Virtual Ken Blanchard.

Situational Leadership II, online, 1999, Ninth House, Inc. (800-304-4951 www.ninthhouse.com), $50-$349.

In the not-too-distant future, we'll work in a training world where life-sized holograms animate practice exercises and satellites beam updated multimedia training to our palm-sized PC's. When that day finally arrives, we'll certainly be delighted, but we won't be satisfied. Why? Because again and again we've learned one fundamental truth: training media producers take too long to exploit new technologies.

It has, for example, been almost twenty years since PC's and VCR's first became practical tools for training. We've seen our share of entertaining and even powerful videos, but they're not fundamentally different from the 16mm films trainers once depended upon. We've invested in a diverse and effective mix of CBT programs, but their interactivity has seldom matched that of an ordinary computer game. How often have we seen a program that takes full advantage of the potential in both media?

Well, I've just finished a preview of Ninth House Learning House's Situational Leadership II. For the first time, I can appreciate what I've been missing.

IT'S A HOME FOR LEARNING

Most interactive programs rely heavily on text; they don't have the bandwidth to make full use of video. Ninth House uses a blend of technologies--typically end-user PC's, a dedicated server for streaming video, and the Internet for content--to deliver a mix of programs on topics such as situational leadership, innovation, self-management, communication, and team building. Featuring experts such as Tom Peters and Ken Blanchard, these learning channels are a successful fusion of interest-grabbing video and computer controllability--by far the most seamless video interactivity I've seen.

I explored a laptop demo of the Situational Leadership II channel, and while some features of the full network weren't loaded, I saw more than enough to whet my appetite. I didn't see their approach to 360 assessment, skill pre-testing, or the web "gallery" of supplemental materials, and I only skimmed the threaded discussions of the online "community." I did review in depth the major program elements.

In Situational Leadership II, Ken Blanchard introduces concepts via brief lectures, but an extended learning parable set in a bait shop reinforces each element in the model. An interactive puzzle supports each parable and gives learners an early chance to test understanding.

The program's greatest strength is its learn-by-doing adventure and application exercises. Learners become a character in an original interactive movie--"Fool's Gold," set in a troubled Old West mine. As the story unfolds, learners must decide how to respond to several situations in each of the six roughly 30 minute episodes. The interactive episodes are deliciously frustrating--each decision has consequences, but as in real life they're not always immediately known. Get it right and you progress through the episode. Get it wrong and eventually you're bounced back for another try.

We know how persuasive feedback can be when given in the right way at the right time. Using a series of word choices, Ninth House learners choose a "mentor" appropriate to their style (eight are available, and each can be male or female). Throughout the adventure, learners can seek guidance, and when they stumble, the mentor is there to summarize what went wrong and offer advice. I changed mentors more than once and found subtle though significant differences in the feedback. What amazed me was the mentor's ability to diagnose style tendencies in my choices.

THERE'S MORE THAN TEXT HERE

Although the adventure itself is a 19th century drama, producers have done an effective job of linking it to the present, and the video post test following each episode is set in a modern office. Despite some uneven acting, and despite a parable that may strike a few as slightly silly, the overall quality of the video is excellent--entertaining and skillfully made.

Just how far has Ninth House gone in leveraging video? Instant Advice, an on-demand coach, helps learners meet real world challenges. Simply click on a situation and a text solution is proposed. Nothing unusual about that, but Ninth House has added video examples. Similarly, almost every program incorporates a glossary, but here we see actors read the definition and often illustrate the concept through an example.

Much more could be said of Ninth House's use of technology, but this program typifies the successful marriage of entertainment and instructional design. It delivers the story telling you expect from movies and TV and the instructional design you find in the best classroom training; showmanship supports, rather than interferes with, learning. People can immerse themselves in behavior-changing experiences, take advantage of reinforcing tools, and stay connected to the subject through the program's online resources and discussions.

SHOULD YOU BUY IT?

Full-motion video requires robust technology, and that doesn't come cheap. The direct cost of purchase isn't unreasonable, given the high quality of the instruction, but you need to factor in any additional costs of implementation. But how much of your training budget will this consume and will your have anything left for all the other needs you must meet?

Will Ninth House content be good for the long run? When it comes to capitalizing on new technology, training has always been near the bottom of the list. I think that's because just about every innovation is burdened by the three H's--hope, hype, and hunger to make a buck. We crave products that increase the impact and usefulness of our training, so when a glossy marketing package lands on our desk, we're likely to be hooked by its snake oil promises. And in the end we always face the conflict between what we can afford and what a producer needs to make a decent return--too many producers have scaled back because we didn't have the resources to afford highly effective, innovative products.

Nevertheless, Ninth House has found enough customers and partners to keep plowing ahead while other content providers have vanished or scaled back.

RECOMMENDATION

Ninth House is the real deal, an online producer committed to quality. I am not a great advocate of the Situational Leadership model, but it is certainly worth study and consideration, and NH presents it brilliantly.

Situational Leadership II star rating

CATEGORY

Holds user interest  4
Production quality   4
Ease of navigation   4
Interactivity        4
Value of content     3
Instructional value  4
Value for the money  3
Overall rating       4