Welcome. readers, to my new series of entries on interviews with people in the L&D field. I hope to provide a voice for a wide range of viewpoints in the field, and perhaps provide some background to my visitors who don't have experience in the L&D space, or are looking to get some more!
For the few interviews I've done, I have to say that this is among the most interesting. Ben has some very innovative takes on L&D from the perspective of someone who has moved through the L&D hierarchy and gained non-subject experience to complement it. Some great ideas below!
Ben Gianacakos is an experienced
professional in the field of learning and development, and a proponent of the
idea of lifelong learning. Currently, he’s a Learning Manager with Amazon,
developing learning strategies for the Global Human Resources Department.
Originally in a facilitation and training role within the United States Navy,
Ben honed his skills with a formal degree in the subject, and has since
completed an MBA as well.
What
got you into training/learning development in the first place?
A desire to help others reach efficient
behaviours, based on my early experiences in training: Often, training devolves
into simply reinforcing processes. Strong learning should focus on modifying
learning for the individual.
I’ve also noticed gaps in business ability
in the emerging field of learning: Learning professionals fall back to basic
ideas like not being able to apply ROI to learning, or bridging the gap between
senior management and the learning department, and this needs to change –
Learning and Development needs a seat at the C-Level table to create a better
understanding of what we can offer.
Of
the current or emerging technologies in training, what grabs your attention?
Right now, I’m excited about microlearning
on mobile platforms. Mobile is an underdeveloped space: Everyone uses it, there
are many possibilities, but there hasn’t been much capture there. The challenge
in successfully using mobile learning is that the space requires marketing and
metrics tracking designed for that particular format. Because mobile learning
can occur on or off the job, there hasn’t yet been accurate risk assessment in
deploying mobile microlearning to hourly staff.
What
aspect of learning and training is most often misunderstood in organizations?
I think that some of the greatest pitfalls
in learning are the fear of failure, and a desire to placate business leaders.
As I mentioned, Learning and Development
doesn’t have visibility in C-Level discussions. There are no Chief Learning
Officers, and very rarely VPs or Chief HR officers. Learning doesn’t have as
much value as it could because from a top-down viewpoint, learning is seen as a
cost centre – It’s something that needs to be done, a function of the business.
As a result, the classic approach is to minimize the cost and streamline the
function. If we can change the viewpoint to show that learning is a driver for
performance and is actually a profit centre, then learning will occupy a more
prominent seat at the table.
On another level, it’s hard to develop and
reinforce a learning strategy at a macro level. Alongside that, it’s hard to
prove in financial terms the direct correlation between learning and
efficiencies in the workplace, increase in employee engagement, and the
retention and progression of employees within an organization.
Is
there a particular skill or experience that has helped you the most in your
current position?
My experience in facilitation has given me
that mindset when working with a wide variety of clients – Facilitation involves
planning out what are essentially extended meetings, considering the
information and how it is delivered as well as what questions will be asked.
This process is really helpful in consulting with stakeholders across the
organization whether in individual or group consultations. Also, my engineering
background lends itself to data analytics and modeling from engineering
background. Learning right now is moving
towards the “Track it, log It, model it” idea, and having a background in
engineering helps to determine and track metrics.
What
do you find to be the most in-demand skills for personnel in training/learning
development?
Graphic design
Curriculum Design – Building good learning.
E-Learning Authoring Tools
(Storyline/Captivate)
Javascript
Data analytics from metrics provided by the
LMS
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