E-learning started in the last century but in recent years it has been occupying an increasingly prominent and recognized place within business organizations, overcoming the restricted application in the field of the transfer of theoretical knowledge.
Currently almost any component of corporate strategy has an ally of great potential in e-learning.
The arguments that still insist on the economic advantages of e-learning and the benefit of being able to easily reach geographically dispersed populations with uniform training, are being relegated to the discovery of new potentialities. Its importance is shifting from lower costs to the cost / benefit ratio.
Indeed, what business training planners should discuss with financial managers is the return on investment (ROI) of the training programs.
In this sense, Latin American companies have a way to go in understanding the quantitative value of organizations' Intellectual Capital (IC).
Human Resources managers must work seriously and professionally, showing their finance colleagues both the increase in value inherent in acquiring new skills from the resources the company already has, and the savings they obtain, for example., thanks to the lower turnover of staff (more motivated) and the fact that they do not have to incorporate new professionals due to lack of skills among the existing resources.
Company training vs. talent drain
Although it is true that a professional who acquires new skills and competences through a training program hopes to achieve greater financial compensation (which would make it more “expensive” for the salary item), it is also true that the fact itself is a strong stimulus. having received the training sponsored by the company.
Not only does it improve employability in the event of a possible exit to another company, but even in view of mobility within the organization itself, improving career opportunities, and therefore achieving a more intelligent use of resources by the organization.
It is important to note, in this sense, that the training of personnel must take place within a framework of integral development. The acquisition of new skills and competencies must necessarily become some form of recognition within a reasonable time: either in economic terms, or in terms of mobility, or the delegation of greater responsibilities.
Otherwise, unmet expectations will act like a boomerang, demotivating and pushing the professional to emigrate in search of better opportunities. Then, to the “expense” (now yes) of the training, it will be necessary to add the “cost” of the rotation and the growing resistance of the financial manager to support future training events.
Is it an integrated organizational strategy?
Human Resources managers must also recognize as an added value of e-learning its quality of allowing the generation of easily “customizable” and simple content. This feature facilitates the inclusion of strategic principles and corporate values within technical, procedural or other matters.
A Human Resources manager or training manager with a comprehensive vision will take advantage of this versatility of e-learning to develop and spread the organizational culture throughout the organization. You will also have a powerful argument here to successfully “sell” the project to the company's management levels.
No less important is the fact that an e-learning platform turns out to be a very valuable base to “capture”, preserve and disseminate the knowledge that is dispersed by the organization in the form of Intellectual Capital (IC) in the hands of its best talents..
Once again, it is important to highlight the role of Human Resources in the definition and implementation of policies and strategies that promote and “reward” the sharing of information and knowledge. Contrary to popular belief, top talent may be motivated to share strategic information if it gives them a sense of recognition and prestige.
Additionally, the resulting sense of identification and belonging acts as a retention factor. And, moreover, in the event of the emigration of the best talents, the organization will have managed to retain part of its knowledge, which will continue to form part of the company's Intellectual Capital (IC).
Project Planning
Although the profitability of an investment in e-learning grows as its application extends to the entire organization and to a greater number of actions, those responsible for its implementation should avoid the temptation to want to force its use compulsively and just one time.
The incorporation of e-learning implies a profound change involving technology, vast forms and pedagogical techniques and a culture of the teaching-learning relationship. And like any process of change, it generates resistance that must be “managed” for each area and each human group involved.
The debut of e-learning in the company should settle for a not too ambitious start, perhaps limiting itself to one or two areas and a few limited actions. But the success of the project will largely depend on careful planning of its future stages of implementation.
A delimited launch without a complete roadmap can lead to delays in the next stages and consequent failure of the entire project.
At the same time, a phased implementation allows the plan to be refined throughout the successive stages, correcting errors and introducing neglected aspects in the previous ones.
