3 Tips for Implementing a Digital Badge Program at Your Organization

This is a great post from Credly, the reason for guest posting here on my blog is that it references two majorly successful programs I created and built.

Here you go:

Today, more than 73 percent of American adults consider themselves “lifelong learners,” according to the Pew Research Center. Increasingly, responsibility for delivering that learning falls upon employers; 89 percent of millennials think it’s important to be “constantly learning” at their job. If they don’t learn, they’ll leave. Faced with the reality that training is a necessity but trainees are highly mobile, companies are struggling to act on Virgin founder Richard Branson’s classic admonition to “train people well enough so they can leave; treat them well enough so they don’t want to.”

As organizations pursue innovative approaches to treating employees “well,” they seek to create thriving cultures of achievement and recognition by handing employees rewards, corporate plaques, and incentives, among others, to recognize what they do good for the company. Many are discovering that investments in recognition technology pay dividends, with O.C. Tanner reporting that such investments can yield significant improvements in key business outcomes, including a 20 percent increase in revenue, a 26 percent increase in employee retention and a 36 percent increase in customer satisfaction.

To achieve those returns, employers are seeking new ways to memorialize, validate, make use of and share the skills of their employees. They are using digital badges to honor existing employee skills and to publicly recognize new abilities.

Digital badges are portable, data-rich representations of demonstrated skills and certifications. They offer organizations and individuals alike the potential to convert workforce-relevant knowledge and skills into an interoperable currency for the labor market. The best badges offer transparency into the relevant achievement, offering meaningful performance insights that are fully integrated into day-to-day enterprise decisions and activities. Here are three tips to keep in mind when implementing a digital badging initiative at your organization.

Make it Meaningful.

Before getting into the “how” of digital credentials, it’s important to also focus on the “what”: For what skills or competencies will you offer badges? How will you determine when someone meets the criteria to receive a badge? And how can third parties add even more weight to badges through endorsements and standards alignment?

The Colorado Community College System (CCCS) engaged regional employers to identify and define the most in-demand skills and competencies in the advanced manufacturing industry. To further solidify the value of the credentials, some are aligned to industry standards, such as the National Institute for Metalworking Standards. In taking this strategic approach, CCCS worked with the people who would ultimately review the badges to ensure they would carry the most value possible in the markets for which they were intended.

Make it Measurable.

Management guru Peter Drucker famously said that you can’t manage what you don’t measure. Where a typical resume might list sales responsibilities and even the size of the budget managed, innovative companies like IBM are measuring precise levels of performance and then recognizing that performance with portable, digital and verified evidence in the form of digital badges. At IBM, sales teams review a personal dashboard of over 60 different metrics that track progress toward pre-identified goals and allow individuals to distinguish themselves in the context of a large organization.

PwC has gone one step further with its own “success tracking” program, which makes various employee metrics publicly visible. Team members from both IBM and PwC can be spotted on Twitter on a regular basis sharing their achievements, generating actionable data and marketing value back to both companies.

Make it Interoperable.

Early railways in the U.S. and Canada used six different track widths called gauges. This structure meant tracks were often unusable by other railway operators. As a result, trains – and therefore the flow of people and goods – were limited to certain geographic areas. The standardization of gauges after the Civil War made everything simpler. Trains could travel further, tracks could be shared, and commerce and travel became more efficient.

Standardization in digital credentials provides many of the same benefits, enabling the use of credentials across a wide variety of environments, including social and professional media, learning and talent management systems, and everyday communication media like email and blogs. The IMS Global Learning Consortium today leads the technical specifications for the Open Badges Standard and helps ensure that the emerging labor market currency is accepted wherever opportunity awaits. Make sure the badges you offer your students, employees and members align with these standards, and they will be easily transferrable, providing a plug-and-play experience across a broad digital ecosystem.

Read the original article from Training Industry here

Profound Implications for The Individual Economy & [Infographic]

The individual-centered economy is already here. The newest digital technologies – among them social media, mobility, analytics and cloud – keep changing how people, businesses and governments interact. The transformation that is already underway will soon intensify, resulting in a paradigm shift from customer-centricity toward an everyone-to-everyone (E2E) economy. The implication for value creation and allocation will be profound.

