Dive Brief:
- Are short attention spans changing corporate learning? The short answer is yes, and employers are turning to more bite-sized, on-demand digital learning alternatives as a result, according to the Wall Street Journal.
- The Journal reports that a Microsoft study found that the rise in tech-driven distractions has caused the average attention span in North America to fall from 12 seconds to 8 seconds in the past 15 years.
- Employers mentioned in the article, including Uber Technologies Inc., Gap Inc. and Pernod Ricard SA have taken to “microlearning” tools, online and via mobile devices, to train workers via these mini-learning sessions.
Dive Insight:
Calvin Ng, director of learning and development at Pernod Ricard USA, a wine and spirits company, told the Journal that people learn differently today, as employees often don't want to undergo typical classroom training partly because of time-management reasons.
The Journal cites providers such as Grovo, Udemy Inc. and Lynda.com Inc. for corporate-skills training, noting that the strategies include video and interactive lessons that can be completed under five minutes via smartphones or tablets. Other companies are turning to forms of gamification to ensure learning is effectively happening.
Recently, Chipotle proved to be an example of how an employer can use mini-training strategies to meet a specific challenge, as the restaurant chain ran into much-publicized issues with consumers getting sick from contaminated food and had to reach out to workers quickly in regards to food handling.
