Learning in the Workflow: Quicksilver

The success of organizations operating in a dynamic and rapidly changing economy is often linked to its ability to react quickly and build employee capacity. Many organizations are discovering that transitioning from traditional training approaches to “Workflow Learning” is improving their training outcomes. So, can learning in the workflow make training more nimble and improve the quality of training?

On today’s video episode of Quicksilver: A Behind the Scenes Look at The eLearning Alchemist Podcast, co-hosts Clint Clarkson and Daniel Litwin discuss Workflow Learning and why it has become a crucial component of successful learning strategies.

The term Workflow Learning was coined by one of the most respected individuals in the corporate learning field, Bob Mosher. Bob has spent his career working with organizations to create learning solutions that are more flexible and in-tune with how businesses are run.

“Ultimately, our charge as learning professionals is to impact work, impact performance.” Bob said in an earlier interview. “I think all of us know that the most powerful and meaningful learning in our lives has occurred in the process of ‘doing.’”

According to a Training Industry Report, American companies spent $83 billion on corporate training in 2019, while numerous studies suggest that much of what is taught is quickly forgotten. So, while organizations are spending billions on training, they aren’t necessarily getting the results they desire.

Bob says that: “Rule number one: If they can’t get to it, they will not consume it. Period. And it has to be very innately and intuitively in the workflow—I don’t have to walk across the building; I don’t have to wait for a coach to answer my calls. Those are not accessible.”

Learning in the workflow is a different approach to the ongoing challenge of rapidly upskilling employees to adapt to customer and market needs; however, most L&D teams aren’t yet equipped with the skillset to bring workflow learning to life. Business leaders should look to their L&D team to build their ability to develop workflow learning if they want learning to lead to business results.