With technology traditionally being viewed in opposition to the environment, with its reliance on power, batteries and mass manufacturing, the term green technology may sound like something of an oxymoron.

However, sometimes technology can reshape society in surprising and unexpected ways, being used for different purposes than that in which the product or service was originally intended. In this way, certain technologies are being used to mitigate or reverse the effects of human activity on the environment, reducing our carbon footprint rather than increasing it.

This rise of green technology is an interesting time for employees working in technology and development, allowing them to use their tech skills to help create positive change.

Here are 5 exciting examples of green technologies changing the world for good.

Reduce energy consumption with green power outlets

One of the ongoing problems of traditional power outlets is their continual need for power, even once a device or appliance has been switched off.

This continual use of power is often referred to as “vampire power” with its blood-sucking power consumption draining both the environment and your electricity bill.

To combat this waste of energy through vampire power, green power outlets have been designed that allow you to cut off all power to your appliances with one easy turn of a dial, increasing your energy efficiency and reducing environmental impact.

Did you know that many electronic devices can be harmful to the environment if they’re not disposed of correctly?

With approximately 20 to 50 million metric tons of electronic waste (or e-waste) being disposed of every year, e-waste is a huge problem for the planet.

As well as being harmful to the environment, electronic waste can also cause health issues for individuals. The tiny parts that go into your mobile phone, computer and TV can contain mercury, lead, cadmium and other dangerous metals inside. While dismantling and salvaging products for gold and copper, e-waste can pose a risk to people in developing countries tasked with this dangerous job.

However, the good news is that tech companies can now take care of their e-waste responsibly, through companies who will directly pickup and process e-waste and ensure none ends up in landfill or in the wrong hands.

Creating solar panels with 3D printing technology

With the exciting world of 3D printing continuing to grow, there have been some inspiring arrivals in the green technology sphere.

For example, Australian scientists are one step closer to making a cheaper and faster way to print solar cells onto plastic. Once available, this technology could be used to power laptops to rooftops, allowing you to run your home responsibly on power from the sun.

Green technology could also see the invention of a home 3D printer able to produce solar cells from easily available materials, with the capacity to provide remote areas outside of the power grid with cheap and reliable electricity.

Mini solar lights bringing education to Africa

With many people in developing countries living beyond the energy grid, electricity is a precious and valuable commodity.

In Africa, with half of sub-Saharan Africans living without power, many households rely on kerosene lamps – which are not only expensive to run but produce toxic smoke into the atmosphere.

Recently, the introduction of tiny solar lights, generating just a handful of watts, have made reading or working at night possible. These solar lights, being free to run and safe to use, have opened up possibilities for education that were previously unimaginable to many Africans.

Energy-saving computer hardware and programs

Computers are a continually rapidly growing source of carbon, contributing to approximately 2% of global emissions, with that figure likely to double within a decade. Is there a way for the IT industry to continue without the huge drain on power from fossil fuels?

Green IT products focus on providing consumers with more environmentally conscious hardware, such as energy-efficient laptops and servers. There are also software options on the market that can power down our desktop when it’s not being used, or run in the background of your operating system and tune up your computer's own energy-saving hardware.

The use of these technologies holds promising hope for the future, with innovative products and services enabling individuals and communities to reduce their carbon footprints and impact on the planet. It also offers an exciting time ahead for those working in the technology industry, allowing you to use your tech skills to help change the world for good.

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How green technology is changing the way we work

As presented at The 1st Indonesia International Conference on Science Technology Park (IICSTP) on October 12-13th by Go1 CEO Andrew Barnes.

There are a growing number of accelerator programmes designed to start and support innovative startup businesses. Many accelerators are increasing the size of their intakes, with some programmes now launching over 200 new companies per year. On first inspection the large numbers and consistent approach taken to accelerating the participating companies appears to be in conflict with producing innovative and disruptive companies.

This paper uses Y Combinator as a single case study to investigate whether increasing the number of companies within a batch has resulted in longer or shorter timeframes for companies to achieve an exit (through acquisition or initial public offering). The paper finds that the timeframe for achieving an exit for Y Combinator companies is reducing, even while batch size has sharply increased. There is no statistically significant correlation between the cohort size and the initial money raised during the programme.

Disruptive new ventures are a hallmark of capitalism, where entrepreneurship revolutionizes existing economic structures (Schumpeter 1942). Creating new industry paradigms can be highly profitable. In the last four decades high-growth, venture capital backed startups have accounted for less than half of new US public companies, but have captured over 63% of the total market capitalization (Gornall and Strebulaev 2015). More recently, over the last ten years startup accelerators have emerged as a new method for incubating and investing in disruptive businesses (Miller and Bound 2011). Accelerators provide resources (generally in the form of seed funding, networks and mentorship) to groups of participating companies.The accelerator model was first pioneered by Y Combinator (YC), a programme that originated in Boston and now operates from Mountain View in California (Kim and Wagman 2014; Miller and Bound 2011; Dempwolf, Auer, and D’Ippolito 2014).

