So I have been thinking whether a company can move from traditional learning without any online learning or eLearning straight to Learning 2.0. I am going to answer this from a general perspective and from the perspective of my company. Generally, first, it would depend heavily (and sometimes solely) on the company technology culture, not just the corporate culture. Companies that have a younger workforce will be more likely to adopt Learning 2.0 and Web 2.0 faster and probably are already pushing the envelop for Learning 3.0 or Web 3.0. So the truth is that they will be riding the cutting edge. Needless to say, technological companies should already be on the cutting edge if they wish to retain their marketshare and their top talent. But companies, like mine, who don’t even optimize Learning 1.0 yet or are just now adopting 1.0 are years behind the curve, and its a reflection of Senior or Executive Management. So the success of whether a company can adopt a Learning 2.0 and/or Web 2.0 strategy (without using 1.0) largely depends on their philosophy of learning, talent development, and comfortability with “everyday” technology (outside the company). But companies who are apt to doing that are either start-up companies or youthful companies, but rarely will companies with Baby Boomers leading the way adopt 2.0 without first adopting 1.0 unless there was a change in leadership or some other external catalyst (and is the current recession a good enough external catalyst? Some have already said NO). Second, if one can get past the anti-company culture, it takes educating the right people (and at the right time). So there must be some strategic planning about who to educate. It must obviously start with your boss because you simply do not want to be caught doing something during work hours that your boss hasn’t blessed. Then from your boss, the list must contain the decision makers and IT personnel (and if you can knock both out with one stone [for example, an executive of IT], do it), but don’t limit it to those people. You need to know who the movers and shakers are in the company. Who’s got the ear of the Senior/Executive Leadership? Who are the people that have already successfully (and even unsuccessfully) pushed the envelope before in your company? Learn from them. Whoever has the ear of the most important person on your list needs to be on your list before that person. Also, with educating the right people comes subliminal marketing. Briefly talk about social learning periodically with them. Send them blogs about positive things. Send them examples of good use of social media. Send them examples of how social media and learning have improved ROI and the bottom line, especially now. Mention the history of the tools that the company is using now. For example, my company just adopted the use of webinars though they have been using LiveMeeting for some time. We recently switched to GoToMeeting/Webinar (GTM) which increased usability. So I have been talking about how this social learning tool has been beneficial, never calling it GTM but calling it a social learning tool. Also, I talk about how email was first accepted in the corporate structure as much as I can, not mentioning that Social Learning and Media are being treated the same way except with those whom I am winning over. Finally, don’t use social media without the blessing of the right people. Simply, don’t use social media/learning and then say SEE! This can be taken very negatively and actually devalues the person you are trying to convince. I have only come to this conclusion recently after doing the idea myself (see one of my previous posts).

While I believe that a company can theoretically skip Web 1.0 and Learning 1.0, I believe that they are exceptions to the general rule. I believe that it would be spawned by a change of corporate structure or leadership. However, if a company retains its current leadership, change management is very difficult for many companies, even though many in the business world have read Who Moved My Cheese. It’s funny to me that even though so many have read that book, few people actually adhere to its principles (but that’s another blog).

Now specifically regarding my company, my company has a strong company culture, one that is lived out daily, and it’s culture is close to my heart, even though I have been working here only for a very short time. My company also has a “strong commitment” to technological advancement, and recently the Sr. VP of Corporate Planning and IT was interviewed about his achievements in our industry. However, my company has been very resistant to social learning and even more surprisingly mobile learning since our account managers utilize mobile technology for their sales (though we have been blessed to pilot podcasting). It has taken us over three yearsto adopt, pilot and implement an LMS! This is ridiculously too long! Or am I mistaken and this is typical for medium-sized companies (approximately slightly less than 7,000 employees)? Really, what it comes down to is that my company is strongly committed to technological advancement as far as it pertains to an immediate effect in operations and for the customer. While social learning will provide this and even optimize some of this, social media and personal depravity has left a bad taste in my company’s management opinion about social learning. Let me explain. My company does not allow any sort of YouTube usage during company hours even though we have access to the site. Instead, my company monitors its usage and will tag people, slap them on the hand, and move on. This mainly has its concerns because of bandwidth. Furthermore, the discussions that are found on MySpace and Facebook are many times quite offensive and would not happen at the company (even though they may happen at lunch [off-site] or elsewhere, and even rarely at the “water cooler” simply due to company culture [quite conservative]). Furthermore, my company frowns upon IM (even though I have slipped by them on this issue and have promoted it within) because they believe this to be a waste of company work time, similar to the way email was once perceived. And finally, they are very resistant to blogging, which is becoming more and more fundamental to companies, especially in marketing and sales! Simply, my company doesn’t trust some of its leadership because of previous mistakes and HR issues (and rightly so). So because of this, they won’t even entertain the idea that there are companies like Mzinga (do you know of any others) who offer solutions (Social Media Suite) to prevent all their anxieties because of their robust moderation.

Now in regards to educating the right people, in my company, for example, the direct line to the CEO is: my boss (director), his boss (VP), his boss (Sr. VP), and his boss (CEO). The CEO’s workgroup (this is one word in my company) includes the Sr. VP of HR, the Sr. VP of Operations, the Sr. VP of Sales & Marketing, the Sr. VP of Corporate Planning & IT, and others. The Sr. VPs of HR, Operations (close with the CEO), Marketing/Sales, and Corp Planning/IT are the most important people for the success of the implementation for social learning. The most difficult people on the list include HR, IT, and Marketing/Sales. The Sr. VP of Operations is involved in Social Media (and actually operates a Facebook) and is very close to retirement! However, to make this work I need the Sr. VP of Corp Planning and IT first. So my plan was to get my boss and his boss (VP). Then I would allow my boss and his (VP) convince their Sr. VP (HR) while I worked on the Sr. VP of IT. And as soon as I get the Sr. VP of IT, regardless of whether they have gotten the Sr. VP of HR, I am set to present to the entire workgroup and the CEO for final approval. Yet this is one hold for now because of one fatal mistake. I also decided to run a Facebook company group, with the knowledge of my boss. However, that was discovered and ceased (see previous post).

What do you think? Can companies bypass 1.0 for 2.0? Why or why not? Or should the companies travel along the path of traditional, 1.0, 2.0, and then whatever comes next?