Supporting Your Learners: A Comprehensive Guide for Key Instances of Learning Assistance

What's the lowdown on nailing that learning game?

Timing is key. We learn best when we've gotta learn. When life throws us a curveball or work forces us to swim in deep waters, that's when learning on the spot makes all the difference. This approach is the backbone of the 5 Moments of Need, a popular learning and performance management framework. It helps get the right resources to learners at the right time.

Nowadays, the modern learner is swamped. They can only dedicate a mere 24 minutes a week for formal learning. Sadly, we can't bend time to our will. So, let's rethink our strategy and cater to learner's specific needs.

With that in mind, let's delve into each of the 5 Moments of Need, touch on the science, offer practical tips, and more. Ready to roll? Then let's dive right in!

What are the 5 Moments of Need?

The 5 Moments of Need is a simple, yet effective framework. It targets the distinct points in time when individuals need help to effectively learn and perform their roles. Developed by Dr. Conrad Gottfredson in 1985, it was later polished up with Bob Mosher. It's become an essential component of modern learning and performance support strategies.

Gottfredson tackled a fundamental learning question: "What is the primary purpose of organizational learning?" His answer forged a strong link between learning and performance: enabling and sustaining effective job performance in a rapidly changing work environment. With this goal in mind, he was able to pinpoint five critical moments when learners need support.

Awareness of these various needs can help you identify the learning and performance support opportunities you should have accessible, and reduce friction in your current approach. Let's delve into each of these crucial moments of need one by one.

1. Apply

The gap between knowledge and action is vast. Knowing music theory won't make you a violin prodigy. Expertise comes through practice and dedication. The 'Apply' moment focuses on the crucial step of turning learned knowledge into real-world application within the workplace. That's where timely learning interventions shine.

Typically, this requires using previously acquired information (from workshops, eLearning modules, etc.) to successfully perform tasks. At this moment, the learner may need quick reference guides, summaries, and reminders.

Examples include:

An employee adapting to a new system after a tutorial.
A salesperson utilizing negotiation techniques to close deals.
A project manager implementing new methodologies post-certification.

Fun Fact: Only 12% of workers say they actually apply newly learned skills in their job roles. Providing refresher resources could put you ahead of the crowd.

2. Change

The workplace is anything but static. New technologies (like AI), evolving customer demands, financial constraints, and regulatory changes mean there's no room to rest. To keep up, employees need to adapt to these changes, which requires unlearning old habits.

The 'Change' moment focuses on this need for adaptation to new processes, technologies, or shifts in the working environment. To do this, each learner needs targeted training, coaching, and mentoring. accompanied by a clear and consistent communication plan.

Examples include:

An employee transitioning to remote work.
Customer service representatives adjusting to a new CRM system.
Developers updating their cybersecurity protocols.

Fun Fact: A whopping 60-70% of change initiatives fail if proper resources aren't provided for learners. That's not the odds you want to bet on.

3. Solve

The modern workplace is a maze of obstacles and troubleshooting is commonplace. This gives rise to the 'Solve' moment, where learners need to come up with innovative solutions to complex issues or answers to specific questions. To achieve this, they must use their critical thinking skills combined with readily available resources.

To support your learners in this challenge, make information easy to find and ensure searchable, user-friendly knowledge bases and online tools. This will minimize frustration and help learners to find the information they need.

Examples include:

A software engineer troubleshooting a critical bug within an application.
A support agent resolving a thorny customer complaint.
A field technician diagnosing and repairing a malfunctioning machine.

Fun Fact: The World Economic Forum reports that 36% of jobs across all industries require complex problem-solving skills. Channel your inner Sherlock Holmes at some point.

4. New

Do you remember your first time? Every learning journey starts with a first step. For instance, you probably already know how to make the perfect cup of tea. But at one time, you had no clue whether to pour the milk or tea bag first.

Progress often requires a sequential approach, with foundational concepts laying the groundwork for a deeper understanding. The 'New' moment focuses on the initial learning phase, where individuals acquire new information or skills. This necessitates building a solid knowledge foundation that can then be used for further learning.

Acquiring knowledge happens through a variety of channels, like training courses, workshops, online resources, video content, hands-on activities, and more. The optimal approach depends on the nature of the content.

Examples include:

A new hire learning about your company culture, policies, and procedures.
Sales representatives learning about a new product or solution.
Employees learning about new regulations or compliance requirements.

Fun Fact: Studies into brain plasticity show that we have a remarkable ability to learn and adapt throughout our lives. So, even an old dog can learn new tricks!

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Once you've learned something new, you can push past the basics to explore the subject matter in greater depth. For example, learning to fry an egg can lead to more advanced skills like making omelettes or even soufflés.

The 'More' moment focuses on the desire to expand upon existing knowledge and skills. This calls for deepening understanding, developing expertise, and continually improving performance.

This aspect underscores the ongoing pursuit of knowledge. After all, there's always something new to discover. This may require exploring advanced concepts, specialized knowledge, or best practices related to the subject matter at hand.

