by Deepak Desai
For organizations to succeed in a global market in which geography quickly is becoming irrelevant, a shift in perspective is necessary. In a knowledge economy where expertise, innovation, intellectual property and research and development have replaced land and natural resources as the most valuable assets, human capital drives business growth.
It's estimated more than 70 percent of workers in developed countries are information workers. To sustain a competitive edge, organizations must continually develop and enhance these knowledge-based resources. Particularly in a global enterprise, collaboration is critical to facilitate the flow of information and optimize the exchange of expertise and ideas. In the new economy, effective communication is a fundamental imperative.
As the Internet evolves from a static collection of data into a dynamic, interactive platform, Web 2.0 is connecting people like never before. The second generation of wikis, social networking sites, collaboration tools and the like let people interact in ways previously unimaginable.
Technology offers the possibility of instant integration of far-flung offices into one united team. But the convergence of cultures and languages presents incredible communication challenges in the global enterprise.
Today's workers juggle time zones and cultural differences daily; employees preparing for international interactions must become familiar with the societal characteristics and professional etiquette of the countries with which they communicate. And they also have to face a critical challenge that likely will determine the limits of their career success: becoming proficient in English.
Mastering the Language of International Business
Twenty-five percent of the world's population speaks English; it's the official language of more than 50 countries. One billion people are learning English today, and according to the British Council, that number will double by 2015. At global corporations, non-native speakers from different countries rely on English to speak with one another. The need for English is pervasive - necessary at all levels of the organization, present in an ever-growing number of job situations and required for both internal and external communications.
As technology continues to connect people around the world in more innovative and dynamic ways, the need for business English proficiency is increasing dramatically.
English proficiency is equally important for employee career development. English-speaking employees in non-English-speaking countries have more opportunities for advancement than employees who don't speak English.
Further, the bar for proficiency is rising. Today an employee might need basic English skills to work on a global team or assist an English-speaking customer. As that same employee advances through the organization, he or she likely will need to develop more sophisticated skills to actively participate in business conversations, facilitate meetings or handle sensitive or unexpected matters with confidence.
It's of great concern, then, that most employees of global corporations report their English proficiency is inadequate. GlobalEnglish research shows 9 percent of employees' think their business English skills are sufficient to do their jobs.
This is a massive and costly skills gap. For global organizations, seamless communication and common understanding are not nice-to-haves; they are strategic imperatives. Without a common language, there is no way for global employees to communicate and collaborate.
By the year 2011, it's been projected the percentage of non-native speakers of English in Global 1000 companies will reach 70 percent. Successful talent management leaders recognize both the challenge and the opportunity to develop business English competence in their organizations. The focus of corporate learning and development initiatives worldwide is shifting in recognition of the critical need for communication training and that of other skills necessary for success in the knowledge economy - skills such as critical thinking, decision making, negotiation, emotional intelligence and conflict resolution.
According to a report published in 2006 by Boston-based consulting and training organization Novations Group, training in these soft skills is expected to increase in the coming years. Novations Group President and COO Mike Hyter said, "We're most struck by the emerging emphasis on encouraging creativity and a higher level of intellectual development. Organizations appear to be seeking to build capacity in terms of promoting employee innovation and talent." The survey of 3,100 senior human resources executives showed 45 percent of companies reported more focus on creative skills and intellectual development in their training and development efforts.
A Brave New Paradigm for Learning
To meet employees' learning needs in this brave new world, a brave new paradigm is emerging. In the classic training model, the instructor drives the learning process. Classes are offered outside the learner's work environment, and everyone receives the same training, delivered at the same pace as part of a fixed curriculum. Times are changing, however. To be effective in today's real-time, on-demand, multinational world, learning must take place in the workplace as needs arise, rather than in discrete, disconnected segments.
Learners need quick access to on-the-job support, reference tools and feedback mechanisms so they can get help where and when they need it and track their improvement. Solutions must be instantaneously implementable and scalable to meet the demands of a rapidly growing workforce. Equally important, from an administrative standpoint, solutions must be cost-effective to launch, maintain and modify. Training must be standardized to allow for assessment of progress and effectiveness yet customizable to meet individual goals.
Fortunately, the same technology that contributed to this challenge in the first place can help address it. For many companies, e-learning is the answer. From a global perspective, it may be the only way to tackle an issue of such size and scope. No one-size-fits-all solution could hope to address the diverse needs of today's multicultural workforce.
Online assessment can be an efficient way to determine the scope of an organization's business English communication challenges, as well as to identify individual needs and priorities. Aggregate assessment results provide an overall view of organizational need, and individual results can be used to develop an employee's specific learning path.
Online, self-directed learning keeps content relevant and motivation high; audio, photos, animation, voice recording, illustrations, text and other media can be integrated to create a rich, interactive user experience that engages learners in creative ways. E-learning also is more scalable and affordable than traditional training methods, and unlike the classroom, it offers 24x7 accessibility.
Further, the flexibility afforded by a personalized, online approach addresses the learners' needs at all levels of competency, whether they are novice learners needing structured training, experienced learners requiring knowledge and performance support resources or advanced learners benefiting most from access to collaboration tools.
Learning in today's global business environment is not "once and done" but rather a dynamic, evolving process. An online solution can offer the skills development and ongoing performance support for the changing demands of the 21st-century workforce.
Business today is conducted on a global scale, and to be productive and successful, employees must work together across borders and cultures. Forward-thinking talent managers will take full advantage of today's technologies to address the language and culture barriers in their organizations, to facilitate the collaborative sharing of ideas and knowledge, and to enable self-directed learning.
