The Evolution of Learning Organizations in the BPO Industry

Gone are the days when L&D was viewed as a nice-to-have function — or are they?

We'd love to think that the profession has done everything that it possibly could to prove its value and justify its existence, connecting training costs to performance outcomes that impact revenue (thank you, Donald Kirkpatrick). 

The organizational structure plays a critical role in determining the size, visibility, and influence of the L&D function at the table. In this post, I will share the structures that I've been part of over the past two decades of my L&D practice in the BPO industry.

The University

In this structure, Learning and Development (L&D) operates as an independent function that partners with other areas of the organization to address learning needs and strategies. As a new trainer, this setup opened my eyes to the wide range of skills expansion opportunities across various functions. A few years later, as a training leader, it was helpful to align standards and best practices across all teams. The L&D voice was strong and it resonated across all training teams. Because we were growing as operations teams experienced hypergrowth, growth opportunities were endless. If I may use myself as a case study, I became a training manager within a couple of years of functioning as a process trainer. It was the same career story for most of us budding leaders.

On the business side, things were a bit different. The product and process teams, at least those supporting clients with billable trainings baked into their SOWs (Statement of Work), generated revenue for everyone else who did not. We were primarily a cost center. The inside joke was that we were NRG (Non-Revenue-Generating) groups, which is why we sat right next to the photocopying room. It must be the toner fumes but we were definitely a happy tribe. 

Bye, University.

When our beloved head of training was retrenched, we organized a farewell ceremony. During the graduation rites, he left us with a tall order. He told us that we were graduating from the "university" and should now be ready to face the real world, where we would need to do whatever it takes to support the business while staying true to the discipline. I added the second part based on our frequent coaching conversations.

There is no "University" in the real world. Reporting lines were realigned based on our core functions. The process and training teams were moved under Operations, while HR absorbed the corporate development programs. 

Truth be told, before the retrenchment of seasoned leaders, I drafted Project Phoenix. In this project, I proposed that the New Hire Orientation team be transitioned to HR. We had started to feel that the training function had become an administrative vortex due to the sheer volume of mandatory items we were tracking. My boss asked if I had developed the concept on my own and whether I was a Harry Potter fan. Yes to both. We were supposed to discuss the transition plan, but then the unthinkable happened. It turned out that I was on the same page as the masterminds behind the organizational changes.

Where does the L&D voice fit into this structure? It's hard to say. Each function needed to align with the needs of the businesses they now reported to. In every delegated task, we had to find a balance between meeting business needs and advocating for learning and development principles.

The Content Design and Development function (now commonly referred to as Curriculum/Program Development, Instructional Design, Learning Experience Design, etc.) is highlighted in this structure because, at some point, it will stand on its own.

BPO Trainers and Halloween

2007. We we trainers and we thought we should contribute to the Halloween festivities of the fun-loving BPO industry. 

This is a very fond memory of my teaching days. I facilitated a "Call Center Management 101" class wearing a deconstructed and totally inappropriate look of a "desperate housewife". 

There were no complaints from the participants, just fleeting moments of suspended disbelief and confused laughter. 

 

Instructional Design Jobs in the Philippines: From Unicorns to Hotcakes

Once upon a time, in the BPO industry of the Philippines, instructional design jobs were rare, if not non-existent. As a trainer and training leader, course development was baked into our responsibilities.

I first landed an official ID (Instructional Design) role 15 years ago. I was a Senior Lead for Content Design and Development, supporting the training needs of non-operations teams (e.g., HR and IT). We were the only team that offered ID services to the entire organization. Lectora was our authoring tool, and we were slowly migrating to the CourseMill LMS platform while painfully dealing with Moodle withdrawal. We lived in simpler times; everything was linear, and the use of negative space was unheard of. And branching? What branching? We worked from home and were only required to report onsite when course requestors preferred face-to-face meetings over virtual ones. It was the perfect job for a woman  transitioning to motherhood. I was constantly in a state of creative bliss.

