Dumb Comes in All Shapes and Sizes
I just got off the phone with the head of HR for a big company - around 75,000 employees. He was adamant about what he wanted in regard to training design. Mostly he wanted to do it the way he had always done it. He seemed to take it as an article of faith that, if it worked in past, it will work now and it will work forever. His attitude reminded me of something I read a while ago - although I can't remember where, so I can't provide proper attribution. Anyway, here's the idea:
Your success proves that you are capable of solving problems that no longer exist.
Hello. The world has changed. People communicate differently (I have to admit, I'm still a little surprised when they swear on primetime TV); Companies are organized and managed differently (at least the best ones); What people expect (and can demand) from their employers has changed. Why in the world would a presumably intelligent person labor under the misconception that people will learn in the same way they did a couple of decades ago.
Today, you simply can't bludgeon people into learning. Well, maybe you can to some extent - but the ROI sucks. If you want people to learn - and I mean learn anything - you have to entice them, engage them and show them how what they're learning will help them get what they want. Doing anything else is just plain DUMB.
I'm done ranting - you'll now be returned to your regularly scheduled, positive and optimistic blog.
