Business transformations including restructures, divestitures, and acquisitions are happening all the time.  These types of changes are delicate and need to be managed appropriately to minimize the impact to people, as well as the company’s brand and reputation.  But what happens when something leaks, things move too quickly, or the news gets out before you can manage it with your people?  These circumstances are rare, but we’ve seen it happen before.  A recent example of this is with WeWork, an American commercial real estate company that provides shared workspaces for companies across North America.  It is a great story of growth and innovation, but also of one that grew far too quickly.  If you’re anything like me and follow the news, you will have heard of the financial troubles they were in.  Luckily, they were able to receive a bailout from SoftBank but unfortunately for WeWork, it has also resulted in negative press.  Here are some of the recent headlines: ‘WeWork has reportedly delayed thousands of layoffs because it’s too broke to pay workers’ – Business Insiders ‘What businesses can learn from WeWork’s value decline’ – Forbes ‘ WeWork takeover includes $1.7 billion payout for former CEO ’ – CNN When you see headlines like these, how does it make you feel? Would you look to rent space from WeWork? Would you want to work there? Is Adam Neumann, WeWork co-founder, a leader you would stand by? Now think about how you would feel if you were an employee of WeWork. Probably not great.  So, what can businesses do to manage the change, prevent rumours and distrust, and get ahead of the press? Given the magnitude of this deal, both WeWork and SoftBank will certainly have a cohesive plan of action but I’ve also included my top three tips on how to navigate the press when your business is undergoing a significant change below. 1. Treat your people with respect and as adults. The worst thing to do during times of significant change is to withhold information (when it’s available). Instead, you should trust your people to let them know the truth about the events taking place and what this will mean to them.  It is critical to share this news in a timely manner, especially if it will result in negative impacts like layoffs.  Give people the time to prepare, offer them resources to help them get back onto their feet, and be sensible about the packages you will be providing so that you don’t receive any media backlash (think of Sears and the pension cuts).  Many organizations also look at opportunities to provide early retirement packages or similar agreements with employees who will voluntarily leave where possible. Unfortunately, such changes will always result in anger, resentment and sadness.  This is part of the natural cycle of change and while it cannot be avoided, there are ways to help relieve this including relying on your leadership team to support their people through the change. 2. Ensure you have a solid plan which includes communications. Communications is a critical. In these cases, it’s important for to ensure that you are providing employees with timely updates and addressing their questions and concerns as they arise. This can be done through several avenues including messages from leadership (C-Suite and People Managers), town halls where you can speak to and address the press coverage, regular Q&A’s and more.  Your leaders will be the number one source of information and you must support them by empowering them to lead the change, keeping them informed and by providing them with key messaging. It is also important to promote your media and social media policies which will speak to who can speak to media and what people should be mindful of posting on their personal social media networks. Change Management, Human Resources and Operations, will also often be at the table and it is important for all functions to work together and to develop a plan that covers all the key areas and impacts of the change. 3. Have a strong spokesperson and media relations strategy. A strong spokesperson (not the communications expert) are the individuals who are making the decisions.  They will likely be a part of the C-Suite and must be media trained.  This will ensure they are not only comfortable speaking to the press, but are also able to express empathy and show sincerity.  Once you have identified a spokesperson, I would strongly advise to begin coordinating media interviews right away.  Being proactive in these circumstances can go a long way, and demonstrate to the public and your people that you are not being deceitful.  Doing this will also prevent journalists and the media outlets from seeking information about the change from individuals who are not approved spokespeople. In these cases, you won’t have control over the messaging which can be detrimental. It’s important to point out that you must also respect the journalist, meaning you’ll have to let them do what they do best and write the story.  You won’t likely have the chance to review or edit a piece before it’s gone out. This will be scary to some, but if you have the right spokesperson, strong relationships with the press, and consistent messaging, you’ll have a greater chance in managing the media frenzy that can often erupt when there are significant business transformations like the one WeWork is experiencing. The press is an incredibly powerful tool, that can influence how your people and the public perceive your business.  Your brand reputation can make or break you and is not something that should be taken lightly.  In recent years we have even seen movements like #MeToo drive significant change within the world. Change happens fast, people are emotional, and news is available at your fingertips thanks to our mobile phones.   Don’t sit back and wait for it all to crash!   Act quickly and leverage the steps outlined above to get ahead and manage the transformation so that you don’t have to pick up all the pieces and work backwards. Do what you can to tame the media frenzy so that your business can be sustainable for the long-term and so your people can feel supported during such changes. Author Siri Maldonado Director Marketing & Communications Toronto Email | LinkedIn

