This phrase could be one we made up ourselves: Learning in the FLOW of work. It’s a concept first introduced in 2018 by Josh Bersin, corporate HR and learning analyst, and is still relevant today for any organization who puts Learning and Development forward as one of its highest priorities.

What does learning in the FLOW of work mean?

Even though we wish we invented this term, FLOWSPARKS  perfectly fits its purpose! Learning in the FLOW of work means having short, engaging pieces of information easily accessible during work. This type of learning is proven to increase productivity and employee performance.

Here are the 3 most important takeaways for making learning in the flow of work a success.

1. Embed learning in your workflow

When there is a learning need, you want to respond to it as fast as possible. This means making sure the learning resource is easily available AND accessible with just a few clicks. This means avoiding a maze of courses and modules in your LMS. You can embed learning in the workflow with a single sign on solution, a good overview of all modules, using QR codes in the workplace or creating shortcuts.

The learning content should cover organizational specific topics. This means that users can line up new information while performing their day-to-day tasks.

Last but not least: where would learning be without recording visits, completions, results and a user history? Exactly, nowhere! By integrating all learning activities into your existing learning ecosystem your whole administration is complete and up to date.

2. Zoom in and out: harness the power of macro- and microlearning

Macro- and microlearning are like salt and pepper. Sure, you can use one without the other, but the result will be better if you add both.  By combining macro- and microlearning you can cover the wide range of learning needs within your organization.

With microlearning you offer small bits of information. This helps the person move forward when they get stuck performing in daily tasks like working with a machine or following a specific procedure. Therefore, microlearning comes in many different forms like a PDF with info, a link to a video or a short interactive e-Learning activity.

Don’t just focus on microlearning though. Zoom out and look at the bigger picture of the learning needs in your organisation. With macrolearning comes more dedicated attention and didactics. This learning principle has a beginning, middle and end. It’s used to introduce new concepts, to strengthen knowledge or to guide change, so participants are ready to deal with complex tasks after completing a learning program.

Pro tip: you can combine multiple microlearnings into one macrolearning program.

3. Optimize for mobile delivery

When presenting learning resources to participants, you need to make sure that it’s accessible on mobile devices. Specifically in today’s context where most employees have access to a (personal) smartphone or tablet. Always check your learning resources on multiple devices. Is the text easy to read on a smaller screen? Is everything visible? Are the interactive elements, like buttons and links working? If you want to save time and don’t want to worry about these technical things, choose an e-Learning authoring tool which supports responsive design. Easy as that!

It’s about more than available content during work hours

When people talk about learning in the flow of work, the focus seems to be about making resources available. Although this makes sense, don’t forget that the quality of the resources is more important that the quantity of available resources. Select strong recourses created with the right learning goals in mind.

Example: Imagine you have spent hours and hours creating several learning resources. You have gathered all the information and spoken to content experts, during development everything is going great but after the release: BOOM! All the user feedback floods in. Or, even worse, people are not completing the micro- or macrolearnings and your learning program doesn’t have the desired effect.

Avoid this situation by involving employees in creating e-Learning content from the start, company-wide. Or even better: let them develop e-Learning themselves. It saves time, content will be more accurate and people are more involved. A win-win situation!

The right tool is half the job

Now you know what learning in the FLOW of work means, you are probably wondering how your employees can start learning in the FLOW of work. Everything hinges on the right tool. If you have ever tried to cut a tomato with a blunt knife, you know that the right tool is half the job. Watch the webinar Build e-Learning with impact to find out how FLOWSPARKS you can achieve your learning goals.

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Learning in the FLOW of work with FLOWSPARKS

Since FLOWSPARKS supports the creator’s technical, graphical and didactical skills, your experts need only to focus on providing the right input into the pre-built templates. This means learning happens by colleagues for colleagues. This way digital self-paced learning is just an extension of other initiatives like on-the-job training or 1-on-1 coaching. Creating successful e-Learning has never been easier.

About FLOWSPARKS

FLOWSPARKS is a flexible learning platform with an authoring tool and an LMS (Learning Management System). The authoring tool consists of formats, templates and programs. The formats use one didactic working form to reach a certain learning goal. Moreover, everything looks graphically perfect on any device. In this way, everyone within an organization can develop e-Learning independently, quickly and easily.

Together we create FLOW: Flexible Learning in an Online World.