very few rules or would you sacrifice some of that time to participate in social learning at work. For many employees the choice is not very difficult.The acceleration of pace of work compounded by information overload means that employees have very little down time to participate in “non-essential” work  activities and social learning.

In conclusion, social learning is unlike anything organisations have experienced. It is a double edge sword. If you can make it work it produces results like nothing else can by harnessing knowledge and insights of your employees. If you can’t it will die a quick death or may even be counter-productive.

When you commence on the social learning journey, go there with your eyes open and your expectations tempered. Be prepared for that 99% perspiration.

My next post will cover the key ingredients required give social learning a chance to succeed.

This blog is published on www.learningcafe.com.au

This was the focus of my presentation at the LearnX conference in Brisbane this month (copy of the presentation available at the bottom of this blog). People who know me will probably easily predict my answer to these question. It is an opportunity if we can grasp the potential and gear ourselves to exploit it, otherwise it will be a threat as will impose changes. stretch our capability and force us to react. If past history is any indication then I suspect it will turn out to be a threat.

While little attention has been given to the impact of broadband on workplace learning, it is profoundly changing the way learning is done in schools and colleges in Australia. The use of Internet enabled smartboards, tablets, frequent use of video conferencing, data augmented google maps will percolate into the corporate training room. And that is just the beginning.

So what does “plenty of broadband” mean ?

NBN aims to connect 13 million homes, schools and workplaces to high speed broadband Internet. Considering that the population of Australia is about 22 million there will be very few places that will not have access to fast Internet. An important number to remember is that 93% of this coverage will be at speeds of 100 MBPS. The rest of the coverage (7%) mostly for remote locations will be at slower speeds of 12 MBPS through wireless and satellite which is not be sneezed at either. There is plenty of information available at the NBN website.

NBN will provide internet speeds that open up a whole world of opportunities for how content will be accessed by users. To give you an idea of how what 100 MBPS can do have a look at the figure below. Rich media content such as video calling and HDTV uses tenth of the total broadband which will be available via NBN.

While NBN is an ambitious project to develop infrastructure for the Australia, the credit for pioneering the roll out national high speed internet goes to South Korea.  By 2010, the average South Korean will have a connection of 100Mbps (the same as what the majority of Australians will have by the end of the NBN implementation) and by 2012, it will be 1Gbps. 100Mbps means that you can download an episode of a TV show in less than 28 seconds. At 1 Gbps you don’t even have time to start the stopwatch before the show is downloaded. By looking at the South Korean experience we can make some predictions about the impact of high speed broadband of the learning functions and professionals.

So how does the availability of plenty of broadband impact the learning function and professional ?

It provides an opportunity for the learning function to deliver significant business benefits by assisting organisations morph and build capability to exploit new opportunities or contain the threat to existing business models due the availability of increased broadband. The impact on the learning function and the professional is shown in the image below.

Need to learn will accelerate.

The availability of fast broadband raises the current lowest common denominator internet speed to 100 Mbps. We can be assured that all business will look for ways to use the increased bandwidth to deliver their products and services in a more cost effective and scalable manner. At the forefront of this change is education and healthcare. Imagine being able to consult your doctor in the city from the comfort of your home in a rural Australia through a web cam on your computer. In Australia, a follow up consultation with a specialist virtually through video conferencing at a general practitioner is now reimbursed by the medicare in some circumstances. Internet enabled interactive smartboards which regularly feature in Australian classroom open of up a new way of learning which could be the envy of corporate trainers.

For other industries such as media the availability of high speed internet will be a disruptive and detrimental to exiting sources of revenues. South Koreans are watching more TV through internet (IPTV)  resulting in time shifting and video on demand as the consumer gets more control over their content choice. All industries will be impacted to greater or lesser degree. We also know that there is never really a “steady state” where the internet is involved. The learning function and the professional will play a critical role in making sure that the workforce has skills to required to deliver the ever evolving products and services.

Prepare for heightened expectations from business and learners.

The learning function will be expected to keep up with the increased “speed of business”  and heightened learner expectations which will require changes to the learning function which in many cases is still oriented to delivering either classroom training or “page turning” compliance course.

e-Learning will become more sophisticated

While video based learning will be possible as the broadband pipe opens up, the more significant shift will be use of media rich, interactive  3D environment and simulations. 100Mps broadband has caused a significant shift in leisure time from TV to online gaming in South Korea. These media rich, live and interactive 3-D online games have become one of the killer apps. So will it mean the death of “page turning” compliance courses ?

The development of “bandwidth rich e-Learning” which includes simulations, serious games, live interactive learning requires new and more sophisticated skills in learning analysis, design and development. This means that developing and making changes to “bandwidth rich e-Learning” will take more time.  Page turning e-Learning courses will remain the primary means to deliver basic knowledge at a reasonable price (per learner) in shorter turn around times. I see organisations (and vendors) gradually develop the capability of developing “bandwidth rich e-Learning” while retaining the current skills to develop “page turning” e-Learning. I suspect the higher budget and the lack of skills to required to develop “bandwidth rich” e-Learning will slow its adoption till such time that the business realises the benefits and allocates the budget required.

Opportunity or threat ?

However something I have learnt over the years is that change never happens as quickly or as widely as it predicted or planned. While the NBN faces political challenges to its existence and growth, it is unlikely to be derailed. The absence of a world class national internet infrastructure is a major risk to to growth of our economy in an highly competitive world. What is likely to be a greater challenge will be the uptake of NBN by the end users with pricing being a major factor. If the pricing is high customers will restrict the amount of bandwidth they consume hence reducing the uptake of high bandwidth services.