Fast forward to the pandemic. As they say, necessity is the mother of invention. With a series of lockdowns and businesses to run, companies turned to the scalable powers of digital learning solutions and virtual classes. Everyone loved the results.

Today, instructional design jobs are selling like hotcakes. It's a slow and steady journey to hypergrowth. ID teams have become their own units, so valuable that in some BPOs, ID services are even outsourced to high-profile clients. This demand has created a steady supply of ID jobs that are evolving at the speed of light. It's no longer enough for an instructional designer to know ADDIE. Some job postings now require proficiency in graphic design, video creation, and video editing. The ability to leverage AI (artificial intelligence) - whatever that means to the hiring manager - has become a preferred skill.

Instructional Designers are writers, educators, art directors, layout artists, multimedia artists, learning experience designers, scriptwriters, and project managers. While ID jobs may be selling like hotcakes, those who want to build a career in this field are expected to be unicorns (a tall but fair expectation?). After all, Instructional Designers make the learning world a more magical place, one frame at a time.

Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko

BPO Training Teams circa 2000

 I started my L&D career in a department called PeopleSupport University. Process and Product Trainers, Onboarding Trainers, Communication Coaches, Corporate Development Trainers, Leadership Development Trainers, Content and Design Developers, and Training Resource Administrators cohabitated in a special place that always smelled like whiteboard markers, photocopier ink, training principles, and organizational high peformance. We were our own unit, with our own voice, striving to satisfy the needs of the business in the merry web known as dotted lines.

L&D mattered. It was solid.

As BPOs evolved, the L&D function turned into liquid or gas, taking the shape of its container. I've seen it adopted by HR, Process Excellence, Consumer Insights, and fairly recently --- Operations. You could almost taste the transformation when it happened. I will be posting some variations in organizational structure soon.

We are insoluble and intrinsically colloidal. We will mix where poured but we will always do things, where and when we can, for the discipline.

Where does your team sit in your organization's structure?

Certified Learning and Development Professional... After 20 years!

A couple of years ago, toward the tail end of the pandemic, I applied for a leadership training role in the BPO industry. I performed well at every stage of the application process, or so I was told. All my interviewers had wonderful things to say about my work experience. My prayers—along with those of my loved ones—my stamina, and a bit of good luck brought me to the offer stage.

The thoughtful recruitment officer did her best to meet my expected compensation package. She asked if I could enhance my profile with any training certifications or post-graduate degrees. Of course, the answer was a polite no. I took a pay cut for the love of L&D.

It’s not that I don’t believe in certifications; I simply don’t possess the shiny credentials that meet the demands of the new economy. I love learning and exploring concepts, both old and new. If there were a top badge for Google searches, I would surely rank way above super platinum. My L&D knowledge treasure troves include LinkedIn Learning, Udemy, Coursera, YouTube, TED Talks, and good old-fashioned books. I have a diverse army of mentors, friends, and family members who engage me in fun, fruitful, controversial, and progressive conversations about L&D.

A Professional Epiphany

I recently worked on an instructional design project on the subject of "Executive Presence". This project prompted an intense introspection regarding my own hesitant journey to build and cultivate my personal brand. Is my definition of my personal brand reflected in my online presence? I decided to initiate the post-training activities I had drafted for the course participants, particularly focusing on the Personal Brand domain of expertise.

First Step: Find an affordable yet industry-recognized certification program. I'm very happy to report that after 20 years in L&D, I am now a Certified Learning and Development Professional.

Photo posted by our amazing trainer, Jeff Garcia.

Second Step: This blog. I envision this platform as an accessible time capsule of my experiences and learnings from this industry that I love unconditionally. I aspire for new and seasoned L&D practitioners to find a community in this virtual parking lot (trainer speak!).

There are more steps in the drawing board and hundreds of topics to write about. Wherever you are in your own personal journey, I wish you all the best.

Have an enriching week ahead!