It’s fair to say everyone gets asked the question, “What do you do?” regularly. To answer this question, or to understand its answer, isn’t easy. The barriers to communication could be out of your hands, as with short attention spans or booming bass…or it could be self-inflicted, as when speaking consultant-ese. A few things are for certain though – consulting is this: exhilarating, hyper-intense, and rewarding. Here’s a play by play of a day in the life, to allay some of the mystery: 5:00am – Twilight Self-care Time to roll out of bed and hit the hotel gym. Although you’ve enjoyed your fair share of crisp morning air, perhaps you have never been much a morning person. Still, the benefits are real and this life will pack on the pounds unless you do something about it. Feeling amped up on the way to the office is just the right kind of addictive, too. 6:30am – Warmup A quick breakfast in the lounge and you’re on the way to your client’s office. On the days you manage to get in early, this relative alone time is great for getting some tasks crossed off your list – or at least started. I would say this is a good time to respond to the glut of emails in your inbox, but you’re a noob, which means you’ve got plenty of reading to do and a lesser number of responses to send. Don’t worry, it won’t last forever. 9:00am – Project Stand-up The entire project team gathers for a weekly address by the project lead. Think general, team captain, or even Hogwarts headmaster. High-level updates and accolades are tossed together to motivate, but more than anything else this is where figurative bombs can be dropped. Chop-chop! 9:30am – Catch-up and Learn A chat with your manager. Once you’re past the social niceties, you run through a list of your deliverables and the progress you’ve made on them. Now is the time to ask questions and ask for help with any roadblocks you’re facing. It is also, occasionally, the time to defend your progress…or lack thereof. It’s an exercise in refining your approach and where a ton of learning takes place. Some of the most important lessons are about one another. Near the end of my first year as a consultant, the project team and individual teams within it conducted workshops focussing on lessons learned throughout the year. These lessons were for both the group and subgroups, but also for individuals. Mine was learning to say “no”. Now almost a year later I realize that the lesson wasn’t learning how and when you say no, but rather to communicate in a way that pre-empted the need to say no. Managing expectations reduced anxiety both in others and in myself, and resultantly caused an improvement in my ability to deliver and take on more. This one on one time has been invaluable in improving my ability to communicate (I think!). 10:00am – Heads Down It’s time to focus, so put on your headphones and peruse your collection. Find the right playlist, the right set, and you’re plugged in to get things done. Some common tasks include reviewing and gleaning information from functional and business process documentation. This review leads to questions, which require answers…because your job is to prepare your client for the change that lies ahead. This could be through developing training material and then delivering that training. It could mean measuring and tracking the impact of change, and as abstract as that may sound, know that it is just that. Most of all though it means engaging the people involved and making sure they aren’t just ready, but that they feel ready. Yes…there’s a whole lot of Excel, Word, and PowerPoint in all of the above. 12:00pm – Lunch At your desk. The end. Lol. 12:15pm – SMEs Meet with one of the subject matter experts (SMEs) on your project. SMEs could be client employees or consultants from other firms – either way, they are key resources for information you need. These meetings are where you discuss to get the answers you need to know to understand how your client works, what business needs are, and how it all comes together. This could be an extended, convoluted process, so expect to plant seeds…keep digging, and plant again. You’re not here to provide the answers, but rather to ask the kind of questions that lead to the best possible solutions. 1:30pm – Free-for-all Afternoons are what they let themselves be. You could have back to back SME meetings, system walkthroughs, impromptu discussions and tasks to follow up on, or there could be time to sit down and work on your deliverables. This time can demonstrate how truly collaborative team members try to get work done individually, and yet continuously set things aside to help one another. Finding balance is critical but when it’s really needed, the quiet hum of silent efficiency will set in…so you don’t mind the chit-chats, the din-doodles, and especially all the times pulling from the same rope. 5:00pm – The Long Hours Bring out the coffee and settle into that “end of day” meeting – recapping, re-planning, re-thinking. Just like anywhere else, the minutes start to slow down, so if you’re planning on pushing on and focussing after the meeting it might be time to order in. In crunch time, this is the way to go to keep you going. Got-to-love UberEATS! 7:00pm – Respite and Decisions You’ve hit the wall, and things aren’t mission critical on the project just yet. There are a few options when on road and all of them are equally good as long as you choose what you need, or what really is needed. Head back to the hotel, freshen up, and make your call: Dinner with the team – a chance to get to know a different side of your colleagues Explore the city you’re in – time will and does slip away Hit the gym round-two (or one) It is crunch time HA! Get back to work! Dinner in solitude and well-earned relaxation You do what your mind, body, and heart need. Odds are there will be plenty of times you will be checking your email and work a bit longer. It takes a significant amount of energy and willpower and isn’t for everyone. The rewards, however, are the real deal. Working with and learning from bright and dedicated people. Travel all over the country and the continent, or even the world. Tops for me though is the rush of flying home each week – trust me, in some strange contradictory way, it’s very tough to beat. #ThoughtLeadership

