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Challenge

In today’s competitive economy, a growing skills gap between tech and employees requires leaders to create new, immersive learning experiences, which means trust is critical.

How can leaders assure employees that data collected during training is used appropriately? By designing learning experiences that boost engagement, build trust and reimagine work.

Meet Dr. Paul J. Zak, neuroscience researcher and Immersion Neuroscience CEO. He developed the Immersion Neuroscience Platform, a wearable and software that uses heart rate to measure oxytocin, the hormone released as people experience feelings of emotional resonance.

“When your brain says, ‘This is valuable to you,’ it tags that experience emotionally,” said Zak. “When you care about people or about content, your brain releases oxytocin and it says, ‘This is something you should focus on.’”

We took the platform to the test to see if the wearable could change how we train employees and improve the design of our learning experiences.

Immersion, Learning and the Importance of Trust

Dr. Paul J. Zak, from Immersion Neuroscience, and Bob Gerard, from Accenture, discuss how to design good and durable learning. See more.

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Strategy and Solution

Bob Gerard is a talent research and innovation senior manager at Accenture. He recognized the wearable’s potential to enhance learning experiences.

"Measuring a person’s heart rate tells us how much attention they are paying and conveys how much oxytocin is at play,” he said. “What we call immersion is a combination of attention plus emotional resonance.”

In fact, the wearable has been used at several of our events, from Blockchain Academy to Practitioners of the Future. Its algorithms instantaneously measured oxytocin as it was released. Processing that data in real time, we found immersion declined when attendees didn’t engage with the presentation. However, immersion spiked when they connected with the speaker and found the information to be relevant and important to them.

Here’s why that matters: Employers need to know how employees learn and what they connect with. Leaders can then optimize training sessions that foster engagement, a better work culture and, ultimately, trust.

What are the benefits of the wearable?

Non-invasive

The wearable solution’s design is comfortable and practical for users.

Real time

The solution pinpoints when the audience is immersed to optimize engagement.

Objective

The data is anonymous and provides unbiased feedback that can shape future messaging.

Trustworthy data matters

By measuring immersion, leaders can optimize how to present information so that it’s engaging, relevant and easy to retain. While the magic lies in the device’s algorithms and data processing, a participant’s confidence in the system is vital.

“We assure them that we keep the data absolutely confidential, which we do. We also explain what we’re using the data for, and we let them know what we found,” Gerard said.

Organizations can collect data about the workplace and workforce on all levels. But leaders must continue to carefully assess how this data is collected and used to support a productive, trusting workforce.

Transformation

What does the future look like for immersive learning at Accenture? This technology will expand across employee training and internal events where leaders will be able to:

  • Measure immersion in real time for up to 1,000 people.
  • Predict learning outcomes with 80% or greater accuracy.
  • Access real-time data from anywhere through a simple web interface.
  • Gain insight about an employee’s immersion in real time, on a 1-to-10 scale.
  • Train teammates to measure immersion in as little as 30 minutes.

Learn more about how trust can unlock value in the digital workplace in Decoding Organizational DNA.

Meet the team

Bob Gerard

Talent Research and Innovation Senior Manager, Accenture Human Resources
LinkedIn

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