If you were an early supporter in implementing e-learning for corporate training, I am sure that you might have come across strong resistance from your co-workers while implementing e-learning. But today when we nearing the end of 2018 another amazing year for technology based learning, I find it rather disappointing that there is still a great organizational resistance to embrace the latest technologies in learning like online learning/ e-learning, gamification of learning .
Hence before exploring the different ways to overcome the organisational resistance to online learning, It’s critical to find the real reasons that cause this resistance. Let’s explore:
1.Resistance is common and is not for e-learning alone
One needs to understand that resistance to new changes is common and e-learning is not an exception. Hence as an L&D pioneer, you might be keen to embrace learning technology, I recommend to take it slow and steady and not attempt to force the change overnight.
Like all other change management process, change needs to be driven, imbibed and accepted and its best to use a handful of employees who can become your change agents and embrace and promote technology-based learning.
2.Fear of the unknown
If e-learning is something new to your audience, then one should get ready to combat the fear of the unknown. While the employees might have heard about e-learning, they might be skeptical to embrace it quickly. In a corporate environment, it is often a fear of being a beginner. This is especially true for managers and others in higher positions, who might not be comfortable looking like a newbie in front of their subordinates and hence there are chances that you can face a strong resistance from them.
3.Fear of technology
Understanding why employees resist new technology and guiding them to adapt through these changes can be the key to the successful implementation of e-learning at the organisation.
Why do the employees resist new technology?
1.The feeling of not having an active role or a say in the changes
2.Concerns about their ability to use this new technology
3.Lack of competence to handle online learning
4.Poor Communication
Poor communication is one another important reason causing employee resistance to online learning. How effectively the organisation communicates the change is very important as it determines the reaction from the learners. Like, if the organisation stresses the importance of benefits and advantages of implementing online learning, I am sure that we can reduce the resistance to some extent.
While these are some of the important reasons to cause the resistance to online learning. Let’s now understand the ways to overcome the employee resistance to online learning
1.Let the top executive lead the change
To enable the smooth transition to online learning, an organisation should have the culture to support it and this should start from the top down where the organisation must have leaders to take the initiatives and lead by example. Once the top management embraces technology, it becomes easy for the organisation to implement it across the different levels.
Tips
•Make the key leaders talk on the benefits of online learning and publish articles and blogs that talk about it.
•Give leaders metrics that are easy to leverage on their own.
•Make the leader talk about the gaps in the existing learning culture and how e-learning can fix it
2.Explain the benefits of e-learning
Learners will resist the changes until they recognize the benefits derived from the change. Hence, it is very important for the organisation to make the learners understand the benefits of e-learning and how it can help in improving the knowledge, skill and leading to their career progression.
Tips
•Make sure you highlight the benefits of e-learning over the other traditional forms of learning like classroom training.
•Include the case studies where the organisation has benefited from implementing e-learning.
•Stress on the important factors or benefits like flexibility and time benefit, anytime anywhere access,personalised learning path, engagement, and interactivity etc.
3.Remove the fear of adapting to the technology
The best solution is to avoid allowing it to occur in the first place. But it’s not easy as the fear grips in quickly. Hence I recommend emphasizing on the trial run or a pilot e-learning program to make the learners familiar with the use of the technology and the learning platform.
Tips
•Ensure that if you remove the fear of ‘what if I make a mistake’ by allowing the learners to learn from making mistakes and finally enjoy the experience of learning.
•To remove the fear of adapting to the technology, the organisation can seek the help of the millennials in the organisation. Give the charge and responsibility to the millennials in your organisation to help the baby boomers to easily board or adapt to new technologies.
•Provide active technical support for your learners to help them to on board to the technology platform.
4.Demonstrating the possibilities
Sometimes, narration alone cannot do the justice to explain the benefits of online learning. Hence the organization needs to explore more options like demonstrating the possibilities of e-learning in real.
Tips
•Invite the early adopters in your organisation and demonstrate the possibilities of e-learning.
•Make sure that you are guiding the learners through the stages to ensure a smooth transition to online learning. Ensure that every query is resolved and not left alone.
5.Offering the support
To implement e-learning, the organisation need to ensure that there is a robust support mechanism provided to the learners. It’s natural that the learners might feel skeptical and confused about the new initiative.
Tips
•Ensure that at every stage of transformation, there is an adequate mechanism of support.
•Make sure that the learners feel that they are never left alone and are properly guided through the transition phase and learning process.
•Take timely feedback and conduct discussions with the learners to review the learning process
6.Make the employees feel recognized
Resistance becomes more strong when employee feel that it’s forced on them. Hence, when the organisation is looking to convert a face to face culture to e-learning, I recommend the organisation to ensure that the employees are not left alone in the decision process and their opinions and views are valued. When the decision is a participatory and collective one, the employees feel well recognized and takes the ownership of it
Tips
•Conduct Surveys, interviews and take the opinions from the learners about what they need to learn and collect their feedback after implementing e-learning.
•Include representatives from the employees who can represent the larger learning community.
•Regularly update the learning community(employees) about the developments and important decisions made via email, SMS etc.
•The organization can also reward the learners especially the early adopters. It can motivate the learner to continue the learning process and they become the advocates or influencers in implementing e-learning
These are some of the popular ways to overcome the organizational resistance to online learning. Feel free to share your suggestions and recommendation using the comment box below.