The first cohort of YC companies in 2005 (termed batches) featured less than ten businesses. YC has grown over the last decade and now launches over 200 companies each year. Intuitively there would seem to be a conflict between launching disruptive companies at scale. Indeed, existing research suggests that as companies grow larger, their ability to innovate may decrease (Ackermann 2012). The team behind YC are not unaware of the difficulty inherent in scaling the pursuit of innovation, and despite this have continued to steadily expand. YC’s mass production of high growth companies offers an opportunity for study: does the increasing size of cohorts have a negative effect on startup outcomes? This paper investigates whether there is a relationship between cohort size (in a given year) on seed investment round size and whether cohort size negatively impacts the average length of time for an acquisition.

There is reason to be both optimistic and pessimistic when considering whether innovation can scale. From a simplistic perspective there are certain types of advances that require sufficient size and scale to support the necessary research and development activities. The Large Hadron Collider offers unique insight into uncharted territory, and in turn may yield disruptive breakthrough findings. Without the support of countless scientists, many countries and many billions of dollars in investment it would not be possible. But this form of scale – concentrated on a single project – is not what YC and its peers are attempting. Instead YC’s programme supports a great diversity of startup businesses, all of which receive relatively few resources. As batch sizes increase, the time and attention from YC must be spread thinner still.

To support each company, YC must be able to systematize the elements required to support innovation. Isaac Asimov (2014, 2) suggests that “the process of creativity, whatever it is, is essentially the same in all its branches and varieties, so that the evolution of a new art form, a new gadget, a new scientific principle, all involve common factors.” If Asimov is correct, and if YC have been able to identify scalable means to deliver enough of the common factors, then there could be the opportunity to improve the outcomes for companies participating in YC, even while the size of cohorts increases.

In contrast to this, there are many examples where innovation has been negatively impacted as group size increases. In academia, research indicates there are decreasing returns as team size grow (Lee and Bozeman 2005). The productivity of corporate research and development teams decreases as staffing numbers increase, particularly for heterogeneous groups (Cummings et al. 2013). Venture capital firms seeking to increase the size of their portfolios also experience negative performance tradeoffs (Kim and Wagman 2014; Kanniainen and Keuschnigg 2004; Cumming 2006; Fulghieri and Sevilir 2009). Accelerators too may experience diseconomies of scale (Hallen, Bingham, and Cohen 2014).

Y Combinator differs to other accelerators in two important respects that may enable it to scale more successfully. First, by being renowned as the premier accelerator globally, YC is able to attract the top tier of potential startup applicants (Hochberg and Kamath 2012; Pauwels et al. 2016). Attracting the very top tier of applicants (ahead of other accelerators) is particularly important in an industry where outliers are essential (Kim and Wagman 2014). Second, YC strongly espouses independence and autonomy for the companies that participate in their programme. For example, unlike other accelerators which will often provide free or subsidized office space, Y Combinator does not (Radojevich-Kelley and Hoffman 2012). Paul Graham, one of the original co-founders of YC, cites the need for companies to develop their own culture (Stross 2012). Greater independence may certainly help YC companies innovate.

1.2 Pros and cons for YC’s increasing cohort size

There are potentially many negative impacts associated with increasing the size of an accelerator cohort. If the common factors for innovation described by Asimov are not systematized and designed to scale, then there will be less optimal outcomes on average for the participating companies. One obvious effect of larger cohort sizes is the increased competition for investment funding. If the available capital for seed investment is fixed, then increasing the average number of YC companies should result in a lower average seed round for each company. The increased competition for each investor dollar may be compounded by the perception of lower average quality as cohort size increases.

With increasing numbers of heterogeneous companies there will also be limits on the quality of advice and mentorship that can be provided. The homogeneity of advice given to an increasingly large cohort is more likely to be poorly suited to the unique needs of individual companies (Hallen, Bingham, and Cohen 2014). Unsuitable advice can negatively impact the chances of success.

3.1 H1: Does cohort size have an impact on the amount of seed funding raised by each company?

The 95% confidence interval for  has a lower bound of  and an upper bound of 2456.95.

3.2 H2: Is there an effect on the time it takes for a company to exit based on the cohort size?

The second hypothesis investigated is whether there is a relationship between the cohort size and the average time taken for a liquidity event (either an IPO or acquisition). As no Y Combinator company has been publically listed I only consider acquisitions. There were 127 acquisitions in the dataset and the results are summarized in Table 3 below. The 95% confidence interval for  in Table 3 has a lower bound of and an upper bound of 0.004.

There is a natural ceiling on the maximum number of days for an exit event based on the year that a company participated in YC: the average time taken for companies to be acquired from the 2015 YC cohort is likely much less than average time taken for participants of the 2010 cohorts. To control for this ceiling, I have included a variable for the total number of days that the company has been operating in Table 4. The 95% confidence interval for  in Table 4 has an upper value of  and a lower value of  -0.04.

The results in Table 3 and Table 4 do not provide support for any positive or negative impact with increasing cohort sizes. In both regressions there is no statistically significant relationship at  between cohort size and the average number of days for an acquisition. The effect size is also small and negative: the largest change recorded to cohort size (from around ten participants to 210) would only reduce the average number of days for an acquisition by four.

