MASS CUSTOMIZING THE TRAINING INDUSTRY - MASS CUSTOMIZATION MAY BE THE MOST EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT WAY TO ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF YOUR CUSTOMERS.
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Mass
Customizing the
Training Industry
Mass customization may be the most
effective and efficient way to address
the needs of your customers.
50 | T+D | june 2007 Photo by Corbis
By Stephen L. Cohen and B. Joseph Pine II
Whether you lead an internal education
function or an external training supplier,
you must address the learning needs of
your customers in a focused manner.
This typically requires choosing between two options: existing programs,
which range from generic off-the-shelf offerings to public seminars and
standardized university-led courses, and brand-new, custom-made learn-
ing experiences. But there is a third option that may be the most effective
and efficient way to go to market: mass customizing training programs.
Mass customization surfaced more than a decade ago with the pub-
lication of several books and articles that extolled the virtues of treating
all customers differently, and is now becoming endemic in industries as
diverse as personal computers, shoes, apparel, eyewear, and information.
Mass customization is not about market segmentation; it is about truly
understanding the specific needs of each and every customer and then
bringing together the right combination of training modules to provide the
customers the solution that they really want and need.
Connecting on an individual customer level is no easy task in the world
of training because the two customer sets—the buying organization and
the learners—have different and sometimes conflicting needs. So how can
we create learning programs that fit the individual needs of learners and
simultaneously address the client organization’s challenges? Is it possible
to cost-effectively produce totally customized programs for one-to-one
learning? Yes.
june 2007 | T+D | 51
Mass customization On-demand operations. Mass cus-
principles tomizing requires the development of
Mass production came about from a repeatable platform that produces
Henry Ford’s Model T production line. the product when needed. Given the
Ford’s mantra was that a customer wide range of both organizational and
could have any color car he wanted—as employee learning needs, the capacity
long as it was black. Eventually, of to operate in an on-demand environ-
course, options were added, but they ment is crucial.
were mere variety, not true custom-
ization, because they were not in Dispatching. It is no longer enough
response to individual needs. True to schedule ready-made classes
customization was simply too costly. and have learners organize their
Such levels of variety already exist in schedules according to the train-
the training industry, but it remains a far ing. Rather, we must be ready on a
cry from true customization. If the goal moment’s notice to provide training
of the industry is to provide true one-to- how, where, and when it is needed.
one learning experiences at a reasonable The educational industry has been
cost, then we have to understand and too much like a city bus, forcing cus-
embrace the principles of mass custom- tomers to come to us for something
ization, and then apply them to all types that doesn’t quite get them where
of learning experiences. they want to go. Instead, we need to
First, it is important to understand become more like taxis—dispatched
that the underlying motivation behind on demand to take customers exactly
mass customization is scalability. It fa- where they need to go.
cilitates high-volume, efficient produc-
tion, and delivery of unique customer- No finished goods inventory.
driven solutions. This scalability can be Eliminating the carrying costs of
achieved by applying the following pri- inventory—as well as the risk that
mary principles of mass customization no customer wants the finished
to the training industry. product—can drastically lower costs
in many industries. Even in training,
Speed. Getting to market as quickly printing all materials—handouts,
as possible is critical for the training cases, and forms—on demand lowers
supplier to remain both competitive costs because it reduces the amount
and current. While fully customized of material that will be unused and
programs have to be built almost from discarded.
scratch, mass customization enables
the supplier to produce programs Digitization. Anything you can digitize
quickly, which in turn increases you can customize. We need to digitize
the supplier’s ability to alter both the management and operations
the programs so that of training programs. This requires a
they match the clients’ design tool that enables trainers to
changing needs. match learner needs with training
capability, bring that capability online,
Information. Given that and execute it.
the rate of information
expansion and distribution Modularization. The most fundamen-
is increasing exponentially, tal principle of low-cost, high-volume
we must find ways to quickly customization is modularity, which
extract the most timely and rel- enables the supplier to do only and
evant information for training topics. exactly what each customer needs.
It is important for the supplier to gain Modularity requires a linkage system
information from purchasers and end that integrates training programs in-
learners about their knowledge needs stantaneously and seamlessly—almost
so that the training can be further like how LEGO building blocks snap
customized to meet those needs. together. People in the training field
52 | T+D | june 2007 Photo by Fotoliahave praised the concept of chunking the contours of a person’s face or the Modularity
learning into easily digestible bites for
many years. Now we must fully ap-
bed that allows users to adjust the
firmness of the mattress on each of
requires
ply the principle of modularity across two halves, from soft to very firm. a linkage
programs, sessions, templates, learn-
ing points, and examples. This means Cosmetic. In this approach, the
system that
an even deeper level of customization functionality of the training solution integrates
where all “chunks” can be seamlessly
altered and integrated beyond their
changes in response to individual
customers. For example, as a Hertz
training
original structure. Gold member you bypass the stan- programs
Putting all of these principles togeth-
er readily enables training companies
dard counter and proceed directly
to the bus where you tell the driver
seamlessly—
to meet the needs of both purchasers your name. The driver informs the almost like
and learners, which will lower the cost
of delivery and thus increase the train-
operation teams that you have ar-
rived so that when you reach the car
how LEGO
ing companies’ profit margins. lot you see your name in lights on an building
Mass customization types
electronic billboard that directs you
to the proper stall, where again your
blocks snap
While the basic principles of mass name verifies you have the right car, together.
