The Importance of Training when Introducing New Technologies

Guest Blog by Joseph S. Barone, Network Bethesda

A recent Office Depot/OfficeMax Survey of over 1000 employees in the US asked the question:  How can employers better introduce new technologies?  
Here is how they responded:

• Provide more training (69%)
• Provide more IT support staff (44%)
• Increase the amount of time to adapt to new technologies (36%)
• Introduce new technologies less frequently (16%)
• Introduce fewer technologies overall (12%).

Although there is much to unpack here, with each of these, I want to take a little time on the first response: Provide more training.
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Why does this happen?
In many organizations, this is a very real problem. 
Many mid-sized to large organizations, implement a new software application (for example), throw out some online or eLearning, and expect that their employees will swim and not sink. 
And what happens?  The Help/Support Desk becomes the “de facto” training unit helping to keep employees working, so that the company does not grind to a halt.
Management usually views training/learning as an area that does not generate revenue and therefore, it is important to keep costs down.  In the short-term view, they may be correct but poorly trained employees take more time to complete tasks and make more mistakes, thereby potentially costing companies millions of dollars each year. 
 
Roll-Out Solutions
When rolling out new technologies, as much as possible, offer a variety of learning methods, both in the short and long term.  Remember, not everyone learns the same and in a geographical area such as the DMV, with people from all over the world, this is important to keep in mind.  

• Classroom and/or demos.  Don’t make them all day events.  Make them 30 to 90 minutes in length, thereby providing staff the ability to be away from work in manageable chunks.  Note that classroom training can take place using one of the many webinar tools, if you know how to do it properly.
• eLearning.  Make certain that they are in manageable chunks, easy to find, and, in some instances, in multiple languages.      
• Job Aids. These can take a variety of formats.  For example, they can be pre-printed cards that are one or two pages in length, showing users how to complete one or more tasks.  Or it can be as simple as a sticker on a keyboard stating:  Suspicious emails should be immediately forwarded to Network Security (networksecurity@widget.com) 
• Mentors/Local Experts.  If you have a couple of early adopters, they can be used as a resource within their unit or to assist other key staff, in use of the new technology.
• Online Help.  One of the most overlooked ways to assist employees is to demonstrate the help feature built into the application.  Over the last ten years or so, application help has improved to the point, that even I go to it as my first place, when I need assistance.  However, this all depends upon the application.  There are still many applications, in which help is sub-standard and it is easier to go to YouTube to find the solution to the problem.    

 
One Last Point
No matter how much training you provide, for some people, it is never enough.  In my last organization, during a roll-out of Windows and MS Office, an employee complained to the CAO that no training was offered in her location.  Of course, the email was forwarded to me, demanding an explanation.  When we reviewed the training schedule for the location in question, it was shown that we offered 4 one-hour workshops per day, three days per week, for five consecutive weeks.