Is your corporate eLearning culture on the road to success? Does every employee feel like they’re part of something bigger and better? Or are there still some aspects of your online training community that need a bit of work? In this article, we’ll highlight the top 7 traits of a winning corporate eLearning culture.
What Makes Α Successful Corporate eLearning Culture
Ongoing online training is essential to the health of your company’s bottom line. But how do you get employees excited about your corporate eLearning program? How can you stress the importance of continual online training so that they always seek out new online training opportunities?
The answer is a supportive and strong corporate eLearning culture. It’s the bedrock of your corporate eLearning strategy. It ensures that you uphold company-wide standards that keep your employees accountable.
Here are the 7 traits of a successful corporate eLearning culture that every organization should strive for.
1. Open Communication
Employees must feel that they can share their opinions and ideas without being judged. Likewise, facilitators and online instructors should be able to provide immediate feedback to improve performance.
A successful corporate eLearning culture relies on open communication. All parties involved need to collaborate with one another in order to overcome obstacles. This often goes hand in hand with transparency, as well as mutual respect.
You see, employees already have established cognitions when they enter the workplace. These opinions, beliefs, and values have a direct impact on who they are as individuals. Thus, every member of your staff should respect and honor the cognitions of others. The alternative is an uncomfortable work environment where employees are afraid to voice their concerns.
2. Support
Even the most experienced employee needs help with their online training from time to time. If they receive that assistance they can move beyond obstacles and expand their knowledge.
On the other hand, not getting the help they need can stifle their professional growth. Even if employees don’t require it, they should always have access to online support resources. This may be in the form of email contacts, FAQs, online tutorials, and peer-based forums.
You can also provide your employees with one-on-one support through a mentorship online training program.
3. Employee Focus
Training objectives are essential, but they aren’t of any use if your employees aren’t prepared for the challenge.
This is why many Fortune 500 companies are now integrating wellness programs into their online training strategies. Meditating, yoga and other relaxation exercises allow employees to take a step back from online training and focus on their health. As a result, they are able to concentrate on the job and get more done during their work day.
Rather than developing long online training courses that offer an abundance of knowledge, make online training more personal and digestible. Incorporate frequent breaks into your training design, as well as spaced eLearning activities so that employees can pace themselves. Employee-centric and results-driven online training programs are one and the same.
4. Strong Leadership
Every manager, supervisor, and high-level executive must be in your corner. These individuals are the ones who lead by example, and employees look to them for guidance
They must also know how to use the online training platform effectively and recommend the right online resources based on employees’ needs.
For example, staff members who are unable to complete a task should be offered additional support and online training tools. Ultimately, your leadership team is in charge of improving performance on a departmental level. As such, they should receive all the online training they require, such as tutorials and demos, before the online training course launch.
5. Personal Accountability
Employees should be held accountable for their actions and behaviors. More importantly, there should be consequences if the standards are not upheld. In some cases, training contracts can remedy this issue by offering each staff member a personalized online training plan. They must set their own goals and choose the online training activities that suit their needs. It’s also important for managers to enforce the online training guidelines.
However, employees should also feel personally responsible and invested in their online training. If they know that there is room for improvement, they need to acknowledge it and determine how to fill the gaps. Denial is the foe of productivity and personal growth.
6. Self-Empowered
Too often, employees feel like online training is out of their control. They have no direct say in what they do, what goals they strive toward, or how they utilize the online resources.
A successful corporate eLearning culture depends on self-empowerment and self-confidence. Employees need to know that their thoughts and ideas matter, no matter where they sit on the corporate ladder. Everyone is a valued member of your eLearning team, and they need to be reminded of this from time to time.
Give praise when praise is earned. Offer them personalized feedback so that they can identify their strengths. You might even consider leaderboards and other gamification mechanics that build their self-assurance.
7. Goal-Centric
A successful corporate eLearning culture centers on goals and objectives. Every online training course, activity, and support resource aligns with the desired outcome. This involves a well-written objective statement, online training guidelines, and clear expectations.
Larger goals should be broken into smaller milestones to make online training more manageable. Organizations must also reevaluate their online corporate training strategy on a consistent basis and identify areas for improvement. Furthermore, they have to take action when an issue arises and use all available online resources to improve their approach. Additionally, every member of your team must be given the opportunity to achieve their own goals. This includes providing just-in-time online training resources and individualized online training paths.
Fostering a successful corporate eLearning culture requires more than just planning. Organizations must take action and lead by example. Managers, supervisors, and executives need to promote your online training program. They must show your employees that their effort, time, and dedication will pay off in spades. Otherwise, you may find that motivation, or lack thereof, becomes a key issue.
Are you trying to shift the focus of your corporate eLearning program back to acquiring knowledge, instead of passing the next online assessment? Read the article 7 Tips To Create Purpose Driven Online Training Courses to discover great advice on getting back on track.