It’s no secret that traditional educational programs that focus on executive development are lacking. Although organizations spend billions of dollars each year to train employees, they often remain disappointed. Mihnea Moldoveanu and Das Narayandas, in a Harvard Business Review, suggest that the revolutionary “Personal Learning Cloud” (PLC) might offer some solutions.
PLC encompasses a growing number of online educational platforms and tools that provide learners and organizations with customized content to meet their needs. In traditional executive education, employees rarely transfer learned skills to their jobs. Additionally, Moldoveanu and Narayandas note that traditional education does not emphasize communication, relational and affective skills. Therefore, lifelong learning “is still far from reality” in those programs. So, how is PLC different?
Ways the PLC is Changing the Game
The PLC is transforming executive development in major ways.
1. Ease of Access
Companies can now directly find and contact educators to get the best online learning content. This process differs from traditional models that only use intermediaries such as management consultancies and business schools.
2. Customized Learning
Unlike traditional education models, companies and employees can pursue programs more suited to learners’ needs, schedules and learning styles. These include programs focusing on functional skills, like design and planning, as well as affective skills, like listening and responding. It is notable that the PCL is surpassing traditional models in providing efficient instruction for affective skills.
3. Contextualized Learning
Due to the flexibility of the PLC, employees can develop their skills while being in their work environments. Therefore, they can better apply their learned skills directly to their jobs than if they were learning in a classroom setting.
More Ways the PLC is Revolutionary
4. Cost Effectiveness
According to Moldoveanu and Narayandas, the PLC educators package low-cost content like lectures and exercises, with high-value learning like one-on-one coaching and group feedback sessions. Furthermore, individual program modules are sold independently. This means that learners can spend less money and time on learning than studying for an associate’s or bachelor’s degree.
5. Flexibility and Efficiency
Programs are delivered flexibly and efficiently on the PLC while reaching more learners than traditional education. Firstly, learners can access prerecorded lectures and notes at their convenience. Furthermore, they can interact with instructors and peers by discussing and making queries on discussion groups and forums.
The Bottom Line
“And as platforms change the nature of talent development, leaders will emerge with the skills—and enough real-world practice applying them—to do the right thing, at the right time, for the right reason, in the right way.”
– Mihnea Moldoveanu and Das Narayandas, Harvard Business Review
The PLC allows executives and companies to access more customized, cost-efficient and relevant content than what traditional education programs offer. This flexible training guides employees to transfer their skills more effectively than ever before. In other words, the PLC is changing the game as it is making lifelong learning a reality.
