Harvard Business Publishing: Collaborative: Learning Drives The Next Evolution of A Trusted Name

Research Bulletin | 2010
BERSIN & ASSOCIATES
June 9, 2010 Volume 5, Issue 24
Harvard Business
Publishing: Collaborative
Learning Drives the
Next Evolution of a
Trusted Name
About the Author As described in our eponymously named Corporate Learning

Factbook, corporate learning is entering a new era – one in
which learning needs to be social, collaborative and on-demand.
Today’s workers still need formal training that is built around
specific business issues and talent needs; however, they also
need to be immersed in a “learning environment” in which they
can quickly find information and informally collaborate in order
Kim Lamoureux, to problem-solve and brainstorm. The modern learning
Principal Analyst organization must transcend the limitation of solely building
content for formal programs.
BERSIN & ASSOCIATES, LLC

6114 LA SALLE AVENUE
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For more information, The Corporate Learning Factbook® 2010: Benchmarks,
(510) 654-8500
Trends and Analysis of the U.S. Corporate Training Market, Bersin & Associates / Karen
INFO@BERSIN.COM O’Leonard, January 2010. Available to research members at www.bersin.com/library
WWW.BERSIN.COM or for purchase at www.bersin.com/factbook.
BERSIN & ASSOCIATES © 2010

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Figure 1: Evolution of Enterprise Learning
THE EVOLUTION OF ENTERPRISE LEARNING
LATE 1990s EARLY 2000s MID TO LATE 2000s 2010 & BEYOND
Traditional and The eLearning Blended Collaborative

CD-ROM Training Era Learning Learning
Instructor-led (ILT); Putting Self-Study Mixing Forms of Formalizing
Computer-based (CBT) Materials Online Media Together Informal Learning
Investments in Learning Information versus Smarter Use Learning with and
Management Systems Instruction of Modalities from Others
Source: Bersin & Associates, 2010.

Adapted from Bersin & Associates
© 2010 Harvard Business School Publishing. Harvard Business Publishing is an affiliate of Harvard Business School. All rights reserved.
PAGE 1
Even the delivery of formal instruction is rapidly changing. Although
BEST PRACTICE the use of online methods for learning delivery diminished in 2008, it
had by 2009 increased to one-third of total training hours consumed
Today’s workers
by learners. Use of virtual classrooms increased from 45 percent in 2008
need to be
to 60 percent in 2009, making these tools the most widely adopted
immersed in
learning technology. More companies switched from live to virtual
a “learning classrooms in order to maintain the benefits of live instruction, while
environment” avoiding the costs associated with travel and facilities.
in which they
Meanwhile, more companies are also adopting newer technologies to
can quickly find
facilitate learning through knowledge-sharing and collaboration. Blogs
information and wikis both posted significant gains in 2009, with 14 percent of
and informally organizations using these tools in a learning context. Communities of
collaborate in
order to problem-
solve and
brainstorm.

For more information, The Corporate Learning Factbook® 2010: Benchmarks, Trends
and Analysis of the U.S. Corporate Training Market, Bersin & Associates / Karen O’Leonard,
January 2010.

SUITE 417 “Blog” is a shortened form of the phrase “web log,” which is a form of personal
OAKLAND, CA 94611 publishing that readers can discuss.
(510) 654-8500
“Wiki” is from the Hawaiian word for “fast” – and stands for web pages that can be
INFO@BERSIN.COM collectively and collaboratively edited on the fly by readers.
WWW.BERSIN.COM
Harvard Business Publishing

Kim Lamoureux | Page
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practice also remained popular, used by 24 percent of companies

for learning.
Ultimately, today’s corporate learning organization has a need for a

sophisticated enterprise product that addresses formal, informal and
collaborative learning needs. One of the few current solutions out there
is Harvard ManageMentor® from Harvard Business Publishing.
Harvard ManageMentor®
For more than 12 years, the Harvard ManageMentor® platform