Imagine medieval times. You are living a quiet life in a happy little town, when you receive word an army is amassing two days march away. Your people know nothing more. Will the army simply pass through or conquer your people—destroying your idyllic way of life. The army’s intentions are unclear. What you do know is you live on the bank of a river—if only you can get to the other side, you and your family will be safe. This is when you discover there are three kinds of villagers… Some can swim. They are aware of the present danger, desire to get away from it and the knowledge and ability to help themselves – they dive in the water and immediately escape to the safety of the far bank. Some can’t swim, but are willing and able to build a raft. With a little encouragement, a few branches and twine, they can craft a way to float. Some can’t swim and nor want to build a raft, instead the will wait for someone to build a bridge for them or worse stay and be slaughtered. The reality is, for those who cannot swim or won’t build the raft do not have the desire or knowledge required to get them to safety. For many, the fear of water is far greater than the awareness of the marching army coming at them. The river is the clear and present danger. There is no way they will cross. These villagers will wait it out, hiding in their homes, hoping the army never arrives. They will not make it to the other side—they will resist. This reinforces that fact that even when we have built awareness, created desire and addressed gaps in knowledge, our people may have very real limits in their ability to adopt a given change. There may be physiological, emotional or physical limitations that prevent them from surviving the transition. They may not know how to “swim”. So, thinking about a change you are currently leading, do you know who your swimmers are? Do you know who has a mortal fear of water? Remember, just because you learned to swim as a child, practiced swimming and had fun doing it doesn’t mean that everyone has that ability. Keep in mind, ability is about capability—knowing how and being able aren’t the same things. Once you have assessed the ability of each member of your team, you can better consider where to invest your efforts as a change leader. Direct your energy to the raft builders—they will need and accept your help in getting to the other side. Just as importantly, give yourself permission to evaluate those in your team that might not survive the change. As leaders, we all strive to leave no person behind, but for some it is a very real possibility. In some cases, a person may need to be moved to another role, another department or released from the organization. So are you ready to answer the question? Can your people swim?

Welcome to Harbinger. We are a boutique consulting firm that helps organizations and their leaders foresee, plan, and successfully navigate transformation initiatives. Our primary business is to support complex enterprise projects and programs by providing organizational change management and learning services that are customizable, scalable, and cost-effective. What you may not know is why we do this work. Two of the co-founders and primary partners at Harbinger are me, Krista Schaber-Chan, and Gregory Roth, and we are advocates of the change process.  Working in the consulting world for over 18 years, we have seen a lot; some of it good and some of it not so good.  We know that we can provide the services and knowledge to help organizations large and small navigate their way through any size of change that they are experiencing. Many people have asked “Why ‘Harbinger’?  Doesn’t that word have a negative connotation?” We say no. A harbinger announces the arrival of something or foreshadows a future event.  Like the Robin is a harbinger of spring, we are harbingers of change.  Not only do we help organizations through their change we also help them foresee, plan for, and manage change that is coming. Managing change is not a simple task, but it needs not be daunting.  There are many different tools, approaches and mechanisms that can be employed to help the transition of change move smoothly. Greg is passionate about adult learning, knowledge management and technology.  I am passionate about the sociology and psychology of change and coaching people through the steps they need to take, and we both love to see people and organizations succeed where they did not believe they could. We think Harbinger is a fitting name for what we do and who we are.  We hope you visit our website often and follow our blog. We also are open to change and always look for ways to improve, so please comment on our blog posts or contact us to learn more about Harbinger and how we can help you lead change.

In business, there are always buzzwords and phrases that are popular.  It seems that “strategic’ is having its moment in the spotlight. The term really began to take off in 2013/14 as all the business magazines such as Forbes and HBR were writing about it, and all the consulting firms were refreshing their websites to convey that they could be it. But what does being strategic really mean? Why is everyone tossing the word around like it will solve all problems? Most consultants and consulting firms boast about their ability to be strategic. Many client executives use the word as an adjective, a verb and sometimes a noun. The word Strategy has become all things to all people.  Don’t get me wrong, in business, having strategic partners is paramount to success but with so many organizations moving to leaner, more cost-effective operational models – and with so many consulting firms offering strategic (support, guidance, planning etc.) – who is actually doing the work. Who’s getting stuff done? Clients engage consultants or consulting companies because they have a problem to solve that they cannot resolve on their own: a technology implementation, a significant process change, a business transformation, or all the above. So they engage with consulting firms to help with the strategic planning of whatever their change might be. This is useful. It produces a carefully designed plan to serve a purpose or solve a specific problem. Here’s the issue; often the client is left with a pretty PowerPoint presentation, a hefty bill, and no way to get the work done. Where is the real value? As consultants, if we are proposing how to solve a problem, shouldn’t part of our value proposition be providing delivery support as well? Shouldn’t we be both strategic partners and delivery execution partners? We think so. This doesn’t mean we take over, what it means is we consider the strategic planning and work with our clients to ensure they have the right blended team to get the work done and to build the capability internally to keep the work going.

