POINT B

I’ve been hesitant about this one. Afraid of the backlash.

But here’s how I've seen and experienced it recently.

Some Learning functions are feeling all happy and smug for meeting their ‘Digital Learning Transformation', delivered ahead of schedule and without permission from the business. An incredible pulling together and creation of content, delivered at the point of (fixed address) need with never-seen-before, panther-like agility.

A definition of Done.

Go You! It’s not like you had to, right?

But what happens next appears to be a race for ‘Digital Learning Specialists’ and ‘Learning Experience Designers’ - a gallop to the line to recruit or (re)train as Virtual Facilitators and Instructional Designers.

This would appear to be our moment, our calling, our 2021-2026 strategy.

I’ve been reminded of Charles Handy’s S-Curve - a model for digital disrupts markets and business, so I’d suggest checking out this 90-second video before continuing further.

In the highly-recommended book ‘Building the Agile Business Through Digital Transformation’, the authors discuss ‘The Ambiguity Zone’ - that grey place between Point A (the pinnacle of opportunity), and the dark inflection, fuckety-fuck Point B.

Point B(oom) is where those late to the party now find themselves, and where the shiny Fashionistas are now reveling. It’s why the Department of Justification is now busy hiring ‘Digital’ Business Analysts. 

And because ‘the D word’ makes it OK, it now means organisations can finally accelerate those new (old) jobs to do around the house. The festering data silos, dusty process maps with misaligned Standard Operating Procedures, unexplored customer journeys and whatnot, attacking them with 'innovation', 'automation', 'transformation', 'Agile', 'a diverse workforce', MS Teams and whatnot.

Meanwhile, over on the other channel, HR/OD are addressing the Upskilling/Reskilling agenda - the crisis which COVID has just delivered to their in-tray, and that no-one could possibly have anticipated...again.

Don’t worry though. Learning functions will be there, by your side, to communicate, champion and deliver, to possibly take the blame...at a time of Leadership's convenience, of course.

Sigh.

As we tentatively move through the gears of 2021......

• I worry that the wrong light has come on.
• I worry that there is data-driven without the driving....or driver.
• I worry that there is automate here, without the consideration of the over there.
• I worry that organisations are reskilling/upskilling for the safe, not the stretch.
• I worry that organisations haven't really defined 'the safe'.
• I worry that somebody said 'Just recruit'.
• I worry about six-month employment contracts.
• I worry that people call it 'futureproof'.
• I worry about what this means for Apprenticeships, Traineeships etc.
• I worry that people still expect training will deliver all their tomorrows.....today.
• I worry we're all about the pivot, whilst foresaking the culture.
• I worry about 'pioneering', without the foundational competency.
• I worry there is infrastructure, with and without 'the ground up'.
• I worry about those young people and 'the ageing workforce'. They live in my house.
• I worry about the scope of Performance Consulting.....and what it actually means.
• I worry about why we don't just call it Business Analysis.
• I worry about what the next iteration of Agile will be.
• I worry about why we just don't use CATWOE and BAM.
• I worry about acronyms.
• I worry that some will just blame cashflow forever.
• I worry that 'Train the Trainer' is trending.
• I worry we've all done that LinkedIn Learning course.
• I worry that customised LAMBDA functions in EXCEL might prove a complete pain in the arse for generations to come.

I worry that this will be the end of me. At least in this industry anyway.