This paper began with the question of whether the success of Y Combinator’s portfolio companies can continue as YC scales the size of its programme. YC’s programme is now twenty-times larger than when it began. The investigation of 991 YC companies suggests that the increasing cohort sizes have not had a noticeable impact on the time taken for acquisitions or for the amount of seed funding raised. I hasten to note that a statistically insignificant finding does not itself suggest that the tested hypothesis is false (Ellenberg 2014). However, the narrow confidence interval for the effect size of cohort size does indicate that any potential positive or negative effect is minimal.

The minimal impact that increasing cohort sizes has had on the average amount of seed funding is unexpected. Intuitively one might expect that the greater the number of companies, the greater the competition and lower average investment each would receive. The results in Table 2 suggest that there is a statistically insignificant positive correlation between the size of cohort and the average seed round. Table 5 provides an overview per year of the average seed round and the number of YC companies in that year. The results suggest that YC’s brand as the world’s top accelerator may have meant its companies have been protected from the increased competition amongst peers. As Y Combinator’s brand has grown, so too has the number of applicants for its programmes. This has meant YC has been able to maintain an acceptance rate ‘below 3%’ (Yin and Luo 2015, 23). The negative impact of increasing cohort size is probably more acutely felt by accelerators that lower the entry bar.

The second finding was that YC’s increasing cohort size has had a negligible impact on the average time for an acquisition. There is already research showing that participation in an accelerator like YC has demonstrated reductions in the average time before acquisition (Smith and Hannigan 2015). What is unexpected is that cohort size has had no to minimal impact on the average time until acquisition.

The findings suggest certain implications for accelerators. It does appear that there may indeed be scalable “common factors” when it comes to producing innovative companies (Asimov 2014, 2). Y Combinator’s success in scaling the size of its cohorts suggests that it has systematized some of them. The literature review identified some of the unique strategies that YC uses to support innovation. The first is its focus on individual autonomy. Practices such as not offering office space are in contrast to ‘virtually all accelerator companies’ (Radojevich-Kelley and Hoffman 2012, 60). By strongly encouraging participating companies to develop their own cultures and environments, YC is attempting to encourage heterogeneity between their portfolio companies.

Second, YC has been able to keep acceptance rates low, despite the increase in cohort size. Increasing cohort size at the expense of quality would likely have a negative impact on both seed funding size and acquisition prospects. As Y Combinator has been able to maintain and even grow its brand, it has been able to attract an increasing number of applicant companies. With acceptance rates below 3% (which is better than industry averages), selection to YC continues to be a strong quality signal for participating companies (Yin and Luo 2015, 23).

Replicating the success of YC in is not trivial. However, a focus on the elements that will support innovation at scale appears to be an essential ingredient.

As with all studies, there are limitations which must be considered with this investigation. A primary limitation are the variables available for investigation. When considering whether cohort size has an impact on firm outcomes, the ideal outcome variable would be firm market capitalization. The amount of time taken for acquisition is an imperfect proxy for success. Unfortunately, data on valuation or market capitalization was not available. Further research in the area would benefit from access to such data.

With that said, the limited information on acquisition values seems to suggest that YC’s performance is continuing to strengthen. One of the most recent YC exits (and also its largest to date) is Cruise, an autonomous vehicle company, that reportedly sold to General Motors for $1bn (Crunchbase 2016). Cruise was part of YC’s 2014 cohort, which was the largest cohort year for YC to date.

Another potential limitation relates the incentives of accelerators at scale. For accelerators that are able to develop focused, larger portfolios there are strategic benefits from exiting underperforming companies quickly (Fulghieri and Sevilir 2009). This dynamic doesn’t seem to apply as much to YC as it does not have a focused portfolio (the diversity of participating companies appear to be increasing with time) and does not have control over exiting firms (either through acquisition or by shutting them down).

Finally, while not a limitation, it is worth noting that portfolio size is a function of an accelerator’s business model. The typical accelerator business model ‘is to invest in a set of ventures with a relatively small amount of money rather than continue to support the ventures in multiple rounds’ (Kim and Wagman 2014, 5). Accordingly, accelerators are able to invest in a large number of potential firms. More recently Y Combinator has opted to adopt a different model, guaranteeing follow on investment in all its portfolio companies up until a valuation of $300 million (Altman 2015). Given the unique nature of YC’s future strategy, there is an opportunity for further and deeper research.

I would like to acknowledge and thank Assoc. Professor Dr Damian Hine at the University of Queensland Business School for reading an early draft of this paper.

Ackermann, Stephen J. 2012. Are Small Firms Important? Their Role and Impact. Springer Science & Business Media.

Altman, Sam. 2015. “YC Continuity.” Y Combinator Posthaven. October 16. https://blog.ycombinator.com/yc-continuity-fund.

Asimov, Isaac. 2014. “Published for the First Time: A 1959 Essay by Isaac Asimov on Creativity.” MIT Technology Review. October 20. http://www.technologyreview.com/view/531911/isaac-asimov-asks-how-do-people-get-new-ideas/.