Lorena Klingel is a learning expert who has been working in corporate learning for over 20 years. Lorena recently founded a digital training solutions organization, Learn to Flourish. For more information, visit www.learntoflourish.com. This article is the first installment in a two-part series discussing learning with Lorena. What does Learn to Flourish do? Innovative and growing businesses hire us to create digital training solutions for their organizations. We have an amazing team of experts in instructional design, audio, video, multimedia, graphic design and project management so that we can bring a full solution and a team approach to our projects. What is e-learning? Could you give a few examples of e-learning? E-learning is any learning that is delivered electronically. It could be online courses, videos, e-books, educational websites, and even podcasts. When did e-learning emerge as a popular form of learning and how did it help revolutionize how people learn? The use of technology in learning has been around for a very long time. My first experience with e-learning was in the 90s on an SAP implementation. On this project, we were publishing help documentation on the client’s intranet site. These were step-by-step reference guides. At the time, this blew everybody away that you could have reference documentation online. Since then, e-learning has evolved so much. In today’s world, we’re all online and we expect our learning to be available digitally. What are the differences between instructor-led training and e-learning? Instructor-led training is an effective strategy for smaller groups of learners and, especially, if they’re present at a single location. It’s great for audiences that aren’t comfortable with the use of technology and for content and audiences that require a highly personal touch. Many people consider it a work benefit to be able to leave their desks and go away for in-person training programs so it’s a great way to get focused time and attention on learning. It also provides the ability to socialize and interact with others while learning something new at the same time.  However, it is very expensive for organizations with the costs associated with travel, possibly setting up training classrooms, and, most importantly, having their employees away from their work. On the other hand, e-learning is the best option when there are a lot of people who need training and they are geographically dispersed. E-learning is a flexible solution that allows people to access the information they need anywhere, anytime. If it’s designed well, it allows the learner to control their own learning path and engages all the different types of learners, whether visual, audio, or kinesthetic. It’s a great solution for busy people living in a world of technology. How do you design effective learning programs? There are some things that you need to keep in mind no matter what type of learning program you are developing. Training needs to be relevant to the learner. People learn best when they need the information or skill. They learn best when information is presented in small chunks. And they learn very well when they can apply what they’re learning—when they can have action and then apply the information and skills immediately in a realistic way. They also learn better when they can experience an emotional connection to the content. These key concepts should be used whether you’re designing learning for online or a classroom. Overall, the most important thing is to know your audience, what their needs are, and their preferences. Personally, I believe that all organizations should use a blended approach in their overall strategy. Blended learning solutions usually combine the approaches of classroom training, e-learning, and support. E-learning can be a huge cost-saving opportunity for an organization and it can be used to accelerate the distribution of knowledge. But human beings need interaction. They need community and mentorship in order to learn and grow and thrive. Therefore, high performing organizations use solutions that blend all of these different components.

Implementing an Enterprise Resource Planning system (ERPs) is one of the biggest business and technology transformations companies will experience. However, ERP implementations are notoriously complicated and expensive, making many companies hesitant to take the giant leap towards the increased integration and efficiency ERPs would bring to their organization. Considering a long history of implementation failures, how do you ensure yours achieves success? Luckily, the use of structured, professional learning programs has shown to be a tried and true method for carrying your ERP implementation from beginning to end and beyond. What makes structured, professional learning programs so effective? While there are many reasons, three core aspects of ERPs make learning programs necessary for true, long-term success: 1. Integration & Impact Due to the highly integrated nature of ERPs, it is crucial to recognize the impact it will have on the entire enterprise. Without a structured learning program developed and deployed by experienced Change Management and Learning experts, it’s extremely difficult to confirm the full enterprise has been considered. With a structured program, you can ensure the training supports the entirety of the integration and provides the correct messaging and training as consistently as possible across the organization. Why does this matter? Well, for one, having consistent training means you have one less thing for end-users to adjust to. It’s the easily-overlooked details like these that a seasoned Change Management and Learning consulting firm will focus on to make sure your learning program is a success. 2. Complexity & Expertise ERPs are decidedly vast and complex. The truth is most organizations do not have the expertise or the resources to deploy a holistic change and learning program for their ERP implementation on their own. They may have resources that have some degree of speciality in training delivery and development. However, usually this training delivery experience centres around soft-skills learning or compliance-related learning events, such as employee health and safety (EHS) training or business conduct guidelines training. Practically speaking, few organizations have dedicated resources that understand how to develop IT-focused learning events, which are dramatically different than the aforementioned soft-skills training. Here, Change Management and Learning consultants with experience in ERP projects can develop and deliver learning programs to ensure the people of your organization can adjust and adapt to the enterprise-wide change. 