Ever heard the “Content is KING” expression from the ’90’s? That was back when all the talk was around instructor-led training and the emergence of eLearning. Back then, the statement couldn’t have been truer. When a learner is experiencing the first two moments of need (1. New – when learning for the first time, and 2. More – when learning more) content remains king. During these moments, learning needs to be instructionally sound and comprehensive. When developing and delivering this kind of instruction, there is an established scope and sequence associated with the content, and learning experiences are appropriately interspersed. Events are planned based on learning objectives. When a learner is in the knowledge acquisition stage pursuing mastery, content continues to reign as king.
But when a learner moves beyond training into the realm of informal support, a new monarch needs to ascend the learning throne. During these remaining moments of need (Apply, Solve, Change), performers need CONTEXT. When Dr. Conrad Gottfredson and I work with organizations on their performance support strategies, it’s always surprising how many fail to consider this most vital principle. Learners must understand where they are, why they’re doing what they’re doing, what others are doing, and how it all relates to the task at hand. Performers need this to rapidly access the specific content they need and to act upon that content in the most appropriate way. Content without context is a formula for failure when it comes to performance support. Without context, if learners somehow find the content they need, they may end up doing the right thing at the wrong time. Many learners do this every day.
When it comes to performance support, CONTEXT most certainly is king! Providing context isn’t difficult. Process maps and workflows based on job roles and/or projects are key components of an effective performance support context architecture. They form the equivalent of a well-articulated analogy or metaphor as the setup to a lesson. It’s like the “You Are Here” map in the shopping mall. The shopper knows the store they want to visit, or they at least know what they want to purchase. They just need directions to the right store in the most efficient and direct manner. Performance support is the same thing. Its job is to get information in front of a learner as quickly and effectively as possible. Context is key for this to happen.
As you move forward incorporating context into your performance support solutions, it is most helpful to recognize that performers seldom work in a vacuum all by themselves. And when technology is part of the workflow, they rarely perform on only one system in any given workday. For instance, we recently worked with a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) rollout that actually involved 3 different systems throughout the process. It also involved many steps and interactions that had nothing to do with these 3 systems, BUT each was critical in the overall CRM process. If these non-system steps were skipped or misunderstood, any work done within the CRM could be incorrect.
Another common problem for performers is that they often don’t know where to start. Simply providing embedded help systems doesn’t allow sufficient context. Traditional help usually fails to include non-system steps and more seriously almost always lacks any tie to higher level business processes. Help that exists only at the detail or system level assumes the learner knows how to get there in the first place. There are times when a learner will need to enter a performance support system from the process level and dig in deeper from there.
Please don’t ignore this vital principle. Any performance support strategy needs to lead with processes that are readily available to guide performers into the content they need and allow them to step back to see the big picture. Content without this kind of context is ineffective, frustrating, and an absolute threat to effective performance support.