Author: amadmin

A 3-Point Checklist for Upskilling your Workforce

The demand for upskilling and reskilling has never been more critical. Within a decade, it’s expected technology will reshape more than one billion jobs worldwide, requiring as many individuals to retrain and reskill by 2030.1 In response, organizations around the world are driving towards solutions that will ensure the effective validating of new skills in a rapidly changing job market.
Why Skill Validation Matters

With standards still evolving, organizations are responsible for valuing and validating this reskill and/or upskill mastery for their workforce. However, many organizations lack concrete proof regarding learners’ ability to retain and apply the knowledge and skills needed to successfully navigate the changing landscape.

3-Point Checklist for Upskilling your Workforce
✔ Set clear, aligned learning objectives
✔ Give real-time, relevant feedback
✔ Ensure consistent, unbiased evaluations
3 Steps to Validate Skill Mastery
The success of your upskill program hinges not only on the quality of training but also on the tangible proof of its impact. Here, we present a 3-point checklist for substantiating genuine skill mastery and enhancing your credentialing program.
1. Establish Clear, Aligned Learning Objectives

Effective assessments begin with defined learning objectives. These objectives form the foundation for your any learning program (and are critical in quickly reskilling or upskilling your employees), facilitating deliberate practice, relevant feedback, and meaningful assessments.

First, create clear, customized objectives rooted in your course materials, including training documents, video transcripts, and assessment rubrics. These objectives:

  • Provide learners with unambiguous guidance, ensuring they understand where to focus during practice.
  • Create a uniform learning experience for all participants.
  • Prevent misalignment between course content and assessment criteria.
  • Maintain consistency by subjecting all learners to the same predefined objectives, ensuring fairness and transparency. First, create clear, customized objectives rooted in your course materials, including training documents, video transcripts, and assessment rubrics. These objectives:
2. Offer Real-Time, Relevant Feedback

The next step involves providing learners with timely, actionable feedback on practice assignments and assessments guided by your learning objectives. This process reinforces comprehension of course content, enabling learners to refine and master their skills through continuous practice. Moreover, it instills instructor confidence in learners’ assessment readiness while reducing the bad habit formation that can occur when learners gain confidence in a wrong approach without timely feedback to redirect.

Providing timely, aligned feedback:

  • Encourages learners to persist until they achieve excellence.
  • Boosts learner confidence by illuminating their strengths and areas for improvement.
  • Sustains learner engagement and motivation.
3. Ensure Consistent, Unbiased Evaluations

Lastly, establish a consistent and fair evaluation process based on your learning objectives to enhance the value and credibility of your upskill/reskill program. By evaluating each learner’s skills and comprehension against the program’s learning objectives, instructors can grade with confidence.

Basing your assessments on learning objectives:

  • Boosts the credibility of your evaluations, ensuring all learners are graded against the same criteria.
  • Helps validate learners’ mastery of the required skills.
Selecting the Ideal Skills Development & Assessment Tools

Traditional assessment methods, such as multiple-choice tests and quizzes, often fall short when meeting today’s credibility, scalability, and value demands. Organizations find it challenging to verify the real-world readiness of their learners, instructors grapple with manual grading, and learners aspire for genuine recognition and feedback that prepares them for real-world challenges. In addition, these assessments often fail to keep up with the evolving needs of reskilling an entire workforce to meet the challenges and demands of the future of work.

AI-powered solutions are swiftly emerging to bridge this gap, offering innovative tools to enhance assessment and credentialing processes for organizations.

Get Evidence of Skill Mastery with Alterity's Alterity+ Features

Alterity is delighted to unveil Alterity+, a groundbreaking solution that employs a threefold assessment approach, offering tangible proof of skill mastery. This tool elevates reskilling programs using learner-created video submissions as concrete evidence of skill mastery, complete with AI-driven feedback and options for both individual practice and evaluator assessment, as needed.

