Article Synopsis
If you're in the world of training and workplace learning and performance or HR, there's no doubt you've heard the words “competency” and “competency model” hundreds of times. Even so, speak to 25 learning or HR professionals and you might get 25 different definitions of a “competency model” and the role it plays in organizational development.
Demographics are Shifting
If you’re noticing an increase in the number of younger people in the workforce, it’s not just your imagination. A recent Pew Research Center Article confirms that Millennials are now the nation’s largest living generation. Millennials are sometimes called Gen Y with ages from 20 -36 and number 75.4 million people, surpassing the lagging Baby Boomers (74.9 million). By 2020, Millennials will make up 50 percent of the workforce. What does this mean for you as a learning professional?
Attention Span Research
There has been a tremendous amount of hoopla related to research conducted by Microsoft to measure the attention span of a group of more than 2,000 Canadians. This research was first conducted in the year 2000 and the average attention span was twelve seconds. When the research was conducted again in 2015, the average attention span had fallen to eight seconds. Research shows that the attention span of the average gold fish is nine seconds. How can this be? What implications does it have for the modern learner? What does it mean for today’s learning and development professional?