Benefits of Virtual Learning December 8, 2008
Posted by ppang in Returns on Learning Investments, Virtual Learning.add a comment
With an increasingly distributed workforce globally, it has become a critical skill for today’s knowledge worker to be able to work in a virtual team as well as leading it. In the same vein, online learning allows the organisation to train its employees in a timely and cost effective manner.
In fact, the participants in an online programme do not only take away the content, including the concepts and skills, they also learn about working in virtual team as they make contributions to the team-based projects. Not only will they learn about how to get their ideas clearly across to others, i.e. communication skills), they must also be sensitive to the diverse cultural differences which will have an impact on the managing of relationships.
Participants in a virtual team learning programme will realise the importance of distributed leadership at the workplace. Since each individual is an expert in his or her own area, it is important to tap on the rich experiences of all team members. Indeed, in a large scale project, it makes sense to appoint leaders to lead sub-teams based on their expertise.
If the geographical (e.g. time differences), operational (e.g. communication) and relational (e.g. cultural) challenges are managed appropriately in virtual team learning, the participants will be able to continue to build upon the undestanding and rapport that have been established. For instance, if John and Seng were teammates in the virtual team learning programme, they would be able to get started on a work project quickly since they already knew each other. In addition, their earlier collaboration opportunity means that they have some understanding of each other in terms of communication style, working style etc.
Reference: Wickman, L.E. “Virtual Teams in Learning“, Chief Learning Officer (Nov 2008)
Measuring ROI November 2, 2008
Posted by ppang in Returns on Learning Investments.1 comment so far
The T&D department has frequently been pressured to provide quantitative evidence to support further investment in training and learning initiatives. To be prepared to deal with this situation, measuring the return of investment (ROI) of training and learning initiatives should not be haphazard or even as an afterthought. Much effort and thoughts are needed to establish the methodology to determine the ROI. For instance, what are the ‘pain’ areas to be improved upon and what will be the relevant metrics to measure for improvement, i.e. what should the improved situation look like from the perpective of the stakeholder.
Some of the metrics to consider are:
- increased retention?
- shorter time to getting the next promotion?
- positive feedback (self-reporting) from trainees post training – such as ability to apply newly acquired knowledge and skills to solve problems at the workplace?
- positive feedback from supervisors – such as subordinate is now better able to manage projects or he is now able to demonstrate a bird’s eye view by considering the concerns of other departments, when making a decision
To be able to collect valid evaluation data, it is also important to consider when it is appropriate to to so. Unlike a training programme that focuses on technical skills, there is a ‘waiting’ time before the effectiveness of a soft skills programme, such as a leadership programme can be assessed. Thus, data may be collected 30 days post training. In fact, there may be second and third rounds of data collection.
In addition, any feedback collected should be made use of to enhance future programmes. For example, the trainee may not be able to apply fully what he has learned in the training environment due to barriers in the workplace. His supervisor may not know how to coach the trainee to bring about better job performance. This means that perhaps the supervisors need to be trained in certain aspects as well.
Thus, the design and successful implementation of a training or learning intervention needs to consider the total organisational environment. These include the business objectives to be satisfied by the training programme, the commitment of the potential trainees and stakeholders as well as support of the other organisational members.