Alterity+’s distinctive approach ensures upskilling objectives are supported by video proof of
genuine skill mastery, combining efficiency with undeniable validation. The new features
include:

  • Automated Learning Objectives: Alterity+ rapidly generates core learning objectives from provided course materials, saving instructors time and effort. It establishes precise assessment criteria for learners and instructors aligned with organizational goals.
  • Instant Feedback: An AI-driven tool that provides learners with real-time feedback on video assignments, ensuring depth of content understanding and presentation effectiveness. It reinforces learner comprehension of course material by aligning feedback with learning objectives.
  • Automated Smart Scoring: An automated grading system evaluates learners’ final video submissions against each learning objective to ensure consistent and unbiased evaluations. This approach showcases proof of mastery and frees instructors from the time-consuming manual grading process.

Alterity+ combines the efficiency of automation with the depth of human expertise. Our solution ensures fast, consistent assessment processes while seamlessly integrating human proficiency at any stage, providing organizations the best of both worlds. Plus, our privacy-first the infrastructure and training approach ensures the confidentiality and security of all data, reflecting our unwavering commitment to data protection.

With Alterity+, you can finally have confidence in proving skill readiness, accelerating learner growth and enhancing an organization’s credibility and scalability. AI-powered solutions are swiftly emerging to bridge this gap, offering innovative tools to enhance assessment and credentialing processes for organizations.

AI-powered solutions are swiftly emerging to bridge this gap, offering innovative tools to enhance assessment and credentialing processes for organizations.

Sources:

1 https://www.weforum.org/impact/reskilling-revolution/

How to talk to employees about AI and understand responsible and effective use

Before we get into the specifics of this article, let’s level-set on a few things about Generative Artificial
Intelligence (GenAI):

  • Is it Evil or is it Good? NEITHER. It’s probably best to stop ascribing morality to a technology. It’s in the use of things that it gets such a moniker.
  • Is it intelligent? NO. It is really machine learning based on what it has to learn from (there are some interesting tangential thoughts here – think GIGO …or Garbage In, Garbage Out).
  • Is it AMAZING? Oh yeah, most definitely YES! The technology is extraordinary and has the potential to do things in seconds that would take a really talented person hours.
  • Will it take over the world and be the end of all life as we know it? NO. While it clearly provides the conspiracy theorists with fodder for Skynet references (come on … we’ve all seen Terminator), this technology will be disruptive but not destructive (IMHO).

There are a lot of directions you can take when discussing GenAI for employees and organizations. You can take the complete risk-averse mindset of “Not only NO, but heck NO!” Or you can take the daredevil mindset of “these are innovations that will change everything.” Of particular interest to many industries, however, is a balanced view of both. There are interesting stories around its misuse, some cool stories around efficiency gains, and a whole lot of speculation about its impact on job roles and how it might change the look of the modern-day company. But how do we talk about the GenAI juggernaut with employees? Here are a few things to consider:

Know Your Audience

In fact, I would take this one step further. Don’t assume you know your audience. Ask them. A mistake many have made over the years is to take a new technology and try to “make it fit” into an employee’s way of working. Instead, we should start with the business issue(s) facing the employee and how this can help solve the business need(s). The best way to know the business issues facing employees …is to ask employees.

Something else to consider … what matters to you may not matter to your employee. Always approach the introduction of technology changes with employees based on the real (not perceived) business needs of the employee.

Know the Ethical Guiding Principles to which All Organizations Are Bound

Ethical rules are not just platitudes or suggestions or “it would be nice if” types of things for some businesses and employees. They are rules that some are bound by and that they’ve sworn to. For example, there are sanctions for not staying within the ethical guidelines established for lawyers. This is no small thing. Lawyers are held to a higher standard …and they should be. This is also not a bad thing. In fact, it’s a good thing. Ethical standards and rules help tremendously when faced with a decision tree moment. For example, they provide guidance and direction for when to and when not to use certain technologies (which is OH SO relevant to the GenAI discussion).

