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by Terence R. Traut
Companies
are changing at Internet speed.
Businesses need faster and more efficient ways to meet customer
requirements. As business requirements
change, so do the needs of employees. Change is necessary, but change
impacts employee performance — and competition requires that your employees be
at peak performance.
Change
comes in many forms: Reorganization, corporate mergers, new technologies, new
processes, new tools, new management techniques, exponential growth, new
employees, new products, and new competition.
Each change requires new skills and knowledge. Yet employees may not have time to attend a training class
whenever there’s a change. What do you
do?
Blended
performance solutions combine strategic performance support, information
access, communication, and training to achieve the most effective performance
gains in the most efficient manner.
Blended
solution components may include any or all of the following:
·
Web-based Training (WBT)
·
Multimedia-based Training (MBT)
·
Online help
·
Distance learning
·
Reference documentation
·
Instructor-led classroom-based training
A
properly designed blended performance solution can:
·
Provide the skills, knowledge, and support when and where they’re
needed.
·
Take advantage of many learning methods.
·
Reinforce knowledge and sustain performance over a longer period of time
than traditional training solutions.
Studies
have shown that classroom training may result in performance increases IF
supported by supervisors and managers on the job. Good classroom training, therefore, builds management
reinforcement training into its design.
Blended
performance solutions take another step back and consider not only the
importance of management reinforcement, they also consider the job and the
information required to get the job done.
Sometimes,
the simplest solution — an embedded job aid — is more than sufficient to
achieve the desired performance.
Sometimes simply formatting required information so employees can access
what they need quickly is the best solution.
Let’s
look at individual elements that may comprise a blended performance solution.
Element
|
Definition |
Features |
Pros |
Cons |
Web-based Training
(WBT) |
Self-paced, interactive training available on the
Internet. Examples include software
application training or
content-based training (e.g., sexual harassment). |
· Employees need to
access “just in time and just enough” training at the time of the need. · Content may change
frequently. |
· Allows easy access
anytime and virtually anywhere. · Allows simple
update to content. · May use a variety
of multimedia effects to draw the user in. · May be linked to
resources outside of the course. · Hardware
independent. |
· Requires computer
and Internet access. · Requires motivation
or incentive to complete the training. · Bandwidth may limit
video and audio. |
Multimedia-based Training
(MBT) |
Self-paced interactive training presented on a
CD-ROM using a variety of multimedia (e.g., audio and video). |
· Employees are
geographically dispersed or otherwise unable to attend scheduled training. · Employees may be
unable to access the Internet. |
· Allows easy access
to training on a desktop or laptop. · Does not need
access to the Internet. · Allows for full
video and audio. |
· Is not able to take
advantage of the power of the Internet. |
Online Help |
Quick and immediate access to information about a
specific task delivered to a user at the user’s request. |
· Users need quick
access to information or a quick refresher to get the job done. · Users need a quick
cue, tip, or prompt when they roll the mouse over a screen area. · Users need an online
tutorial that can be attached to the application. |
· Allows user to get
help and keep working. · Focused. |
· Little or no
long-term learning takes place. |
Distance Learning |
An instructor-led approach where the instructor and
participant are separated by distance and/or time. |
· An instructor posts
lessons and exercises, and participants work independently yet may have
regular online chats with the instructor. · Employees are
scattered geographically. · Schedules prevent
employees from attending face-to-face training. |
· Avoids costly
travel for geographically scattered employees. · Avoids the need to
be physically in a classroom. · Provides some
interaction among the instructor and participants. |
· Allows limited
interaction with other participants and the instructor. |
Reference Documentation |
Factual or procedural information that supports a
person doing a particular job after initial learning has occurred. |
· Information
includes job aids, charts, posters, user manuals, and reference guides. |
· Helps sustain
learning. · Serves as ongoing
reference. · Allows users easy
access to structured information. |
· No interaction. |
Face-to-Face Training |
An
interactive, instructor-led approach where the
instructor and employee meet in a classroom for a specific duration of time
in a common location. |
· Subject matter
requires a classroom or laboratory situation. · Best examples
include significant interaction,
practice, and feedback. · Well suited for
skills training. |
· Allows participant
and instructor to carry on detailed conversations about unclear points. · Can be
motivational. · Synergy among
participants is a significant — albeit unpredictable — benefit. |
· Requires
participants to travel to a certain location during a particular time period. · Can be painful and
costly in terms of time away from job and travel. |
Sometimes
the ideal solutions aren’t the best solutions because of mitigating work
environment challenges. For example, it
may be impossible to schedule a class due to hiring timeframes or work
schedules. In that case, WBT, MBT, or
other self-paced instruction becomes your best choice. Sometimes, economics helps determine the
best solution. For example, introducing
a new product to a nationwide audience in a span of three days simply is not
feasible via traditional methods; in this case, distance learning technologies
(including WBT) that allow independent access accompanied by a job aid is the
best solution.
Blended
solutions address the performance required by a person as well as the
challenges imposed by the work environment.
Take a customer service representative (rep), for example. The rep needs to have the skills necessary
to deal with a variety of customers in a wide variety of situations; classroom
training with practice and feedback is an ideal way to hone these skills. The rep also needs access to a variety of
product and service information; information written to be easily and quickly
accessed addresses this need. The rep
also needs to use a variety of applications to retrieve and record customer
information. WBT and online help can
provide the learning and support needed with minimal time away from the desk.
As
your company speeds into the 21st century, use blended performance
solutions to help increase employee performance in the most effective and
efficient manner possible.
Terence
R. Traut is the president of Entelechy, Inc., a company that helps
organizations unlock the potential of their people through customized training
programs in the areas of sales, management, customer service, and
training. Terence can be reached at
603-424-1237 or ttraut@unlockit.com.