The science of training and development is always making progress. It changes as fast as science moves, which for the last 100 years has been at an unprecedented pace, no matter which industry you are in. The industrial revolution made way for the technological revolution, and that's where we sit today, in the middle of global changes in technology that affects us all in unimaginable ways. These changes have definitely affected how we train and how we understand the nuances of learning.
Fortunately for business, in the area of training and development, the advancements have been no less amazing. Single memo emails and printed handbooks have faded into the background as the technology boom has empowered trainees with mobile devices and real time information at their fingertips. It's changed the way we train, and it's changed the way people expect to learn. College students were offered either on the ground learning or online learning, and 60% chose to learn online.
The impact on industry and results in business have been game-changers. It's interesting to take a step back and look at the science of learning and development and see what the past 10 years have brought about as far as new developments in how we learn.
Here are 10 important developments in training and development throughout the last 10 years
- Personality matters. Not everyone learns the same way. In 2012 it was discovered that personality plays an important role in learning (DeRue, Nahrgang, Hollenbeck, & Workman, 2012).
- Cognitive ability and other motivational factors likely matter, and play a role in learning as well (e.g., core self-evaluations; Stanhope, Pond, & Surface, 2013). Not everyone made straight A's in high school, so not everyone will learn at the same pace when training for a new job.
- Research suggested that self-efficacy plays a role in learning (Courtright et al., 2014). This means that a trainees confidence level should be encouraged and well in place when training.
- An individual's characteristics affect the likelihood that they will accept and use knowledge shared by a coworker.
- Mobile technology, when employed in business, (in any area) increases productivity. In a A survey of eighteen hundred workers worldwide, done by the EIU, companies that were rated as pioneers of mobile technology saw sixteen percent boost in productivity. This equates to about eight extra weeks of work per employee. The techno friendly companies also saw an increase in creativity and satisfaction.
- Gamification. A discovery reveals that companies should "employ gamified courses, especially those that focus on strategy, to drive performance in key concepts"
- The brain prioritizes rewarding experiences when recalling information. Researchers found that within 24 hours of learning, the brain filters out less rewarding experiences, and recall of more rewarding experiences improves.
- Uncertainty helps us learn. While predictable patterns can eventually become boring, having a training program that implements real life, evolving situations can help enforce learning.
- Sitting up straight helps reduce learning anxiety.
- We can learn at any age. Research has found that we produce new neurons in the brain associated with learning and memory, throughout our lives and into adult years.
For mobile workforces, the benefits of the advancements in training and development technologies have been significant. The restaurant and retail industry is all about people, and advanced technology has, in general, freed up frontline workers to spend more time with their guests, and less time on mundane, inefficient tasks. Companies that put new technologies in place may see up to 71% reduction in complaints, and a 19% increase in customer service ratings. They may also see up to a 135% increase in revenue from implementing a mobile LMS. This system captures all the science of learning and all the efficiency of technology. It can also systematize learning and ongoing professional development for you and your company. For more information, click here.