New  research shows that many organizations are still not ready to navigate the E2E environment. The Digital Reinvention Exec report can be read HERE

Here are some highlights from the report and infographic to share:

55 percent of 4,183 C-suite executives report that consumers have the most influence on business strategy <ClickToTweet>

58 percent of 1,100 executives surveyed in the Digital Reinvention Study expect new technologies to reduce barriers to entry <ClickToTweet>

There is a paradigm shift from customer-centricity toward an everyone-to-everyone (E2E) economy. Are you prepared? <ClickToTweet>

Digitization is rapidly changing the nature of how individuals and organizations interact <ClickToTweet>

“Social” has become revenue-generating, evolving from a dot-com trend to a sharing platform and business model <ClickToTweet>

 

 

 

 

Everyone-to-Everyone Economy

Everyone-to-Everyone Economy

The Digital Reinvention Exec Report can be found on SlideShare and can also be seen below

 

Technology Innovators – SmartCamp Finals London

I recently attended the SmartCamp Finals in London where I met some great entrepreneurs and had great pleasure to listen to their ideas to achieve a more sustainable life.

The event was sponsored by IBM, who help nurture early stage start-ups as they look to progress their business model in line with IBM Smarter Planet vision. Event partners included  – entrepreneurcountryL39 – sevenhills – Tech London Advocates and supported by TechCity and UK Trade & Investment.

Here are are the final five and a closer look:

– Representing Ireland, it was Actus Mobile Solutions, a company established to research and develop disruptive technologies that exploit the potential opportunities in the rapidly expanding secure mobile/wireless transaction and secure m-commerce markets.

– High-growth start-up Carbon Culture is a purpose-built digital platform that empowers communities to deliver evidence-based energy and carbon savings. It is currently deployed at both national and local government level in the UK, as well as being in use in higher education and corporate environments.

EnergyDeck is a community-based platform that helps organisations and individuals save costs related to the consumption of energy and other natural resources. It leverage’s collective intelligence to facilitate effective building management and identifying energy saving opportunities on an accessible, open-source web platform.

– Social shopping network Shopa allows members to discover products from a growing database of over 100 million and earn cash when they buy or share them with friends.

– Zerobin is a virtual, reverse logistics services company that helps power the efficient domestic collection of wide variety of materials including waste, charity, repairs and more. It allows a domestic user to register via an app and materials to be collected using back haul or empty van capacity of national postal companies and other third party logistics operators.

The winner of the London final is in the infographic below, the next stage will be held in Vienna in November.  Also take a look at the videos (links below the graphic)

IBM SmartCamp 2013 Entrepreneur

If you’re a start-up, and interested in partnering with IBM, contact us at global.entrepreneur@uk.ibm.com

Fascinating statistics from the C-Suite Study with Infographic

On October 7 IBM launched the latest in their C-suite Study series.  This is the first study where all offices within the C-suite were surveyed at the same time with the same questions. The title of this study is “The Customer-activated Enterprise”

You can download the full study here:   Global C-suite Study  or, access this and other studies via your smart device HERE

Technology is once again, as it was in 2012, the CEOs’ number one driving force impacting enterprises today. In this study, three areas emerged as critical to future success. Organisations should:

  • Open up to customer influence
  • Pioneer digital-physical integration
  • Craft engaging customer experiences

Here are some statistics from the below infographic, ready for you to Tweet:

55 percent of CEO’s cited customers as the most influential on strategic vision and business strategy – Tweet This

Nearly seven in ten CxOs recognize the new imperative – a shift to social and digital interaction. Tweet This

Organisations that have a united C-Suite are 28% more likely to be out performers. Tweet This

35% of CxO’s recognise that they don’t understand their customers well today. Tweet This

Two thirds of organisations have a weak digital strategy or none at all. Tweet This

 

CSuite Study 2013 Ben Martin IBM

 

What did you take away from the above? Is there something you would like to know more about? Drop by and leave your comments below.

How C-suite executives see the landscape changing

IBM collect some amazing data, delivered in a series of C-Suite studies, from over 4,000 C-suite executives. Watch this space to be notified of releases as they happen.

In the mean time here are some early discovery snippits along with an Infographic.