3. Self-Sufficiency & Future Growth A well-designed structured learning program not only meets the short-term needs around the ERP go-live, but also delivers long-term benefits. It builds a community of business practitioners who, by the time the implementation is wrapped up, appreciate that they have a different way of working. By partnering with individuals within the business, Change Management and Learning experts help employees develop an understanding of how to document a solution and how to educate, inform, and inspire someone to learn a new skill. A good learning program can teach them how to support each other as the business evolves, grows, and adapts well beyond go-live. The learning solution—which is not just made up of the training curriculum and associated materials, but also the training environments, governance, roles, and resources required to manage and administer the solution—should be considered part of the overall ERP asset. It is the focus on achieving self-sufficiency that truly sets good learning programs apart from the bad ones. Well-designed learning programs aim to ultimately lead the business towards self-sufficiency, so they can stand on their own two feet and maintain their learning solution going forward. Unfortunately, what is true is that this isn’t necessarily the end goal for big consulting firms. In many engagements, they have a wide breadth of responsibility and often don’t or can’t focus on the people that are impacted by the new technology or processes. Smaller specialized firms, however, can concentrate their focus and attention on delivering robust learning programs and change support that produces self-sufficiency and competency usually at a fraction of the cost of the bigger firms. Good Change Management and Learning consultants believe that their departure from your organization should be tied to your readiness, meaning that you have achieved your expectations and that you can be self-sufficient beyond go-live. They recognize that their own success is tied to your organization’s satisfaction and that the sooner you reach your goal, the happier everyone will be. So Why Use a Learning Program? Ask yourself why your organization is implementing an ERP: your implementation program exists because there is a future vision of what your business is trying to achieve through efficiency and increased revenue. A well-designed learning program can enable that as it accounts for the highly integrated and complex nature of ERPs while building internal capacity within the organization for future growth. Without these considerations, it’s easy to put the project at risk. Even if you can get through go-live, it’s easy to lose the benefit of the ERP. It’s true that good learning programs require a great deal of time, energy, and funding to develop, but the cost of not doing it properly can be much more substantial. So why not actually make sure your ERP is an asset that can be leveraged for years to come by investing in learning programs that build organizational readiness, behaviour change, and self-sufficiency? The biggest mistake businesses can make with ERP implementations is assuming it’s merely a technology change and deploying with the mindset that it was only the best they could do with the resources they had on hand. Investing in a structured, professional learning program, you can be assured that, you will realize the benefits that the project was designed to achieve. The authors would like to express their gratitude to Gregory Roth, Aryn Smith-Avendano, and Barnaby Chan for their expertise in developing this article.

Why is the people-side of change so important to ERP implementations? Too often, organizations see failure with their ERP projects because they don’t understand that change begins with each employee within the organization individually changing how they conduct business and complete their responsibilities. Change does not need to be difficult if it is well planned, and impacted people are well prepared. To have a successful implementation, it is important to see the transformation from the perspective of the business end-users and be aware of the three biggest challenges they will encounter. 1. Understanding Go-Live Isn’t the End Go-live isn’t the end. Unfortunately, that fact is difficult for many organizations to grasp. There’s a natural human belief that our achievements are tied to a date. In other words, if we can just get to that day, we are going to be okay. But, practically speaking, go-live is the beginning of the hardest part of any ERP implementation. Applying the newly learned skills and realizing where the gaps in knowledge and misunderstandings lie can be substantial. Going live itself is easy—thriving in the 90 (or more) days that follows is the real challenge. 2. Integrating Business Processes One of the biggest challenges is that end-users see the ERP implementation as just a system change. Due to the highly integrated nature of an ERP, it is also a business transformation. Many of the business processes will drastically change as a result of the implementation. For many tasks, employees can’t simply complete them as per usual—they now must understand all the steps that came before. It’s a whole breadth of knowledge that these end-users now require. 3. Integrating People With ERPs, not only are the systems now highly integrated, but people are as well. One fact is true about higher levels of integration: if you have a mistake, you must fix it where the mistake was made. What does this practically mean? For example, in a non-ERP based world, if you have a mistake made by a customer service team and the accounting team finds that mistake, because the systems aren’t integrated, they can just fix the problem in the accounting system. With ERPs, however, because data flows between teams and there must be integrity in the information from beginning to end, it can’t just be fixed on the accounting side. They must go back to customer service team and ask that they make the correction with the initial customer document. Why is this a challenge? Departments that were once working in isolation now must grasp that they can’t easily fix each other’s errors. It creates a brand-new dynamic. These changes are unnatural to their normal ways of work. Luckily, well-designed learning programs don’t just train end-users on the new system; they also train them on new ways of communicating, relying on each other, and resolving conflicts. The authors would like to express their gratitude to Gregory Roth and Aryn Smith-Avendano for their expertise in developing this article.

