Q&A with Bonnie Cheuk, Learning Agility and Capability Lead

Dr. Bonnie Cheuk is a strategic, hands-on, business & results-driven executive with strong digital transformation expertise. Originally from Hong Kong, she has spent more than 20 years working in for companies across the globe.

She joined AstraZeneca as a senior director, a member of a multi-disciplinary digital transformation leadership team to reimagine the drug development process, with a focus on introducing knowledge and collaboration technologies.

In 2020, she is focusing on redefining learning, building enterprise-wide learning agility capability and promoting a culture of lifelong learning to enable the company to grow through innovation. She is also actively contributing to improving digital literacy across a workforce of 65,000 people.  

Her expertise lies in blending her deep understanding of user-centric design thinking, information/knowledge management, change management, communication/facilitation principles and practices.

Cheuk’s doctorate research, informed by Dervin’s Sense-Making Methodology, focused on understanding information needs, information seeking and use behaviour in the workplace context. She is the author of “Social Strategies in Action: Driving Business Transformation” published by Ark Group in 2013.

In November, Cheuk will feature as a speaker as a speaker at our HR Exchange Live: Corporate Learning EMEA event, presenting a session titled “Future of Work = Be Human Centric + Learning and Unlearning in the Flow of Work.

We sat down with her recently to see what Cheuk is planning for her session.

HREN:  What can the audience expect from your presentation entitled ‘Future of Work = Be Human Centric + Learning and unlearning in the flow of work?’

BC: Traditional L&D solutions assume that work is stable and predictable. Learning focuses on transferring best practices or adoption of standard operating procedures. Good training enables the workforce to get quality work done in the most efficient way with minimal risks. When change is constant, the world of work has changed.

The workforce needs to learn to “do the thing right” and also be able to explore, innovate, challenge the status quo and flex in unfamiliar situations. Empowering a workforce with learning agility that can continuously learn and unlearn in the flow of work becomes critical. How should training look like in this new world? Do we in L&D need to unlearn ourselves?

HREN:  In your opinion, what are the three key takeaways that delegates will gain from your session?

BC:  

• How to design user-centric learning solutions that put holistic human experience at the heart of learning/training?
• How to resolve the dilemma that L&D wants the workforce to accept/follow what we teach them, and also expect them to challenge the status quo/best practices provided?
• How can L&D disrupt our own design principles, innovate new approaches to create a learning environment that enables employees to learn and re-learn?

HREN: What do you think is the biggest challenge for professionals when it comes to integrating L&D in the current pandemic and what do you think they can do to meet this challenge? 

BC: I’d say three things.

1. How can L&D stay relevant and align with the evolving business needs to offer immediate value. Ask yourself, are you aligned with the business strategy? Are you partnering with decision makers to create impact and increase performance in a shifted context? Do you know what short-term capability uplift is required now, and are you taking actions? Are you willing to step up and innovate when you see gaps?
2. Are you focusing on digital learning solutions, assuming the learning needs are the same? Are you assuming business as usual, and focus on turning traditional offerings into digital?
3. How do you balance short-term tactical demands for L&D offerings versus long-term capability building for your company. Are you positioning well as a strategic partner of the business or are you in your comfort corner. Have you got a voice to shape the future?

HREN: Why do you think is important for professionals to attend Corporate Learning EMEA
2020?

BC: Challenge your own thinking. Give yourself time to reflect. Get ahead of the game to create value for your business/customers. 

Register to attend this year's Corporate Learning EMEA event to attend Cheuk's session and others!