How companies are rethinking their approach to learning technology

• 3 min read

Each year, the Brandon Hall Research Group publishes its findings from a survey of organizations that use LMS. This year, the group compiled data from previous studies and provided four critical calls to action for LMS-fueled companies that want to rethink their approach to learning technology.

The report paints a clear picture of rising dissatisfaction with the way LMS operate. In short, the legacy systems have not managed to stay up to date with changing technology, so learners are left in the dust.

The report outlines four critical calls to action that can help organizations rethink their approach to learning technologies:

1. Use technology to support the learning strategy, not dictate it

Too often, organizations build out a learning strategy but once the LMS is in place, the features and functionality dictate the way the strategy is executed. Companies walk into the LMS relationship with high hopes that they’ll be able to stick to the plan, but they’re constrained by the limitations of the LMS. The influence of technology is even stronger for the 43% of companies that don’t have a formal learning strategy to guide them.

We recently pointed out the fact that 38 percent of organizations that use LMS are actively looking to replace their LMS, and only one-third of companies plan to renew with their current LMS provider.

It’s true that old habits die hard: Although companies want to keep with LMS trends and focus their energy on the social and informal parts of the 70:20:10 learning experience, most LMS tend to focus on the 10 percent of learning that’s formal, since that’s what the systems have traditionally designed to support.

2. Solve today’s challenges, but plan for the future

Too often, organizations are drawn to a particular tool designed to address a set of specific and immediate challenges, causing a lack of foresight into the organization’s future needs, which in turn, leads to a whole new set of challenges that will need to be addressed. LMS solutions received the survey’s poorest satisfaction ratings in their ability to meet future needs, scoring an average of 2.57 on a 5-point scale.

The number one reason cited for ditching an LMS? That the company’s learning needs have changed. The fact that an LMS can’t adapt to meet a company’s changing learning needs is a warning sign that buyer’s remorse may rear its ugly head.

3. Leverage technology for a truly blended learning experience

Even though the 70:20:10 concept has been around for years, organizations are just now beginning to apply it to their eLearning strategies. That’s where strong tech-based tools can help: By enabling companies to focus on the majority of training that’s not formal classroom or web-based training.

Instead of finding creative ways to incorporate the strengths of informal and social learning, companies provide a combination of classroom and web-based training and call it blended. Not so, says the Brandon Hall Group.

In fact, a truly blended approach involves multiple modalities to meet the various needs of a diverse learning audience.

With technology available today, organizations can provide valuable formal training but expand and enhance that experience with collaboration, mobility and context.

By embracing a blended environment, the organization can build a foundation for changing learning from a disconnected event to part of people’s everyday work.

4. Realize the potential in mobile, collaborative learning and cloud technologies

Even in the simplest use, mobile devices give learners the opportunity to interact with learning when, where and for as long as they want. Studies have shown that people learn more and are more engaged and retain knowledge longer when they’re able to collaborate.

Social and collaborative tools within learning technologies allow companies to promote and leverage the 20% of the 70:20:10 model and make collaborative learning easier, more effective and more impactful.

As for the cloud, companies that are using a cloud or SaaS model for their LMS have higher satisfaction scores than those with installed solutions in every single category Brandon Hall Group measured.

Download the complete report to get more ideas for how your organization can embrace the changing LMS landscape.