customization apply to all offerings, with the agreement attached to its
there are many different ways in which mirror. It’s the same car everyone
they can be implemented. The types else in your product class gets, but
of customization can be classified into the delivery of the car is customized
the following four categories. for you. Cosmetic customization
equates to personalization. In train-
Collaborative. In this type of custom- ing, this is often done by changing
ization, the provider customizes the binder covers, logos, or graphical
training solution with a design tool user interfaces, while keeping the
that helps customers identify what actual program content and materials
their individual needs are. Dell pro- the same.
vides one of the best known exam-
ples of collaborative customization. Transparent. The program’s
Customers work with Dell to identify functionality is customized to the
what components they want config- customer’s specific needs while the
ured into their personal computer, format remains seemingly standard.
which the company then develops For example, the Ritz-Carlton hotel
exclusively for them. chain uses a sophisticated database
In the training field, this form of management system to alter its
mass customization typically takes guests’ experiences by documenting
shape through the creation of company- and then retrieving specific guest
specific role plays and case studies preferences when they return—
inside of an existing program—all of without specifically asking the
which require input from the organiza- guests for their preferences. Hotel
tion’s representatives. employees are taught to make note
of individual preferences and to
Adaptive. Online learning enter them into a guest preference
programs are good examples of system. In training, an example of
adaptive customization because transparent customization would
they are designed to adjust involve an instructor independently
according to the alternative paths adjusting the course based on what
the individual learners take and he knows about the client or the
the varying progress they make, learners without calling attention to
without changing the programs’ the customization. The client and
infrastructure or platform. Think of end learners think they are getting
the razor with a flexible system of a standard course, but in fact it’s
springs that automatically adjusts to customized for their needs.
june 2007 | T+D | 53Even training Why do all this?
Regardless of the method chosen,
individual student. Even experiences
can be commoditized, however.
experiences mass customization principles will In fact, in many learning environ-
can be help trainers scale programs to meet
customers’ needs more fully, in
ments, the entire point is to commod-
itize the experience. Think of highly
commoditized. shorter timeframes, for less cost, and stressful, intricate, and high-pressure
with higher quality. When the train- environments such as the cockpit of
ing matches the customer’s needs, it a military jet, the emergency room of
becomes a truly magical, motivational, a hospital, or the control room of a
and memorable learning experience. nuclear power plant. In each case, em-
But this is not the end goal. The ployees are trained over and over again
chart below shows how the how to perform critical tasks until
economy has changed they become second nature—in other
over the millennia words, commoditized.
with each succes- When training is executed properly,
sive economic shift, employees and the organization reach
moving from com- a transformation point where both
modities to goods parties benefit from the time and cost
to services and to invested. In the end analysis, isn’t that
experiences. Note how what all corporate educational experi-
customizing a product ences should be about? Ultimately, the
automatically turns it into ideas that trainers impart—the dime-
a service, and customizing a a-dozen commodities of the educa-
service automatically turns it into tional business—are not important.
an experience, thereby forestalling the Neither are books, articles, hand-
inevitable forces of commoditization outs, nor are preparation, delivery, or
that come to any offering, and any analysis activities. Even the experience
industry, over time. Mass customizing doesn’t really matter. The bottom line
training services, therefore, creates the is, Were the individuals in this course,
right learning experience within each and the organization to which they be-
long, transformed? Did they improve
their workplace performance through
the acquisition of new knowledge,
skills, and tools?
The Progression of Economic Value Mass customization is a way to
bring more efficiency and effectiveness
to training, thus adding value to every
organization that embraces learning as
Customization
a means to achieving improved busi-
transformations ness results. However, it is a continu-
Guide ous process that ultimately requires
Customization a transformation in the way training
experiences suppliers change their own operations
stage to effect the transformations custom-
Customization ers desire to see within each of their
services Commoditization
employees.t+d
Deliver
Goods Commoditization
make Stephen L. Cohen is vice president of the
Service University for the Carlson compa-
Commodities nies; steve.cohen@carlson.com. B. Joseph
Commoditization
Pine II is co-founder of Strategic Horizons;
Photo by iStockphoto bjp2@aol.com.
54 | T+D | june 2007 Photo by FotoliaTRAINING+ DEVELOPMENT
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