After the scrumptious lunch, it is eBay time!!
Support: 80% is through email, 15% is chat and 5% is phone.
This will not be an overview of tool, but the practical implementations of the strategies. PERFECT! That is what we need, more talk of this.
A big key is Albert Einstein’s thought that the we need to think differently to get ourself out of the situation.
The presenter grabbed a volunteer and quickly hammered her with addition questions and at the very end hit her with “What is your favorite vegetable?” 90% of people say carrots are their favorite vegetable in the U.S. In China it is cabbage. But if the Chinese move to the U.S. within three months it becomes carrots. Interesting. Under pressure we conform to the norms.
- Speed – We need speed!
- Resources – dwindling
- Change – always happening
We need to think differently! But with pressure we don’t take the time to reflect – it becomes a luxury. What pushed eBay to do something different? Survival. They were asked: Have you every thought about going into ‘training bankruptcy?’ What kind of freedom would that give them? Then they started thinking, what would we do differently?
90% of eBays resources were on formal learning, but about 80% were happening informally. They were starting to feel irrelevant because they were really not a part or helping with the real development. How can we become knowledge farmers? What a great way to look at it! I love that! Not training professionals, but knowledge farmers. Hmmmm.
Their definition of Learning 2.0 is not about the instruction but creating multiple learning paths. Let everyone contribute what they know. How can we enable everyone to share that information? Find pockets of excellence. People do not learn in isolation.
Her Six Steps were:
- Become Aware: One of the biggest obstacles is… (get ready) the training department. That is a lot of what I am seeing as well.
- Benchmark:
- Define end results: How do you align to the major goals? They did through customer relations and employee retention.
- Make Friends (I.T.): I might also add Legal, HR.
- Obtain management approval: Who are the key influencers?
- Start Small: Do a pilot and gain the support. Get some successes and bring it back.
eBay had the technology already. They just had to use it the right way.
(Speaker Switch)
They thought that Learning 2.0 was based on a blog, or wiki, or… very technology based. But after looking at it they tried to take Learning 2.0 into a formal setting.
They decided to take a conference concept they called ‘eBay Learn!’ Instead of an expert facilitator (where they were disengaged and the lack of higher level learning), they changed it around. They looked at the learning objectives and made them challenged-based. The facilitator hands out challenges to groups and they work on these challenges together with multiple learning path. The facilitator had to make sure the learning paths were enabled. The different groups collaborated their own way.
Example: instead of Outlook training on ‘here is what a file menu is…” the challenge given them was to ‘book an appointment and a room.’ They went out and found the information from the internet, each other, etc. They also wanted them to find new resources.
They also created a trading journal. Before, this was class on something that is behavior based. Difficult to do in a classroom, evaluate or share information. Later, the participants all created blogs and at the end of each day they wrote. The facilitator went in and read them. They read each others. It was very successful for them.
New presenter. This guy works with the new hires of call center people. His class ‘would not disengage.’ (What a great problem to have!) Then he would pull them out 1:1 and quiz them. They did really well!
Learner needs:
- Share Knowldege
- Access Information
- Provide Feedback
- Collaborate efficiently
- Broad awareness of topics
- Group Problem Solving
Similar to SLATES, they say that the structure needs to be:
- Feedable
- Searchable
- Taggable
- Linkable
- Editable
- Voteable
- Reportable
For new employees, the have a list of ‘objects’ they need to learn about. SMEs can quickly update the information in a wiki.
They are also using video podcasts (vodcasts). Their people listen to the podcasts while doing other work. (information, basic just so they know, not to be evaluated). If they hear something they rewind a little and pay attention, then go on. Interesting!
What can you do today?
- Create a blog, wiki, etc…
- Make friends with someone in IT
- Begin with early adopters
- Identify informal learning opportunities
- Integrate Learning 2.0 ideas
Model what they do in the informal settings in the formal learning settings. This is a great way to merge the two which has been VERY DIFFICULT for most organizations. I haven’t seen a good mix of the two yet, but they have done well.
Question: Have you seen improvement in performance?
Answer: Not yet, but we are early in implementation. But they are gathering data.
They have one team working with copywrite violations. One person on the team was worried about that. She was walking by some cubicles and heard one person tell another some incorrect information. Had she not been there, she would not have heard it. A wiki, however, captures it. Whenever she updates it RSS updates them and everyone will have the correct information.
Great session!
