INSTRUCTIONS:

Your answer should be appropriately cited and referenced

Questions 1, and 2, are compulsory

Your answer to each question should not be less than 700 wordsand more than 800 words excluding references and cover page

HP INC. CREATES A GROWTH MINDSET LEARNING CULTURE WITH LYNDA.COM

With over 50,000 employees globally, HP is an international powerhouse of technological innovation, products, and services, all engineered to create experiences that amaze. The companys portfolio of printers, PCs, mobile devices, and solutions are consumed by individuals, small and medium-sized businesses, and enterprises everywhere.

In late 2015, when Hewlett Packard separated into HP Inc. and Hewlett Packard Enterprise - and the new HP became a standalone company, the organization took deliberate measures to reassess its values and processes. We rolled out Growth Mindset as a company philosophy, said Mike Jordan, global head of talent and learning. Its the belief that everybody can improve and live in a constant state of development. The next step was to create an L&D program that reflected that mindsetand that gave their modern workforce the accessibility they craved. Jordan explained, We wanted to facilitate learning, not dictate it. We wanted to help people identify where and how they wanted to develop, and then give them opportunities to learn and practice.

An online social learning platform fueled by Lynda.com from LinkedIn HP Inc. rapidly began the development of an extensive online social learning platform called Brain Candy. The L&D team sourced subject matter experts within the company to provide internal content. And for the primary source of external content, they chose Lynda.com. We truly tested out every other option out there, especially for building capabilities across the enterprise, said Jordan. Our employees who tested different options were very clearLynda.com had the best content. Jordan was also pleased with the format of Lynda.com courses. Its a more flexible way of learning that provides easy access anytime, he said. And the bite-sized content allows for just-in-time learning. Employees can access what they need, when they need it. It wasnt just the bite-sized content that was appealing. Francine Rosca, global learning program manager, said, Lynda.com also comes with exercises and applications that learners can use to really dive deep and turn concepts into practice. The company started with a 3-month pilot of Lynda.com content for engineers, and then quickly rolled it out to the entire organization. Instead of doing a specific LEARNING SOLUTIONS campaign for promotion, we embedded it into everything else were doing in Brain Candy, said Rosca. Whether its the learning paths for newly-promoted managers, the technical skills catalog, or pre-classroom courses, all our offerings have Lynda.com content embedded. It feels very natural. The L&D team also involved leadership early to ensure success. We did a lot of cross-pollination to make sure we were hitting the mark. Managers and leadership were instrumental for identifying the capabilities we should focus on first, and making sure we met those needs, said Jordan. Theres buy-in all the way up to the top.

A year later, the learning culture at HP Inc. is thriving. Weve seen the most impact in mid-level employees who are looking to build their careers and grow capabilities, said Jordan. Its the accessibility and the quality of the content on Lynda.com that keeps people coming back. Its clear that employees at HP Inc. have taken Growth Mindset to heart. Its really starting to get ingrained in our culture, said Rosca. Their metrics reflect that transformation, too. HP Inc. has seen adoption by 9,000 active learners on Lynda.com, totaling more than 35,000 hours viewed. Learners at the company have watched more than 545,000 videos and have received 10,710 certificates of completion. And, when employees were asked in the most recent global engagement survey if they feel HP Inc. supports their learning and development, the company saw a 9% year-over-year increase.

Its not simply the presence of online learning that pleases employees; the accompanying functionality matters, too. The ability to curate and share content is very important, said Jordan. Rosca added, A lot of groups had already found a way to share with their teams, but they wanted to share more broadly. With Lynda.com and Brain Candy, our employees can share their technical expertise and relevant content to an entire department or even the entire company. Learning at HP Inc. has become more practice-based, too. Rosca explained, We ask class participants to go through certain Lynda.com courses, and then they use the in-class experience for practice, getting feedback, or exchanging perspectives with other learners. We make full use of all this great online content and transfer the knowledge to in-class practice time. Recently, HP Inc. was listed as one of the top 3 companies where Millennials want to work, and Jordan said he hopes their approach to learning and development supports that trend.

Required:

1. What challenges do organizations face when dealing with traditional learning methods for staff development (not online)? Narrow it down to a specific business industry (transport, health care, education etc.). (25 marks)

2. Discuss the challenges with online learning platforms for staff development. Narrow it down to a specific business industry (transport, health care, education etc.). (25 marks)