How C-suite executives see the landscape changing:

55% of CHRO’s forsee increasing organisational openness “TweetThis

77% of CFO’s support the development of new products and services “TweetThis

19% of CSCO’s anticipate a reduction of their partner base “TweetThis

71% of CIO’s see communication moving toward more social/digital collaboration. “TweetThis

63% of CEO’s want to increase partnering for higher business value “TweetThis

64% of CMO’s want to approach customers as individuals “TweetThis

69% of C-suite executives report that creating a consistent experience across all customer touch points is one of their top initiatives. “TweetThis

40% of C-suite executives are integrating internal and external data for insights “TweetThis

Ben Martin, IBM, CSuite

 

Infographic courtesy of IBM Institute for Business Value

How does the above information resonate with your strategies? Would you like a copy of the full report when published? Pop your comments below, it would be great to meet you.

Inside Sales and the IT Buyer: The shift of communication [Infographic]

 

Inside sales and web are the mainstay of the purchase process for many buyers of hardware, software and services. The use of the web in every step of the buyers journey is increasing, even down to executing the purchase. Clients are now demanding and expect their suppliers to provide web experiences that provide them immediate access to information. Encompassing the initial search phase, such as guidance and help on address challenges being faced, all the way through to pricing information and even transactional history.

The data and trends below where identified in a marketplace study, led by Market Development and Insights, conducted in November 2012 through to January 2013 to understand client usage of inside sales and online commerce throughout the decision making process.

 

Inside Sales, Ben Martin, Infographic

Engaging customers on their terms with Exceptional Digital Experience

Guest PostLarry Bowden,

Portals and Web Experience Software

 LarryBowden

In June during a Commerce Conference in Monaco, I had the pleasure of introducing our Exceptional Digital Experience software along with Amadori, a leading Italian Food Company, who showcased the exceptional digital experiences they are creating to delight their customers.

Ben Martin

Amadori was on a quest to find ways they could communicate more effectively with their growing numbers of young consumers. They decided to harness the potential of online marketing to create a series of mini-sites for a line of similar products using “digital” communication. “We wanted to create fun, innovative sites with interactive features which would engage a group of consumers who are more likely to surf the Net,” Marco Magnaghi, Business Innovation Manager at Amadori explains.

Having passed through two eras — content is king and social/analytics — digital experience is now entering its ubiquitous stage. Putting customers first has long been the elixir to a business’ success.  A few years back, providing an exceptional customer experience meant having a website strategy, but in today’s reality, to successfully deliver a tailored and consistent experience online that meets and exceeds audience expectations requires a broader approach — you must consider the entire customer journey. In other words, a somewhat straight-forward web strategy of years past has evolved into the need for a more comprehensive digital strategy.

A digital experience strategy takes into account the emerging trends around the use of web and social analytics, more advanced rich media management and delivery, deeper social engagement and robust responsive design for mobile delivery. In this age of digital, a business’ success relies heavily on their ability to create and deliver exceptional digital experiences for their customers, engaging them on their terms and on their time. In fact, a Forrester survey found that more than 90% of respondents said that customer experience is a top strategic priority for their firm*.

Do you want to make an exceptional customer experience a strategic priority? Join Larry on July 17 at 11 am EDT to hear how you can transform the way you reach, understand and relate to customers through a rich and robust digital experience across multiple channels and devices.  Click here to register for the webcast: Reinvent Relationships with Exceptional Digital Experiences.

Simple & Brilliant Outdoor Ad Campaign

IBM Ben Martin Smarter

Advertising for innovative products and services are everywhere, but it’s rare to find any that will actually help you out in that very moment. IBM does just that with its new outdoor advertising campaign from Ogilvy & Mather France, Adweek reports.

A simple curve in three different outdoor ads help them turn into structures that are actually useful to passersby: benches, shelters, and a smooth runway along a stairwell for bikes or luggage. The simple bit of innovation showcases the way IBM approaches the world while also hoping to inspire others to share their ideas on making cities more efficient and effective for its residents.

Each ad encourages consumers to visit People4smartcities.com. “If cities were smarter, then life in cities would be better,” IBM points out in its video of the ads while also noting that the hope is that the ads will “spark positive change” and “unite city leaders and forward-thinking citizens.”

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Orignal post from BrandChannel by Mark J. Miller