We are all learning machines, constantly adapting to the ever-changing threats and opportunities with which we are confronted. We learn through experience, whether consciously or unconsciously; we learn by seeking out the knowledge and skills we need to carry out our day-to-day tasks; we learn by sharing experiences and best practice with our colleagues, and by taking advantage of opportunities for development, both formal and informal.
The new learning architect designs environments that enable specific target populations to take maximum advantage of all these opportunities for learning. To do this they need to understand the unique characteristics of their clients and the business challenges they are facing; they need to find just the right balance between top-down and bottom-up learning initiatives, between the formal and informal.
The new learning architect is at the vanguard of the next generation of learning and development professionals, taking advantage of the latest tools, technologies and thinking to help organisations meet the acute financial, time and environmental pressures of the 21st century.
In the next month Onlignment will be publishing my latest book The New Learning Architect. This will be available not only in hard copy and in a variety of e-book formats, but also as a series of posts to this blog throughout 2011. Each month we will be publishing here a whole chapter of the book, as well as a profile of an exemplary learning architect from around the world. These posts will not only enable the whole work to be made available for free, they will also allow for comment and discussion on what are some major issues facing learning and development.
Expect the first posts by the end of this month.