This blog helps training managers address the organizational challenges faced in e-learning implementation.
Imagine a classroom full of disengaged learners. It is obvious that the training program is headed for a failure. And you know that a poorly trained workforce is the perfect recipe for disaster.
Gone are the days of micromanaging how employees learn and work. Today’s workforce appreciates learning at its pace and time. So, you decide that e-learning implementation is the answer to effective training. Sounds simple, right? Unfortunately, it is impossible to turn into an e-learning hero overnight, just by championing its cause.
There are a lot of challenges faced by corporate training teams when it comes to successful e-learning implementation. It helps to understand that every time you try to introduce a change, you will be met with some kind of resistance, both from the management as well as employees. You can find solace in knowing that you are not alone in dealing with these challenges. Here are some common e-learning implementation challenges that you are bound to face and the solutions that you could try.
Convincing top management
Convincing top management about taking the e-learning route requires you to get a game plan in place. Do not seek support, instead build a business case. Here’s how you do that:
- Explain how implementing e-learning can address the shortcomings in the current training plan.
- Demonstrate the saving that will accrue.
If the training is on a subject that does not require classroom training, then it could be replaced effectively by an e-learning program. This saves the organization’s time, resources, and money.
Aligning e-learning initiatives with business goals
Training is a critical part of business that helps the organization achieve its business goals. One problem faced in e-learning implementation is to ensure that the e-learning initiative is aligned with business goals.
An e-learning program needs to go beyond teaching new skills to employees. The e-learning program needs to build a workforce that drives business forward. You may need to look at implementing different e-learning programs according to the job function. Salespeople may need to learn how to close more deals while assembly-line workers need to initiate process improvements. Addressing different groups of people is possible through custom e-learning solutions.
Choosing the right e-learning partner
Hiring an in-house design team to develop e-learning programs may not be a smart choice for the business. Hiring an e-learning partner makes better sense. If you make the wrong choice when it comes to hiring an e-learning partner, then e-learning implementation in your organization is bound to fail.
Choose the right e-learning partner by asking the right questions. Ask the e-learning vendor about their expertise, experience, references, samples, and cost-to-quality ratio before you make the decision to partner.
Addressing language barriers in training
Most organizations have a globally dispersed workforce. Consider a scenario where you have to replace a classroom training across diverse locations with an e-learning program. If employees have been accustomed to being trained in their native language, implementing an e-learning program in one specific language will not work.
The best way to address this problem would be to get the e-learning program translated in different languages so that employees continue to receive training in their native language.
The switch to online learning must not be considered as a change in training methodology. Supplementing a traditional classroom training with an e-learning program, and then drawing on the tangible, business benefits that it brings, will give e-learning implementation a good start.
Use the Comments section to share the challenges you are facing in implementing e-learning in your organization, and we could get the experts to address these challenges.
