”…AND WE SLOWLY DISENGAGE AND EXHALE!”

No, this is not the instruction booklet for Bottrop's advanced yoga course. And we're not talking about the painful cramping of your trapezius muscle. But today we would like to take a look at ‘cramping and painful clinging’. Holding on to things that haven't actually worked for a long time. Sound familiar to you? To us too!

As we work in the field of learning management, we’ll take a look at a situation that is becoming increasingly important in many companies and is also causing more and more difficulties: The LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (LMS) in operation is a pipe-dream. Nobody uses it, nobody likes it, nobody takes it seriously and certainly nobody wants to change it.

"It took so much effort to introduce this a few years ago. We can't just go ahead and throw it away now!" Views and voices like these come up regularly but is that really the case? Or is there a way that is feasible in terms of the cost-benefit ratio?

LESSON 1: SEE AND RECOGNIZE

Trust us: If you recognise parallels to the above in your company, you are by no means alone. There are countless businesses, from small SMEs to large corporations, that recognised digitalisation as a strategic development several years ago and, as a result, purchased an LMS. Unfortunately, its impact and success has often fallen short of expectations. “Look, the provider of our ERP or document management system now also offers an LMS!” Phrases like this echoed in countless meeting rooms at the time. Full of confidence and optimism that they could kill two birds with one stone, the offer was taken up. “It's great that we now have several systems from a single source! That's a great way to keep the IT infrastructure lean!” they said, patting themselves on the back.

And today? What are your experiences after the first three, four or six years? In discussions with our customers who have taken advantage of Swissteach's consulting services in recent years, one thing has become clear across the board: Those who procured and strategized their systems tended to be more successful. But who really did that back then? At a time when ‘learning management’ was still more of a fashionable term than an integral part of strategy, strategic considerations in this context were often too short-sighted.

The result in around 80% of all cases: Despite an existing LMS, the desired success effect is still completely absent 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 ‘blind flight’ when it comes to training and further education.

Since people want and need to develop within their company, however, this situation is extremely unfavourable and even dangerous in view of the shortage of skilled workers. The question is: Should we tackle the issue, even if the existing system was introduced not so long ago?

WE SAY “YES”

...and for three good reasons. Even if you had to honestly admit that you may have made a mistake, this would be step number 1 towards success, because it is an objective reflection of what the company needs but has not had to date: Success in the corporate learning process across the board. 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: POWER LIES IN WAITING

The company’s training and development affect all employees equally, without exception. Renovating a process that affects the broad masses is certainly always associated with a high project risk. However, this fact should also be seen as an opportunity, because a process ‘for the masses’ is also associated with huge potential!

Economies of scale, major but also incremental improvements have a massive impact when applied on a broad scale. And this is precisely where the approach lies – this is where we must start to set the objectives and define the key figures that ultimately make the ‘Where do we stand?’ measurable and transparent.

REASON 2: …BECAUSE YOU CAN DO IT

You might still think that the introduction of an LMS is a mammoth project. After all, you have what feels like 248 different interest groups in your company, all of whom want to go in different directions. Do thousands and thousands of learners still perceive the topic of ‘training, education, further training’ as a burden and an unnecessary side effect of everyday life? That's an obstacle, but if we're honest, it's not a reason! Even if a challenge arises in the company, there are people like us at Swissteach who are aware of these challenges and are fully committed to supporting their customers. A well-founded analysis involving the relevant stakeholders, a strong strategy, a meaningful roadmap for implementation, realistic time targets and the right KPIs for later monitoring of success are the key first steps.

This is quicker and less complicated than you might think: In its service portfolio, Swissteach offers customised and individually designed consulting workshops for precisely these cases. We use our experience and work together with your team to create an individual success course for in-company training and further education with the help of E-LEARNING. The voices of those who have already gone through this are unanimous: “It really doesn't hurt! We should have done this two years ago.”

REASON 3: STRATEGIC COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

Let's not kid ourselves: The days when ‘competition’ was primarily seen in the context of customer acquisition are definitely over. Products and services are becoming faster-moving, more complex, more global and more multi-layered. In order not to be left behind, capable employees and effective teams are essential to ensure that you are a tiny step ahead of many others tomorrow.

Even a tiny head start tomorrow can turn into a considerable strategic competitive advantage just the next day. Good people are hard to find? Absolutely! And what's more, good people are not only hard to find, but also to retain, qualify, develop and promote. Who wants to see their work purely as a means to an end? Neither do you and neither do we! Rather, work is a continuous learning process about innovations, new paths, new possibilities and the realisation of previously unused ideas. The basis for making employees fit for these tasks and the future: turning corporate learning into an integral part of daily activities. Away from “I’ll do it Friday from 16.00 to 16.04” to “I like doing it, at any time, in between and continuously!”

People in companies appreciate the fact that they can continue their education and thus create possible future prospects. However, the basis for this must be created well and sensibly. Companies need to be able to make the qualifications of their employees transparent at any time and any place at the touch of a button. There it was again: striking two birds at the same time. Only this time with a plan!

WITHOUT DOUBT

...remaining in an unsatisfactory status quo is not an option – especially when it comes to learning management as a whole. Even if the process of replacing a poor LMS and switching to a suitable system with customised E-LEARNING CONTENT seems arduous, with the right partner and the right support the whole thing is neither impossible nor a mammoth task – quite the opposite!

In any case, we hope that you will be able to say after the work is done: “We’ll disengage, exhale and it doesn't hurt at all!” We are convinced that together with us and our experience, you will master this challenge without a doubt.

Feel free to contact us – we are always at your disposal at sales@swissteach.ch and look forward to getting to know you!