The Evolution and Future of Corporate LMS

Ken Barrett, Global Chief Diversity Officer (CDO), General Motors

Ken Barrett is the Global CDO at General Motors. He leads the company’s DEI initiatives and learning management, employing his 14 years of executive experience working with US defense as a successful diversity manager. In his five years as the US Navy's Diversity Director, he was awarded for achieving historic levels of minority and female officer additions and bringing transformational initiatives on work-life balance.

In an interview with HR Tech Outlook, Barrett shares insights on the evolution and the future of corporate LMS.

What are the current trends in the corporate learning management space?

Learning Management Systems (LMS) are continuously evolving. As learning professionals strive to provide the best user experience, they are becoming more user-focused and data-centric. Innovations like Learning Experience Platforms (LXPs) are coming up to change the lumbering nature of traditional LMS and provide ease of use and convenient learning. The future of LMS is expected to be driven by the goal of connecting the important moments that matter in the learning environment to provide a wholesome learning experience.

What criteria should be considered when choosing the right LMS solution provider?

Organizations must understand that they are trying to fill a need by incorporating an LMS solution. Every provider has its value propositions, and it's the company’s responsibility to check which solution truly aligns with its company architecture and helps them fulfill the desired learning needs.

In your experience, what is the way to sustainable learning management today?

In terms of the learning experience, LMS solutions that can put employees in the driving seat are always preferable.

Every organization has employees who can be charged with the responsibilities of designing the contents of learning programs. General Motors also has employees who are centers of excellence in their respective domains and are even associated with teaching in universities and training centers. These employees can bring new eyes to explore the company’s learning needs and innovatively design content that add value.

Organizations need to be flexible enough to leverage in-house subject matter experts, giving more credibility to developed content and wider adoption.

What are some of the learning management initiatives you are associated with?

We have created new pathways for employees—tied to their respective job roles—to progress with their desired type of learning. Also, we ensure that such learnings align with their area of interest.

"I think that sky is the limit, and the future of LMS is the Metaverse. It will become a force multiplier for the learning and development of all employees."

We have chosen certain hot topics relevant to the company and put them into a microlearning scenario. This helps employees receive short bursts of information and later delve deeper into those learnings in their own time.

This approach to keeping learners in the center of General Motor’s learning experience has been a game-changer for us. We are able to integrate learnings that are more diverse and optimize them to elevate our customer experience management across every touchpoint.

How do you envision the future of LMS?

I think that sky is the limit, and the future of LMS is the Metaverse. It will become a force multiplier for the learning and development of all employees. Right now, working integration of LMS within the Metaverse is critical. It is not just creating avatars…more around allowing the learner to dive into a completely new learning experience

What will be your advice to your peers in the LMS space?

At GM we have a mutually supporting relationship between the CDO and Learning Organization.  This is critical!  While weighing competing needs from a learning perspective, priorities are going to vary depending on company needs and the environment. Close communication and solid relationships with all stakeholders (especially between the CDO and Learning leaders) is essential.  My advice to peers in other organizations leverage a build-together approach while facilitating learning and promoting DEI. This will make the job far easier.

LMS

Learning Management

Customer Experience