In this episode, Paul Matthews explains how a workflow approach to people development can link learning to the work itself and make a demonstrable difference to the way the work is done. KEY TAKEAWAYS Learning workflow is not the same as learning in the flow or blended learning. Learning workflow is a sequence of orchestrated activities that are designed to achieve a behavioral change. Behavioral Needs Analysis (BNA) and measurable results are essential components of the learning workflow. Start...
May 30, 2022•36 min•Ep. 94
Fully established in other fields, Product Management is finding its way into L&D. As an emerging discipline in L&D, Product Management is growing in prominence due to its focus on delivering demonstrable, meaningful results. Anne-Marie Burbidge has been applying the principles of PM to her L&D and as a successful Head of L&D has recruited for Product Managers. So what is it? How is it different? And is it better than traditional approaches at reaching desired outcomes? Find out ...
May 16, 2022•56 min•Ep. 93
Learning & Development functions need to move beyond education if they are to fulfil their potential but what does that actually mean? In this episode, Nick shares his Learning Maturity model and we discuss what this means practically for L&D, organisations and each stakeholder within it. KEY TAKEAWAYS Learning Maturity is Person-Centred Design. Audience interest is critical. You need to address the things they care about in ways that transform. Emotion plays a vital role in learning. Pe...
May 02, 2022•52 min•Ep. 92
When the role of Learning & Development - and Enablement - is linked to employees’ readiness to perform it is critical that solutions work and demonstrably prepare people to perform. Strangely, too many in Learning & Development focus too much on the ‘learning’ and not enough on the actual ability to perform. The criticality of the focus on preparation and performance led Alexis to up skilling from within by seeking an efficient way of leveraging internal expertise for the benefit of all...
Apr 18, 2022•43 min•Ep. 91
This is the last in the L&D’s Pivot to Performance series, recorded on December 15, 2021. OPWL’s Dawn Snyder and Steve Villachica join David James, Guy Wallace, Anne-Marie Burbidge, and Sebastian Tindall. In addition to responding to the questions of previous webinar participants, the panel takes on new questions about their approaches and examples of their work. KEY TAKEAWAYS Single-page businesses model canvases quickly demonstrate the impact of the problem on the business as a whole. You ...
Apr 04, 2022•59 min•Ep. 90
The aim of this series is to highlight the important shift that some L&D leaders and practitioners have made in order to more predictably and reliably affect individual and organizational performance, achieving much more as a consequence. Dr. Villachica has consulted and worked in business, government, and non-profit settings for more than 25 years. He joined the faculty of the Department of Organizational Performance and Workplace Learning in the College of Engineering at Boise State Univer...
Mar 22, 2022•57 min•Ep. 89
The aim of this series is to highlight the important shift that some L&D leaders and practitioners have made in order to more predictably and reliably affect individual and organisational performance, achieving much more as a consequence. For the fifth episode, Guy Wallace and I speak with Filip Lam, Head of L&D at Klarna about how his performance-oriented approach, coupled with smart technology, means he can move quickly and demonstrably add value whilst almost eliminating administratio...
Mar 08, 2022•55 min•Ep. 88
The aim of this series is to highlight the important shift that some L&D leaders and practitioners have made in order to more predictably and reliably affect individual and organisational performance, achieving much more as a consequence. For the fourth episode, Guy Wallace and I speak with Dawn Snyder. Dawn consults on learning and performance strategies, curriculum architecture, performance assessment, evaluation, and change management and has a proven track record of bringing practical, c...
Feb 22, 2022•56 min•Ep. 87
The aim of this series is to highlight the important shift that some L&D leaders and practitioners have made in order to more predictably and reliably affect individual and organisational performance, achieving much more as a consequence. For the third episode, Guy Wallace and I speak with Anne-Marie Burbidge, Head of Learning & Development at Utility Warehouse (a UK-based multiservice utility provider) who draws on 15 years experience of running L&D teams. Anne-Marie is keenly inter...
Feb 08, 2022•57 min•Ep. 86
The aim of this series is to highlight the important shift that some L&D leaders and practitioners have made in order to more predictably and reliably affect individual and organisational performance, achieving much more as a consequence. For the second episode, Guy Wallace and I speak with Sebastian Tindall, Head of Learning & Development at Vitality. Sebastian has also held strategic roles in Santander Bank and The Co-Operative Bank. Over recent years his work with global L&D funct...
