Learning is rapidly evolving at the organizational level to tap not only the Internet but also technology and human expertise. For example, a marketing manager planning a product rollout might use the electronic employee directory to identify the product expert to help her address her business objectives. This manager can then use an instant messaging program to contact that expert as she develops her plan. Or a sales representative in the pharmaceutical industry might use his PDA to access latest information updates while in the field. His company can use the technology in his pocket to feed him information critical to his job function and in a context where the information is valuable.

Forward-thinking companies are finding that rethinking the role of existing technology...can open new learning doors.

Forward-thinking companies are finding that rethinking the role of existing technology, such as instant messaging, the employee portal or directory, and mobile devices, can open new learning doors.

Three characteristics of learning will define the future and embody contextualized learning that individuals can easily access:

Organizational Learning: What if the business could take first-year managers and improve their competencies to perform like managers with five years of experience? Certain experiences contribute to developing those competencies more than others do. Companies can pinpoint which experiences have more impact in getting people to the next competency level by creating learning experiences that leverage best practices to catalyze the skill requirements for a given role or area of responsibility. Organizations that are able to increase the rate of adoption of new information and best practices will have more success and greater value in the market.

Empowered learners: In the future, learners will be increasingly empowered to shape when, where and how they learn. Organizations will continue to define learning paths, assess value and reward outcomes in support of overall organizational objectives, but learners will have greater authority to determine what learning will most effectively enable them to make valuable and productive contributions to their organization.

Learners will be intensely aware of what is a waste of their time, and stay clear of those options with increasing conviction of what does and does not provide value to them in their job. This does not suggest that classrooms will go away. What it does suggest is learners will be more demanding of the classroom experience. In exchange for their time, learners will expect classroom activities to focus on providing learning experiences that could not be acquired through other means.

Embedded learning: The nature of work-embedded learning provides content in context--turning the whole learning paradigm on its head. Work-embedded learning considers the individuals job role, experience level and is accessed as the individual performs work. It does not ask, "What am I going to teach you?" but "What work do you do?" and "What do you need?" When a firm looks at a work process and the individual's role, it can come up with ways to deliver learning embedded into the job, and actually increase the consumption of learning in the organization.

Dymanic learning
When creating a dynamic learning culture, it is not enough to simply "train" an employee. For an organization to evolve with the fast-changing business environment and operate in an "on-demand" manner, it needs to address the organizational, empowered and embedded needs of the workforce. It must reinvent the role of learning by strategically evaluating five dimensions of change: organizational alignment; governance and management; design and delivery; technology; and culture.

Organizational alignment
Within the organization, not all job roles are valued equally. This may require a learning shift from skill emphasis to role emphasis.

Instead of identifying a skill set and building a program around management skills for example, role-implemented programs identify critical job roles, such as sales manager, and enable the individual with the skills and capabilities to do his job more effectively.

Indeed, the most successful learning programs are those which align business priorities with individual job roles. For the organization, a focus on growth and innovation requires an on-going alignment of learning initiatives to business priorities. For the employee, when she understands how learning can directly impact her performance, she is more engaged and motivated to participate in learning.

Governance and management