KEY POINT
has been a steadily growing enterprise learning presence in the
corporate marketplace. Currently used on more than five million
Harvard
desktops worldwide, organizations utilize this platform dynamically.
ManageMentor®
As part of a formal development program, Harvard ManageMentor®
serves as a
supports organizational talent development goals – providing a wealth
powerful, informal of content. Organized into blended-learning modules, this content
go-to resource covers a variety of business topics, incorporating audio, video, case
for individual studies, activities, animations, articles, and a multitude of additional
employees looking tools and worksheets. Harvard ManageMentor® also serves as a
for quick-reference powerful, informal go-to resource for individual employees looking for
quick-reference assistance to address immediate business inquiries
assistance to
and challenges.
address immediate
business inquiries Harvard ManageMentor® Version 11 provides a revamped interface and
and challenges. evolved content that more clearly and intuitively enables both formal
and informal use.

A “community of practice” (or “CoP”) is often defined as a group of people who share
an interest or concern about a common topic, and who deepen their knowledge in this
area through ongoing interaction and relationship-building within their group. While
communities often come into being spontaneously, they nonetheless require nurturing if
6114 LA SALLE AVENUE they are to become valuable to the members and remain viable over the course of their
SUITE 417 evolution.
OAKLAND, CA 94611

For more information, The Corporate Learning Factbook® 2010: Benchmarks, Trends
(510) 654-8500
and Analysis of the U.S. Corporate Training Market, Bersin & Associates / Karen O’Leonard,
INFO@BERSIN.COM January 2010.
WWW.BERSIN.COM

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• Updates to the formal learning components include new

content in the form of topics, video across all topics and updated
articles. Additionally, an “Assess” section provides pre- / post-tests
and impact surveys in order to more accurately measure value
and retention.
• In order to improve the accessibility for informal learning, Version

11 eases the search capabilities of the portal – allowing users to
search by keyword, task, time or asset-type in order to quickly find
the right content for the problem at hand. Additionally, guided
navigation options allow the user to select from multiple paths
through the content based on available time or interest.
• Finally, the dramatically growing demands for collaborative

learning are addressed through two additional features and
sections to the Harvard ManageMentor® experience – Connect
and Develop Others.
Figure 2: Harvard ManageMentor® Version 11 Components
Build Your Skills

New topics
Leverage Your Community
New video insights collaborative Connect: recommend, comment,
Updated articles;
new cases, RSS feeds
learning discuss, vote, share
FROM, WITH Develop Others: share an idea, lead
Pre- and post-tests OTHERS a discussion, start a project
Group projects
Impact surveys
Get Help Fast
Completion certificates FORMAL INFORMAL Search by keyword, task,
learning and learning time, or format
development on-demand Guided home pages

Configurable components
(widgets)
The new capabilities allow organizations to gain more value,
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and learners to do even more with Harvard ManageMentor.
OAKLAND, CA 94611
(510)
© 2010 Harvard Business 654-8500
School Publishing. Harvard Business Publishing is an affiliate of Harvard Business School. All rights reserved. PAGE 2
Source: Harvard Business Publishing, 2010.
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Research from National Training Labs indicates that passive learning

KEY POINT
methods (such as attending lectures, reading, or watching videos and
Passive learning demonstrations) result in average retention rates of only up to 30
percent. However, once students begin to engage in more participatory
methods result
learning, average retention rates skyrocket – up to an average retention
in only average
rate of 90 percent when the student is actively engaged in teaching
retention rates
others the new information and skills. The Connect features and
of 30 percent, Develop Others section seek to leverage the strength and effectiveness
while participatory of peer-to-peer collaborative learning – in order to dramatically increase
learning increases the retention of Harvard ManageMentor® content, and thereby the
INTRODUCING
retention to an
NEW and
ultimate effectiveness LEARNING
business value of the METHODS
system.
average of 90 In the following sections, we describe these three learning types in

percent. more detail and the changes that enable Harvard ManageMentor® to
The new release expands the pedagogy to include ac
support them.
collaborative learning.
Figure 3: Average Retention Rates
 Roo
Bus
yea
cen
 Lea
 Rig
 Ref
ques
 Tea
 Pro
Source: National Training Labs: on Learning Methods
rete
SUITE 417
OAKLAND, CA 94611
© 2010 Harvard Source: National
Business School Publishing. HarvardTraining Labs:
Business On Learning
Publishing Methods
is an affiliate of Harvard Business School. All rights reserved.
(510) 654-8500