Aryn Smith-Avendano is a training lead subcontracted through Harbinger. Aryn’s work includes designing/implementing effective training plans, guiding instructional designers on creating training material, and leading its deployment. What do you find most fulfilling about being a consultant? I like doing project work. Project work provides the opportunity for growth, both personal and professional. I find it fulfilling to go into a client’s site and help them resolve an issue that best serves their needs. My projects are usually system implementations which I enjoy as they are tangible—something where people can see the work. What would you say are the main values you hope to bring to your consulting approach? I bring confidence to the client by assuring them that, together, we will get the best possible results. Honesty and integrity are important to me. I really like to honor those values at my client sites. What is the most rewarding experience or situation you’ve encountered in this job? It is rewarding to meet a client, get to know them and then work together to achieve a common goal. Not only is achieving the final goal professionally rewarding, but often the growth experienced with each client is also personally rewarding. Additionally, it is very fulfilling working, supporting, and pushing forward with the Harbinger team and share in the sense of accomplishment that comes with completing a project. What is your favourite part about working with Harbinger? Harbinger is the first firm that I’ve worked with which knows what it is that I bring to a client. Because they are an OCM centric firm, I can say, “I am this,” and they go, “Oh, okay! We know which jobs that are available where we can best utilize your skills.” What got you into instructional design? It was a bit of a fluke! I was living overseas and applied for a trainer position at a global retail bank, got the position; the rest is history. Previous to that, I was in the retail banking industry, working my way through school. What aspects of instructional design/learning do you find most fascinating? Just putting it all together and figuring out the puzzle. Looking at all the pieces that need to go into something to make it successful, whether that be a strategic plan, a training plan, or instructional design document. What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced around training delivery and how did you overcome it? One of the biggest challenges is the perception of what training alone can do. It is a common belief that a system is created and once everyone is trained, the previous issues disappear and all will be well in the world. Effective training delivery and learning development is a critical part of the solution but works hand-in-hand with OCM and communications to provide a complete picture, thus increasing the positive learning outcomes. When one doesn’t have that trifecta for implementation, it is very challenging to achieve successful learning outcomes. Training will be delivered, but will it maximize every opportunity to achieve successful learning outcomes? Most likely not. Luckily, training inherently incorporates some change management and communication techniques, so when the perfect trifecta is not available, I look to incorporate as much change management and communications within the training as possible, to secure successful learning outcomes. Do you have any advice for consultants starting out? Specifically, within learning development, take any opportunity you can or are offered and be proactive. Particularly, in consulting, because you generally have a short timeframe, you really need to take the initiative and be proactive to get things done. Take the opportunities offered, regardless of if they don’t exactly fit what you want, to get the breadth of experience, so you understand how all the big pieces work together, then hone down a specific area you want to focus on. Is there anything that surprised you about what it’s like to be a consultant? I really like the lifestyle choice. It is a bit of a different type of an adrenaline rush: you get both the extreme highs and lows but with being 100% committed to a project, it makes for a very fun ride.

Lorena Klingel is a learning expert who has been working in corporate learning for over 20 years. Lorena recently founded a digital training solutions organization, Learn to Flourish. For more information, visit www.learntoflourish.com. This article is the second installment in a two-part series discussing learning with Lorena. How would you say adults learn differently from other groups of people, such as youth? Typically, adult learning can be more voluntary which allows the adult learner to feel like they’re in control of their learning. Adults’ brains are full of information, their own stories, their own experiences. So, it’s essential that a learning experience allows them to connect the dots in their brain between what they already know and what they’re trying to learn. Adults prefer to understand why they are learning something and what the benefits are to them. They also learn best when they can feel an emotional connection to the content. And, finally, adults are usually very busy and distracted so they appreciate flexibility in a learning approach. What are some of the current trends in adult learning? One of the ongoing trends is, of course, e-learning. Mobile learning is becoming very important for people on the go as it allows them to do their learning anytime and anywhere. Also, the term microlearning is becoming more popular. Other trends are game-based learning, educational videos, and learning that is done through high-end technology such as virtual reality and augmented reality. What is microlearning? Essentially, microlearning is learning in very small bites. At its core, microlearning is a learning activity that is focused on a single learning objective. How long has microlearning been around for? The idea of microlearning has been around for many years. Microlearning started becoming more popular with the growth of the internet, 24-hour television, and mobile phones. With the boom in social media, the idea of microlearning has become even more popular. We are constantly receiving information through digital social media channels, and content and ideas are delivered as small nuggets of information. In workplace learning, we have recognized the value of this learning preference. Good learning programs are using microlearning techniques to effectively support their learners. Would you say microlearning is more or less relevant than in the past? It is becoming more relevant and more popular because, today, people are very busy and very technology-driven. Since everybody has mobile devices now, with constant access to online content, microlearning provides learners with the flexibility to learn anytime and anywhere. Should learning be gamified and, if so, when is it most effective to gamify it? Gamification is definitely something that is being used in today’s