Does your Learning Organization’s Structure Support 5 Moments of Need?

By Amanda Harper, Senior Talent Development Consultant

Talent and organization enable our company strategy. When performance is in question, or when our strategy shifts, we should evaluate how the organization - the structures, processes, metrics and rewards, and leadership, are enabling or limiting the competencies and capabilities needed from our talent- and Five Moments of Need can help.

Best in class learning organizations are using the model known as Five Moments of Need to affect the learning and ultimately performance in their organizations and we can utilize it as a template for evaluating those same structures, processes, metrics and rewards, and leadership. For example, if we know that most real skill development happens in workflow, or "on-the-job" (Gottfredson, 2020), why shouldn’t allocation of our learning resources reflect that?

Learning strategists Dr. Conrad Gottfredson and Bob Mosher introduced the Five Moments of Need as a real time approach to the moments that we need learning and will have the best chance at applying that learning - rather than relying on our ability to retain an all-encompassing, all-explaining, in-class learning event. 

The Five Moments, as designed by Gottfredson and Mosher are listed below along with some practical description and application examples from me that might get you thinking:

New - 

Learning that there is no background for. The most common example of this at organizations is new hire training or onboarding, but there are cases in times of organizational change where “new” is back on the table, and it is important to distinguish “new” from the phases that follow, as it will affect the learning strategy you choose.

More - 

Sometimes we need to continue our learning and expertise. "More", refers to learning that builds upon foundational knowledge. An example of this is up-skill training for tenured employees who may have mastered some of what it takes to perform the basics of a role. More can be a motivational tool and can level up performance outcomes. We do best when we reference the opportunity for "More" in the "New" phase.

Apply - 

We can affect speed to proficiency with some level of support in the application phase of learning. A cost effective approach to this kind of support might utilize your pre-existing resources - your talent! Coaches and mentors can be effective in the apply space. If an organization has a budget for this space, and especially when this speed to proficiency is costing more than an investment to change it would, I highly recommend looking into technology supported performance support, often called Electronic Performance Support Systems, or EPSS, the space is growing and many organizations are dedicated to innovating this particular moment of need. A key thing to remember when designing for this moment, whether using talent or tech, is that our learners learn by doing, (remember, skill development happens in workflow), the method of support in place shouldn't replace that or it will demolish learning in this moment of need all together. 

Solve - 

Problem solving should provide a source of truth while enabling critical thought. Does your organization have a place for teams to go when things get more complicated than their training may have prepared them for? Knowledge base systems and escalation processes should be made clear. They can be as sophisticated as a platform that houses process and procedure and interactive Learning Management System solutions, or as simple as a slack channel or designated contact for escalation and real time answers. 

Change - 

A change management process and the communication that goes along with it are critical in this stage. We can minimize resistance to change and the natural dip in performance when changes occur, through reliable processes meant to support in this moment. This moment should be evaluated to determine - is the change small enough that those who need to handle it could receive the information through normal communication channels such as email or a news letter? Or is the change big enough that the learners should be supported through the “New” phase? Having a process in place meant to weigh these questions through analysis of current abilities and performance needs is critical and belongs in this Moment.

Does your organization’s structure, process, metrics and rewards, and leadership support these Five Moments? If not, are there ways your learning organization itself can shift its strategy to reallocate support to the moments in your organization that are most important for the company strategy? Five Moments lets us break free of some tried and true learning models that might isolate themselves to content heavy programs and helps us think about how learning occurs around us all the time, every day, not just when we start a new job.

Sources

Gottfredson, C. (2020). Performing at the Speed of Change. Five Moments of Need. Learning Solutions. Retrieved from https://learningsolutionsmag.com/articles/performing-at-the-speed-of-change-workflow-learning-in-a-pandemic