Ibid.
INFO@BERSIN.COM
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Formal Learning
In a learning context, “formal” commonly means that the program

KEY POINT
elements are designed, have a formal structure and have specific,
Formal training well-defined learning objectives. From the standpoint of our research,
“formal training” programs are those that have traditional modules and
programs have a
a formal structure – in essence, a “beginning” and an “end.”
formal structure
with traditional In addition to updating the previous topics (including new worksheets,
modules and well- cases and articles), the new version of Harvard ManageMentor®
includes upgrades in video, topics and assessments.
defined learning
objectives. • Video – The video content has been revamped throughout all
topics, featuring more than 150 video anecdotes from more than
50 leaders, drawn from both Harvard Business School, as well as
from industry.
• Topics – Two courses were added to the library to meet the specific
needs of today’s leaders. They are described as follows.
o In the current economy, businesses are faced more and more

with cross-cultural challenges, both within their own teams,
as well as with globally diversified vendors and customers.
The new topic, “Global Collaboration,” provides instruction
and insights on how to navigate the challenges of working
across cultures and continents.
o Building a culture of integrity and an environment of

trust can lay a foundation for sustained individual and
organizational success. Rather than focus on simplistic issues
involving “right” and “wrong” choices, this “Ethics at Work”
focuses on the much more difficult challenge of choosing
between multiple ethical paths, especially within the milieu
of cross-cultural ethical decisions.

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For more information, The Enterprise Learning Framework: A Modern Approach to
INFO@BERSIN.COM Corporate Training, Bersin & Associates / Josh Bersin, April 2009. Available to research
members at www.bersin.com/library.
WWW.BERSIN.COM

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• Assess – Organizations want to better demonstrate business and

organizational impact as a result of learning and development
(L&D) efforts. This section is specifically designed to measure
capability, transfer and value from the learning through the use of
three new instruments.
o Pre-Assessments – Scenario-based exercises that establish a

learner’s baseline knowledge.
o Learning Assessments – Scenario-based comprehension tests

to measure knowledge gain.
o Impact Assessments – Self-rating surveys that capture

predictive data on impact and value, as well as job transfer
and “stories of use.”
Informal Learning
KEY POINT
“Informal” learning refers to those forms of organizational learning
Learning on-
that are not necessarily instructor-led. One such type of informal
demand represents
learning is “learning on-demand.” In an informal learning on-demand
a stage of e- solution, employees can browse and search for “just what they need” –
learning in which sometimes it will be formal learning (even a classroom course) but,
organizations in other cases, it will be a small audio, a checklist or a directory of
realize that e- experts. This approach enables an employee to find a small amount
of information they need – without the need to take an entire course,
learning must
essentially “unlocking” the content embedded in courses.
coexist with a
wide variety of To meet this need and in response to customer feedback, the Harvard
performance ManageMentor® home page is specifically designed to engage the user
support materials with a rotating banner “carousel” and improved search capabilities,
as well as configurable components that can be tailored to the specific
and must be
context of the customer’s organization. Additionally, customer feedback
delivered in the
has driven updates to content and topic pages that make them even
context of an
more intuitive and user-friendly.
BERSIN & ASSOCIATES,
employee’s job – LLC
not in a course
SUITE 417
catalog.
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Figure 4: Harvard ManageMentor® Home Page
Collaborative Learning
The word “collaboration” has become synonymous with two other

terms – communities of practice10 and social networking11. Regardless
of which term we use, the concept here is to create opportunities and
systems to help people work together to solve problems. Employees
learn from many different people within the organization. One of the
biggest changes taking place in corporate learning is the shift from
being the “place for training” to the “facilitator and enabler
of learning.”

