How HR/L&D can Learn from NASA

You have probably heard of NASA (also known as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration) but have you heard of In-Situ-Resource Utilization (ISRU)? If you are not a space aficionado, maybe not.

You may be thinking, do I really need to know?

Well, before you close this blog, hold up! If you work in Human Resources (HR) or Learning and Development (L&D), you are going to want to stick around.

ISRU is about developing technologies for living off the land in space (NASA, n.d.). This means identifying and collecting elements and resources from space (e.g. other planets) and turning these raw materials into forms that we need. This means things like fuel, breathable air, construction material and water (Cain, 2018). Fraser (2018) states that:

“The solar system really has everything we need to be able to survive in space for the long term. Every single element we have on Earth is out there in space.”

Put simply, NASA is preparing for the future, making best use of the materials in the universe and taking human kind to the next level (literally, via rocket😉).

So, how is this relevant to you as a HR/L&D practitioner?

Well, how are you:

• Preparing your organisation for the future? 
• Making best use of the materials available to you?
• Taking yourself and your organisation to the next level?

Whilst you may not have the ability to zip around to Mars or Pluto to achieve this, there are many ways that you can.

See your organisation as the Earth and space as other organisations, research, people, knowledge and skills that you can access. The more that you explore and collect, the more you know and with that knowledge comes power. Power to take your role and organisation to the next level. Power to enable an existence within a forever evolving world (maybe one day, in space😉). 

Here are some practical actions that you can take to collect knowledge and skills for your role and organisation.

1. Learn from other Industries/Disciplines

At Belvista Studios we are constantly striving to benchmark ourselves against not only the best in the industry but the best in the world. From anthropologists to user experience designers to life coaches. By learning from other industries and disciplines, you can collect the skills and knowledge that you need to get to the next level.

Focus on:

• What they are doing
• How they are doing it
• What results they are getting
• How you can use their strategies in your role/organisation. 

For example, we learnt a conversation technique from the medical industry that adds so much value to the way we work as learning and development practitioners. If we only looked for information within our own industry, this would not have happened.

2. Learn from Inspiring Organisations/People

Learn from organisations and people that are having an impact on the world and/or are leading in their industry. Depending on the organisation/person, attempt to follow them on social media platforms like:

• Instagram
• LinkedIn 
• YouTube.

You never know. One post may change the way you do or see things. In turn increasing your knowledge and skill set.

3. Learn with Belvista Studios

Watch and listen to our show and podcast, ‘Learning with Belvista Studios’. We interview a variety of people from a place of curiosity. This enables us to collect the knowledge and skills that we need to reach our potential. 

• Listen here.
• Watch here. 

Like you are doing right now, you can also read our blogs. We find our inspiration from a range of disciplines, industries, models, formulas and perspectives and make connections to instructional design, learning and development and human resources.

4. Curate Content

If you need to fulfill a training need for yourself or your organisation and you do not have the resources internally, curate content.

A definition of content curation is:

“The process of sorting through the vast amounts of content on the web and presenting it in a meaningful and organized way around a specific theme. The work involves sifting, sorting, arranging, and publishing information.” (Kanter, 2011).

Find resources relevant to the knowledge that you require from:

• Videos
• Blogs
• Podcasts
• Articles
• Books. 

We live in a world where information and education is at our fingertips. Through tapping into the wisdom and knowledge being offered by other organisations, industries and disciplines, you can collect what you need to thrive in your role and as an organisation into the future.

Just like NASA, make best use of the materials available to you and turn the information that you collect into the knowledge and skills that you need.

“The solar system really has everything we need to be able to survive in space for the long term. Every single element we have on Earth is out there in space.” (Fraser, 2018).

Well, the world really has everything that you need to be able to survive in your role and as an organisation, whatever context or environment you face. All you need to do is look.

We are going to end this one with a quote.

“Through learning we re-create ourselves. Through learning we become able to do something we never were able to do. Through learning we reperceive the world and our relationship to it. Through learning we extend our capacity to create, to be part of the generative process of life." (Senge, 2010).

If you would like to discuss this topic in further detail, contact our passionate founder Kim via kim@belvistastudios.com or by connecting with her on LinkedIn.

Resources

Cain, F. [Fraser Cain]. (2018, June 30). Harvesting Resources From The Solar System. In Situ Resource Utilization [Video File]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/1qx0WJ1LvIc.

Grier. J., & Rivkin, A. (2019). Airless Bodies of the Inner Solar System. (n.p.).

Kanter, B. (2011). Content Curation Primer. Retrieved from http://www.bethkanter.org/content-curation-101/.

NASA. (n.d.). About In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU). Retrieved from https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/analogs/isru/.

Senge, P.M. (2010) The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice Of The Learning Organization (2nd ed.). Doubleday.