Design Thinking for Innovation Assignment

Learning Launch Tool

Challenge

A medium sized organization that has been in existence since the last 9 years. The  organization’s learning and development (L&D) program was the least to say cliché with only  classroom training provided. The basic notion in the organization was that the L&D function  is not very impactful, and trainees attend it only because it is mandatory. The major challenge  here was to reinstate the importance of L&D in an organization, building a training module that  is relevant to business processes and leverage it to achieve organizational goals. The scope of  L&D is however currently limited to 20 employees in the organization, highly unstructured  approach being followed and a limited budget available to spend.

Selection

To resolve the above challenge, learning launch was the most appropriate tool of design  thinking as with the limited number of employees in the organization, a prototype is easy to  execute and gain insights on whether the assumption is a viable solution to the problem.  Learning from those experiences and implement solutions differently and inactively to  understand what went wrong and what could be done in a better way.

Application

First step to problem solution is developing an assumption which in this case is, L&D is not as  impactful in the organization as it should be because of traditional mode of training delivery  and content irrelevant to business needs. To identify the proving and disproving variables, a  questionnaire was rolled out to understand what was right about the assumption and what was  not. What might prove to disprove the assumption would include other factors like inadequate  budget allocation to higher best trainers, lack of management support and the lack of employee  learning mindset in the organization which would prove that our assumption is incorrect and  we must try a different approach to enhance the knowledge skills and attitude of the employees.  This survey was directed to all 20 employees and their responses recorded anonymously to  ensure honesty and confidentiality. To prove the assumption correct, poor rating was expected  in content selection, content scope, pedagogy and training not applicable to employee role from  respondents further proving training to be extremely unstructured and not well thought out.  There must also be open ended questions in the survey to understand any other concerns of  employees which was beyond the factors taken into consideration and respondents are free to  express their concerns. The original assumptions were more likely to be true and hence the next  step was moving to phase 2 of the learning launch.

In the second learning launch, a training module was designed based on employee past training  experience responses. The training included blended learning which focused not only on  classroom theoretical training but also online certifications and business simulations to help  trainees develop skills to solve real business problems with real data. Along with this, training  content was created to customized needs of a group of employees rather than all 20 employees,  making the scope narrow and more targeted. Now is the time to test the hypothesis using a  training effectiveness survey and conclude whether the results and implications of changes  adopted were true and conclusive.

Insight

The survey found that the original assumption was correct and that the once the trainings were  customized to business needs along with blended learning methods, the effectiveness of  training increased manifold. The disproving facts were not entirely false, because of poor  content design it was demotivating for employees to participate and learn through the company  training modules. It was not creative or engaging enough to build a culture of learning in the  organization. However, with a more structured approach to L&D, it was found that the  employees looked forward to trainings not as a mandate but rather an opportunity to enhance  their skills and abilities. This change in mindset was essential, however putting our assumption  in practice proved to be a driving force to bring about a change in the organizational culture.

Approach

The training needs of employees evolve. Just because the current change in training delivery  brought about a positive change in the organization, it is not necessary that it is enough to  sustain a competitive edge. The best solution to tackle this dynamic business scenario would  be to conduct regular training feedback surveys to identify gaps and build a compelling training  module to keep the workforce engaged.


Design Thinking for Innovation Assignment Learning Launch Tool Challenge A medium sized organization that has been in existence since the last 9 years . The organization ’s learning and development ( L&D ) program was the least to say cliché with only classroom training provided . The basic notion in the organization was that the L&D function is not very impactful , and trainees attend it only because it is mandatory . The major challenge here was to reinstate the importance of L&D in an organization , building a training module that is relevant to business processes and leverage it to achieve organizational goals . The scope of L&D is however currently limited to 20 employees in the organization , highly unstructured approach being followed and a limited budget available to spend . Selection To resolve the above challenge , learning launch was the most appropriate tool of design thinking as with the limited number of employees in the organization , a prototype is easy to execute and gain insights on whether the assumption is a viable solution to the problem . Learning from those experiences and implement solutions differently and inactively to understand what went wrong and what could be done in a better way . Application First step to problem solution is developing an assumption which in this case is , L&D is not as impactful in the organization as it should be because of traditional mode of training delivery and content irrelevant to business needs . To identify the proving and disproving variables , a questionnaire was rolled out to understand what was right about the assumption and what was not . What might prove to disprove the assumption would include other factors like inadequate budget allocation to higher best trainers , lack of management support and the lack of employee learning mindset in the organization which would prove that our assumption is incorrect and we must try a different approach to enhance the knowledge skills and attitude of the employees . This survey was directed to all 20 employees and their responses recorded anonymously to ensure honesty and confidentiality . To prove the assumption correct , poor rating was expected in content selection , content scope , pedagogy and training not applicable to employee role from respondents further proving training to be extremely unstructured and not well thought out . There must also be open ended questions in the survey to understand any other concerns of employees which was beyond the factors taken into consideration and respondents are free to express their concerns . The original assumptions were more likely to be true and hence the next step was moving to phase 2 of the learning launch . In the second learning launch , a training module was designed based on employee past training experience responses . The training included blended learning which focused not only on classroom theoretical training but also online certifications and business simulations to help trainees develop skills to solve real business problems with real data . Along with this , training content was created to customized needs of a group of employees rather than all 20 employees , making the scope narrow and more targeted . Now is the time to test the hypothesis using a training effectiveness survey and conclude whether the results and implications of changes adopted were true and conclusive . Insight The survey found that the original assumption was correct and that the once the trainings were customized to business needs along with blended learning methods , the effectiveness of training increased manifold . The disproving facts were not entirely false , because of poor content design it was demotivating for employees to participate and learn through the company training modules . It was not creative or engaging enough to build a culture of learning in the organization . However , with a more structured approach to L&D , it was found that the employees looked forward to trainings not as a mandate but rather an opportunity to enhance their skills and abilities . This change in mindset was essential , however putting our assumption in practice proved to be a driving force to bring about a change in the organizational culture . Approach The training needs of employees evolve . Just because the current change in training delivery brought about a positive change in the organization , it is not necessary that it is enough to sustain a competitive edge . The best solution to tackle this dynamic business scenario would be to conduct regular training feedback surveys to identify gaps and build a compelling training module to keep the workforce engaged .