Cohen, Jacob. 1994. “The Earth Is Round (P<. 05).” American Psychologist 49 (12): 997.

Cohen, Susan, and Yael V. Hochberg. 2014. “Accelerating Startups: The Seed Accelerator Phenomenon.” Available at SSRN 2418000. http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/Papers.cfm?abstract_id=2418000.

Cottrell, A, and R Lucchetti. 2016. “Gretl User’s Guide.” http://ricardo.ecn.wfu.edu/pub//gretl/manual/en/gretl-guide.pdf.

Crunchbase. 2016. “Mar 11, 2016: General Motors / Cruise | Crunchbase - General Motors Acquires Cruise for $1B in Cash & Stock.” March 11. https://www.crunchbase.com/acquisition/d7ca7de8846a22a446e474e388617673.

Cumming, Douglas J. 2006. “The Determinants of Venture Capital Portfolio Size: Empirical Evidence.” Journal of Business 79: 1083–1126.

Cummings, Jonathon N., Sara Kiesler, Reza Bosagh Zadeh, and Aruna D. Balakrishnan. 2013. “Group Heterogeneity Increases the Risks of Large Group Size a Longitudinal Study of Productivity in Research Groups.” Psychological Science 24 (6): 880–890.

Dempwolf, C. Scott, Jennifer Auer, and Michelle D’Ippolito. 2014. “Innovation Accelerators: Defining Characteristics Among Startup Assistance Organizations.” SBAHQ-13-M-0197. US Small Business Administration. https://www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/rs425-Innovation-Accelerators-Report-FINAL.pdf.

Ellenberg, Jordan. 2014. How Not to Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking. Penguin Publishing Group.

Fulghieri, Paolo, and Merih Sevilir. 2009. “Size and Focus of a Venture Capitalist’s Portfolio.” Review of Financial Studies 22 (11): 4643–4680.

Gornall, Will, and Ilya A. Strebulaev. 2015. “The Economic Impact of Venture Capital: Evidence from Public Companies.” Available at SSRN 2681841. http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2681841.

Graham, Paul. 2013. “YC W13 Will Be Smaller.” http://old.ycombinator.com/w13smaller.html.

Hallen, Benjamin L., Christopher B. Bingham, and Susan L. Cohen. 2014. “Do Accelerators Accelerate? A Study of Venture Accelerators as a Path to Success.” Academy of Management Annual Meeting Proceedings, January, 747–52. doi:10.5465/AMBPP.2014.185.

Hochberg, Yael V. 2016. “Accelerating Entrepreneurs and Ecosystems: The Seed Accelerator Model.” Innovation Policy and the Economy 16 (1): 25–51.

Hochberg, Yael V., and Kristen Kamath. 2012. “US Seed Accelerator Rankings.” Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University. http://tech.co/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Accelerator-Companion-FINAL.pdf.

Kanniainen, Vesa, and Christian Keuschnigg. 2004. “Start-up Investment with Scarce Venture Capital Support.” Journal of Banking & Finance 28 (8): 1935–1959.

Kim, Jin-Hyuk, and Liad Wagman. 2014. “Portfolio Size and Information Disclosure: An Analysis of Startup Accelerators.” Journal of Corporate Finance 29: 520–534.

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Miller, Paul, and Kirsten Bound. 2011. “The Startup Factories.” In NESTA. http://businessincubation.com.au/wp-content/uploads/StartupFactories-Accelerators-Evaluation-NESTA-June-2011.pdf.

Morrill, Danielle. 2015. “Why Is the Number of Seed Rounds Raised in 2014 Down 30%? Exploring the Connection Between Startup Funding Activity and U.S. Interest Rates.” Mattermark. January 16. https://mattermark.com/exploring-the-connection-between-startup-funding-activity-and-u-s-interest-rates/.

Pauwels, Charlotte, Bart Clarysse, Mike Wright, and Jonas Van Hove. 2016. “Understanding a New Generation Incubation Model: The Accelerator.” Technovation 50: 13–24.

Radojevich-Kelley, Nina, and David Lynn Hoffman. 2012. “Analysis of Accelerator Companies: An Exploratory Case Study of Their Programs, Processes, and Early Results.” Small Business Institute® Journal 8 (2): 54–70.

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Smith, Sheryl Winston, and Thomas J. Hannigan. 2015. “Swinging for the Fences: How Do Top Accelerators Impact the Trajectories of New Ventures?” In DRUID15. Rome. http://druid8.sit.aau.dk/druid/acc_papers/5ntuo6s1r5dvrpf032x24x5on5lq.pdf.

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Mass producing innovation: why accelerators are not a paradox

More and more companies are embracing eLearning as a path to improving employee training and boosting customer experience. It makes perfect sense, because these are two critical aspects of business. Here is how online learning impacts your bottom line.

