Unlock the future of group learning: 3 myths dispelled
In an age of constant change and transformation, learning has never been more important. Learning and development teams have been tasked with the important job of supporting the growth of valuable employees while building the enterprise capabilities needed to succeed in the future of work.
The problem is, teams are often under-resourced and traditional approaches to delivering learning are not able to support the scale or speed required in today’s hybrid work environment. But with a fresh perspective, organisations can unlock the possibility of delivering meaningful group learning, at scale.
To support L&D teams on this mission, we’d like to dispel a few common misconceptions about group learning.
Myth 1: Group learning can only be done well in person.
Fact: Group learning can be done well virtually, too. In fact, some would argue it’s better!
There’s no doubt in our minds that meeting with a group in person, with an engaging expert or facilitator, can be powerful. Unfortunately, it does not scale. Organisations are forced to choose between delivering this high-cost learning to a privileged few or choosing a slower and less effective, but scalable, alternative. Despite this, the latest LinkedIn 2022 Workplace Learning Report shows an increase in in-person training greater than any other L&D programs, likely indicating that organisations believe group learning must be done in person.
David Rock and Katherine Milan of the Neuroleadership Institute disagree. In a recent article for Fast Company, they say, “virtual learning may be a key to helping companies adapt faster to our rapidly changing times.” They argue that virtual learning has more opportunity to reach a larger portion of the organisation more often, which can enact true culture change, concluding, “When it comes to real and sustained behavioural change, virtual learning, done well, beats in-person learning hands down.”
Similarly, another misnomer we hear is that virtual group learning struggles to engage participants. And while this can be true, there are different ways to facilitate virtual sessions that are more engaging and on-demand. We are seeing a growing number of platforms providing solutions to this challenge, including our own Makeshapes platform.
Myth 2: Group learning needs an expert facilitator in the room.
Fact: Group learning with an expert facilitator is not scalable. Real growth and capability change in an organisation requires group learning to be delivered quickly and flexibly.
The general consensus is that employees need to have a trained facilitator in the room in order to have a productive and safe learning experience. While this may be true for some highly technical or sensitive categories of learning, there is a growing trend to move away from this slow and logistically challenging approach because it limits scale. We are seeing more organisations seeking to empower leaders to be involved in delivering learning to their teams
The Neuroleadership Institute coined what’s called the “everyone-to-everyone” model.
“In this model, the entire organisation goes through the same learning experience at the same time. Simply put, you’re able to shift from a model of teaching a few people a lot slowly to teaching a lot of people a little bit very quickly. And at an organisational level, this ends up being far more effective.”
This new mindset frees up the need for a top-down, train-the-trainer approach, where it takes months, if not years, to upskill and grow the organisation in a single capability. The everyone-to-everyone model is really about finding ways to build opportunities and community for people to learn with, and from, each other.
Myth 3: Group learning is a massive time suck.
Fact: Group learning done in small, bite-size chunks is more efficient (and engaging).
Well, yes, group learning is often viewed as a time suck for organisations. Usually, group-based, in-person training takes place over an entire day or two, which is extremely difficult for an organisation to coordinate—and even a half-day workshop can hurt productivity! Consider employees that need to fly or commute in. When you factor in travel time, and in many cases accommodation, it amounts to a huge cost.
Just imagine for a moment organising a 3-hour capability workshop to all 10,000 employees once a month, let alone once a quarter. What a logistical nightmare. However, multiple 30-minute sessions that are accessible from anywhere is a much easier prospect, and offering virtual or hybrid sessions reduces the need for people to commute.
It’s not only more likely the employees will be able to join, they will absorb the information better and be more engaged. Hua Zheng, Ph.D., a digital learning researcher, wrote about the benefits of short, interactive lectures in tertiary education. “Research suggests that shorter tutorials promote learning engagement, whereas learning activities that use longer videos result in significantly decreased engagement.”
We believe shortening and spacing out the learning enables participants to consume smaller chunks and reduces the forgetting curve. And when running sessions concurrently, the speed of capability uplift is faster than traditional, in-person delivery. With a reimagined framework for group learning, the time it takes to enact real, lasting organisational growth can be shortened by years.
The need for learning is not going anywhere, in fact with the increasing rate of change, learning will only become more central to organisational success. And as the way we work shifts, so too should our solutions. In order to achieve the speed, scale, and flexibility demanded by the new world of work, organisations must embrace a fresh perspective on group learning. Makeshapes is excited to reimagine group learning, but more importantly, the possibilities that are created when we unleash the power of learning with and from each other, at scale.
