Most workplaces are more or less digitized. We send emails instead of making phone calls, we use apps to communicate instead of intranets and we hold cross-border meetings on digital platforms instead of flying or driving. The advent of digital solutions has enabled savings and efficiency improvements in many areas of working life. In line with the digital development, digital leadership training has also become popular. The big question is which solutions can promote learning in the workplace now and in the future. Which methods provide optimal leadership development, and how can these different methods reinforce each other?
Many people think that the content of digital leadership development is the same as traditional classroom teaching - same curriculum, different delivery. This is far from the case. The biggest benefit is that digital leadership development enables completely different learning designs, and where your own leadership practice between lessons is the most valuable. In addition, a well-thought-out and structured program can also engage participants in proactive and structured co-learning, where participants on the same program coach and support each other's development paths - and thereby become the best leader version of themselves. Digital leadership development allows for active testing in one's own role, but also relevant feedback on the spot - both from the leadership developer and colleagues.
Achieving results and seeing the benefits of digital leadership development requires a skilled leadership developer. Leading a training program through a screen can be more challenging than conducting leadership training in a physical session. In a virtual classroom, you have no gimmicks. Digital leadership developers therefore not only need unique communication skills and charisma, they also need to engage participants in a different way and create a sense of community on the digital platform. This requires methodical and structured training programs conducted by leadership developers with expertise and insight, who understand the benefits and challenges of digital leadership development.
FRONT Leadership has recently added several new digital leadership developers to the team. It's not just the number of heads that has increased, but also leadership developers with different skills and backgrounds. We can now boast a breadth and expertise that benefits our customers. Here, one of the latest additions to the team shares his thoughts on why digital leadership training is the future.
Read also: Pros and cons of internal vs external leadership development
Why did you decide to start delivering leadership training digitally?
- For many years, I have delivered leadership development programs in the traditional way; face-to-face meetings, one-to-one processes, physical group sessions, and with skills training both during the sessions and on-the-job training. However, like many others, I find that the way we work is changing rapidly in line with technological development. Digitalized leadership development opens up the possibility of making skills development more accessible to more managers. It can be easier to set aside time to participate in programs. Digital technology allows the "distribution" of knowledge and expertise to reach more people at the same time, regardless of geography or limitations imposed by the framework in which you work. A digital leadership development program also facilitates that the training is directly linked to a leader's specific development needs in everyday life by making the training more "real-life". Digital training takes place to a greater extent in "real time" through the opportunity for regular and continuous follow-up while performing one's daily management function.
What are the benefits and opportunities of digital versus physical leadership development?
- There are many factors that affect whether management training produces results, including whether the development program is designed methodically so that it is perceived to be relevant to the manager, and not least the manager's motivation and willingness to acquire learning. Motivation can often be the most challenging thing to establish in a development process initiated by someone other than the manager themselves. In my experience, motivation increases when the leadership training is perceived to have an impact on the manager's everyday work situation. One advantage of digital leadership training is that it is a leadership training with shorter and more frequent sessions linked to a manager's specific everyday work life and the challenges and needs a manager has in his or her leadership situation. Digital tools and solutions also allow for quick feedback. Access to frequent exchanges of experience can make digital leadership development less time-consuming.