Employee education is directly correlated with lower rates of turnover within companies and ongoing education has been proven to dramatically improve productivity (and profits) over time. The data is in and the message is loud and clear: Businesses that take the time to educate workers through eLearning have a higher percentage of becoming industry leaders than those that don’t. Not convinced yet? Check out these 4 ways in which eLearning impacts your bottom line:

eLearning is one of the fastest and easiest ways to educate your sales reps about your products or services and it’s one of the most effective ways you can help them improve their overall sales skills. It’s no secret that a more informed sales team equals a more effective one. When your sales team is more educated about what it is you are offering then they’ll be better equipped to convey your value to customers and close the deal.

eLearning can lead to improved sales conversions and lower costs per customer acquisition – two key metrics that are vitally important to the overall health of your company. Ultimately, when your customers understand what sets you apart from the competition then they’ll be more likely to choose you over someone else and this is what eLearning can do for your sales force.

In the beginning organizations were skeptical, but over time the statistics became too clear to ignore. Now more and more companies are discovering that eLearning is significantly more cost effective than traditional employee training programs. With traditional training, for example, not only are you forced to cover the cost of the course creation and the implementation of training but you will also be facing periods of reduced productivity while groups of employees are packed into conference rooms to complete the course.

eLearning, on the other hand, provides you with a more manageable and affordable solution. Workers can go at their own pace rather than completing the training in groups and this means productivity will not take such a dramatic hit. Not only will you save money, but your staff will be able to maintain output and keep profits streaming in.

According to this study conducted by the Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, eLearning gives companies a more efficient solution for delivering training when compared to traditional training methods. The primary reason? In-person training is slow and very one-dimensional when it comes to the eLearner’s experience.

eLearning, on the other hand, offers a wide variety of dynamic instruction possibilities that are more engaging and motivating to employees. Popular eLearning training delivery methods can include video demonstrations, interactive quizzes, surveys, Q&As, and webcasts – all of which keep the learner more involved in the process.

Another reason why eLearning is more efficient than traditional methods is due to the accessibility of the material. While live training is a “one time only” experience, eLearning allows you to provide access to the essential material on an ongoing basis. This in turn improves retention and –more importantly– application of the material. When your learners can implement their training faster, than all of your processes run smoother and this directly translates to bigger profits over time.

eLearning Is More Flexible And Convenient

Mobility is a 21st century concept that has revolutionized the modern workforce and this is no more obvious than with eLearning. Now your employees can have access to training material from anywhere in the world – all you need is a laptop and an internet connection and they can participate. This means that employees can undergo training from home or on a remote location – and at a time that works best for their work schedule.

Convenience and flexibility are two factors that employees are looking for when they choose a company these days, and happy employees mean less turnover and more productivity. Plus, employees that are happy with their training options will be more likely to pay attention and retain the information itself, which translates to dramatically improved performance over time. Obviously, your balance sheet will reflect it if your employees are more committed to their performance.

eLearning gives you more and better options for training your employees, hands down. It’s also a surprisingly easy way to increase productivity, improve your sales processes, and invest in the happiness of your team at the same time. If you’re looking for a way to “take things up a notch” at your organization, then an online learning program might be exactly what you’re looking for.

How online learning impacts your bottom line

Earlier this year the Go1 received a Microsoft Hololens to allow us to start working on adapting training through augmented reality. Although the Hololens is still only available as a developer version, we have recently been taking it along with us a a number of conferences over the past few months to give the general public a chance to experience the future of learning, and try out the Hololens for themselves.

Earlier this week we had our Hololens down at Work 2.0 in Sydney when Alexar stopped by the Go1 booth to have his first augmented reality experience, and discuss how this exciting new technology can be used to train and educate people with Go1 co-founder Vu Tran.

You can watch the full video of Alexar's experience as live streamed on Periscope below:

Earlier this year, we did an in-depth review of the Hololens and how it can be used for training students and employees.

"As an entry point to the augmented reality market, this is mind blowing. A lot of the things that are still a touch clunky at this stage will very easily be resolved, and the first consumer versions of this product, which is yet to have a release date, is likely to be an affordable and eye-opening look into the future of human interaction that anyone can afford."

We are very excited about getting this technology into the hands of as many people as possible over the coming years, and if you are at an event with Go1, make sure you come try it out for yourself!

VIDEO: Go1 and The Microsoft Hololens learning experience

We are constantly adding new courses to the Go1 Course marketplace, including a range of Top FREE courses. Why not get started by enrolling in one of our top courses of the week?

If you work in an office you’ll know what it’s like to butt heads with a colleague, or worse a superior. This course is aimed at helping you make sense of the irritation you often feel, understand how most interpersonal workplace conflicts can be relatively easily remedied, and appreciate the perils of unresolved conflict.

Preventing Substance Abuse in the Workplace

One hundred billion dollars. Yes, that’s billion, with a “b.” That’s what drug and alcohol abuse costs U.S. businesses each and every year. In this course, we discuss the costs of substance abuse to business, explain what to look for, and pinpoint some ways to deal with it effectively.

Every business, whether small and large, is obliged to provide for the security of its staff. In addition, employees themselves have an individual responsibility for workplace safety. This course helps you set up your corporate security policy, as well as dealing with precautions individuals should take to safeguard their own personal security, and the security of the information to which they have access.

Looking for more? Try our Top Categories! 

Looking for something but can't find it? Meet one of our learning consultants and let us help you out!