More than a hundred years have passed since Taylor's early work on scientific management; Since then, without this aspect of management having naturally disappeared (think, for example, of the so-called process reengineering), the other, the human aspect, has become increasingly important. This evolution, accelerated perhaps by the "competition competition", has been uncovering some possible shortcomings.
Now, in the neosecular scene, there are several elements that push the individual to his permanent development: to continuous learning throughout his life. In our professional career, we are driven by competitiveness (both between companies and between individuals), but we are also driven by the need for fulfillment or mere legitimate ambition.
In the case of managers, a pending subject may be self-management. In this 21st century we have more means for professional development, and also more clues; The competency movement has come to open the eyes of many who previously we did not think effective.
We are already knowing, in effect, in which competences the manager has to advance in order to better contribute to the collective results, regardless of the activity of his company. We are already identifying the importance of conceptual thinking, of a systemic and holistic perspective, of the capacity for analysis and synthesis, of well-understood intuition, of personal control, of empathy, of energy (without prejudice to peace) within, of influence, proactivity, vision of reality, flexibility, resistance to adversity, generosity, integrity, perseverance, savoring, mindfulness, in short, all this, well interpreted and without adulterations, was already important in the past, but we did not pay much attention to it. And also, all this, can improve appreciably if we set our mind to it.
When speaking of courses or formative actions for lifelong learning, one would say that it is no longer possible, for example, to speak so much of "direction and participation in meetings", as of the techniques (allegation, inquiry, active listening, finally) of conversation smart and penetrating; It is no longer possible to think so much about "speaking in public", as about didacticism, dialectical discipline or self-confidence; It is no longer possible to speak so much of "communication" or "negotiation", as of self-control, empathy, mindfulness, cooperation and establishing ties; It is no longer possible to speak so much of "analysis and resolution of functional problems" as of a holistic-systemic perspective and synthetic-analytical thinking; It is no longer possible to speak so much of leadership as of purpose, common good, shared vision, evolution of mental models and moral authority.
In a way, it has improved the capacity of our particular microscope, and we see each of the parts where before we hardly saw the whole. Or it may be that the esoteric must already pass to the field of the exoteric, for the benefit of authentic development.
If before, in the courses on meeting development, they talked about the convocation, the agenda, the preparation, the objectives, the conclusions, now they would have to talk about reflective thinking, inferences, and the balance between inquiry and allegation, of the different purposes with which managers meet, of the underlying problems and emotions, of synergy and shared objectives, of the spirit of belonging, of the suspension of formal power, of authentic presence, of intuition, of trust, of listening. More concrete, more defined skills or competencies emerge; We could talk about microcompetences and microlearning, but make no mistake: it takes a long time to improve these specific cognitive or emotional skills, not to mention attitudes and behaviors.It takes some time, but it seems to us that it is the only way for sensible improvement. We have not made much progress with the classic seminars, to which, by the way, we went with different attitudes and purposes:
• by imperative of the company or the boss.
• to oxygenate, leaving the workplace for a few days.
• to improve the file or personal curriculum.
• to relate.
• To learn.
There could be a more nuanced reason, but the normal thing is that one, in the 80's and 90's, attended the courses driven by a mixture of the aforementioned ingredients, and that the expectations of quality corresponded, to some extent, with these reasons..
Probably, technical training was mainly about learning, but in traditional skills training for graduates and managers different reasons were mixed so let's not kid ourselves. Today, however, and as we have already agreed, the neosecular panorama invites effective learning and permanent development in relation to our professional practice, whatever it may be and anywhere on the planet.
Self-knowledge and self-deception
Indeed, something fundamental continues to fail us and it must be said: self-knowledge. Without it, you cannot think of permanent or continuous improvement. The delphic mandate is in force (it seems, by the way and as you will remember, that self-knowledge was paralleled by a famous contemporary of Confucius: Sun Tzu, in the state of Wu, of ancient China). It is important that we are aware of our strengths and weaknesses in terms of knowledge, skills, character attributes, feelings, beliefs and mental schemes, attitudes, behaviors, in short.
