Looking
at 2014 : L and D what next?
I have been constantly asked : What perspective 2014
offer for L and D ...One of my response has been dealing with ambiguity/ arming
oneself with the adaptability to learn things anew..This reminds me
of the book that I had read Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder by Nassim Nicholas Taleb .. talking about the VUCA world..V is about Volatility,
U is for uncertainty , C is for Complexity and A is for Ambiguity.
VUCA is an acronym :
used to describe or reflect on the volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity of general conditions and situations. The common usage of the term VUCA began in the late 1990s and derives from military vocabulary and has been subsequently used in emerging ideas in strategic leadership that serves to enhance the strategic significance of VUCA foresight and insight as well as the behaviour of groups and individuals in organizations.
The deeper meaning of each element of VUCA serves to enhance the
strategic significance of VUCA foresight and insight as well as the behaviour of groups and individuals in organizations
·
V = Volatility. The
nature and dynamics of change, and the nature and speed of change forces and
change catalysts.
·
U = Uncertainty. The
lack of predictability, the prospects for surprise, and the sense of awareness and understanding of issues and
events.
·
C = Complexity. The
multiplex of forces, the confounding of issues and the chaos and confusion that
surround an organization.
·
A = Ambiguity. The
haziness of reality, the potential for misreads, and the mixed meanings of
conditions; cause-and-effect confusion.
These elements present the context in which organizations view
their current and future state. They present boundaries for planning and policy management. They come together in ways that
either confound decisions or sharpen the capacity to look ahead, plan ahead and
move ahead. VUCA sets the stage for managing and leading.
The particular meaning and relevance of VUCA often relates to how
people view the conditions under which they make decisions, plan forward,
manage risks, foster change and solve problems. In general, the premises of
VUCA tend to shape an organization's capacity to:
1.
Anticipate the Issues
that Shape Conditions
2.
Understand the
Consequences of Issues and Actions
3.
Appreciate the
Interdependence of Variables
4.
Prepare for Alternative
Realities and Challenges
5.
Interpret and Address
Relevant Opportunities
For most contemporary organizations – business, the military,
education, government and others – VUCA is a practical code for awareness and
readiness. Beyond the simple acronym is a body of knowledge that deals with
learning models for VUCA preparedness, anticipation, evolution and
intervention. [source http://en.wikipedia.org/ ]
It’s
become a trendy managerial acronym: VUCA, short for volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity, and a catchall for “Hey,
it’s crazy out there!” It’s also misleading: VUCA conflates four distinct types
of challenges that demand four distinct types of responses. That makes it
difficult to know how to approach a challenging situation and easy to use VUCA
as a crutch, a way to throw off the hard work of strategy and planning—after
all, you can’t prepare for a VUCA world, right?
Actually,
you can. Here is a guide to identifying, getting ready for, and responding to
events in each of the four VUCA categories.[source HBR ]
By all accounts, the chaotic “new normal” in business is
real.
To survive in this NEW order , organizations need to
look at engaging their talent differently.
DDI for that matter refers to this as 6 levers of
preparedness viz :
- ·
Business agility
- ·
Strategic workforce planning
- ·
The pursuit of readiness
- ·
Gathering and using data
- ·
The learning organization
- ·
Talent management sustainability
Business agility and Talent of the organization are a
crucial link to establish the expected outcome of the common vision. A robust
strategy and a plan of action is needed
to drive the talent planning in order to meet the business and organizational
requirements. And when we talk of building in a robust strategically crucial workforce plan, the road map must be
agile and dynamic enough to create opportunities and for the levels for the new
leaders to fill in, for new talent to grow.This has to be based on proper
assessment and evaluation of the talent. A framework based on the proper talent
audit, scientifically mapped talent need and properly assessing the current
talent would be a great tool to predict futuristic needs.
This would also be a
favourable tool to plan and roll out developmental maps for the current talent
as well as prepare them for the next higher roles with enriched profiles. To
strategize, plan out, and roll in the initiatives for development calls in for
objective measurement and assessment which give an accurate picture of the
situation in terms of business alignment and talent mapping.
In this current environment of constant business change
and shifting focus, it is pertinent for the talent in organizations to be able
to able to lead change, driving innovation and bridge across different
functionalities in the organization as well. Alignment of various departments,
levels, across different processes give more direction to the business.
Sustainable processes and initiative only work effectively.
The approach /model to learning would emphasise more on
the 70:20:10 framework. As it is rightly believed that maximum learning happens
on the job when one does it to experience and learning is very powerful.70-80%
of the learning happens while completing the task and 10-20% learning happens
in a formal environment. It is a fact now and an increasing awareness that most learning
happens through our experiences including practice in the workplace.
This is framework
is an integrated approach where it encompasses experiential learning, social
learning and formal learning i.e, it is Experience, Exposure
and Education.
Framework
|
Direction
|
Elements
|
Experience
|
70%
|
On
the job, projects, a assignments, stretched assignments
|
Exposure
|
20%
|
Mentoring,
reverse mentoring, coaching, action learning
|
Education
|
10%
|
Structured
programs, classroom training
|
Major challenges for effective implementation would be :
- ·
Customization of the approach for each
individual employee
- ·
Driving the initiatives
- ·
Measuring the changes
- ·
Create a shared understanding for supporting
the learning environment
This new approach is an integrated approach as it builds in the learning environment by linking it to both work and mind spaces.