Not sure where to start? Read here about how to ensure positive outcomes in your virtual group experiences or contact us to learn more.
challenge
solution
Unlock the future of group learning: 3 myths dispelled
In an age of constant change and transformation, learning has never been more important. Learning and development teams have been tasked with the important job of supporting the growth of valuable employees while building the enterprise capabilities needed to succeed in the future of work.
The problem is, teams are often under-resourced and traditional approaches to delivering learning are not able to support the scale or speed required in today’s hybrid work environment. But with a fresh perspective, organisations can unlock the possibility of delivering meaningful group learning, at scale.
To support L&D teams on this mission, we’d like to dispel a few common misconceptions about group learning.
Myth 1: Group learning can only be done well in person.
Fact: Group learning can be done well virtually, too. In fact, some would argue it’s better!
There’s no doubt in our minds that meeting with a group in person, with an engaging expert or facilitator, can be powerful. Unfortunately, it does not scale. Organisations are forced to choose between delivering this high-cost learning to a privileged few or choosing a slower and less effective, but scalable, alternative. Despite this, the latest LinkedIn 2022 Workplace Learning Report shows an increase in in-person training greater than any other L&D programs, likely indicating that organisations believe group learning must be done in person.
David Rock and Katherine Milan of the Neuroleadership Institute disagree. In a recent article for Fast Company, they say, “virtual learning may be a key to helping companies adapt faster to our rapidly changing times.” They argue that virtual learning has more opportunity to reach a larger portion of the organisation more often, which can enact true culture change, concluding, “When it comes to real and sustained behavioural change, virtual learning, done well, beats in-person learning hands down.”
Similarly, another misnomer we hear is that virtual group learning struggles to engage participants. And while this can be true, there are different ways to facilitate virtual sessions that are more engaging and on-demand. We are seeing a growing number of platforms providing solutions to this challenge, including our own Makeshapes platform.
Myth 2: Group learning needs an expert facilitator in the room.
Fact: Group learning with an expert facilitator is not scalable. Real growth and capability change in an organisation requires group learning to be delivered quickly and flexibly.
The general consensus is that employees need to have a trained facilitator in the room in order to have a productive and safe learning experience. While this may be true for some highly technical or sensitive categories of learning, there is a growing trend to move away from this slow and logistically challenging approach because it limits scale. We are seeing more organisations seeking to empower leaders to be involved in delivering learning to their teams
The Neuroleadership Institute coined what’s called the “everyone-to-everyone” model.
“In this model, the entire organisation goes through the same learning experience at the same time. Simply put, you’re able to shift from a model of teaching a few people a lot slowly to teaching a lot of people a little bit very quickly. And at an organisational level, this ends up being far more effective.”
This new mindset frees up the need for a top-down, train-the-trainer approach, where it takes months, if not years, to upskill and grow the organisation in a single capability. The everyone-to-everyone model is really about finding ways to build opportunities and community for people to learn with, and from, each other.
Myth 3: Group learning is a massive time suck.
Fact: Group learning done in small, bite-size chunks is more efficient (and engaging).
Well, yes, group learning is often viewed as a time suck for organisations. Usually, group-based, in-person training takes place over an entire day or two, which is extremely difficult for an organisation to coordinate—and even a half-day workshop can hurt productivity! Consider employees that need to fly or commute in. When you factor in travel time, and in many cases accommodation, it amounts to a huge cost.
Just imagine for a moment organising a 3-hour capability workshop to all 10,000 employees once a month, let alone once a quarter. What a logistical nightmare. However, multiple 30-minute sessions that are accessible from anywhere is a much easier prospect, and offering virtual or hybrid sessions reduces the need for people to commute.
It’s not only more likely the employees will be able to join, they will absorb the information better and be more engaged. Hua Zheng, Ph.D., a digital learning researcher, wrote about the benefits of short, interactive lectures in tertiary education. “Research suggests that shorter tutorials promote learning engagement, whereas learning activities that use longer videos result in significantly decreased engagement.”
We believe shortening and spacing out the learning enables participants to consume smaller chunks and reduces the forgetting curve. And when running sessions concurrently, the speed of capability uplift is faster than traditional, in-person delivery. With a reimagined framework for group learning, the time it takes to enact real, lasting organisational growth can be shortened by years.
The need for learning is not going anywhere, in fact with the increasing rate of change, learning will only become more central to organisational success. And as the way we work shifts, so too should our solutions. In order to achieve the speed, scale, and flexibility demanded by the new world of work, organisations must embrace a fresh perspective on group learning. Makeshapes is excited to reimagine group learning, but more importantly, the possibilities that are created when we unleash the power of learning with and from each other, at scale.