It is important, but when self-knowledge fails we can sometimes not be aware that something is wrong with us and less if nobody tells us what to do.
Many experts insist on the importance of self-awareness for managers; for example, students of emotional intelligence: Bar-On, Salovey, Mayer, Goleman, Boyatzis, Cooper, Sawaf, Parker, Handley, Higgs, Dulewicz. For them, self-awareness is an important dimension of intelligence.
Ultimately, an emotionally intelligent individual, in addition to relating well to and understanding others (interpersonal skills), knows and "relates" well to himself (intrapersonal strengths). The experts in business leadership: Drucker, De Pree, Bennis, Kotter, Kouzes, Posner, Rost, Conger, Tichy also point to self-knowledge and self-confidence. It is difficult to trust a manager if he does not do it himself, or if he does it without having passed the subject of self-knowledge.
"Self-deception" is often spoken of, referring to the danger of having an exaggerated vision of our capabilities and perhaps a certain ignorance of our shortcomings and excesses.
It seems like a risk among people who have excelled in some activity, because some might think they are good for almost everything. Speaking, as we are doing, of managers, having had some important success perhaps presumes, but does not necessarily ensure, subsequent successes. Nor can it be thought that, by knowing more about something, you know more about everything. Undoubtedly, good management of successes and failures must be done; but also a good digestion, to be able to pass the next periodic review of self-knowledge.
Self-deception (as a consequence of previous successes) can lead managers to dysfunctions such as inability to recognize mistakes, arrogance, thirst for power, rejection of criticism, narcissism, pursuit of unrealistic goals, flight up / forward, boasting, need to looking perfect, compulsive work habit or judgment to people in terms of black / white. According to Robert E. Kaplan, a manager with these traits is failure-oriented, even if these traits are the result of a bad digestion of previous successes, ironic but true and current.
We think that a manager who knows himself well will hardly be characterized by the emotional awkwardness suggested by said behavior. One has not done any formal study to demonstrate this, but I believe that sincere managers also tend to be with themselves; It is not that self-deception is deliberate, but it seems that the minority of managers who make lies, cynicism or even corruption, everyday management tools, have, in general, a mistaken notion of themselves.
The upright, on the other hand, seem to know something better, although without always approaching the ideal: we have already pointed out that the mandate that Socrates insisted on so much remains in force and will continue for a long time to come.
Micro-soft-learning
Without Gates' permission, and not having much to do with computers, we did not know how to baptize him: "call it what you want". It is not so much about acquiring knowledge as about acquiring self-knowledge, acquiring self-knowledge progressively while, at the same time, we are sensitizing ourselves towards improving our soft profile, and taking the first steps. We will take steps forward and some steps back, but, little by little, we will arrive at a noticeable improvement, from which the environment and ourselves will benefit. The first thing we need to know is what we are like and what we would like to be to be more successful in our professional performance.
"Strive to be what you want to appear," Socrates also told us: this is not easy. It is not enough to cultivate the image and the ego, although supposedly it is done for the benefit of the company; it is not enough to contain emotions and gestures; it is not enough to follow the dress codes; It is not enough to do, every day, the role of a busy manager who says he is very busy in meetings; It is not enough to have "candle" in different burials. It is not enough to be a good manager, diligent and committed.
Managers must generate the best performance of their own, but also that of their collaborators, always in alignment with the collective objectives of the organization. They must attend to the performance and development of all their collaborators, and not just their favorites.
They must contribute to a desirable climate of legitimate professional satisfaction, based on the achievements and fulfillment of people. Your effort must be oriented to collective results and not to contrary ends; not in the service of selfish interests. Managers must be very aware of what they know and what they lack to know, but also of their level of intelligence, both cognitive, emotional and social. They must be aware of their beliefs or mental models, their scale of values, their attitudes, their behaviors. They must be aware of their position between integrity and corruption; of their situation between individual and collective interests.
