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"Netflixzation of corporate education: a dead end?

Netflixzation

In recent years, content streaming platforms such as Netflix have inspired the creation of various corporate education models based on collections of video lessons, with hundreds of pieces of content for employees to access on demand. 

This model, often celebrated for its captivating appeal, low cost, convenience and scalability, has given rise to what we call the "Netflixization of corporate education". Based on the traditional perspective of education (lectures) that reinforce the transmissionist model focused on content and the passivity of the student, these platforms have therefore been characterized by the creation of extensive content libraries and the self-learning philosophy, a type of learning in which the student is responsible for managing their own learning process. 

"An approach that was not enough for most workers to understand how to develop in the talent pipeline," says Matthew J. Daniel, Chief Learning Officer, 2023.

This is one of the reasons why companies that have adopted these models are facing critical challenges: "lack of engagement", "high evasion", "loss of credibility", "employees' lack of interest in participating in training programs" and scarce applicability of the study have emerged as a growing trend. 

Lost, without a compass, in a sea of content

In a scenario where employees have access to hundreds of contents and courses, many end up getting lost in a sea of fragmented information that is not always directly linked to the challenges they face in their daily lives. Platforms that follow the Netflix model offer a wide range of topics, often without the necessary guidance to direct the employee to what really matters at that specific moment in their career.

In the article: "When Designing Employee Learning Programs, Less Is More" in the Harvard Business Review, June 2023, Heidi Grant and Tal Goldhamer address this dilemma, pointing out that "many choices quickly become aversive"; that, in these environments, "It takes a lot of time and effort to navigate." and that many people "May not have the experience necessary to make good choices."

Putting the sole responsibility of choice on students who are looking for ways to evolve is a challenging task, as many of them may not be prepared to make such important decisions autonomously. "Learning to learn" is a skill that takes time, effort and, above all, a lot of guidance and continuous feedback to develop effectively.

Continuous loss of attention and truancy 

The Netflixzation of education ends up promoting passive consumption of content, which results in a continuous attention deficit. This is because, after repeated consumption of purely audiovisual content, the brain begins to get used to this stimulus, reducing the ability to focus and concentrate. This teaching approach, which relies on the massive delivery of information, ends up not engaging the student in an active, practical and interactive way, leading to a loss of interest and the feeling that the content is not connected to the real challenges of everyday life.

The proficiency gap 

The "Netflixization" of corporate education presents another challenge, one that is not unique to it but defines it: it can meet the need for rapid transmission of information, but fails to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical skills. 

The transmission of theoretical information does not guarantee that the student will be able to transform this knowledge into applicable skills. In fact, as James McKenna points out in an article in the Harvard Business Review in June 2023, "Sending content may convey new information, but developing effective skills requires training, reinforcement and opportunities for safe, authentic practice".

Instead of just memorizing theory, students should be challenged to apply their knowledge in realistic scenarios, solving problems and facing challenges, improving their understanding and practical skills. Without this practical phase and continuous feedback, the tendency is for employees to feel overwhelmed by the amount of content, without understanding exactly how to apply it in their daily roles. 

Is it the students' fault?

Companies have often underestimated the complexity of implementing quality training, which should enable participants to improve their current activities or perform tasks they were unable to do before. What is often observed is the simple transmission of large amounts of information, where concepts are often presented at a single point of contact throughout the training journey, leading to rapid forgetting. This model, although widespread, ends up generating a very low level of proficiency, as it only creates familiarity with the concepts, rather than mastery of concrete skills. 

By focusing on the quantity of content rather than the quality of interactions, this approach fails to develop real competencies. Participants become familiar with the concepts, but do not actively engage or apply the learning in practical contexts, which would be essential for effective learning.

In this scenario, many managers begin to blame the employees, that they are lazy, that the organization has given them everything and they don't take advantage of it, that they are the problem. According to Kendra Grant, Chief Learning Officer at Walmart Canada (with over 90,000 employees), she came to the conclusion that the lack of employee engagement was not a reflection of the learners' lack of interest or commitment, but rather a direct result of flaws in the didactic design process. As she pointed out, blaming students for this lack of engagement is a mistaken view that many companies still adopt.

In a context where what you know is less relevant than what you can learn, and knowing the answer to questions is less critical than having the ability to ask the right questions, traditional education dressed up in new technological clothes is being part of the problem rather than the solution. 

Therefore, the "Netflixization" of corporate education, although innovative in its form of content distribution, is not sufficient for effective skills development. Simply consuming content does not guarantee deep learning or the behavioral changes necessary for effective performance. 

Companies looking to bring about a real transformation in their employees must adopt approaches that integrate practical learning, constant feedback and the personalization of content to the needs of each employee. 

In this way, they can ensure that the knowledge imparted results in real and applicable skills, preventing corporate education from becoming just another trend with no concrete impact on professional development.

Sources:

Tela Viva - Streaming users spend a lot of time searching for what to watch and have canceled subscriptions to services

Antenna - Understanding Serial Churners

Harvard Business Review - When Designing Employee Learning Programs, Less Is More by Heidi Grant and Tal Goldhamer

Harvard Business Review - Build a Strong Learning Culture on Your Team by James McKenna

Chief Learning Officer - It's time to discuss the problem with 'owning your own development' by Matthew J. Daniel

Design for how people learn. Julie Dirksen. 2016

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Daniel Luzzi

CEO of Cognita Learning Lab - Learning Director of UniCTE - Reference in digital education, founder and director of Cognita Learning Lab, Professor at Fundação Dom Cabral, PhD in Education from FE-USP and Master in Environmental Management from Cátedra UNESCO.

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