The future of learning is here

21/04/2018

At our recent Brave New Ways of Working event in Singapore, we showcased three approaches to learning set to determine the future of business.The buzzword of the day at our ‘Brave New Ways of Working’ event was ‘innovation’. You hear the word a lot in the business world, but the word can sound empty when not backed up with proof of doing things differently.In our breakout sessions, we heard from three speakers who showed us how they encourage innovation in the workplace and turn talk into reality.

1. Developing an innovation mindset

Gee Snidvongs – who runs Thailand-based training company MindDojo – spends most of his time these days encouraging leaders to innovate. For this, he says, you must have an adventurous mindset and let go of the concerns that keep everything safe and unremarkable.He spoke of the ‘corporate antibodies’ – people ready to pounce on an unusual idea and kill it with excuses: “It’s too risky”, “Hasn’t got a chance”, “Out of scope”. Such thinking might keep you in business but won’t get you very far if you intend to shine.Instead, you need to fight the negativity with early interventions that will bring everybody on board. That means being clear about your objectives and staging the new initiative so there are no significant risks at the beginning.Start by empathising with your people and addressing their concerns, then get them involved. Define what you are trying to achieve and give people a forum to share their ideas and play a part. You’re then ready to roll out the prototype and test it, making adjustments as you go along.This process is much better – and ultimately more successful – than simply coming up with a new initiative and expecting everyone to follow it blindly, which only provides fertile ground for the corporate antibodies to run rampage.An iterative approach, coupled with a reasonable level of risk aversion, could well provide surprising results.

2. Personalised digital learning

Cegos has been a pioneer in the digital learning world for over 20 years and now we’re moving into the next stage in this exciting space.Our digital learning manager, Patricia Santos, introduced 4REAL – a fully personalised and customised digital platform aimed at ensuring learning is transferred to the workplace. Programmes are delivered via the Learning Hub where individual users can access courses, monitor their progress and interact with both the trainer and other learners.Importantly, algorithms allow users to tailor a programme to their needs, so they don’t have to duplicate previous learning or waste time learning skills or knowledge they already possess.The increasing sophistication of digital learning means it’s now easier than ever to tailor programmes for individuals, which will inevitably deliver better results and encourage motivation.

3. Virtual reality in the classroom

There have been impressive advances in virtual reality (VR) technology lately. While developed primarily for the gaming world, VR has now been adopted by pioneers in the learning industry to deliver a truly immersive experience.French tech company, and Cegos partner, Manzalab have recently been mixing VR with neuroscience and proven learning techniques. They demonstrated their latest kit at the event, using a special-commissioned programme from one of their clients - global banking firm BNP Paribas. The demo met with enthusiastic response from delegates, including this writer!After putting on the headset, which uses a smartphone to relay the image, you are immediately transported into a virtual office. The image responds to your movement, so you can literally walk around or scan the office in real time. The objective of this programme is to search for and identify sensitive documents or devices that would give away confidential information to a thief. You get immediate feedback within the programme, along with commentary from a virtual facilitator, giving you encouragement and berating you at the end if you leave something behind!The visual imagery is astonishingly realistic – to the extent that you have to be careful not to bump into things in the real world – and will certainly become a feature of learning programmes in the years ahead. Indeed, it will soon be possible to visit a virtual classroom and interact with others just as you would in a face-to-face environment; even if every person in the ‘room’ is miles apart.Welcome to the future!Cegos is at the cutting edge of digital learning and offers a variety of training programmes that make use of the latest technology. Get in touch to find out more.