Perhaps we should look at ourselves with a magnifying glass, better with a microscope, and make sure, through good source feedback, that we are well in sight, that we see reality: the reality of what we are.
We must know our micro-strengths (the keys to our visible strengths) and our micro-weaknesses (the keys to our weaknesses). We must examine ourselves with reference to our ideal professional profile, and be fully aware of the advantages derived from it and of the risks corresponding to our defects and excesses.
All this at a micro level, in depth. It seems to us that what escapes us the most are the soft features. Let us attend more and better to the soft features (of a personal nature) that our professional performance requires of us. We can serve everyone, but with priority to those who demand our professional practice.
The "micro-soft-learning" is a way of identifying learning by its background, by its content. E-learning identifies learning by the way, by the vehicle, by the terrain or continent in which it occurs.
E-learning and Soft skills
Self-knowledge is necessary and lifelong learning inexcusable. Here any method is valid, but since e-learning seems like an avalanche principle, let's talk about it. We have already said that it takes time to improve our soft skills (simple, soft or light skills), and we add that its development requires different methods (blended learning, or b-learning, if you want to say so), without excluding coaching if available of a good coach. Well, it is true that, for the development of soft skills, large companies have been networking short courses ("pills", they are called): "initiative", "creativity", systemic or systematic thinking "," commitment "," influence "," leadership "," conceptual thinking "," conflict management "," create relationships of trust "," empathy "," optimism and inner energy ","Development of collaborators", "personal domain". It can be seen that all this stems from management by competences, largely concurrent with the implementation of e-learning.
We already know that these short online courses cannot work miracles, but one can be left with the impression that time has been used.
In a few hours, one can become aware of the true meaning of these competences, to better self-evaluate. The keys can be acquired for a subsequent progressive improvement. Of course, this result demands a quality didactic design; a design that doesn't taste like sticks from the blind; a design that attracts and sustains user interest; a content design that is consistent with the organization's strategy and needs.
If these pills "on line" are not well conceived, not only will we not advance in self-knowledge and personal development, but we will also distrust the electronic method, which is already in doubt.
There are many voices that rule out e-learning for the development of soft skills (cognitive, emotional and mixed skills, values, mental models, anyway), but, to this end, we must not dismiss good books or good articles, neither are good designs on line (or off line). It will not be enough, but e-learning can facilitate a good first step. E-learning also has the advantages that everyone already knows.
I insist that I tell you about quality e-learning, of sufficient teaching quality; that it does not constitute a mockery for the intelligence of the user, that it broadens its horizons beyond. One must, for example, know in depth the anatomy of empathy, or integrity, or creativity, or commitment, or holistic and systemic thinking, to know where he is and where he should or would like to be..
In terms of soft skills, e-learning can contribute to the foundation of learning, and even reach a certain height in building; but it is only a method, a continent. Good e-learning content will be as well received and celebrated by users as bad content will be poorly received. One believes, in general, that the continents must adapt to the contents, and not these to those; But this seems like an open debate that takes on a special dimension in the case of e-learning.
We all have to pay more attention to our profile, regarding intra and interpersonal traits; We have to know what we lack and what we have left over. For this, we can encourage multi-source feedback, or limit ourselves to good and few sources, but we must also practice reflective thinking. Through self-critical reflection, we argue with ourselves, question our performance, review our reasoning, discover new connections, become aware of our defensive routines, observe our attitudes, and perceive areas for improvement in our perfectible profile.
Our learning and development goes through the use of information and communication technologies, that is, what we call e-learning. What is needed is that we handle ourselves well with the information that is offered to us online, or that we know, if necessary, to search for it, select it and digest it properly.
Our personal-professional development is complex, but solid self-directed steps can be taken through the study of suitable information that makes us reflect and discover horizons that favor our vision and mission inside and outside the company.
Bibliography
Jiménez, Silvia, Business Teaching with E-learning, one step forward. Ed. Gemini, Mexico.
Chase, Tony, E-learning for the modern home. Ed. Blue Moon, England.