The American Bar Association’s (ABA) model rules are guides for this discussion. For reference, the ABA sets model rules that are, in most cases, adopted by each state for lawyers with their State Bar in that state. Using the ABA’s model rules provides us with a broad, yet widely adopted place to start. Two notable rules come to mind.

Duty of Competence: Let’s cover some salient points to this rule:
It requires you to maintain requisite knowledge and skill. It also makes clear that things are constantly changing, and an employee has a responsibility to stay current …including technologically. The laws and rules around the use of GenAI are changing by the minute. In fact, some judges are adding rules for their court specifically around the use of GenAI. It requires you to understand the risks and benefits associated with relevant technology. See any connections here to the use of GenAI? You are required to be aware not only of the good things (the benefits), but also the not-so-good things (the risks).

Duty of Confidentiality: This one should be clear, but sometimes gets lost in the practical application. Comment 16 to this rule states that “Reasonable precautions” must be taken to safeguard and preserve confidential information. Understanding the technology tools and how they handle, store, and secure access to confidential information is part of that reasonable precaution mandate. 

What about Data Privacy? It has been said that public GenAI solutions are the exact opposite of Data Privacy. Adding confidential information to a public GenAI solution makes that confidential information very public. Data Privacy laws are changing rapidly world-wide. All ethical use of GenAI solutions must align with an organization’s responsibility to maintain data privacy and protection. It’s the law.

Take a Balanced Approach

Employees want a breakdown of the facts so they can make informed decisions. Employees also want practical and actionable steps to use a technology like GenAI. Put GenAI topics into ethical and effective use case scenarios. Find the uses of GenAI that add efficiencies and solve business problems without violating their ethical requirements. Align the discussions of the effective use of GenAI with the policies and procedures established by the organization and its core values.

About the Author

Kenny Leckie

Traveling Coaches | Senior Technology & Change Management Consultant

In his role as Senior Technology and Change Management Consultant, Kenny provides thought leadership and consulting to the legal community in areas of information security/cybersecurity awareness, change management, user adoption, adult learning, employee engagement, professional development, and business strategy. He also works with clients to develop and deploy customized programs with an emphasis on user adoption and increased return on investment. Kenny is a Prosci
Certified Change Practitioner, a Certified Technical Trainer and has earned the trust of firms across the US, Canada, The UK, Europe and Australia.

Kenny has more than thirty years of combined experience as a law firm Chief Information Officer, Manager of Support & Training, and now consultant providing him a unique point of view and understanding of the challenges of introducing change in law firms. He combines his years of experience with a strategic approach to help clients implement programs that allows focus on the business while minimizing risk to confidential, protected, and sensitive information. Kenny is an author and speaker and a winner of ILTA’s 2018 Innovative Consultant of the Year.

Why training is essential to your AI strategy

Generative AI, seen in models like OpenAI’s GPT series, is a revolutionary leap in machine learning. AI solutions such as Microsoft Copilot and NetDocuments PatternBuilder MAX are working to address past security concerns, access control issues, and privacy constraints critical across many industries. Effective use of these AI tools by professionals, however, depends on user prompts, strategic document corpus utilization, and an ongoing commitment to innovation.  

Because there is a learning curve in transitioning from traditional methods, a well-executed training program is essential for the efficient adoption of these technologies. Customized training programs, tailored to each organization’s workflows, ensure a thorough understanding of AI functionalities and create a culture of learning that helps firms thrive.

Addressing the Learning Curve

Recognizing the dynamic nature of AI, organizations must provide continuous learning opportunities. Updates and enhancements are regular, and staff must stay current on the latest developments in AI tools. This proactive approach ensures that the investment in AI technology yields long-term benefits. To bridge this gap, organizations need comprehensive training that covers the functionalities of tools like Copilot and ndMAX. This support ensures that employees can harness the full potential of these AI solutions from day one.