Despite these challenges there is little doubt that the uniform availability of the high speed internet will present opportunities and threats to the learning function. If we don’t understand and exploit these opportunities, some other function will and we may be relegated to the end of the business chain.

Am I right ? What do you think ?

This blog is published on www.learningcafe.com.au

Steve Jobs and his philosophy of product design have some powerful lessons for designing learning “products” that deliver the results and effective user experience.

When Steve Job’s resignation as the CEO of Apple made the headline item on ABC news (Australian) I knew it was serious news. The media is replete with tributes to Steve Jobs.  And why not? The visionary has managed to make Apple one of the largest company (by market capitalisation just behind Exxon Mobile (Oil & Gas). For a company whose main product is innovation that is mighty impressive.

I must admit I have stayed away from Apple products for as long as I possibly could. I have a Blackberry Storm  as my smartphone and a powerful and slim Samsung NX900 ultraportable  laptop. My resistance was finally breached when I bought an ipad 2. Believe me I have tried really hard to get another tablet but I simply could not find a package as good as iPad2. However when I look at my non – Apple devices I can’t help noticing that they aspire to be Apple products. Blackberry has a touch screen and navigation similar to an iPhone. Samsung NX900 is a response to Apple Air. Yes, I admit, despite my reluctance I am an admirer of Apple products and Steve Jobs.

What the lessons we can learn from Steve Jobs approach to product design? Many but some of them are:

1. Less is More.

Have a look at your iphone, ipod, or ipad. One button does the most frequent and important tasks. Flicking of screens mimics what we have learnt over centuries i.e flicking pages. Of course, Apple did not necessarily invent these features but certainly fine-tuned it and boldly made it the centre piece of its products, changing user experience profoundly.

Similarly, face to face learning and e-Learning needs to be designed so that the learner is not presented with array of buttons (i.e bells and whistles) but allows them to reach the learning in the minimum number of steps or hours or clicks. This may mean sacrificing “excitement and engagement” may need to be sacrificed to give back to the learner the most important most precious commodity for them -”time”.

A project I worked on was the development of online continuing professional development (CPD) modules for specialist doctors. These specialists are extremely busy but need to learn constantly to keep up with medical trends and get the required CPD points for the year.

We started work on two modules. Both included readings and case studies. The first one had flash interactions and pictures (including happy smiley people) to make the course engaging and exciting. We ran out time to build flash interactions for the second one. When the courses went live I readied myself for negative comments from the doctors about how boring the second module was.

Much to my surprise the feedback was more positive for the second “boring” course! They could access and complete the learning quickly and get back to work. They also recommended that we remove the “smiley happy people” from the first module as it did nothing for them.  That was a bit of a reality check for me. The rest of the modules were based on minimalistic design and they continue to get positive feedback. Saved some money for the project in the process.

Let me not give you the impression that simplicity is design is simple to achieve. It takes extreme focus on customer needs (see next point) and the ruthless elimination of that which does not add value to the learner experience. The effort will be worth the pain. More on this in another blog post.

2. Customer “Centricness”

John Scully (ex-CEO of Apple) in an interview talks about Steve approach to customer centric design.  Steve always put himself in the shoes of the customer and even takes the lift down to the customer’s level understanding and more importantly, ignorance. Then he probably wonders “how can we make sure that they use my products and use it well”?

Any learning needs analysis should include learner analysis. I however believe that learner analysis needs to be more intimate. Often we take into account what and how the organisation wants the learner to learn but not necessarily what and how the learners want to learn.

However unlike Steve the CEO, we are likely to be constrained by the limitations and inflexibility of the tools and frameworks available in our company. For example it may be the opinion of the senior leaders that induction should be run as five day classroom training or that the only option available is to develop a “page turning” compliance course to be deployed on an underwhelming learning management system.

However even within these constraints, it is possible to design more customer centric learning. In my humble, opinion some are not “real” constraints but rather a lack of understanding of or comfort with the tools available to us. A blog on why L&D folks including class room trainers need to be comfortable with technology based learning tools coming up soon.

3. Think about connecting to the bigger ecosystem and context.

Buying software, music. movies, ebooks from the Apple on-line store on my ipad is one of the most intuitive and easy on-line purchases I have ever made. I have a plethora of choices at reasonable prices (US prices are even cheaper). Apple has make this possible by designing an ecosystem and commercial model for application developers that encourages them to learn the skills to build applications for the on-line store. This resulted in some breathtakingly clever applications which provide revenues for Apple and the developers. When you buy an ipad, you buy the device along with access to these useful and creative applications. This combination is not currently available with any of its competitors.

The lesson for designing learning is the need to create the mechanisms to support the learning beyond the classroom or the “finish” button on the on-line course. This of course is easier said than done in the face of meagre resources and need to move on to the designing or delivering the next training course.

I do believe that some of  these support mechanisms and tools are available if you look outside the box or as in the previous point spend some time getting to know the know the available tools a bit better  technology enabled tools (LMS, discussion boards, portals etc).

I also say this because you may be surprised how accepting and engaged our learners are with technology well designed enabled tools. The credit for that goes in large part to man named Steve Jobs and his creations ipad, iphones, ipods…..

4.Making vision a reality.

Lastly, the one that impresses me most. Steve makes his grand vision a reality through the tight coupling of strategy and execution, something all experienced practitioners know is difficult to achieve. Many a times my end product e.g a workshop design is a compromise on the original vision and design for various reasons. I am currently designing an experiential blended learning workshop for Pharma Territory Management with an innovative design. Thanks to Steve I am have been I a bit more persistent with my ambitious design even though my audience may not be ready for it. I wait for the seats to fill and if believe in my design and I have done my job well enough, they will.

Steve Jobs take a bow.

Your comments are most welcome.