But getting a return from your investment in online development requires more than just a library full of content on the company Intranet.<\/p>\n
As with any important learning initiative, an effective leadership-focused digital learning initiative begins with a clear strategy and well-planned tactics.<\/strong><\/p>\n Consider these 6 ways to maximize the success of your digital learning strategy.<\/p>\n These recommendations are informed by CCL\u2019s decades of human-centered experiences in researching leadership and developing leaders in diverse industries across the world, including over 20 years of experience working in the technology-driven learning industry. While we developed these 6 strategies for digital learning success in\u00a0our original white paper<\/a>\u00a0before the current crisis, we think these principles still apply and, in fact, are more relevant than ever right now.<\/p>\n Our 6 recommendations to maximize the success of your organization\u2019s digital learning strategy:<\/p>\n Right now, many of your people are probably feeling panicked with the chaotic and uncertain state of their home and work lives. What they need is good advice and curation. They don\u2019t need to be shown 10,000 available titles; instead, they need a\u00a0prescription<\/em>.<\/p>\n If you have a group that\u2019s dealing with immense change and stress, a short, daily dose of video-based learning on resilience tactics could be the right medicine. It will show them you care and can be effective with fewer than 10 minutes a day.<\/p>\n At CCL, we have used this difficult time to upskill ourselves and have provided support to our people by giving them access to\u00a0our online resilience course<\/a>.<\/p>\n Normally when organizations embark upon a digital learning initiative, it\u2019s important that they gain communications support from the C-suite.<\/p>\n If everyone at your organization is working remotely, it may actually be\u00a0more<\/em>\u00a0possible than usual for the CEO or an executive sponsor to jump onto a call with the team to signal senior buy-in and support of the digital learning strategy. (That\u2019s actually\u00a0one of the many unexpected benefits of online learning<\/a>\u00a0that we\u2019ve recently noticed among our clients.)<\/p>\n If your C-suite can\u2019t manage to join a team meeting,\u00a0consider writing a brief, heartfelt letter to your organization about the digital learning strategy, what\u2019s needed to learn and upskill at this time, and available development options (if you\u2019re the CLO). Or prepare a short draft email and share it with your senior-most leader to send out to the org (if you\u2019re\u00a0not<\/em>\u00a0the CLO).<\/p>\n Regardless, to help your learners stay focused, tie this communication with recommendation #1 above. Direct learners to specific pieces of content and explain why each piece is relevant and timely for them.<\/p>\n Remember that\u00a0in a time of crisis, more communication is always better than less<\/a>. A weekly or monthly email from Learning & Development wouldn\u2019t be out of line.<\/p>\n The best way to learn something is to teach it. We know this from our personal lives, and we bring this principle to the professional world with intentionality.<\/p>\n For example, we revamped our ultra-popular workshop kits<\/a> (which some of our clients lovingly call \u201ca workshop in a box\u201d) to work for a fully live online audience.<\/p>\n With leadership tools and training materials<\/a> like this at their fingertips, you can put your leaders into \u201cteaching mode,\u201d with all the tools they need to succeed at delivering a short, skills-oriented virtual workshop. Your digital learning strategy may use online training from an external provider in combination with workshops or other internal development initiatives led by your own team.<\/p>\n Learner-centered design, also known as \u201clearning in the flow of work,\u201d takes your learners\u2019 context into consideration. What do your learners\u2019 days look like right now? Can they invest a full day in a live, online training? Probably not \u2014 but could they do a half day? More likely.<\/p>\n After delivering hundreds of customized leadership development<\/a> programs for clients around the world, we design our learning journeys\u00a0to be 4 hours, and built around the context and culture of each client organization.\u00a0We take a break every hour so that our learners can stretch and get a fresh cup of coffee or tea.<\/p>\n And during our moderated online experiences, an expert responds within 24 hours so that each learner has the freedom to learn anytime in their day. The next day, they come back knowing that their leadership guru has reviewed their submissions and provided expert advice \u2014 or asked some coaching questions to further their thinking.<\/p>\n Right now, your employees may be feeling more alone than they\u2019ve ever felt. With any training that you do, tap into the power of learning partnerships. When it\u2019s a part of the training, there is a reason to meet. After they meet the first time, they\u2019ll find more reasons to stay connected.<\/p>\n When nearly everyone is working remotely, it may seem counterintuitive, but now is the time to connect your global employee pool in learning partnerships like never before.<\/p>\n Peer accountability partners can motivate learners to try out new behaviors. Virtual coaches<\/a> can provide feedback and advice as learners figure out how to apply new skills and ideas.<\/p>\n Measuring impact<\/a> provides data that can be used to refine and strengthen your ongoing efforts and overall digital learning strategy. Metrics, including participation and outcomes, should be built in during the design of the learning initiative.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll want to be able to look back at how you adjusted your approach and what you did to keep the learning fire alive.<\/p>\n When properly designed, delivered, and evaluated, online learning initiatives based on a solid digital learning strategy can change a company\u2019s corporate culture, improve employee engagement, and increase retention.<\/p>\n On the flip side, though, if poorly executed, they can end up as check-the-box corporate initiatives that give virtual learning a bad name.<\/p>\n Leadership skills are more important now than ever before. Make your organization\u2019s digital learning strategy and online development initiatives more effective by using our\u00a0online leadership training<\/a>\u00a0offerings and our\u00a0leadership development tools and training materials<\/a> to help your leaders ignite transformational change and navigate the changed world ahead.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Developing your people with online leadership courses and virtual solutions requires a strong digital learning strategy. Use these 6 strategies to maximize your success.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":130,"featured_media":48349,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"_oasis_task_priority":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"tags":[],"class_list":["post-48348","articles","type-articles","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","categories-online-virtual","categories-supporting-scaling","categories-tools","audience-hr-consultants","region-global","article-type-leading-effectively-articles"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nKeys to a Successful Digital Learning Strategy<\/h2>\n
6 Recommendations to Maximize Success<\/h3>\n
1. Embrace the \u201cless is more\u201d principle for online learning.<\/h4>\n
2. Enlist help communicating the plan.<\/h4>\n
![\"Infographic:](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/6-strategies-digital-learning-strategy-center-for-creative-leadership.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n3. Make leaders into teachers.<\/h4>\n
4. Use learner-centered design.<\/h4>\n
5. Tap into the power of learning partnerships.<\/h4>\n
6. Remember to measure.<\/h4>\n
Ready to Take the Next Step?<\/h2>\n