Customized Training Programs

Organizations operate with unique workflows and business practices. Therefore, a one-size-fits-all training approach may not be sufficient. Tailored training programs that align with the specific requirements, use cases, and focus areas of any industry are essential. These programs should not only cover the basics but also delve into advanced features, maximizing the utility of AI tools in day-to-day operations.

Navigating the AI Arena

Navigating the complexities of AI adoption, particularly with tools like Copilot and ndMAX, requires more than technical knowledge. Leveraging Copilot’s AI-powered code suggestions and understanding how ndMAX’s generative AI enhances business document workflows, empowers professionals to maximize the capabilities of these tools in day-to-day operations. Highlighting the benefits of AI adoption and showcasing success stories illustrate how these tools enhance human expertise rather than replace it. Effective training goes beyond the technical knowledge to instill confidence in teams to embrace AI as a valuable asset.

Continuous Learning Opportunities

The field of AI is dynamic, with updates and enhancements regularly introduced. Organizations must provide continuous learning opportunities to their staff, keeping them up to speed with the latest developments in generative AI tools like Microsoft Copilot and NetDocuments. This proactive approach ensures that as firms invest in AI technology they will continue to reap the long-term benefits. 

While AI solutions like Microsoft Copilot and NetDocuments offer immense potential for many professionals, the journey towards a future-ready organization necessitates a commitment to training. Investing in comprehensive and customized training programs ensures that organizations not only unlock the efficiency promised by AI but also empower their professionals to navigate the evolving landscape of technology with confidence and proficiency.

Alterity is your AI training partner

At Alterity, we recognize that the true power of AI lies in the hands of educated and empowered users. As a comprehensive AI training partner, Alterity emphasizes the importance of acquiring cutting-edge tools alongside investing in knowledge and skills. This dual approach ensures the effective utilization of AI tools. Reach out to us today to discuss your AI training and adoption plan. 

How AI Can Transform Your Business

Businesses are facing a seismic shift with the arrival of artificial intelligence (AI). Its transformative potential holds immense promise for employees, offering greater efficiency, improved accuracy, and enhanced client service. However, harnessing this power requires a strategic approach grounded in both ethical considerations and unwavering commitment to security.

AI in Action:

Research Revolution: Utilize tools like Netdocuments ndMAX and Microsoft 365 Copilot to scour databases with laser-like precision. Uncover critical details in seconds, freeing you from the manual research grind.

Drafting Dynamo: AI-powered writing assistants like Gemini can craft messages, clear and concise emails, allowing you to focus on strategy and client interactions.

Predictive Prowess: AI analyzes trends and past outcomes to offer valuable insights. Predicts, identifies, and optimizes with AI-powered forecasting.

Client Care Champion: Chatbots powered by AI can be your 24/7 client concierge, fielding basic questions, scheduling appointments, and offering resources. Happy clients, happy business!

Safety First:

Data Defender: Choose AI tools with robust data security measures. Prioritize established platforms like Microsoft 365 Copilot or Netdocuments ndMAX built with data protection at their core.

Transparency Advocate: Understand the limitations and potential biases of AI algorithms. Be open and transparent with clients about how AI is used in your industry.

Human in the Loop: Remember, AI is a powerful tool, not a replacement for human judgment. The final decision-making always rests with you. Use AI to augment your expertise, not replace it.

Navigating the AI Arena

ChatGPT: This creative writing whiz is a great brainstorming tool, but its capabilities are still under development. Think of it as a muse, not a trusted companion.

Microsoft, Bing, and Google Gemini: These search engines are masters of general information, but they lack the nuances needed for your business. Think of them as helpful librarians, not advisors.

Remember: AI is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Carefully research and compare tools like Netdocuments ndMAX and Microsoft 365 Copilot to find the perfect fit for your business and expertise.

Embrace the future and let AI take your business to new heights. With careful selection, responsible use, and a healthy dose of critical thinking, AI can be your business’s secret weapon, helping you deliver with greater speed, accuracy, and efficiency.