Free courses! Conflict resolution in the workplace, preventing substance abuse and workplace security

With so many new technologies becoming available all the time, it can be difficult for companies to determine which products and solutions are worth the investment. For business owners faced with such a large number of options, in a market that’s continually growing, choosing and adopting new technology can be quite challenging.

Regardless of your industry or the size of your organization, it’s imperative to have up-to-date equipment that does what you want, when you want it to. Whether you’re choosing a new learning management system or content development platform for your business, you’ll want to make sure it can deliver the results you want and expect. So how should you go about making the right decision for your business needs?

To help you make smart choices for your organization, and make this process less overwhelming, we’ve put together some factors you might like to consider when choosing the right technology for your business.

Finding the best solution for your workplace

Within an organization, learning leaders are entrusted with the task of building employee skill sets, making them perform better, faster and with higher productivity and engagement.

In response to this, vendors present organizations with an overwhelming amount of options for learning tools and technologies to assist them in this challenge. In fact, last year, in 2015 alone, more than $6.54 billion in investments were made in new learning technologies, which is up dramatically from previous records of $2.42 billion in 2014 and $1.64 billion in 2013.

 As a recent online article in Chief Learning Officer stated, “learning leaders are often eager to embrace innovative new technologies, but if these tools don’t drive business results they are probably not worth the investment.” So can all this technology really help your business?

Before committing to a new technology, it’s vital that you consider how this new technology will ultimately have a positive effect on your company’s bottom line. Taking the plunge and investing in a new technology solution can feel like a bit of a risk, but it’s one that can dramatically help your business’ growth and pay off for you and your employees in the long run. 

Choosing technology-enabled learning solutions

Investing in smart and effective technology solutions is vital for today’s businesses and the technology sector launches a seemingly endless array of new tools and platforms in response to that. Smartphones, tablets, cloud connectivity, CRMs, LMS… these days, there’s a wide range of technology-based learning systems to help improve and grow your business, while promising to make learning easier, more engaging and more accessible to users. 

Before making a technology purchase, consider this helpful advice from Dani Johnson, Vice President of learning and development research for Deloitte: “Don’t start with the system, start with where you want to go… you need to know what your goals are before you can choose technology that will get you get there.” 

Ask yourself how this technology can create positive change for your business, before deciding if it’s the best tool for your company’s needs. Adopting new technology should help your organization increase productivity and reach your goals more efficiently – not create more problems that will need to be fixed or slow things down for employees.

When choosing a learning management system, be real with yourself about whether or not your employees will really use it. There’s no point spending money on technologies that individuals will struggle to use or simply not be interested in.

When weighing up your decision, make sure the technology is:

Flexible and mobile, to adapt to different learning styles

Relevant and up-to-date for your audience

If you believe it will help make staff more productive and improve their skills, while offering a flexible and engaging approach to learning, it should be a safe bet.

Looking for an award-winning learning management system?

Consider Go1’s training and learning portal, unlocking positive potential in people and organizations through technology.

As a technology-enabled learning solution, the Go1 platform offers an online staff training system, where your employees can easily and conveniently complete customized courses online. Your staff can learn anywhere, anytime, with over 100,000 courses available online in the Go1 marketplace.

How to choose the right technology for your business

As mobile devices become a common instrument for almost everything we do these days, it makes sense to capitalize on this portable and up to date source of information by using it for the workplace as well. Here is why embracing mobile learning makes perfect sense if you want to be a leader at work.

If you’re looking to get ahead at work, embracing mobile learning can make you a respected leader among your peers. But how exactly does this new wave of eLearning will really give you an “edge”, and how can it make you stand out from the pack? Let’s take a closer look.

First, traditional training methods in the workplace are slowly becoming less effective. It seems the workforce is truly burning out on the “old school” way of passing on information and policy.

Mobile learning, on the other hand, addresses the common issues of traditional training and education methods and puts a fresh and convenient spin on things. Everything from how and where you access your modules to the technology you use to complete them can work together to make you a leader among your colleagues and a valuable part of any team.

When you take advantage of mobile training, whether for yourself or your employees, you’re giving yourself a head start over the rest of the pack. Mobile information is fast… and it’s delivered in a way that it’s easier to retain. Further, while others may be lagging behind with their workshops or role-play sessions, you have the ability to access training materials at any time… so that training doesn’t hinder your workload.

For you the employee of the 21st century, this means that you’re studying at a time that suits you best and this helps you retain the information because you’re more focused! Rather than feeling forced to participate in a day-long training session, you can pick up bite-sized pieces of information throughout the day and work at your own pace. This is a key factor in boosting performance and productivity that competitive workers simply cannot ignore.

By embracing mobile learning the modern learner can be truly “mobile”, choosing to study either on the job or during their leisure time. As studies from the University of Texas have shown, we retain information better when it’s ingested at multiple times and in various situations. Simply stated, the mobile learner has a clear advantage over others who are force-fed training over one single period.

Mobile Learning Is Always Relevant And Up To Date

We’ve all seen those outdated training videos on customer service or sales skills, where the actors appear to be only half-engaged in what they’re trying to say. Although they are here to teach us something, the message gets lost thanks to the poor production quality, outdated corporate jargon, and second-rate acting skills.

