For a Competitive Edge, Train Your IT Professionals on Business Initiatives

By Drew Cather, Vice President of Innovation for Trace3

Professional development events are common for business professionals in most industries. In fact, there are more than 10,000 trade shows held in the U.S. annually. With a well-planned personal schedule, one can certainly learn a lot at a trade show; but occasionally, you can return from a week of attending various sessions wishing you’d learned a bit more and, frankly, realized better ROI for your time away from the office.

It’s a fairly common epiphany, and I recently had one of those experiences in the tech industry. It got me thinking: How can IT leadership conferences and professional development programs be taken to the next level? What are the most important aspects on which we should be focusing for the future?

Technology is a major business differentiator and something that has the power to shape the future of an organization. Companies should want their IT professionals to be more ingrained in understanding the mechanics of their business, so development programs should help IT professionals become more aligned with—and aware of—the business initiatives within their organizations. In many regards, the CIO of today is tomorrow’s CEO.

In speaking with many tech industry CIOs and vice presidents I found that the majority agreed, with most providing valuable feedback for what they would look for in a development program like this. The ideal program would be geared toward helping attendees go out and learn about business. IT is a necessary service supporting the business of any company, so they go hand-in-hand.

Armed with this feedback, the lightbulb went off for me while I was attending a CIO-focused event at University of California, Irvine’s Center for Digital Transformation. The center offers educational programs that help organizations leverage the possibilities enabled by emerging digital technologies. This is done by conducting innovative research and offering an exciting outreach program including workshops, conferences and lectures. It dawned on me that this would be the ideal resource and host to facilitate the creation of a program.

I met with Dr. Vijay Gurbaxani, the director of the UCI Center for Digital Transformation, and his associate Ed Trainor to discuss my concept. The first question Gurbaxani and Trainor posed to me was, “What’s the value in a program like this?” It’s a great question.

Here are some reasons why a program like this is so important:

1. The people we work with in IT leadership are actively searching for tools to nurture and grow their best and brightest team members to get them focused on understanding the business and ultimately aligning technology innovation to drive the business.
2. From the research I conducted, it appears no such program exists with respect to the curriculum and focus being put together. With the support of Gurbaxani, Trainor and my organization, we set out to bring the program to life. I foresee the development of more programs like this as HR and the C-suite continue to see the value in IT professional development.
3. Recent disasters like the Equifax data breach (along with other major security meltdowns) show that cybersecurity and IT are serious concerns for the C-suite. With budgets being devoted to preventing cyberattacks that devastate the bottom line, it makes sense for IT staff to learn about business strategy.

The UCI Paul Merage School of Business has just launched the program, offering a Certificate in Business Leadership for IT Executives with participants from such diverse organizations as AIG, NetApp, Sutter Health and Yamaha Motors USA. For me, the go-ahead from UCI to join in the development of the program was absolute validation that a need existed for the program, and acted as a call to action for so many tech companies that understand the value in shaping tech executives to look for new ways to drive business outcomes.

In an ideal world, no one would finish a leadership program questioning its value. Leadership programs should be purposefully designed to educate and enable their participants to understand the business side of things in order to better align innovation to the objectives of their organization.

To remain competitive, organizations must embrace digital transformation while staying focused on traditional objectives. By learning about business initiatives to complement their existing knowledge base, today’s IT professionals are in the perfect position to help guide their organizations and advise the C-suite on the evolving tech landscape.

Drew Cather is vice president of Innovation at Trace3, where he focuses on turning technology innovation into business value. He holds an economics degree from UC-Berkeley and lives in Orange County, California, with his wife and young son.

Using Gamification to Improve Engagement and Retention Rates

 By Chris Whitlow, CEO of Edukate

High turnover rates are a problem that employers face every day, and finding solutions to keep employees is just as challenging. In 2016, the turnover rate for employees in the hospitality sector was more than 70 percent, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Openings and Labor Turnover (JOLTS) program. To counter this and improve employee retention rates, employers should consider utilizing gamification to engage and inspire employees.

Gamification refers to the application of game elements into other settings. Many companies are already using gamification to improve their customers' experiences, but it can have big benefits for their employees as well. Successful gamification tactics in the workplace include using job simulation activities for recruiting and employee onboarding, holding engagement contests when implementing a new technology, and awarding points and rewards for typically mundane tasks.

Increasing employee engagement with gamification

Gamification functions well in the workforce because it creates an engaging environment for employees and ultimately improves a company’s culture. Adding playful elements such as rewards to humdrum tasks leads to increased rates of engagement as employees feel incentivized to participate.

Many employees are stuck at a desk, helping to keep customers happy but not staying engaged themselves.  

This same concept applies to employee benefits. Employers should strive to create engagement around their benefit offerings via gamification. Employees who take full advantage of their benefits to address personal stressors reap the rewards of working for that specific company and feel more fulfilled.

An engaged employee is a happy employee, so it's important to care for them in the same way that one would a customer.

Increasing motivation and productivity

Gamification means more than offering an occasional contest. Rather, it’s about energizing employees through engagement. Gamification also shifts an employee’s view of a task without changing the fundamental nature of the task. Employees feel excited about their workplace while completing the same tasks that they were before. Additionally, positive feedback and recognition motivates users to feel more satisfied.

Motivated employees are in turn are more engaged, loyal, and productive—in return, they are more likely to stay with their current company.