Jan 25, 2022•57 min•Ep. 85
This is the first in the ‘L&D’s Pivot To Performance’ series, in which David James and Guy Wallace speak with Dr. Kenneth Yates about Cognitive Task Analysis (CTA). The aim of this series is to highlight the important shift that some L&D leaders and practitioners have made in order to more predictably and reliably affect individual and organisational performance, achieving much more as a consequence. KEY TAKEAWAYS L&D needs to pivot from being learning-focused to being performance-fo...
Jan 11, 2022•55 min•Ep. 84
As the last episode of 2021, we pause for reflection, summarise some of the learning from 26 episodes so far and look forward to next year. The first episode of 2022 will be released on 11th January. KEY TAKEAWAYS Digital is about working with those to overcome challenges not about the next shiny object. L&D needs to take a more rigorous approach to analysis. Results can be and should to be measurable. L&D teams that produce real measurable results grow. The rest shrink. The product mana...
Dec 14, 2021•10 min•Ep. 83
TikTok and Facebook are just two companies that consider their culture to be crucial to their success and this week’s guest, Michal Oshman, has not only worked for both but she is Head of Culture at TikTok EMEA. In this episode, we explore what culture is; why it’s important; and what Michal does at TikTok to maintain and grow theirs When culture is at the heart of a company it is everything and being intentional with care and dedication is what makes people feel they are truly part of something...
Nov 30, 2021•48 min•Ep. 82
Curation is a term that has been used in L&D for a number of years but its actual purpose often seems to be diluted down to ‘making more content’. As discussed in this episode, curation is a useful skill to have in the L&D kitbag to draw on expertise and know-how that resides elsewhere, repurposed as solutions to real problems. Thank you to Shona Hodgson for suggesting this topic. KEY TAKEAWAYS Curation in L&D is about finding content, shaping it and helping everyone to apply it to t...
Nov 16, 2021•43 min•Ep. 81
A company that looks to the future will know how to prepare for it. Strategic Foresight takes a comprehensive view of your past experiences and decisions, and brings dynamic clarity and focus to your company by creating a transformational framework for you to understand your decisions, processes, landscape, and pathways. In this episode, Frank and David explore Strategic Foresight and the work they did together at Disney. KEY TAKEAWAYS Strategic foresight is about leveraging what is emerging and...
Nov 02, 2021•53 min•Ep. 80
David & Kattie led L&D in different regions - at the same - at The Walt Disney Company and in this episode they reminisce about what it was like, some of the great opportunities they had and some of the challenges they faced. This is a candid conversation that will appease Disney fans - and L&D fans - alike. KEY TAKEAWAYS For large organisations like Disney, the approach to L&D has to be different for each business unit and its growth trajectory. Teaching someone something, chang...
Oct 18, 2021•47 min•Ep. 79
Restrictions as a result of the global pandemic have seen many L&D leaders seeking more predictable and reliable ways of affecting individual and organisational performance with digital and virtual solutions. At this time, approaches developed and advocated by Bob Mosher (and Conrad Gottfredson) have gained even more traction with high-profile examples of them making a huge difference. In this episode, Bob shares insights into L&D today and what he’s seen as the shift being made to achie...
Oct 05, 2021•40 min•Ep. 78
Whether L&D are advising others’ on their careers or we’re navigating our own, it’s useful to acknowledge how careers are changing and how societal shifts mean we need to shift our approaches to progressing our careers. In this episode, we explore current thinking and practice for post-COVID times. KEY TAKEAWAYS The COVID situation has demonstrated the importance of being ready for change and challenges. Everyone needs to become a continuous learner and embrace the growth mindset, so they ca...
Sep 20, 2021•40 min•Ep. 77
Cognitive Task Analysis gets to the decision-making behind performance so that what is done by Subject Matter Experts can be accurately shared and then replicated. In this episode, Dick Clark shares insights and experience into what CTA is, why it is critical to successful L&D and how to get started. KEY TAKEAWAYS CTA improves the interview strategies that designers use to discover from experts what trainees need to learn. A lot of what experts do (about 70%) is hidden because they have lear...
Sep 06, 2021•45 min•Ep. 76
Just a short message from David, to let you know that he is taking a few weeks away from podcasting to recharge. But, that he is still available on other platforms, which he shares in the podcast. Along with a request for a bit of help with inspiration from his audience. VALUABLE RESOURCES The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 ABOUT THE HOST David James David has been a People Development professional for more t...