Not sure where to start? Read here about how to ensure positive outcomes in your virtual group experiences or contact us to learn more.
challenge
solution
Unlock the future of group learning: 3 myths dispelled
In an age of constant change and transformation, learning has never been more important. Learning and development teams have been tasked with the important job of supporting the growth of valuable employees while building the enterprise capabilities needed to succeed in the future of work.
The problem is, teams are often under-resourced and traditional approaches to delivering learning are not able to support the scale or speed required in today’s hybrid work environment. But with a fresh perspective, organisations can unlock the possibility of delivering meaningful group learning, at scale.
To support L&D teams on this mission, we’d like to dispel a few common misconceptions about group learning.
Myth 1: Group learning can only be done well in person.
Fact: Group learning can be done well virtually, too. In fact, some would argue it’s better!
There’s no doubt in our minds that meeting with a group in person, with an engaging expert or facilitator, can be powerful. Unfortunately, it does not scale. Organisations are forced to choose between delivering this high-cost learning to a privileged few or choosing a slower and less effective, but scalable, alternative. Despite this, the latest LinkedIn 2022 Workplace Learning Report shows an increase in in-person training greater than any other L&D programs, likely indicating that organisations believe group learning must be done in person.
David Rock and Katherine Milan of the Neuroleadership Institute disagree. In a recent article for Fast Company, they say, “virtual learning may be a key to helping companies adapt faster to our rapidly changing times.” They argue that virtual learning has more opportunity to reach a larger portion of the organisation more often, which can enact true culture change, concluding, “When it comes to real and sustained behavioural change, virtual learning, done well, beats in-person learning hands down.”
Similarly, another misnomer we hear is that virtual group learning struggles to engage participants. And while this can be true, there are different ways to facilitate virtual sessions that are more engaging and on-demand. We are seeing a growing number of platforms providing solutions to this challenge, including our own Makeshapes platform.
Myth 2: Group learning needs an expert facilitator in the room.
Fact: Group learning with an expert facilitator is not scalable. Real growth and capability change in an organisation requires group learning to be delivered quickly and flexibly.
The general consensus is that employees need to have a trained facilitator in the room in order to have a productive and safe learning experience. While this may be true for some highly technical or sensitive categories of learning, there is a growing trend to move away from this slow and logistically challenging approach because it limits scale. We are seeing more organisations seeking to empower leaders to be involved in delivering learning to their teams
The Neuroleadership Institute coined what’s called the “everyone-to-everyone” model.
“In this model, the entire organisation goes through the same learning experience at the same time. Simply put, you’re able to shift from a model of teaching a few people a lot slowly to teaching a lot of people a little bit very quickly. And at an organisational level, this ends up being far more effective.”
This new mindset frees up the need for a top-down, train-the-trainer approach, where it takes months, if not years, to upskill and grow the organisation in a single capability. The everyone-to-everyone model is really about finding ways to build opportunities and community for people to learn with, and from, each other.
Myth 3: Group learning is a massive time suck.
Fact: Group learning done in small, bite-size chunks is more efficient (and engaging).
Well, yes, group learning is often viewed as a time suck for organisations. Usually, group-based, in-person training takes place over an entire day or two, which is extremely difficult for an organisation to coordinate—and even a half-day workshop can hurt productivity! Consider employees that need to fly or commute in. When you factor in travel time, and in many cases accommodation, it amounts to a huge cost.
Just imagine for a moment organising a 3-hour capability workshop to all 10,000 employees once a month, let alone once a quarter. What a logistical nightmare. However, multiple 30-minute sessions that are accessible from anywhere is a much easier prospect, and offering virtual or hybrid sessions reduces the need for people to commute.
It’s not only more likely the employees will be able to join, they will absorb the information better and be more engaged. Hua Zheng, Ph.D., a digital learning researcher, wrote about the benefits of short, interactive lectures in tertiary education. “Research suggests that shorter tutorials promote learning engagement, whereas learning activities that use longer videos result in significantly decreased engagement.”
We believe shortening and spacing out the learning enables participants to consume smaller chunks and reduces the forgetting curve. And when running sessions concurrently, the speed of capability uplift is faster than traditional, in-person delivery. With a reimagined framework for group learning, the time it takes to enact real, lasting organisational growth can be shortened by years.
The need for learning is not going anywhere, in fact with the increasing rate of change, learning will only become more central to organisational success. And as the way we work shifts, so too should our solutions. In order to achieve the speed, scale, and flexibility demanded by the new world of work, organisations must embrace a fresh perspective on group learning. Makeshapes is excited to reimagine group learning, but more importantly, the possibilities that are created when we unleash the power of learning with and from each other, at scale.
Not sure where to start? Read here about how to ensure positive outcomes in your virtual group experiences or contact us to learn more.
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