Six Factors to Consider before Formulating Your Nudge-Learning Strategy

In the modern-day workplace, L&D stakeholders have a greater & bigger responsibility than ever before . The need of the hour is to help employees by providing them effective learning solutions that cut through the noise. Nudge-learning, indeed, has the potential of solving some key modern-day workplace issues. But before you get into formulating your nudge-learning strategy, it is imperative to consider some key aspects listed below.

1. Differentiate the sound from the noise very early in the game

At times it is very easy to get buoyed by trending fad words. Simply because the sound of nudge sounds interesting, doesn’t imply that you have to jump on the band wagon. Nudge-learning could be a good way to solve challenges but it is important to identify if it fits in your organization’s overall learning strategy. The question to ask is, ‘Is it good enough to solve a specific challenge for you, your team, and your organization?’

2. Tie it with your organizational goals

Ensure that you have identified the sweet spot for implementing nudge-learning in your organization. Some questions to ask here would be; Is it solving a particular business challenge? Can the outcome of nudge-learning be tied to any organizational goal(s)?

One such case that exemplifies this is of Google, wherein they nudged their managers with bite-sized content to foster a psychologically-safe team culture. They called it the ‘Whisper’ courses.

3. Don’t overlook change management

If nudge is something new which you are planning to implement in your organization, then the last thing you want to do is overlook change management. In principle, majority would recognize that change is necessary.  They might support it theoretically.  But once it comes to the implementation stage, you can expect to hit a wall of resistance. So, before you go down this path, it is important to strategize about how you aim to bring about this change with a majority buy-in.

4. Leverage the EAST framework

You need to look for ways that help you successfully leverage the EAST framework. It literally has to be as simple as it sounds –  easy, accessible, social, and timely. We’ll delve deep into this framework at the right time, but for now we can focus on what Michael Jordan quoted about frameworks “I want people to understand, gambling is not a bad thing if you do it within the framework of what it’s meant to be, which is fun and entertaining.”

5. Define the end goals and key performance indicators

Since you have already contemplated about what you want to achieve with nudge-learning, set the strategy up for success by clearly defining these goals. Relevant, specific, and well-defined goals will take you one step closer to achieving them. Goals are also an important component of monitoring success. The right performance indicators defined at the onset will help you determine how you are performing on your goals.

6. Do not overdo it

An important principle around which nudge-learning pivots, is the principle of least coercion. Remember that the success of nudge-learning lays in the fact that it is not intrusive. It allows the modern-day learner to learn in the flow of work. We should respect this and ensure we do not overdo it.