The beauty of mobile learning is that it will always be new, refreshed, and revised as needed. As modules and courses are constantly updated and delivered directly to your mobile device, you don’t need to worry about any of the information being out of date. In short, you’re getting the latest and most relevant education for your job, making you an instant leader among your work colleagues and a truly valuable source of information.

When we undergo traditional training seminars at work, we may have the very best intentions to put those lessons into practice, but they quickly wander from our mind as soon as we return to our workstation. According to Forbes, one of the main reasons why these workplace training sessions fail is due to a lack of follow-up.

When follow-up isn’t automatic -which is generally the case with a soft skills training session- your brain finds it difficult to retain the information. On the other hand, when you’re forced to revisit the skills you were taught and use them in your actual day-to-day work, as is the case with mobile learning, the information “sticks” better as a result of your deliberate practice.

If you learned something important through a mobile learning session, recalling the information is simple: You simply pick up your mobile device and access the lesson directly!

Mobile Learning Keeps Your Technological Skills Up To Date

In a world where two-thirds of Americans own a smartphone, it’s clear that mobile devices are here for the “long-haul”. This is a boon for workers of all generations, because now you have a means to stay up to date on the latest trends and training.

Make no mistake about it, the workplace of the future will feature more and more devices and fewer paper and pens, so staying ahead of technology trends is one of the easiest ways you can stay competitive and move forward in your career. In fact, the skills you’ve picked up through mobile learning can often make you a valuable resource for your peers… further solidifying your station as a “linchpin” that holds teams together.

It’s simple: If your plan is to incorporate a mobile learning strategy for your staff, then you’re solidifying your status as a leader in the workplace. Rather than utilizing a tired and old training technique that your employees will forget in a month’s time, by embracing mobile learning you’re helping your teams succeed by giving them the information they need to make better decisions.

In short, your employee’s success is a direct reflection of your leadership skills, and embracing mobile learning is a simple way to ensure that success.

Workers will respect the freedom and variety that comes with mobile learning, and most employees will jump at the chance to receive free training that’s relevant to their job. By using the mobile learning model, you’re not only giving them the best chance to succeed but proving yourself a modern leader who understands the workplace of the future as well.

Why embracing mobile learning will make you a leader at work

In a world where technology is ingrained into almost everything we do, it makes sense that it should be incorporated into every successful workplace as well. The powers of technology are immeasurable, and every day their benefits only continue to grow in number.

A recent study conducted by the MIT Sloan Management Review and Capgemini Consulting found that although managers might be willing to adopt digital technologies and transformations in the workplace, staff are sometimes reluctant to take these on themselves. This is one glaring reason why, as a manager, you should be able to teach staff exactly why these technologies are beneficial and demonstrate how they can improve the overall output of the team.

Whether it’s to add to the bottom line, train up your staff, or provide a more cohesive workspace, a good manager should understand the benefits of technology and how they can use it to get the best out of their teams.

Provide the Tools and Infrastructure to Succeed

A common mistake made by managers looking to incorporate technology and digitization in the workplace is that their intentions and plans don’t often meet up with reality. Simply put, before you can implement any type of technology, you need to ensure your infrastructure can handle it first!

Whether you have a dedicated IT team on hand or use an outside specialist for advice, you’ll need to have a clear discussion about capabilities. If you don’t and you try to introduce a new system that doesn’t have the software or connections available to achieve it, your staff are going to feel let down by the entire process and then problems arise.

Gone are the days when the entire team would take a day off and workshop ideas in the boardroom under the guise of training. The modern world of corporate training is best performed with e-learning and mobile learning initiatives that allow your staff to train at their own pace and at a time most beneficial to them.

The benefits of e-learning have been proven time and time again to not only save money for the company but teach the information to employees in such a way that helps them to retain it better and for longer.

Especially in large teams, there can be a tendency to have a separation of staff members into their selected divisions and small groups. This may be unavoidable sometimes due to remote staff or a larger office that divides employees into their own areas. Thankfully, technology can be a useful way to break this barrier and promote collaboration among all of your staff.

With technology resources in place that allow for all staff members to communicate, whether it’s on a joint project or regular day-to-day tasks, you’re removing the boundaries that can often lead to tension and disharmony down the line. Having a task-based system in place that allows employees to visualize the progress on certain projects, even if they aren’t directly involved, can create a more cohesive workplace where everyone shares the same goals.

Here’s a common scenario in most workplaces that highlights the need to reduce unnecessary tasks, and one that most can relate to:

A meeting is scheduled by a manager that requests all staff to attend. Perhaps the date and time are changed once or twice. Countless emails and reminders are sent out to employees, and when it comes time to have the meeting most are disengaged or busy with other work tasks.

It could have all been solved with a more streamlined process that cut the unnecessary steps straight out.

Was it really necessary to have a meeting? 

Is there a better way you can use technology to communicate to all staff members? 

A good manager should continually review the processes in place and question the necessity of these smaller steps. Technology provides a fast and efficient way to achieve this.

