Managing Resistance to Change
A major change from traditional training programs to eLearning and new genre of learning proposed by Bob generated a lot of resistance and reservations among the management. The management strongly felt that this new-fangled e-learning would be a nonstarter for the organization. A section of the Board didn’t want employees to take responsibility for managing their own development because of “time-tested, conservative” views. Some argued on costs, while others on implementation strategies. They showed apprehensions towards this new format of L&D.
Bob’s evangelism on eLearning convinced the Board that the strategy would involve a blended form of classroom and online training, thereby creating a hybrid learning environment in the organization. He brought out examples and research studies that corroborated his claim that the eLearning initiative is not a mere training program but a successful, feasible and financially viable business strategy that could change the organizational structure for the better. He proposed a phased transition into eLearning over a 1-year period. He detailed out the benefits that eLearning would bring to the organization like, optimizing the cost, bringing in training consistency, reaching a wider audience and, importantly, not taking people off their work to undergo training.
Bob also campaigned for the acquisition of a Learning Management System (LMS), which would bring in comparable benefits of classroom interactivity, by enabling the learner to interact with his/her tutor by mail/chat. To tackle the issue of making the employees buy-in this new mode of training, Bob suggested circulating internal monthly newsletters to highlight usage increments, feature different course each month and promote learning groups.
Bob seems to have convinced the Board to go the eLearning way, but what would he do next? How would he implement this vision for the organization? Find out in the next post…
Having been classroom trained all my life, my frame of mind has been that an instructor-led training is the best method of imparting knowledge ( extent of the transfer depending on his capability!)
However, when I was assigned an e-learning assignment recently, I got great joy out of learning at my own pace, convenience & clearing the exam attached to it.
E- learning with goals attached to it ( certifications/ assessment) would definitely be fruitful for certain domains/ modules