No, this is not the instruction brochure for Bottrop’s advanced yoga course. And we are not dealing with the painful cramping of your trapezius muscle here. But today, we too want to focus on “cramping and painful clinging.” Clinging to things that have long since stopped working. Sound familiar? Us too! Since we operate in the field of Learning Management, today’s topic concerns a situation that is increasingly gaining importance in many companies and often causes significant difficulties: The operational LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (LMS) is a complete failure. Nobody uses it, nobody likes it, nobody seriously cares about it, and certainly nobody wants to initiate a change. “It took so much effort to implement it a few years ago. We can’t just go and throw it away now!” Such views and opinions are heard frequently. But is that really the case? Or is there a viable path regarding the cost-benefit ratio?
LESSON 1: OBSERVE AND UNDERSTAND
Believe us: If you recognize parallels to what is described above, you are certainly not alone. There are countless companies, from smaller SMEs to large corporations, that recognized digitalization as a strategic development many years ago and, in this context, acquired an LMS, among other things. Unfortunately, its impact and success often fall short of expectations to date. “Great, our ERP or document management system provider now also offers an LMS!” Similar sentiments echoed in countless meeting rooms back then. Full of confidence and optimism that two birds could be killed with one stone, the offer was accepted. “Great that we now get several systems from a single source! This keeps the IT infrastructure lean!” people patted themselves on the back back then.
And today? What are the experiences after the first three, four, or six years? In discussions with our clients who have sought advice from Swissteach in recent years, it consistently became clear: Those who didn’t just procure a system back then, but also developed a suitable strategy and mission beforehand, tended to be more successful. But who actually did that back then? At a time when “Learning Management” was more of a fashionable term than an integral part of strategy, strategic considerations in this context were often insufficient.
Result in approximately 80% of all cases: Despite an existing LMS, the desired success effect is completely absent to this day, or cannot be measured due to a lack of KPIs. The reasons for this can vary from case to case. However, the effects are the same everywhere: frustration, lack of transparency, high costs, manual effort despite existing software components – simply a general lack of clear direction when it comes to training and further education.
Given that people in companies want and need to develop, this situation is, however, extremely unfavorable, even dangerous in light of the shortage of skilled workers. The question is: Should we address this issue, even if the existing system was only introduced recently?
WE SAY “YES”
…and that for three good reasons. Even if one had to honestly admit to perhaps having made a mistake, this would be success step number 1. Because it involves an objective reflection of what the company needs but has not yet achieved: complete success in the operational learning process. Do you think switching to another LMS like our GLOBAL TEACH® is a mammoth project? A few years ago, we would have agreed. Today, however, the situation is different:
REASON 1: UNTAPPED POTENTIAL LIES IN WAIT
Training and further education in a company affect all employees equally, without exception. Renovating a process that affects the broad masses is certainly always associated with high project risk. However, this fact should also be seen as an opportunity, because a process affecting “the broad masses” is equally associated with enormous potential! Economies of scale, significant but also gradual improvements, have a massive impact when widely applied. And that is precisely where the approach lies – it is precisely there that one must begin to define the objectives and key figures that ultimately make a “Where do we stand?” measurable and transparent.
REASON 2: …BECAUSE YOU CAN
Do you still think that implementing an LMS is a mammoth project? After all, you feel like you have 248 different interest groups in the company, all wanting to go in different directions? Thousands of learners still perceive “training, schooling, further education” as a burden and an unnecessary side effect of everyday life?
That is an obstacle, but if we are honest, it’s not a reason! Even if a challenge arises within the company, there are people like us at Swissteach who understand these challenges and are dedicated to supporting their clients with all their might. A thorough analysis involving relevant stakeholders, a strong strategy, a meaningful “roadmap” for implementation, realistic timelines, and the right KPIs for subsequent success monitoring are the central first steps. And that is faster and more straightforward than you might think. Swissteach offers tailored and individually designed consulting workshops in its service portfolio precisely for such cases, where we, with our experience and together with your team, create an individual success path for corporate training and further education using
REASON 3: CREATE a STRATEGIC COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE
Let’s be honest. The times when “competition” was primarily viewed in the context of customer acquisition are definitively over. Products and services are becoming more fast-paced, complex, global, and multifaceted. To avoid falling behind, capable employees and effective teams are essential to ensure you are a tiny step ahead tomorrow compared to many others. And a tiny lead tomorrow will become a significant strategic competitive advantage the day after tomorrow. Good people are hard to find? Absolutely! Furthermore, good people are not only to be found, but also to be retained, qualified, developed, and promoted. Who wants to see their work purely as a means to an end? Not you, and not us either! Rather, work is a continuous learning process about innovations, new approaches, new opportunities, and the realization of previously unused ideas. The basis for preparing employees for these tasks and the future: transforming corporate learning into an integral part of daily activities. Away from “I’ll do it Friday from 4:00 PM to 4:04 PM” to “I’ll gladly do it, anytime, in between, and continuously!”
People in companies appreciate the fact that they can further their education and thus create possible future prospects. However, the foundation for this must be well and meaningfully established. And companies rely on being able to make their employees’ qualifications transparent at any time, in any place, at the touch of a button. There it was again: killing two birds with one stone. Only this time with a plan!
WITHOUT a DOUBT
…remaining in an unsatisfactory status quo is not an alternative – especially concerning Learning Management as a whole. Even if the path of replacing a poor LMS and switching to a suitable system with individually tailored E-LEARNING CONTENT seems arduous, the entire process with the right partner and the right support is neither impossible nor a mammoth task – quite the opposite! We, at least, wish for you to be able to say after the work is done: “We release, breathe out, and it doesn’t hurt at all!” We are convinced that, together with us and our experience, you will undoubtedly master this challenge.
Feel free to contact us – we are available at sales@swissteach.ch