e-learning. Games help you acquire new knowledge and skills but are also very engaging. People like things that are engaging! Learning shouldn’t be gamified simply for entertainment purposes though. It’s great to engage people but gamification does create another level of complexity and, therefore, needs to serve a purpose if being used. If the game provides the learner with an opportunity to apply and practice the learning content, then that is a good reason to include gamification. What is the future of learning programs? Technology-driven solutions are becoming more popular. If you’re in charge of a learning strategy for your organization, you need to be prepared to embrace the technology because, today, people want to learn online. They want to learn using videos. You need to be prepared to combine these approaches yet still offer opportunities for community and mentorship. For the first part of this series discussing learning with Lorena, check out the article below: A Chat with Learning Expert Lorena Klingel Pt. 1: All About E-Learning

Over the years, blended learning programs have become increasingly prevalent within the corporate world. More businesses are starting to realize the importance of combining the human interaction that accompanies instructor-led training with the efficiency and consistency of e-learning. But how do you find the right blend for your corporate learning program? By using a structured learning approach, you can develop an effective blended learning program once you understand the skill that needs to be developed as well as the needs of the learner. To truly account for both of those considerations, there are three factors that need to be evaluated when determining the correct blend: 1. Frequency of Function When designing a blended learning program, it’s important to take into account the frequency of the task that is being learned. You must ask: is this an activity that a user is doing multiple times a day? Multiple times a week? Once a month? If someone is answering phones many times a day, that’s a much different situation than an accountant that must do a tax adjustment only once or twice a year. Incorporating considerations around frequency of function into your blended learning program means you can weigh the high retention rates of hands-on training against the easy accessibility of e-learning to create an effective blend. 2. Complexity of Task Some tasks just simply need a lot of explanation due to their complexity. For example, you wouldn’t want to use e-learning to teach a surgeon how to perform a specific type of operation—it’s a task that is highly complex. On the other hand, for someone learning how to use a scheduling tool or entering data into a spreadsheet program, that is an activity that is well suited to digital learning as a whole. Considering complexity of task can determine whether your blended learning program uses more of one type of training over the other. 3. Learning Culture of Organization The last necessary dimension is thoroughly understanding the learning culture of the organization. Too many times, organizations turn to e-learning (which is hosted and tracked via an LMS) because they think it’ll solve all their learning needs. However, this notion is flawed. Take a group of HVAC technicians. These are workers who do hands-on work with greasy equipment in places like people’s attics. They don’t have a desk. They don’t have a computer workstation or laptop; instead, they have a tablet, such as an iPad. And many have never had to take an e-learning course before. The biggest mistake companies can make is ignoring the environment and culture that employees have been learning in historically. As soon as we interject e-learning into an organization that hasn’t had any exposure to it in the past, or where it exists but has poor uptake, we are now transforming multiple aspects of the business. For instance, using e-learning in an ERP implementation means you’re not just teaching the employees how to use the new system and probably new processes; you’re also teaching them how to use an LMS and how to be self-directed learners. For some, these are skills that are unfamiliar and, therefore, become layered on top of the new skills specifically required for the ERP. Instead of just one change, there are several. By considering the past and current learning culture of the organization, you can determine the correct level of instructor-led training versus digital learning to develop the most effective blend. The authors would like to express their gratitude to Gregory Roth for his expertise in developing this article.

Five Ways Change Management and Learning Can Increase Business Benefits and ROI During Your ERP Implementation ERPs integrate data, streamline technology and align business processes. But implementing an ERP is a huge undertaking and can be risky because there are many pieces to be considered and if ignored the chance of failure increases.  Many of the technical risks are foreseen and planned for but often it’s the human factor that is missed or flat-out ignored which can increase the risk of failure or at the very least greatly reduce your business benefits and ROI. To help you plan for your ERP implementation, here are some common things to consider and include: 1. Your Organization’s Readiness to Adopt Change A lot of thought and planning goes into ensuring the new software will work with your infrastructure and that it can be scaled for growth. However, what is often overlooked is, if users can be ready for the change and will they accept the new system? There are many reasons why users may not buy-in to using the ERP solution – some reasons could be: An absence of awareness or misunderstanding regarding the need for the change Lack of visible support from the leadership team The user interface is not seen as friendly The training provided was not well planned or tailored to the needs of the user Missing the ‘what’s in it for me’ factor To be successful, organizations need to: Understand clearly what they are trying to achieve Identify the key change leaders who will help drive the user adoption Define how to measure whether the desired outcome was achieved Measure the success of the prescribed outcome, report the results, and use the results to pivot or celebrate If you are undergoing an ERP implementation and have not considered the people factor or recognize the need for a formal change management approach, this can create an obstacle to the overall adoption of the change. 