Open Thinkering

Open Badges for organisational performance

• Open Badges, Bryan Mathers, N-TUTORR, organisational performance
Metal-looking press-out hexagons

Recently, Bryan Mathers and I ran a couple of workshops for the N-TUTORR project in Ireland. Afterwards, one participant followed-up on a question they asked about badging for improving organisational performance. I promised to get back to them after I’d had a week’s holiday and come back from ePIC 2024. So here we are.

I’ll note that most corporates now seem to use the term ‘credentials’ rather than ‘digital badges’ or ‘microcredentials’. As long as they’re based on a technical standard, I don’t care if you call them Mongolian Mongooses, to be honest.

  • IBM has an extensive programme, covering various technical and professional skills. Their Credentials Strategy seems to be focused not only on motivating learners and improving the organisation’s reputation, but on helping employees to continually upskill.
  • Microsoft was an early adopter of Open Badges, especially for educators. Now they have a Credential Directory for technical certifications. This helps professionals within their organisation and their network keep up to date with their latest technologies.
  • Siemens differentiates between credentials and badges in their approach to upskilling engineers, ensuring they are equipped with the latest skills.

I’d also like to mention:

  • National Instruments implemented badges to recognised the skills and competencies of professionals using their products.
  • The Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) has been using Open Badges for around a decade to support continuous professional learning among social service workers.

I’d say that, historically badges have been used primarily to motivate and credential learners. Organisations, including universities, then realised they could be leveraged them to boost their marketing efforts and help improve their reputation. These days, there’s a growing recognition of ways in which digital badges/credentials can directly impact organisational performance.

I don’t think Salesforce’s Trailhead badging system is based on open standards, which is a shame, because they have an ecosystem for staff and their network which includes badge-based targets for both performance reviews, and unlocking new opportunities.

If you know of good examples of badges/credentials being used to help improve organisational performance, let me know and I’ll start a new page on Badge Wiki!

Image: Aquaryus15