Don’t let data entry, manipulation, and analysis drag your team down. Transform them into streamlined workflows with our AI training program. Master data cleanliness with AI-powered pattern recognition, formula suggestions, and best practices to ensure accuracy and analysis-readiness. Level up your Excel game by discovering intricate calculations and automation techniques, accelerating your data manipulation skills. Dive deeper with advanced analysis like pivot tables, charts, and data summaries to unlock hidden trends and make data-driven decisions with confidence. Fine-tune your workflows, eliminate redundancies, and troubleshoot common issues, saving you valuable time.

Don’t let AI intimidate your team! Alterity turns this powerful technology into a practical tool, boosting your team’s efficiency, accuracy, and data analysis confidence. Connect with us today and see your skills, and your business, be empowered!

Employee Appreciation Day

In light of Employee Appreciation Day, we would like to express our heartfelt gratitude for the incredible individuals who make our organization thrive.

At Alterity, we prioritize employee appreciation as a cornerstone of our culture, acknowledging and celebrating the unique achievements and contributions of every member of our team. Our commitment to employee appreciation isn’t just about boosting morale; it’s about fostering a sense of belonging and empowerment that drives innovation and excellence across our organization. We believe in empowering our employees by recognizing their hard work and dedication throughout the year, and know that by educating and empowering each individual, we elevate the entire organization, creating a workplace where everyone can thrive and excel.

We deeply value the passion, talent, and hard work that each member of our team brings to the table every day. Together, we empower each other and our clients to achieve new heights.

9 Ways to Become a World Class Trainer

At Alterity we spend all day talking to trainers. We hear their struggles and help them work through training road bumps, but our favorite part is hearing how they succeed every day to bring exceptional educational experiences to their learners.

As trainers ourselves, we are always looking to empower others. So here is a collection of thoughts from our Alterity team of experts.

1. Ask open ended questions.

While this seems simple, it often helps a learner to think through what they are learning if they need to process a response that is more than just a yes or no.

2. Listening is as important as speaking.

Pay attention to who is asking questions and what questions are being asked. As well as those learners who remain silent. While this is often more difficult in virtual sessions, using the chat tool is a great way to get people to engage.

3. Training is often not a one style fits all solution.

An amazing trainer finds ways to teach one topic to a variety of learning styles. Think about those you have taught in the past. Did you have people that didn’t understand what you were teaching until they got to do it themselves? Did you have others that simply had to hear it to become a master? Or maybe learners who seemed to ask endless questions? Being able to adapt to a variety of needs will help you meet your learners where they are in their learning journey.

4. For virtual sessions, don't forget your tech setup.

Nothing is worse as a learner than not being able to clearly hear the instructor. Make sure you have a quality external microphone, dedicated headset, proper lighting, and multiple monitors. Without even changing the way you are presenting, you can radically change the way you are perceived in your online sessions.

5. Utilize closed captioning technology when you can.

Even tools like Teams have closed captioning capabilities. Let learners know they can turn on this feature as an added enhancement. To use live captions in a meeting, go to your meeting controls at the top of the screen and select More. > Language and speech > Turn on live captions. As a trainer, you don’t need to change what you do to change how it’s consumed.

6. Know your audience.

Have you ever had the request to “Train everyone how to use Excel during our lunch and learn next week”. While we can all come up with something, it won’t be a success unless you establish a few things first. You need to know who you are training and what expectations they have and if there have been any questions or concerns raised about the topic. You also need to know what success will look like. Is this a group that has never used Excel, or can they already create pivot tables faster than most of us can remember what tab you need to go to for that feature. And make sure to start the training with the end in mind. Tell your audience what they can expect to learn during their time with you.

7. Encourage audience participation to help gauge their understanding.

Whether this is using a visual indicator in a classroom setting or the chat in a virtual setting, make sure to check in. Ask for a simple thumbs up or thumbs down if they think they can now do what you just taught them on their own. It’s a quick way to check in to make sure you can keep going. Be able to adapt to anything unexpected that may come up.