Aug 02, 2021•2 min•Ep. 75
Jobs-to-be-Done is best defined as a perspective — a lens through which to observe markets, customers, needs, competitors, and customer segments differently, and by doing so, make innovation far more predictable and profitable. In its application to Learning & Development, it is an approach to truly understand the needs of both employees and L&D in order to develop products that make a predictable and demonstrable difference. KEY TAKEAWAYS Many organizations waste a lot of time and resou...
Jul 19, 2021•38 min•Ep. 74
The opportunity with digital L&D has always been to achieve more but when online learning has been resisted by employees and with eLearning being tarnished by poor click-next courses, it seemed the opportunity was beyond us. However, by pivoting to Agile, working closely with their clients and leading with resources Sebastian and his team at Vitality Health address almost 10x the number of projects they could before; they’ve achieved real results, and grown their team because of their succes...
Jul 05, 2021•48 min•Ep. 73
The step-up into L&D leadership can often be underestimated because it’s hard to understand unless you’re doing it. Too often L&D professionals bemoan the absence of the conditions for change but this is where leadership comes in. In this episode, we discuss what it means to become a leader of an L&D function, what the new expectations are, what a leader needs to do, and how to bring people with them. KEY TAKEAWAYS Successful L&D teaches people the skills they need to solve probl...
Jun 21, 2021•47 min•Ep. 72
Stepping up to L&D Manager can be both exciting and daunting but we can all learn from those who’ve done it already. In this episode, Jack describes his role, his assimilation, and his development, alongside the expectations and experiences that have helped him establish himself at this new level. KEY TAKEAWAYS Becoming a manager is a huge change. You actually are changing your career when you take on a management role. Don´t spend too much time continuing to do the work you did and were goo...
Jun 07, 2021•41 min•Ep. 71
Starting your career in L&D can be exciting and daunting. Where do you start? Which skills are important? What pitfalls must you avoid? Especially in these times when the whole profession has shifted and digital approaches are transforming the practice. In this episode, Lexie Hockaday (Junior L&D Product Manager) explores her own journey and development, alongside her line manager, Anne-Marie Burbidge (Head of Learning & Development). KEY TAKEAWAYS There are many ways into L&D. N...
May 24, 2021•56 min•Ep. 70
Is a Learning Culture essential if an organisation is to realise the potential of its people or is it, perhaps, a false nirvana? In this episode, it is explored when and how it becomes possible to develop a Learning Culture, we bust some myths around it and seek to empower L&D to begin it’s progression right now rather than wait for the perfect conditions - because those will never arrive. KEY TAKEAWAYS A learning culture has tended to mean that companies believe their learning departments o...
May 10, 2021•42 min•Ep. 69
Sukh Pabial recently conducted some research to understand the impact of COVID-19 - and subsequent restrictions - on L&D. In this episode, the results of this research are shared and explored in order to help understand where we are now and where we, as a profession, should prepare to go. KEY TAKEAWAYS The furlough scheme saw to it that many jobs were saved, but for those in L&D, if robust remote learning methods were not implemented, then a huge proportion of workforces could not be dev...
Apr 26, 2021•48 min•Ep. 68
Design Thinking is an emerging trend in Learning & Development but one that can easily be misunderstood or misappropriated - but it can also be incredibly powerful. In this episode we dive deep into what it is, how it can help L&D and how to use it. KEY TAKEAWAYS Approaching problems from the perspective of the user, and being informed by data, is a way to solve real business problems. Design is not one single thing, but a collection of choices that come together to create a better exper...
Apr 12, 2021•43 min•Ep. 67
The digital skills gap within L&D has been called out as one of only 4 areas that could be critically holding back organisations and unless we recognise this and develop ourselves then we’ll continue to be part of the problem rather than those at the forefront of addressing it. In this episode, we discuss the difference between what L&D perceive to be digital and the opportunity that it actually presents. KEY TAKEAWAYS Having the right mind-set is a prerequisite of success. You can't suc...
Mar 29, 2021•46 min•Ep. 66
As podcasting grows, in terms of listeners and the number of podcasts available, the opportunity for internal use in organisations is also growing. This has been an area that many in L&D have been experimenting with as a new channel and another modern way of sharing messages and insights. In this episode we explore examples of what’s working well in some organisations and tips for getting going with podcasting. KEY TAKEAWAYS Podcasting is one of the fastest-growing areas of content developme...
Mar 16, 2021•45 min•Ep. 65