Gamification as a part of overall culture

Company culture affects an employee’s opinion of the company and is a strong component in employees’ decisions to leave a company or stay, and gamification promotes a positive and rewarding company culture. Employees are often scattered throughout the workplace and focus on different tasks. Gamification allows employees to work on projects in different departments and spread the culture. It helps create a sense of belonging for workers and reminds them of common goals and values found throughout the organization.

It’s time for the employers to utilize gamification for their employees—not just their customers. Games are fun, but gamification is a robust business-oriented solution that will improve employees’ experiences and increase retention rates.  

What Makes the Ultimate Dream Job and Company?

By Anna Burke, Vice President of Marketing & Communications for HighGround

More than 80 percent of Americans believe there is an ideal job for each person, and it can ultimately lead to career happiness and satisfaction. Yet what constitutes a dream job? And what makes a dream company? Whether you’re an employee or an employer, the answer may surprise you.

Trendy office perks like foosball and beer Friday are great bonuses, but they aren’t creating long-term satisfaction for employees. According to a recent study, a dream company has three qualities:

-       It cares about employees’ well-being

-       It provides opportunities for employees to learn and grow in their careers

-       It promotes work life balance

Ninety percent of employees report that an organization’s overall commitment to professional development is important, including opportunities for growth and learning.

Companies like Starbucks and PwC are committing to just that. The Seattle-based coffee giant offers a job-specific training program for new hires called 70/20/10. As part of their professional development, new hires will receive 70 percent on-the-job training, 20 percent through mentorship and peer-based feedback, and 10 percent from an online curriculum. Meanwhile, PwC provides education subsidizing with $1200 for student loan reimbursement.

Why should your organization strive to be a dream company? Studies show that your employees will typically have higher job satisfaction, more confidence, lower stress levels, greater engagement at work and less odds of resigning. In fact, 25 percent of employees not at the dream company consider resigning in the first year.

According to the National Career Service, a dream job typically matches the following criteria:

-       It's something you truly enjoy doing

-       It allows you to achieve a goal or ambition

-       It's a role you’re confident in doing

So what if your company culture doesn’t currently fit the criteria for a dream company or dream job? The good news is that research shows that people who grow into a position end up just as happy on the job—or happier—as those who felt it was the perfect fit from the outset. Things like self-management, work/life balance, cultural fit and great benefits can better engage employees.

As you’re pursuing candidates, remember what shapes a happy, satisfied employee. That foosball table in your break room might look pretty cool, but it’s just not going to cut it. Investing in professional development and education will make employees more engaged and ultimately, better contributors to your business.

Anne Burke is the Vice President of Marketing & Communications for HighGround.  Ann has nearly 20 years of B2B technology marketing experience. 

Big Business Impacts You Can Deliver with Micro-Learning

By Didi D’Errico, Vice President of Brand Advocacy at Saba

Where do you go to learn? Chances are, your answer today starts with a Google search, a favorite app or a direct inquiry on YouTube—all conducted from your mobile phone. This process has become the default for figuring out anything from tips on starting a do-it-yourself weekend project, to developing a new exercise routine, to learning a specific skill—all at the touch of your fingertips.

When it comes to delivering a similar workplace experience as an HR or learning and development professional, it means so much more than giving access to existing learning content on a mobile device.

Moving to mobile will mean learning and development teams need to review their most critical content and streamline or rework it. But, there is a silver lining: training content for mobile learning doesn’t need to—and shouldn’t—come just from the learning and development (L&D) group. Some of the highest impact informal learning can come from peers and subject-matter experts within the organization and can be as easy to share as uploading a video to YouTube.

Here are three examples of how mobile learning is uniquely delivering a different level of agility to organizations large and small and their teams, partners and customers alike.

1. Democratize Learning

Over many years of growth, computer giant Dell had amassed an equally giant collection of training materials about its products: nearly 12 million pages of training documentation. In an effort to improve the impact of its training content and the efficiency, the Dell L&D team created quick troubleshooting videos corresponding to a QR code attached to each piece of Dell equipment. Now, when users scan the tag on their Dell device, they are immediately linked to a short video of how-to’s with access to a host of related links. Mobile learning at Dell is now as easy as: Scan, learn, do.

2. Globalize Learning

Global hotel and hospitality leader Hyatt Hotels took a close look at their mobile content, since the vast majority of their colleagues work outside a dedicated office every day and created mobile image-based content for core tasks required within in a hotel —without words. Their all-visual micro-content covers a range of topics from making a bed, to pouring wine. This image-based mobile learning removes both access and language barriers at once. As a result, Hyatt team members worldwide are better enabled to learn in their work environment and are starting to self-subscribe to more mobile content to extend their skills.

3. Bridge the Generational Gap

Countrywide PLC is a leader in residential real estate property services across the UK. Part of its continued growth in a highly regulated industry is via industry acquisition. As a result, the learning team does quite a bit of new-hire orientation training in addition to regulatory training and skills development. At a recent onboarding session for a newly acquired team, a 78-year-old office worker asked the learning leader how the company preferred expense reports to be filed. He encouraged her to look in the learning system to find the answer. So, she asked to borrow the iPad of the young woman sitting next to her in the conference room, did a quick search on expense reports, found short instructions, filled out the form, and submitted it in a few keystrokes.

At Saba, we are lucky enough to be inspired every day by our customers and their strategic ideas for advancing the potential of learning. We are really jazzed about the potential of predictive analytics technologies to deliver personalized learning nuggets like new contacts, new content and new courses to each person in your organization based on their interests, just like Amazon and Netflix suggest ideas on new shoes and movies based on their unique interests.

Intuitive, irresistible, engaging, always available, and open to all: what’s not to love about mobile learning?