Ultimately, the most successful companies in the new knowledge economy will be those that recognize the primary importance of a workforce that can communicate efficiently and effectively throughout the enterprise and around the world.
It's estimated more than 70 percent of workers in developed countries are information workers. To sustain a competitive edge, organizations must continually develop and enhance these knowledge-based resources. Particularly in a global enterprise, collaboration is critical to facilitate the flow of information and optimize the exchange of expertise and ideas. In the new economy, effective communication is a fundamental imperative.
As the Internet evolves from a static collection of data into a dynamic, interactive platform, Web 2.0 is connecting people like never before. The second generation of wikis, social networking sites, collaboration tools and the like let people interact in ways previously unimaginable.
Technology offers the possibility of instant integration of far-flung offices into one united team. But the convergence of cultures and languages presents incredible communication challenges in the global enterprise.
Today's workers juggle time zones and cultural differences daily; employees preparing for international interactions must become familiar with the societal characteristics and professional etiquette of the countries with which they communicate. And they also have to face a critical challenge that likely will determine the limits of their career success: becoming proficient in English.
Mastering the Language of International Business
Twenty-five percent of the world's population speaks English; it's the official language of more than 50 countries. One billion people are learning English today, and according to the British Council, that number will double by 2015. At global corporations, non-native speakers from different countries rely on English to speak with one another. The need for English is pervasive - necessary at all levels of the organization, present in an ever-growing number of job situations and required for both internal and external communications.
As technology continues to connect people around the world in more innovative and dynamic ways, the need for business English proficiency is increasing dramatically.
English proficiency is equally important for employee career development. English-speaking employees in non-English-speaking countries have more opportunities for advancement than employees who don't speak English.
Further, the bar for proficiency is rising. Today an employee might need basic English skills to work on a global team or assist an English-speaking customer. As that same employee advances through the organization, he or she likely will need to develop more sophisticated skills to actively participate in business conversations, facilitate meetings or handle sensitive or unexpected matters with confidence.
It's of great concern, then, that most employees of global corporations report their English proficiency is inadequate. GlobalEnglish research shows 9 percent of employees' think their business English skills are sufficient to do their jobs.
This is a massive and costly skills gap. For global organizations, seamless communication and common understanding are not nice-to-haves; they are strategic imperatives. Without a common language, there is no way for global employees to communicate and collaborate.
By the year 2011, it's been projected the percentage of non-native speakers of English in Global 1000 companies will reach 70 percent. Successful talent management leaders recognize both the challenge and the opportunity to develop business English competence in their organizations. The focus of corporate learning and development initiatives worldwide is shifting in recognition of the critical need for communication training and that of other skills necessary for success in the knowledge economy - skills such as critical thinking, decision making, negotiation, emotional intelligence and conflict resolution.
According to a report published in 2006 by Boston-based consulting and training organization Novations Group, training in these soft skills is expected to increase in the coming years. Novations Group President and COO Mike Hyter said, "We're most struck by the emerging emphasis on encouraging creativity and a higher level of intellectual development. Organizations appear to be seeking to build capacity in terms of promoting employee innovation and talent." The survey of 3,100 senior human resources executives showed 45 percent of companies reported more focus on creative skills and intellectual development in their training and development efforts.
A Brave New Paradigm for Learning
To meet employees' learning needs in this brave new world, a brave new paradigm is emerging. In the classic training model, the instructor drives the learning process. Classes are offered outside the learner's work environment, and everyone receives the same training, delivered at the same pace as part of a fixed curriculum. Times are changing, however. To be effective in today's real-time, on-demand, multinational world, learning must take place in the workplace as needs arise, rather than in discrete, disconnected segments.
Learners need quick access to on-the-job support, reference tools and feedback mechanisms so they can get help where and when they need it and track their improvement. Solutions must be instantaneously implementable and scalable to meet the demands of a rapidly growing workforce. Equally important, from an administrative standpoint, solutions must be cost-effective to launch, maintain and modify. Training must be standardized to allow for assessment of progress and effectiveness yet customizable to meet individual goals.
Fortunately, the same technology that contributed to this challenge in the first place can help address it. For many companies, e-learning is the answer. From a global perspective, it may be the only way to tackle an issue of such size and scope. No one-size-fits-all solution could hope to address the diverse needs of today's multicultural workforce.
Online assessment can be an efficient way to determine the scope of an organization's business English communication challenges, as well as to identify individual needs and priorities. Aggregate assessment results provide an overall view of organizational need, and individual results can be used to develop an employee's specific learning path.
Online, self-directed learning keeps content relevant and motivation high; audio, photos, animation, voice recording, illustrations, text and other media can be integrated to create a rich, interactive user experience that engages learners in creative ways. E-learning also is more scalable and affordable than traditional training methods, and unlike the classroom, it offers 24x7 accessibility.
Further, the flexibility afforded by a personalized, online approach addresses the learners' needs at all levels of competency, whether they are novice learners needing structured training, experienced learners requiring knowledge and performance support resources or advanced learners benefiting most from access to collaboration tools.
Learning in today's global business environment is not "once and done" but rather a dynamic, evolving process. An online solution can offer the skills development and ongoing performance support for the changing demands of the 21st-century workforce.
Business today is conducted on a global scale, and to be productive and successful, employees must work together across borders and cultures. Forward-thinking talent managers will take full advantage of today's technologies to address the language and culture barriers in their organizations, to facilitate the collaborative sharing of ideas and knowledge, and to enable self-directed learning.
Ultimately, the most successful companies in the new knowledge economy will be those that recognize the primary importance of a workforce that can communicate efficiently and effectively throughout the enterprise and around the world.
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