8. Follow through if someone asks a question you didn't know the answer to.

Either help them find another individual who has the answer or help them get to the bottom of their question. The learner is your customer and the assistance you provide will be remembered.

9. Borrow knowledge to build knowledge.

Use topics, processes, and ideas they already understand to hasten familiarity with the new concept. If you are teaching someone how to use PowerPoint, draw on skills they likely already know from using Word.

While every trainer has their own style and skill set, learning from others helps us elevate our skills.

Transforming Human Resource Management: 5 Key Insights from HRSouthwest

The recent HRSouthwest conference provided profound insights into the challenges and emerging trends shaping the future of HR practices. Attendees engaged in positive discussions, interactive sessions, and valuable vendor interactions, unveiling key highlights that every content creation company catering to HR management should consider.

Prioritizing Employee Well-being Amidst the Mental Health Crisis

Vendors showcased a noticeable focus on employee well-being, responding to the prevalent mental health crisis. Beyond vendor booths, numerous conference sessions were dedicated to addressing employee well-being, highlighting a collective effort to bolster employee wellbeing. Companies are actively seeking solutions that address holistic employee health, presenting content creation companies with an opportunity to develop modules that foster well-being and resilience.

Strategic Onboarding for Lasting Employee Engagement

The demand for effective onboarding solutions was evident among HR professionals. Beyond talent acquisition, there is a recognition of the need for seamless integration of new hires into organizational culture. Content creation companies, like Alterity, can play a pivotal role in crafting onboarding programs that cultivate meaningful connections and expedite employee productivity.

Dynamic Training Programs for a Changing Work Environment

Dissatisfaction with static training programs emerged as a recurring theme. Companies, regardless of size, are actively seeking innovative and flexible training options. Content creation companies should focus on developing dynamic training programs that adapt to the evolving business landscape, catering to diverse learning preferences with a focus on micro-learning.

Measuring the Impact of Learning: A High Priority for HR Professionals

The conference highlighted a strong demand for meaningful measurement of learning and training impact. HR teams are keen on demonstrating the value of their initiatives through comprehensive analytics. Content creation companies can meet this need by incorporating robust assessment tools into their offerings, aiding HR professionals in showcasing the efficacy of their training programs.

Outsourcing for Efficient HR Support

HR teams are increasingly turning to outsourcing or building networks of expertise to support their training initiatives. Content creation companies have become holistic solutions providers by offering fully managed services encompassing training, instructional design, content creation, and learning management systems (LMS). This approach aligns with the preference for a consolidated source of support, streamlining procurement processes for HR professionals.

 

 

As the HR industry continues to evolve, staying attuned to these trends will be instrumental in delivering value and staying competitive in the dynamic HR management market.

At Alterity, we believe in creating a culture of learning.  Our acclaimed suite of products and services create a culture of learning that helps your organization thrive.

Contact us to learn more

Unlocking Efficiency and Productivity: AI Solutions for Business Professionals

In the fast-paced world of business, staying ahead often requires more than just expertise. The integration of cutting-edge technology can significantly enhance efficiency, allowing professionals to focus on what they do best—providing top-notch services. In this article, we’ll explore two groundbreaking AI solutions designed to streamline workflows and boost productivity within the workforce: Microsoft Copilot and ndMAX. We’ll also discuss choosing the right AI tool for the task at hand.

Microsoft Copilot: Your Intelligent Assistant

Seamless Integration with Microsoft 365 (M365)

Microsoft Copilot sets itself apart by being a secure, enterprise-level solution seamlessly integrated into the Microsoft 365 ecosystem. This means professionals can harness the power of Generative AI directly within their familiar M365 applications. Whether you’re drafting documents, analyzing data, or managing your calendar, Copilot acts as your personal assistant, providing invaluable support at every step.

