Situation
Sun Microsystems had become a thought leader in the evolution from push to pull learning paradigms, using Learning 2.0 strategies that embrace an informal and collaborative approach with user-created content at its core. Sun Learning Services was responsible for core content development for 30,000 employees, and delivered over 500,000 hours of instructor-led and web-based training annually. Sun wanted to incorporate Learning 2.0 and provide more targeted content to learners in a more efficient way.
Led by CLO Dr. Karie Willyerd, Sun Learning Services created Sun Learning eXchange (SLX), a social learning portal that harnessed familiar features from consumer Web 2.0 tools (such as YouTube and iTunes). SLX supported user-generated content, cloud tags, broad search capabilities and a social network of experts. It was presented as a tool for use in Sales, Collaboration, Corporate Communications and Learning.
With the launch of the platform, Sun wanted to know its impact on the business, including a return on investment.
Approach
Capital Analytics collaborated with Sun Learning Services to design a study around the following questions:
- Does SLX increase the portfolio of content at the same or lower cost than previous methods?
- Does SLX reach more unique users at the same or lower cost than the existing cost per user?
- Does SLX allow for more efficient use of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) and content developers at the same or lower cost than previous techniques?
- Does SLX reduce the time to develop and deliver content in comparison to previous methods?
To answer these questions, Capital Analytics pulled data from multiple sources and perspectives, including SLX usage information, operating information from Sun Learning Services about development costs and resource requirements and qualitative interviews with SMEs, SLX developers and key users.
Conclusions
SLX positively impacted Sun’s learning environment in numerous ways. The system provided more diverse content and led Sun employees to create 3,982 content titles during the pilot period. Interviews and anecdotal evidence indicate SLX was an extremely efficient use of SME and content developer time. Additionally, SLX enabled near instantaneous deployment of critical training titles compared to the time required for traditional course development. Comparing development and delivery costs of traditional web-based training to those associated with SLX, SLX provided Sun with a benefit-to-cost ratio of 75:1, representing a net benefit of $25.9 million.
Sun’s experience is an invaluable example of the potential for informal learning and structured use of social media. By leveraging their culture and technical expertise, Sun Learning Services created an agile, relevant training environment. Pull models are particularly effective with adult learners. Accessing the right information at the time it’s needed encourages retention and application. The fact that it can be accomplished with a positive ROI is extremely compelling.