10
6114 LA SALLE AVENUE For more information, Developing Communities of Practice: Best Practices and Lessons
SUITE 417 Learned from the Defense Acquisition University, Bersin & Associates / Chris Howard, May
2007. Available to research members at www.bersin.com/library.
OAKLAND, CA 94611
(510) 654-8500 11
For more information, Social Networks for Enterprise Learning and Talent Management:
INFO@BERSIN.COM A Primer, Bersin & Associates / David Mallon, June 2008. Available to research members at
www.bersin.com/library.
WWW.BERSIN.COM

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Harvard ManageMentor® now includes two core solutions, Connect and

KEY POINT
Develop Others, that create opportunities for collaboration among its
“Social clients’ workforces.
networking”
Connect
refers to the
use of Internet The “Connect” capability in Harvard ManageMentor® leverages the
power of collaborative learning by providing a hub for interaction
technologies to
among users. Collaboration allows users to more actively engage with
connect people
learned content – thereby improving retention, and also providing a
to each other,
means to capture and disseminate institutional knowledge.
sharing their
profiles, interests Components of this section include the following.
and content. • Forums – These allow reflections on specific topics and how they
Social networking relate to the users’ organization.
solutions include
• Recommend – Users are given the ability to rate pages and assets.
in-depth profiles
that enable people • Email – Users are given the ability to email a link to a page or asset
to other licensed users.
to expand and
contribute much • Vote – Users can participate in organizational polls related to
information about the content.
themselves to help
• Comment – Users can comment on a page or asset, which
others find them. spurs discussion.

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Figure 5: Harvard ManageMentor “Connect” Features

KEY POINT
Collaboration
allows users to
more actively
engage with
learned content –
thereby improving
retention, and
also providing a
means to capture
and disseminate
institutional
knowledge.
Develop Others
These features are designed to provide managers with tools and

methods that will allow them to cascade Harvard ManageMentor®
learning to their teams. These “grab-and-go” resources allow leaders
to set the context for new concepts for their team members. By
providing a format and template for user-created and -driven activities,
greater impact is leveraged for all involved – students, managers, team
BERSIN & ASSOCIATES, LLC members and, ultimately, the organization as a whole.
SUITE 417 Capabilities of this section include the following.
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Kim Lamoureux | Page 10
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• Share an Idea – A quick way for users to engage team members by

sharing relevant and timely ideas, tips or tools via email.
• Lead a Discussion – Enables the user to lead a relevant discussion

with his / her team on why and how the modules apply to the
situation and workplace.
• Start a Project – Provides the user with two example individual or

group action-learning projects to which to apply the learning on
the job.
Figure 6: Harvard ManageMentor “Develop Others” Features

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These capabilities are designed to support managers and

organizational leaders as they begin the process of disseminating their
learning to their team members – giving them methodologies and
templates to introduce the new concepts, and minimizing unnecessary
preparation time.
Conclusion
Harvard ManageMentor® has been a respected resource for learning

KEY POINT
development organizations for more than 12 years. By carefully
researching how customers are using this product, both formally and
Harvard
informally, Harvard Business Publishing has been able to evolve the
ManageMentor®
platform to more efficiently serve both uses.
Version 11 provides
a revamped Version 11 introduces the “Assess” section, which supports the formal
interface and use of Harvard ManageMentor® by providing tools designed to

measure and record the new capability of the user, as well as the
evolved content
effectiveness of the modules. The new version enhances its functionality
that more clearly
as an informal reference tool through improved and more specific
and intuitively
search functionality, along with a more engaging interface. Two added
enables both sections introduce collaborative learning as a core component of the
formal and resource – Connect and Develop Others.
informal use.
Finally, Harvard ManageMentor® Version 11 contains a multitude
of content upgrades that target topics and capabilities essential to
today’s leaders.

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The Bersin & Associates

Membership Program
This document is part of the Bersin & Associates Research Library. Our
research is provided exclusively to organizational members of the Bersin
& Associates Research Program. Member organizations have access to
the largest library of learning and talent management related research
available. In addition, members also receive a variety of products and
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organizations, including:
• Research – Access to an extensive selection of research reports,

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Research Bulletin | 2010

BERSIN & ASSOCIATES

June 9, 2010 Volume 5, Issue 24

About the Author As described in our eponymously named Corporate Learning

BERSIN & ASSOCIATES, LLC

BERSIN & ASSOCIATES © 2010

Figure 1: Evolution of Enterprise Learning

THE EVOLUTION OF ENTERPRISE LEARNING

Traditional and The eLearning Blended Collaborative

Source: Bersin & Associates, 2010.