Generative AI at Your Fingertips

Microsoft Copilot goes beyond being a time-saving device. It leverages Generative AI to assist professionals in nearly every aspect of their work. Imagine having an intelligent tool that not only helps you draft documents but also analyzes data, making your research more efficient and comprehensive, assists with business development, and more. With Copilot, the power of AI is truly at your fingertips whenever and wherever you need it.

Enhancing Workflows

Professionals can now streamline their workflows with Microsoft Copilot, allowing for more strategic thinking and less time spent on routine tasks. From recapping meeting minutes and action items, to reviewing your inbox and prioritizing emails to drafting effective business and trial presentations, Copilot becomes an indispensable ally, contributing to the overall effectiveness and success of your business.

ndMAX: Revolutionizing Productivity on NetDocuments

AI-Powered Products within NetDocuments

ndMAX is a groundbreaking suite of AI-powered products strategically embedded throughout the NetDocuments platform for the development of important documents. Specifically designed for the professional community, ndMAX aims to maximize productivity while maintaining the highest standards of security and user compliance.

Efficiency Across Workflows

Business professionals can now save valuable time on tasks such as drafting documents, business intake, summarizing lengthy records, analyzing forms, and more with ease. ndMAX is engineered to accelerate business productivity for speed, impact, and accuracy, ensuring that your team operates at its full potential.

Responsibly Leveraging AI

One of the key strengths of ndMAX is its commitment to responsible AI usage. The suite operates within user guardrails, providing a secure and ethical framework for business professionals to leverage AI capabilities. ndMax is exempt from Microsoft’s standard automated and human review processes. This ensures that the power of AI is harnessed responsibly, aligning with the highest standards of business.

A Future-Ready Business

In a business that demands both speed and accuracy, embracing AI solutions like Microsoft Copilot and ndMAX can revolutionize the way professionals operate. These innovative tools not only save time but also empower staff to elevate their organization to new heights. By seamlessly integrating into existing ecosystems and offering tailored solutions for your workflows, Copilot and ndMAX pave the way for a future-ready organization—one where efficiency, productivity, and excellence go hand in hand.

The Imperative of Training and Support for AI Integration

To harness the efficiency and productivity promised by AI solutions like Microsoft Copilot and ndMAX, comprehensive training and ongoing support are imperative. Recognizing the transformative potential of AI, businesses must invest in tailored training programs to equip their people with the skills and confidence needed for seamless integration into daily workflows. 

Addressing the learning curve associated with adopting AI tools is crucial, requiring programs that cover basic functionalities and provide advanced training. Continuous learning opportunities are essential to keeping professionals updated on the latest features, ensuring that AI integration remains an evolving and beneficial aspect of the business. 

Alterity is your AI training partner.

A future-ready business not only involves acquiring cutting-edge AI tools but also requires investment in the knowledge and skills necessary for their effective utilization through robust training and support initiatives. Reach out to us today to discuss your AI training and adoption plan.

The Role of Trainers in Implementing AI Technologies

As companies increasingly adopt AI technologies, training professionals have an important role to play in ensuring a smooth and effective implementation. AI is transforming businesses in countless ways, from automating routine tasks to generating data-driven insights. While AI holds great promise, realizing its full potential requires buy-in and skill-building across the organization. 

There are several key ways trainers can support your AI strategy:

1. Educate employees on AI basics

Provide learning opportunities to demystify AI and build foundational knowledge. Explain key AI concepts like machine learning and natural language processing in plain terms with visual aids. Foster understanding of how AI will impact various roles.

2. Empower employees through reskilling programs

Major workflow changes often accompany AI adoption. Take a proactive approach by offering reskilling programs to help employees transform and adapt their skills for a smoother transition.

3. Incorporate AI training methods

Leverage AI itself to enhance training. For instance, intelligent tutoring systems can deliver personalized, adaptive instruction and voice recognition can give feedback during roleplaying scenarios.

