Enlisting business heads as co-owners of L&D drives improves RoI

Digital literacy of the current generation

Regarding Sanan’s take on the digital skill levels of youngsters entering the job market or those recently employed, Sanan was emphatic about Gen Z’s superior digital skills vis-a-vis millennials and those higher up the organization structure. So, at SG Analytics, this unique generational skill is tapped, for the good of the entire organization. New digital products are first used, assessed and analyzed by the Gen Zers before being recommended for wider pan-organizational adoption!

For more on the digital literacy of Gen Z vs. Millennials, watch HERE

Motivating SG Analytics’ high number of Gen Zers on their L&D journeys

Ms Sharma and Sanan then went on to discuss the challenges of designing L&D programs for groups that had very diverse needs. For instance, not only is Gen Z digitally very literate, their approach to learning varies tremendously from those just a few years older. Sanan recounted the need to always factor in these critical differences while designing training sessions. Those part of Gen Z preferred entirely online training sessions while millennials liked a more hybrid VILT (virtual instructor-led training) approach.

Ensuring participation and genuine learning through purely online training sessions required pre-training assessments, post-learning assessments as well as the submission of a project. Sanan shared that this, along with certification, ensured wider participation from the Gen Z cohort within SG Analytics.

Other differences included the need to break up long skilling sessions into multiple byte-sized training modules for Gen Z to even participate; while millennials or those older, preferred instructor-led learning either online or on site.

For tips on keeping Gen Z motivated on their learning journey, watch HERE.

Initiatives to overcome challenges in learning

Sanan went on to respond to Neeti’s interest in what challenges he faced while training those with 8-10 years’ experience. With SGA being an organization that invests a lot in digital learning, they use the hybrid online model for this older cohort. This involves blended learning - a combination of self-paced programs delivered through VI-LT sessions.

Another issue covered was on how to improve genuine participation - particularly in the case of online training. Sanan’s brilliant solution ought to be adopted industry-wide! He has managed to improve participation levels by adding an element of FOMO to all L&D messaging! By launching each training program with ONLY limited seats and for a short time period, FOMO has driven up participation percentages across the board!

For tips on ensuring higher participation for L&D initiative watch HERE.

Challenges in digital learning

The conversation then moved to the digital skill sets that job-seekers from Tier 1, 2 or 3 cities come with. Were they lacking? Was there a way to scale up training for those lacking? This back-and-forth led to some interesting insights. Sanan felt that with the pressure to ‘somehow land the job, at any cost’ youngsters were getting over-qualified or acquiring skills/certifications that probably were not required for a job. He felt the herd mentality, or not wanting to miss out, led to wasteful learning - particularly since organizations like SG Analytics hired people for particular roles, for which SGA trained the new recruits.

He also described SGA’s employee education policy. Rather than being an open-ended employee-driven wishlist, if employees wanted to pursue a particular program, they’d need to get a buy-in from their business head. If there was a genuine business imperative, the employee’s upskilling needs are taken care of. Sanon bemoaned the fact that today, everybody knows a lot of technology, and has considerable digital skills. Yet, if these aren’t used, they get forgotten.

Sanan felt that the arrival of AI has led to concerns amongst employees that they could soon become redundant, and hence their need to constantly upskill. This was regrettable considering that when companies hire, they don't look at only rich digital skills, but what a candidate’s learning ability, curiosity or agility is. Companies look for that ‘good fit’ not just in terms of skill sets, but also whether they’d fit in culturally.

Neeti underscored the importance of ingrained attributes like a natural inclination to learn continually, being confident, language/communication skills, having a genuine team spirit, etc - all requirements that companies valued as much as, if not more than, digital skills.

For more on skills ‘beyond-digital’, watch HERE

Views on personalized learning

The discussion then moved to personalized learning - the pros and cons of it; as well as the challenges of scaling personalized learning across large organizations - even while adopting AI.

Sanan’s take on this was emphatic - he clearly supports the need for personalized learning, since typically, upskilling addresses immediate or current requirements, whereas personalized learning addresses an individual’s future growth. At the moment, IDPs (individual development plans) have come into play. And this is technology-enabled. This goes further than what a typical LMS does, having evolved to the next stage - LXPs (learning experience platforms) which come with AI built into it. In this approach, the learners decide what they want to learn.

True personalized learning is possible only when organizations have evolved to the point where the culture of continuous learning is deeply embedded. Currently, within SGA, personalization is possible for role based learning (the first step), for which IDPs can be charted out - rather than providing IDPs for 1200 different employees. Additionally, SGA also has its ACE (accelerated career enhancement) program for high performers.

To Neeti’s query on whether personalized learning in SGA was organization-driven or employee-led, Sanan’s response was that it currently was company-driven, primarily related to business imperatives, but the goal was to increase employee-driven learning as people rose higher in their leadership journeys.

For more insights into personalized learning, watch HERE

Measuring the ROI of L&D interventions

Another challenge addressed was how SGA avoided the typical trap of upskilling employees on a wide variety of supposedly ‘must-have’ skills, that they eventually never land up using - leading to misused resources in employee time and training budgets. The SGA solution to this is another possible best practice other firms could adopt. Sanan highlighted how at SGA, the business heads were co-owners in any L&D initiative - so those nominated for a training session, invariably were those who were guaranteed to use those new-skills immediately. Their very enrollment had to be cleared by their business head or CXO. This, in turn placed the onus on the RoI on L&D on business heads too, rather than solely on L&D heads.

On the hot topic of RoI, Sanan also shared his formula for measuring this key metrics - one that has proved quite accurate within SGA.

Discover an interesting formula for calculating RoI on L&D, HERE

The conversation wound up on a topic beyond digital skills - about how the current education system had failed youngsters by producing a workforce that had the right ‘grades’ yet not the capability to think, truly understand concepts, innovate and adapt. This of course required an overhaul of the school curriculum, teaching methodology and a lot, lot more, before students passed out of school with the right, industry-ready aptitude to excel and grow.

Watch the whole interview HERE..

Algorithmic bias:

AI algorithms can perpetuate existing biases if not carefully designed and monitored.

Trainer-AI collaboration:

AI should complement, not replace, the role of trainers. Trainers remain essential for providing human connection, motivation, and guidance. By addressing these challenges thoughtfully, we can ensure that AI-powered personalized learning paths fulfill their true potential: democratizing access to knowledge, fostering a love for learning, and empowering individuals to reach their full potential.

Adaptive learning platforms:

like ProLearn adapt to employee performance in real-time, adjusting the difficulty and content accordingly.

Intelligent coaching systems:

like ExecuGuide provide personalized feedback and guidance as employees work through challenges.

AI-powered recommendation engines:

like CareerSync suggest relevant online courses and learning materials based on individual interests and career goals.
These are just a glimpse into the vast potential of AI for personalized learning. As technology continues to evolve, we can expect even more sophisticated and nuanced approaches to emerge.