Employee Engagement, Learning, and the Gaming Generation network-based training As the environment for sales reps continues to shift, it may be hard to retain the best ones. In this new world, the benefits of social networks for enhancing loyalty, commitment, and collaboration cannot be underestimated. Sharon Callahan President Anew generation of employees — gamers — is beginning to dominate the universe of corporate employees. They grew up largely in the era of video games, text messaging, and mobile phones. They have entirely different mind sets, expectations, and ways of communicating than the generations before them. With 90,000 sales reps, many between the ages of 25 and 35, the gaming generation represents a significant part of the salesforce community, yet this group is becoming increasingly disengaged. According to a survey by a major human capital consulting firm, employee disengagement is a global epidemic. This lack of engagement can be particularly pronounced in sales organizations where talent is often geographically dispersed and interaction infrequent. One need only look to the message boards on Café Pharma, an industry chat site, to see how employee perceptions on issues such as training, benefits, and promotions can have a profound effect on job satisfaction. As social networking technology evolves, along with the new generation of digitally connected employees, enormous opportunities are arising for companies to sponsor their own branded communities giving employees a comfortable place to learn, connect, and grow. The benefits of such communities are numerous. Engagement, Collaboration, and Advancement By sponsoring their own social networks, companies create a trusted place where employees go to be heard and where honest dialogue is part of the culture. In contrast to traditional “trash cans,” where bad feelings seem to multiply, properly planned and moderated employee social networks can enhance employee engagement serving as an early warning system for disruptive issues and competitive threats, as well as a source of buy-in for corporate change. Social networks connect people and build relationships across boundaries of time and geography and help break down organizational silos. This is particularly valuable for organizations where a majority of their employees work independently or are geographically scattered. Linking employees through social networking technology also can have an impact on a company’s ability to identify and advance talent. Once the silos are broken down it’s easier to uncover employees with high potential. And with social networking technology, it’s possible for everyone to have a voice. The fact that online community networks are “always on” allows for the quiet reflection that may not take place in quarterly meetings. Given time, participants who may not drive the discussion or agenda at a formal gathering can still share their particular expertise to keep a valuable idea moving forward. Even the best innovation councils can be hamstrung by the infrequency with which global colleagues assemble and collaborate. Social networking technology puts no limitations on advanced collaboration. In fact, when groups get turned on by what they can do online, they go beyond problem solving and start inventing together. Having this living, interactive community of institutional knowledge can be a boon to innovation and new thinking. As the environment for sales reps continues to shift, it may be hard to retain the best ones. In this new world, the benefits of social networks for enhancing loyalty, commitment, and collaboration cannot be underestimated. Individual Learning Becomes Collective “Knowing” Experts increasingly acknowledge the power of a community to extend, support, and enhance learning. Online social networks are giving rise to a whole new training methodology. It’s a new learning paradigm: interactive versus turning pages; organic versus static — with limitless possibilities for feedback, rapport building, and collaboration. And, with simulation, games, and role playing, it’s the way the gaming generation wants to learn. Experts increasingly agree that gaming and simulation provide the kind of training experiences ideally suited to the unique nature of this growing employee class. According to John Beck and Mitchell Wade, authors of “Got Game,” winning matters, so training that offers built-in competition can go a long way. Similarly, this group has a high-risk profile and no problem with trial and error. New kinds of game-based training can bring more meaningful chances to test and retest different sales strategies. New learning technology can afford opportunities for employees to engage with each one another as well as with others who influence a company’s success — hospital staff, doctors, and even customers. This can be done in a moderated environment with standards and rules, but with much greater opportunities for learning and growth. With network-based training, sales reps can also find out firsthand what physicians are thinking, how they talk to their patients, and what their patients are telling them. Simulations can take them, virtually, to a teaching hospital, to see the key players and the tests, and to learn through participation. In contrast to e-enhanced brochure-ware, networked learning can serve as an organizational accelerator moving a company and its people from merely knowledge sharing to collective knowing. As the market environment continues to shift, and the ranks of sales reps shift with it, this new kind of training can help boost the knowledge, productivity, and performance of those who remain — particularly in the specialty sectors. The benefits to your organization could be profound. Summit Grey, New York, is an interactive division of Grey Healthcare Group. For more information, visit summitgrey.com. May 2007 VIEW on Sales Training

Download PDF