4. Partner across teams

Collaborate closely with integration team, HR, department heads, and innovation leaders. Learn the technical considerations, timelines and challenges, along with the business goals, objectives, and measures of success. Tailor training to complement the deployment while prioritizing new skills and workflows.

5. Evaluate AI's impact

Continuously assess how AI is impacting workflows and learning needs. Survey managers and employees on skill gaps that emerge. Establish baseline measurements before and after deployment to measure adoption, business results, and ROI. Use AI-generated insights to target relevant training to the right people. Maintain your finger on the pulse.

6. Elevate the work and inspire a positive mindset

Change management is critical with any major tech disruption. Foster excitement about AI’s potential to elevate human work. Encourage a growth mindset, emphasizing how AI can augment staff capabilities. Counter fears that AI will replace jobs by focusing on new opportunities.

The rise of Generative AI necessitates ongoing learning at all levels of an organization. Alterity is committed to fully leveraging our change management and training expertise to ensure your workforce gains the knowledge, skills, and mindsets to thrive in an AI-powered future. How organizations support employees today will determine if their AI strategy is a success. We welcome the chance to play a strategic role in this transformation.

Learning Impact at Every Stage of the Employee LifeCycle

Author: Dave Seligsohn, Chief Product and Services Officer at Alterity

I believe:

  • Learning does not operate in a vacuum
  • Learning is an essential part of Change Management
  • What gets measured, gets done
  • Learning is most effective in the “moment of need”

Establishing a seamless foundation for an effective learning organization involves applying these four statements to every stage of the Employee Lifecycle: recruitment, onboarding, management, development, promotion, and exit/retirement.This integration is crucial for driving overall business growth and improvement. Let’s look at these one by one:

Learning Does Not Operate in a Vacuum

Once you move past compliancy and required minimal training activities, you begin to focus on actual behavioral change.  When behavior changes, you have the ability to observe and measure results, leading to performance improvement (hopefully) and, by definition, learning has just bled into performance or talent management, career pathing, salary and bonus payments, etc.  Learning may be the catalyst, but its impact is far reaching.

Learning is an Essential Part of Change Management

To remain successful, companies, their teams, the roles and the people in them are in a constant state of change. After all, if something isn’t constantly changing, then by definition, it is dying or already dead. The paradox here is that few of us love change. So, we need training, enablement, support and encouragement to help us not only embrace the change, but to prepare for it and equip ourselves to successfully execute it once it is here. Change Management without learning as a key enabling factor is doomed to fail.
 

What Gets Measured, Gets Done

There is a basic “math” equation I like to use in this instance: Here is our business today. Add in the “change.” What is different? Business + Change = ??? Learning should result in measured behavioral change (hopefully for the better!). Improved individual behaviors will equal better team performance, which, in turn, will lead to measurable business results (increased revenue, reduced cost, higher customer satisfaction and/or retention, removal of risk, etc.). The key is tying learning to the anticipated business result BEFORE you implement the change. In this way, you can track it, determining if the change did what you thought (or hoped!) it would.
 

Learning is Most Effective in the “Moment of Need”

Research clearly shows that when there is need – and the more urgent and significant the need, the greater the imperative – full adoption and expression of learning is more frequent and more impactful as measured by performance improvement. The opposite is also true – learning without an urgent need or triggering event is often lost fairly quickly and may never be applied to actual job performance. There is an inverse relationship between when the learning takes place and the timing of its application; the longer the interval, the weaker the impact of the learning event. So, how do we measure learning when it happens in the moment of need? The key here is the right combination of quantitative (factual numbers, outcomes and measurable results) and qualitative (observed behaviors, team interactions, peer, customer and manager feedback) data to paint the right picture. Only looking at one of these can lead you to missing the mark on the true impact of learning or the intended change.
 
Taking the above foundational concepts and applying them to the Employee Lifecycle, here are some ways you can apply and measure learning at every stage:

To learn more, or talk about this in greater detail, contact us today.