Tag: Michael Gullan

By now, most organisations claim to be “learning organisations”, yet few can learn and adapt at the pace their environment demands. Despite rising investment in learning technology, leadership programmes and continuous development initiatives, progress has not kept pace with the speed and complexity of change.

How often have you picked up your phone “just to check something quickly”, only to lose 20 minutes down a digital rabbit hole? This all-too-familiar habit is known as doom scrolling. It involves endless and often mindless consumption of online content. The habit leaves us more drained than informed.

The often-cited and widely disputed claim from a 2015 Microsoft report, that today’s consumers have the attention span of a goldfish, may lack scientific credibility. Still, it remains a compelling metaphor for the fragmented nature of modern attention. Add to that the erosion of trust caused by fake news, exaggerated claims and constant digital noise, and it becomes clear why traditional sales strategies are losing ground.

We live in a time when information is everywhere. Consumers are savvy and seek information and reviews about products and brands to make informed purchasing decisions. Consumers no longer want to be convinced; they want to be informed.

e-Learning has changed, thanks to COVID-19, and there’s no going back to the way we were, however much organisations may want to do so. COVID-19 arrived and new technology came to the fore - like Zoom, Meets, Teams and so on.

Thanks to the global pandemic and savvy, forward-thinking key-decision makers, many businesses have embraced e-learning to ensure they remain competitive. The global consultancy firm McKinsey observed that business learnings were one of the most affected activities when lockdown was implemented, as almost 100% of in-person programmes were cancelled or postponed as a measure to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Over the past 20 years, the human attention span has rapidly decreased from 12 seconds to eight seconds, according to a Microsoft study. A short attention span has huge implications on how effectively an individual retains information. And it impacts an organisation’s approach to upskilling their employees and other stakeholders, to give their business a competitive edge.