Many of the learning needs of employees can be met through the use of new technology—not to deliver instructor-centered training faster and cheaper, but rather to facilitate just-in-time learning and put the employee in control of an individualized learning process that can be maintained and continually enhanced over time.
Work with staff members from information technology, systems, process design, and training to develop an integrated electronic performance-support system. This is a system of online tools that helps employees learn, when and where they need to in order to enhance their performance on the job.
Here are some options:
• Conferencing: This can be used to link people in different locations at the same time for a single event
• Computer-based training (CBT): Personal computers can be used for synchronous (at the same time as the instructor) or asynchronous (at the convenience of the learner) instruction; the Internet or an organization’s intranet can be used for delivery
• Network information: Information needed to build the capacity of the learner can be provided online, via the organization’s computer network or intranet
• Computer-supported collaborative work: Networked computers equipped with common operating systems and software can be used for collaborative work among teams of learners
The possibilities are expanding every day. Team members separated by thousands of miles can participate in virtual meetings and work on projects together. An employee who forgets how to fill out the company’s new purchase-order form can hit a key on her computer, and an online tool will appear on the screen to guide her through the task. After returning from a week-long leadership development workshop, participants can access a window of reinforcing information from the workshop that appears on their computer screens when they log on each day.