VUCALEARNING NEEDS ANALYSIS & SOLUTIONSWORKPLACE

VUCA WORKPLACE

Source - https://hbr.org/2014/01/what-vuca-really-means-for-you

VUCA is now a common workplace. How adaptive is learning and development strategy in such environments?

WHAT IS VALUE-BASED L&D SOLUTIONSTypical understanding of L&D as a process in which

organisations train, educate and develop their workforce so that they are capable and become high performers, enabling the organisations to remain competitive and resilient.

However, less focus is made on the value of L&D which has made L&D solutions weak and often irrelevant.

By focusing on value, L&D be a key enabler in ensuring organisations remain resilient.

L&D value is at the highest if L&D solutions are completely aligned (hand-in-hand) with business needs, identifying threats and opportunities at the same time.

VALUE-BASED L&D SOLUTIONS AT DIFFERENT LEVELS

Strategic L&D

Operational L&D

Delivery L&D

•Diagnosing organisational capability in facing external and internal changes and challenges

•Identifying key strategic learning areas•Readying organisation in key strategic areas

•Diagnosing organisational capability in key strategic learning areas

•Segmenting key strategic learning areas according to priorities and risks

•Readying people to lead on identified segments

•Choosing value learning models, modalities, contents, methods of instructions, accessibility and learning experience and pathways

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LEVEL DESCRIPTIONStrategic level Checking and readying organisation to overcome external challenges

by giving sense of clear direction on what’s coming to the organisation and providing key strategic learning areas.

Tactical level Putting forward options, selecting and planning best learning and development options in readying organisation to overcome the challenges identified in the key strategic learning areas

Operation level Executing the plans made at tactical level through selected learning modalities, instructional designs and evaluation

ABOUT VALUE-BASED L&D SOLUTIONS

Note: Value of L&D reduces when and if any of description or level is absent or done inaccurately and ineffectively.

Effective L&D solutions are able to support organisational well-being and resilience in the following ways:

LEARNING NEEDS ARE BUSINESS NEEDSIt’s about educating leaders, managers, staff,

contractors, partners and all stakeholders on how to respond to threats/risks and capitalise on opportunities.

No change programme will ever be sustainable without people unlearn, learn and practice to speed up their performance.

As business needs change so must learning needs.

L&D PROFESSIONALS’ COMPETENCIESMust have knowledge, skills and passion to drive learning agenda particularly in VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguity) working environment:1) Flexible thinking modes to slip into different roles – when to lead,

explore, support, support – CURIOSITY IS OUR CURRENCY2) Understanding of power sources – to negotiate and influence and to

invest in alliance/networking building3) Grounded – to see where value works occur, where stakeholders

are located – not relying on third party reports4) Emotionally resilience – to accept criticisms and short term priority

changes5) Top-notch technical skills – to advise on workarounds, limitations

and opportunities

LNA IN VUCA WORKPLACELNA in VUCA environment will inform priorities of learning solutions and modes of L&D professionals to slip into.

The main LNA tool is by asking questions. Quality LNA depends on: how questions are framed to get information that matters for further L&D

actions How information is processed and synthesised to form a diagnostic

assessment in regards to organisational level of capability How information may raise VUCA signs: secrecy, thriving rumours,

constant changes of priorities, unclear instructions, requests for information unresponded etc – not just types of VUCA but degree and scale of VUCA signs

WHY LNA IS CRUCIAL?Pre-requisite to quality learning and development interventions

or solutionSingle most important diagnostic check to identify what learning

is required by whom, at what stage and level, why and when.Provides ‘relevance’ in learning and development interventions. Incorrect and inaccurate LNA will automatically reduce value of

learning interventions Important as ‘stress’ reducer/eliminator in organisations going

through changeAccelerator in performance and capability

AN EXAMPLE OF LOW VALUE L&D SOLUTIONS

L&D interventions/solutions done by:Selecting one learning model e.g. 70:20:10 without thinking about

what learning applications are most suitable? 70:20:10/40:20:20/33:33:33 or Training Within Industry methodology

Selecting off-the shelves catalogue L&D courses Asking managers and staff open ended questions: what do you need

to learn? What do your staff members need to learn?No analysis or little analysis of relevance and linking L&D solutions

to organisational needsScoping of L&D which is predominantly reactive

LNA AT STRATEGIC LEVEL – WHICH KEY AREAS TO INVEST? WHICH PEOPLE TO LEAD?

LNA is about ‘diagnosing’ or ‘checking’ what needs to be learnt, unlearnt or reinforced learning, by whom, how and when.

LNA at strategic level is about ‘diagnosing’ baseline organisational capability what key areas

e.g. Organisation is implementing digital by default policy. Demographic workforce, through assessments, show low digital capability but which areas must first be focused on.

This is strategic because it impacts the whole workforce. e.g. Organisation is undergoing merger with another organisation and both

have two distinct working culture. Organisational working culture or practice is strategic because it involves the whole organisational workforce.

LNA AT TACTICAL LEVEL – WHICH SUB-AREAS/SEGMENTS TO INVEST? WHICH

PEOPLE TO LEAD?At tactical level, LNA is about diagnosing organisational

capability in planning to meet the strategic learning needs.Do we know how to plan for learning interventions/solutions

that will meet the strategic learning needs?How do we breakdown these learning needs?If we don’t know how to do this, can we develop our existing

talents to do this job?If we want to bring external talents in, what learning needs

they need to do this job well?

LNA AT DELIVERY LEVEL – WHICH LEARNING MODELS, MODALITIES AND BLENDED

LEARNINGLNA at delivery level is about diagnosing or checking organisational capability to choose which learning models, modalities and how best to blend different learning contents and modalities following the results of LNA at tactical level.e.g. Digital Skills (Strategic learning needs)Using various digital tools, apps and platformsCommunication skills: writing and verbal Influencing skills: presentation and negotiation skillsManaging learning management systems (LMS): knowledge in

different LMS, digital learning modalities, firewall and other structural constraints, intellectual property of contents and software.

SUMMARYWhat L&D solutions are best for what circumstances, why

and how.In VUCA workplace, traditional L&D ways of capturing

learning needs by asking managers and staff ‘what do you need to learn’ will only lead to low value L&D solutions.

In VUCA situations, L&D roles as leader, explorer, ‘fix-it’ and maintenance persons will be interchangeable

Thus the ability to familiarise with VUCA signs and situations through relevant LNA will be the first pre-requisite for value based learning solutions.