When you consider the above scenario and countless others which take place through a regular work day, you can begin to see how many wasted hours there are in the typical workplace. Thankfully, business productivity software is a quick and easy fix to many of these types of bureaucratic problems.

There are quite a few benefits to implementing business productivity software in your workspace that will allow you to get the best out of your teams:

Motivation – With online performance evaluations and progress trackers, managers can see what areas employees might need to train in or if they’re suited for another department better.

Communication – These systems allow staff and managers to communicate more effectively by providing a space for them to share ideas and progress on various projects.

Analyzation - This software allows you to create reports and enquiries on customer trends, market activity, and business performance so you can get a clear picture of your company’s activities.

Productivity – The main goal of this software, and what it’s most effective at, is monitoring the productivity of staff and companies as a whole. By tracking each individual you can see exactly where and how they might need improvement or praise.

As quickly as technology changes and improves, we need to be just as quick to open our minds to the possibilities. As managers, it’s your duty to be a leading force in embracing new ideas and changes with open arms. When a new technology comes along that might be beneficial to your team, don’t dismiss it until you’ve researched the facts completely.

As we welcome the new generation of employees into our workplaces, we need to ensure we’re ready to adapt with them and embrace the emerging trends and technologies. There will always be room for traditional business practices and common sense, but for a truly successful organization, you need to find the link between the two worlds and make them work together.

How managers can use technology to get the best out of their teams

The rise of the smartphone hasn’t just changed the way we communicate and enjoy entertainment, but it now serves as one of the most convenient platforms for learning. Mobile learning is the latest way we can support eLearning experiences, with a range of benefits for today’s workforce. Here are some of the top advantages of using mobile learning at work.

With the growing mobile device market penetration and the increasing need for digital learning, mobile learning has recently seen exponential growth. Both academic and corporate industries are certainly utilizing this modern format of learning, but those looking for an edge in the workforce may find it particularly useful.

Whether you’re on the hunt for a new job or wanting to get ahead in your current position, mobile learning at work is one of the smartest ways to do so. Digital learning on the go means you have more and freedom to learn as you please… and experts have shown that you can actually retain the information easier when it’s served in this bite-sized format.

Unlike traditional learning methods, mobile learning can be enrolled in and accessed virtually within minutes. For the job seeker, having this edge over competitors means you can stay up to date with training and stay informed on whatever may be relevant to your potential employer.

Say you’ve just found an advertisement for your dream job and the employer mentions the importance of knowing a particular software (one that you have limited knowledge in). This could be the deal breaker that clinches the position for you, and you definitely don’t want to let it slide that easily!

With mobile learning, however, you can enroll in a course within a matter of minutes and get trained in just a few days - setting you apart from your competition.

Even if you don’t get that particular job, you’ve just added another skill to your resume that suits the line of work you’re interested in. Now there will never be a need to fall behind your competitors just because you didn’t have the correct training, and you can confidently discuss your new skill during your interview as well!

How Mobile Learning At Work Can Get You Ahead 

Mobile learning is the perfect platform for those who are already employed and looking to get the most they can out of their current position. Whether the training is being offered by your employer themselves or you take it upon yourself to do some up-skilling with a mobile learning module, there tons of benefits to this particular style of training.

With mobile learning, you can learn virtually anywhere you go so that you’re mentally at your sharpest when it’s time to study. Not only will this help you to retain information better, but it also gives you flexibility that you simply can’t get with other methods of training.

By showing your employer that you’re self-motivated and have the initiative to take on additional training to succeed, you’ll be placing yourself in a good standing when compared to others who only take on the training that’s offered to them. In fact, many times an employer will be more than happy to take on the cost of your mLearning modules, provided you can show them how it will make you a more valuable worker. It’s really a win/win for you both.

The Importance Of Mobile Learning For Your Employees

For employers, mobile learning really is a no-brainer. When considering how you will train your staff, there are several ways that mobile learning is the better option for employees of all ages and backgrounds.

Traditional corporate training may not suit everyone’s learning styles, causing some staff to shy away from getting involved in the first place. A solid mobile learning plan ensures that a range of learning styles are covered with lectures, podcasts, videos, text, and social collaboration so that everyone’s unique requirements are catered to.

2. Making The Most Of Your Employees' Downtime.

One of the key benefits of mobile learning at work is its convenience, giving your staff access to training literally any time of the day and from anywhere on earth. Rather than spending their downtime socializing or surfing the web, your staff can take in bite-sized portions of learning in their down-time. Studies have even shown that over 50% of employees have participated in mLearning while lying in bed, somewhere you would never have been able to engage them previously.

3. Ensures Your Staff Stay On Top Of Technology Trends.

A workplace that keeps its employees in the past will have a hard time making a difference in the real world - thus the importance of staying on top of trends in technology. By giving your staff access to mobile learning, you’re building on their technological skills and ensuring they don’t fall behind with upcoming trends.

Rather than having a scheduled training session on a specific day and time, mobile learning allows your staff to study at their own pace. When they’re actively engaged at a time of their choosing, they’re far more likely to retain information and stay motivated.

How To Get Started With Mobile Learning 