Why Trends are Driving Big Changes in Education - and Implications for Business

The Business Trendsetter Podcast

In the pandemic we unleashed asynchronous work methods. No longer were we required to all go to an office everyday. No longer were we sucked into time-wasting meetings. We learned we could work asynchronously, focusing on doing our work, was much more productive. Doing our work alone increased productivity, with asynchronous interchanges using email, text and other tools supporting that productivity gain.

The pandemic similarly unleashed changes in education. We proved you could learn remotely. You didn't need to have everyone in a classroom at the same time. And it promoted individualized education, allowing students to learn at their own rates, using the best tools for them. Of course the University of Phoenix and Southern New Hampshire University have been proving that remote learning is very effective, and very necessary, for vast numbers of students. Just like the world of work, it is now obvious that the best education does not require all students in a building for a set number of hours sitting in classes with other students - all using the same texts, moving at the same rate, and taking the same standardized tests.. That "industrialized" education is as out of date as the industrialized approach to office work.

Yet, just like CEOs that would like to force all employees into an office every day, teachers are trying to do the same. Both are refusing to look at the trends. The old way isn't as good as the new way. But it takes more skill, and more effort, to lead in the new approach. You can't be sloppy, treating everyone the same, and just trying to keep everyone busy. You have to focus on OUTCOMES and work with individuals based on OUTCOMES rather than HOW they get the outcomes.

This podcast takes a very deep dive into how education, like the working world, is forever changed by the trends that accelerated during the pandemic. Trends that will not reverse. The future won't look like the past, and those that embrace trends will have faster growth and greater success.

Thinking points:

• Are you focused on how things get done more than the outcomes you desire?
• Are you very clear on the outcomes you want, or do you rely on managing the process and hope for the outcomes?
• Are you ready to change how things get done, perhaps dramatically, to allow trends to drive far greater productivity and success?
• Are you working hard at understanding how new technology tools can improve productivity to be far more successful than old synchronous processes?
• Are you focused on your Value Proposition - outcomes for customers - or are you locked-in to focusing on the Value Delivery System and trying to maintain it? Is it more important to go to the old process (like in-school teaching) than delivering the highest value outcomes for your customers (like individualized remote learning for students)?