Examples include:

A developer moving beyond basic coding principles to master programming languages.
A marketeer progressing from generic digital marketing knowledge to specialized expertise in search engine optimization.
An analyst advancing from basic data analysis techniques to exploring advanced concepts like predictive modeling.

Fun Fact: The total volume of human knowledge is doubling every 12 hours. So, rest assured, there will always be new knowledge to explore!

The Implications of the 5 Moments of Need

Now that we've identified the 5 Moments of Need, let's talk about the scope of this framework. Remember, it's not a rigid set of rules or guiding principles; it's a simple set of ideas that L&D professionals should be familiar with.

More than anything, it shows that performance management isn't a walk in the park. Doing it right demands identifying and addressing a wide range of learning needs. These requirements stretch far beyond the confines of traditional training programs.

It's also worth noting that the 5 Moments of Need framework has strong connections to other important learning concepts:

Learning in the Flow of Work: The 5 Moments of Need are built on the understanding that individuals acquire job skills most effectively while doing their work. This aligns perfectly with Josh Bersin's 'Learning in the Flow of Work' principle, where learning is smoothly integrated into daily workflows.
Just-In-Time Learning: Both the 5 Moments of Need and Just-In-Time learning stress the importance of timing and relevancy in the learning process. Just-In-Time learning draws inspiration from the lean manufacturing principles developed by Toyota in the 1970s.

Research into the 5 Moments of Need

While there may not be extensive research on the 5 Moments of Need framework specifically, the underlying principles are well-supported. For instance:

68% of employees prefer to learn on the job.
Employees who spend time learning at work are 39% more likely to feel productive.
91% of employees desire training that's relevant to their job roles.

The creators of the 5 Moments of Need, Gottfredson, and Mosher, have also shared various case studies (via APPLY) that demonstrate the value of workflow learning.

By integrating digital coaches and just-in-time guidance into workflows, a consulting firm cut its time-to-competency from 18 months down to just 9 months.
By implementing a similar just-in-time learning approach, a food service firm halved its training time, resulting in over £22 million (roughly $27m) in savings across 300 locations.
By providing employees with a digital coach, a leading aerospace manufacturer achieved a 3% increase in overall efficiency and a 12% rise in asset utilization.

Applying the 5 Moments of Need

While the 5 Moments of Need is a framework, not a rigid set of rules, it offers valuable insights into employee learning needs. Recognizing these diverse learning requirements has profound implications for how we design and deliver learning solutions.

With this in mind, here are some related best practice tips and suggestions:

Shift your focus: The 5 Moments of Need show that simply pushing training content isn't enough to improve performance. Instead, respond to learners' actual needs. Embrace a learner-centric approach.
Provide ongoing support: Traditional training approaches often fail to address the full range of learning needs in the modern workplace. Building a successful continuous learning journey requires a cultural shift, alongside performance support tools, job aids, coaching, and other innovative solutions.
Map learner needs: Use this framework to guide your analysis and identify potential gaps in your current offering. Diagram below can help:

| Moment of Need | Learners Need: | Resources Provided: || --- | --- | --- || New | Knowledge foundation | Training courses, workshops, online resources etc. || Apply | Guidelines to apply learning | Job aids, reminders, summaries || Change | Support to adapt | Targeted training, coaching, mentoring || Solve | Access to solutions | Searchable, user-friendly knowledge bases, online tools || More | Deepening understanding | Advanced concepts, specialized knowledge |

Eliminate all friction: Workflow learning hinges on seamless access to information. Remove any barriers between learners and the knowledge they require. Streamline login processes, create searchable knowledge bases, and optimize your learning platforms for fast loading times.
Technology: Meeting all these needs may seem like an uphill battle. But fret not. There are numerous performance support tools and learning management systems that make accessing relevant information easy as pie. AI tools and coaches can even provide personalized recommendations for your audience.

The Role of Proactive Learning

The 5 Moments of Need is a framework, primarily focused on reactive learning. It stresses the importance of knowledge required to complete work tasks and perform better. However, not all learning is driven by immediate needs. Here's the distinction to remember:

Reactive Learning: Learning driven by specific needs, problems, or knowledge gaps. These are the needs highlighted in Gottfredson's framework (especially Apply, Change, and Solve).
Proactive Learning: Learning undertaken without an immediate or pressing need, often driven by curiosity, growth, or future challenges.

While workflow learning is innovative (and clearly effective) it's essential to integrate it within a holistic learning strategy. to do this, empower learners to explore learning content beyond their immediate needs. This will broaden their horizons and foster a culture of continuous development.

Education and self-development are key aspects of the 5 Moments of Need, a learning and performance management framework. This model targets distinct points in time when individuals require help to effectively learn and perform their roles. One practical tip for embedded learning is to develop a lean learning strategy that incorporates both reactive learning (driven by specific needs) and proactive learning (undertaken out of curiosity or future challenges).

The 5 Moments of Need offer learners the opportunity to acquire new knowledge, improve their skills, and continuously develop. By providing resources at the right time, addressing specific learning needs, and minimizing friction in the learning process, organizations can foster a culture of ongoing learning and performance improvement.