The Tribune

YESTERDAY's Bahamas Business Outlook conference, produced by The Counsellors, focused the discussion on becoming a world-class nation in how we do business. The dialogue encompassed any number of paths, including innovative approaches to doing education, architecture, energy, tourism, entrepreneurship and technology differently. Whether considering these possibilities from a micro or macro sense, everyone agrees that a major shift in our thought-processes is long overdue. We also agree that change cannot happen in isolation, but must involve a national public-private-civil society partnership.

The conversation caused me to think more critically about the business I have committed my youth, efforts and resources towards. How does the Bahamas stack up against the world and region in relation to talent development and training? What revolutionary adaptations and interventions have we employed in relation to developing our human capital to cope in the ever-changing and ever-shrinking global corporate environment?

I will admit that our current situation is frightening, since we have not embraced and - in many cases - outright refused to adapt to global trends to our detriment.

Training is said to be the oil that keeps the engine of business functioning. While it is not the engine, even lay persons know that engines cannot function without it. Failing to address and welcome the advancement of new training initiatives results in higher levels of inefficiency in the workplace.

Today, I step into the deep, and offer the business community four unconventional ways to engage our teams in learning and growing. While I will not dive into the technical understandings of each term I share, hopefully I will inspire you sufficiently to source more information and actually try them.

1. Mobile learning - Why not conduct training where learners live almost 24 hours per day? Research is clear that people of all ages in the corporate community are practically living on their mobile devices. Offering even traditional programmes in this forum completely changes the game.

2. Social learning - Sales and marketing efforts, dating and just about everything else we do has gone viral on a myriad of social sites. It is time we take training in a more deliberate way to this useful, and widely-used, forum.

3. Adaptive learning - Even our early understandings of how education and learning works involve a journey from known to unknown. Adaptive learning is an individualistic approach to training where we determine what a learner already knows in contact or e-learning situations, and begin the journey with what they do not know before moving to a desired final destination.

4. Virtual training - Virtual reality has become quite commonplace in the developed and developing world for immersive training. While there is an upfront cost in developing applications to deliver programmes that could be technical (hard skills) or soft skills in nature, the great savings is experienced in not having to purchase equipment, trainers, venue, food and beverage.

World-class thinking requires us to stretch ourselves in every sphere of how we do business. Training and developing through strategic learning programmes must lead the way in innovative thought and thinking.

• NB: Ian R. Ferguson is a talent management and organisational development consultant, having completed graduate studies with regional and international universities. He has served organsations, both locally and globally, providing relevant solutions to their business growth and development issues. He may be contacted at tcconsultants@coralwave.com.