2. Time, Business Continuity, and Company Growth ERP implementations generally mean the organization is going through a business transformation and not merely a technology change. Business transformations are big, lengthy undertakings–a journey if you will… For that reason, time is a challenge. Often, requirements that were evaluated when the project started, change. This is because work in the business goes on; business changes and the demands that customers are placing on the organization change. As the organization undergoing the transformation grows—or has to deal with unforeseen setbacks—the scope and level of priority given to the project can be drastically altered. Planning for this at the beginning by including robust change management and learning strategies can ensure the project is adaptable, end-users and leaders stay firmly committed to the goals of the transformation and these non-project business changes are handled with knowledge and planning instead of reaction. 3. Change in Key Stakeholders Stakeholder engagement is an important part of a successful project. Changes in key stakeholders or a project sponsor mid-project can have a significant impact on the initiative as these are the main decision-makers who ultimately need to be the champions of the change. New leaders coming into a project may have different priorities or may need to be brought up-to-speed on the project and their role as a change leader Changes to Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) can impact the development of learning content, training delivery and even functional development of the system Changes to other change champions or system super users can degrade the project continuity all making stakeholder management extremely complicated and very important Having a thorough and dynamic stakeholder register is critical. It should be owned either by the project manager or the change manager and needs to be constantly reviewed and updated. It can be a lot of work to compile initially but makes managing changes in stakeholders and communicating to the right stakeholders a lot easier. Time spent up-front to create the list saves a lot of time, confusion, and sometimes embarrassment in the long run and having a change management and learning team on the project will help manage these different stakeholder groups and the changes that happen. 4. End-User’s Current Knowledge Base To design effective ERP learning programs, a full training assessment needs to be completed including the end-user’s current knowledge base and technical capabilities. Understanding what they know and how they learn means you will be able to support their learning and provide them with the best learning outcome. Assessing for different levels of knowledge and ability among end-users and encountering gaps between what they know and what they need to know can be daunting. However, using an organizational change management approach that looks at the change holistically from the people-side can help ensure your learning program is successful. 5. Communication Communication is an important component on any project, but it is not just merely sending emails to people via mass distribution lists. A project actually cannot over communicate as long as the messaging is thoughtful and planned. Often communications are also seen as a stand-alone function that can be brought in when “required”. This is a mistake. Communication needs to happen regularly, needs to be strategic and the person with the overall responsibility for deploying communications should be immersed in the project. Many ERP projects these days involve multiple locations with project team members working in different time zones, and sometimes from different cultures. Even with the introduction of collaboration tools and other technologies that help support a globally-dispersed workforce, communication on a project can still be challenging. This is a critical success factor so should be planned and costed as part of the whole change management approach and be included in the project from the beginning through to a few months post go-live. Project team communication: This is often placed directly on the shoulders of the Project Manager to handle. While they are the right person to coordinate and drive the communications within the project team, engaging a communications partner from the Change Management team or from within the organization is going to bring value to the process and the quality of the communications. This person should be embedded in the project; someone who understands the key messaging that is going to the end-user and stakeholder community and can make the connections with the project team, so everyone is on the same page. An important and often overlooked project team communication process is that between the technical development or functional teams and the training development team. The technical development and functional teams are always busy. But they are the holders of the information required by the training team to create the best learning content possible. While the instructional designers are used to being multi-disciplinary workers who not only develop the training materials but are also unofficial testers of the system, business analysts and in some cases functional systems consultants, having a direct and planned communication process with the development and functional teams, and the Business SMEs is critical to ensuring the learning content is meaningful for the user and that it will work in the system during training delivery. Stakeholder Communication: This can be branched out into various veins: Project Sponsor(s) Steering Committee or Executive Committee Primary Stakeholders Secondary Stakeholders A proper communication strategy should be created by the Change Management Lead and the key messages agreed on and planned ahead of time. This will ensure the right communications go to the right people at the right time. Sometimes ad-hoc or emergency communications are required but by planning the bulk of the communications and the mediums for communicating means theses ad-hoc communications can be handled in a calm and knowledgeable way. Communication should be constantly happening within the project team, between the stakeholders and the project, to the end-user community and business and sometimes even with customers. A failure to provide the right communications to the right people at the right time can lead to confusion, frustration, rumours, loss of interest and possibly delays in the project itself. Conclusion ERP initiatives or other business transformations ultimately require individuals to do their jobs differently; the likelihood of success increases with effective change management. According to reports by Gartner, 75 percent of ERP projects fail. Research compiled by PROSCI, suggests projects with structured, planned, and well-funded Change Management met or exceeded objectives 95% of the time, while projects with poor change management met or exceeded 15% of the time. Additionally, studies show that strong change management practices lead to higher percentage of projects that are on budget and on time. These rates of failure or success of your ERP initiative does not have to be elusive. It is directly attributed to the stakeholders. If you want to assure you are getting the most out of the investment, make sure you consider, properly fund and include an experienced team to support the people change factor for your project.