Communication Project Magazine

Volume 3.1 Summer 2000

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

© 2000 The Communication Project, Inc.

With increasing rapidity, organizations are looking to harvest the promises of the Web to provide up-to-the-minute training for employees. It is estimated that within four years, half of all corporate training will be Web-based. Although e-learning seems to have unlimited potential and flexibility, implementing this new training strategy creates several challenges for the organization, the most important of which is ensuring rapid organizational acceptance and adoption.

Depending on the nature of the organization and the level of other organizational change occurring, e-learning may represent either an evolutionary or revolutionary change for the organization. In either situation, answering the following questions will help determine the scale of change coming to the organization, and the level of change management required for successful implementation:

1. Do you understand the changes e-learning will bring to your organization?
2. Is e-learning part of your organization’s integrated training strategy?
3. Is there appropriate leadership throughout the organization to support e-learning?
4. Are the organizational support systems in place to sustain the adoption of e-learning?
5. Is your technology capable of delivering e-learning predictably and effectively?
6. Are individual learners prepared for distance learning?
7. Do you have an overall Change Management plan in place to transition your organization to e-learning?

Only by deliberate planning will e-learning provide the benefits of decreased training costs and increased skill transfer.  With the rate of investment in Web-based distance learning increasing dramatically, wouldn’t it be comforting to think that your investments will be readily accepted by the organization?

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About the Author

Michele C. Minton has consulted in management, business, and information technologies for the past ten years. She has significant experience in developing and delivering large-scale transformation programs in complex organizations. She has specialized in process reengineering, with specific emphasis in organizational design, leadership development, and change management. Her background crosses many industries and sectors, including: pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, federal government, and systems integration. Ms. Minton holds an BA from The College of William & Mary and an MBA from the Darden Graduate School of Business at the University of Virginia.