Maximizing the Value of Your Large-Scale Learning Programs

This is the second post in a series on the value of large-scale programs. Read the first post here.

In response to the unprecedented need to be nimble in today’s super-charged business environment, and the growing recognition of the value of developing competent leaders at all levels and across the globe, organizations are looking for ways to rapidly equip all of their leaders to quickly respond to fast-moving opportunities and threats. Many of these organizations are exploring large-scale learning for leadership development. These are experiences in which the speed of learning matches the speed of today’s business, and the scope goes beyond senior management and the highest potential employees.

Compare and contrast: small cohort vs. large-scale learning experiences

When we think of leadership development, what we typically have in mind is a cohort with about 50 participants. Large-scale leadership development programs will involve more learners: 100, 200, even up to thousands of participants. But despite their size, these initiatives have much in common with smaller group leadership programs. Both types use an organization’s strategy and culture as their springboard, and both focus on the capabilities required to propel the strategy forward and encourage leaders to shape a culture that underpins the strategy.

Successful programs—large or small—are characterized by the support and participation of an organization’s executives. Both types combine virtual learning—both asynchronous and live in real-time via webinar—and application of that learning to the participants’ jobs. And the learning occurs over time. This approach has been proven to be highly effective for learners because the thought leadership, frameworks, best practices, and new ideas that they are exposed to become integrated into their daily work, allowing mindset and behavior change to happen throughout the development program and making them stick.

What’s distinctive about large-scale initiatives is that they can rapidly reach a significant number of leaders, targeted at one or multiple levels across an organization globally. The result? Speed to transformation, speed to results.

Making the most of your large-scale learning

Those who haven’t yet had the opportunity to participate in a large cohort learning experience may harbor some concerns about whether they work, especially if they’ve had great success with smaller cohort programs. Not to worry. There are a number of tactics that help ensure that your large-scale approach offers a truly transformative experience for your leaders.

Another way to promote engagement is to encourage learners to participate in online discussions. Asynchronous back-and-forths give everyone an opportunity to share their observations and experiences, to ask questions, and engage in a lively debate via chat or selfie video. Study groups also foster engagement, as does encouraging learners in the same location to get together for live sessions, which also provides learners with networking opportunities.

When the cohort is large in scale, setting tasks for learners helps build engagement

Even if you can’t directly monitor what hundreds or even thousands of learners are doing, you can build engagement by setting tasks for learners. Charge them with sharing their takeaways from a session with others, or ask them to teach a new concept or idea to their peers, teams, or even their managers. Another excellent way to build engagement is to incorporate a group activity for those in a shared location. The activity could be directly work-related, like a discussion group or small project. Or it could be a volunteer activity, or even something purely social. Small cohort participants often cite relationship-building and networking as prime benefits of their leadership development program. They’re benefits of large-scale learning as well.

Using a moderator with expertise in virtual learning, and experience working with larger cohorts, is key to successful enterprise programs. A moderator provides continuity throughout the learning experience, and a good moderator will be skilled in soliciting input from learners and promoting learner engagement.

Large-scale leadership development programs are catching on. And it’s no wonder. By applying some of these ideas to ensure engagement, they can be a highly effective, unparalleled means to quickly empower leaders at all levels throughout an organization.

Katie McCadden is a senior program manager at Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning. Email her at [email protected].