[Part 1 of this article appeared in yesterday’s Advisor.]
Here are four things you should do if you want your company to successfully adopt a new learning technology:
Implement a 360-Degree Trial Period
Before fully committing to a learning technology, have users at all levels across your organization test it out for an extended trial period. While testimonials and word-of-mouth recommendations can be helpful when trying to select a new learning technology, you’ll never truly know it’s right for your organization until you test it out firsthand. Have a select few intended users test it out by engaging with different training modules. Have your administrative and creative teams work with the technology to create and administer training content. And then petition everyone for feedback to see if it will be easy for others across your organization to adopt.
Develop a Rollout Plan Before Adoption
Think of your rollout plan as a marketing plan for your internal stakeholders. You’ll want to have a plan that highlights benefits of the new learning technology for your intended users and that allows them to experiment with the new learning technology before you mandate they use it. You could have some of those individuals who were a part of the 360-degree trial period tell others about it and how to use it. And you could distribute “teaser” content from the new learning technology in smaller installments to see how users are engaging with the technology, as well as what they think about it.
Document Procedures, Policies, and Best Practices
If you want your new learning technology to be widely adopted, you’ll have to be prepared with a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) and have well-documented usage policies and procedures. Users will want to know what happens to the content they create and consume, as well as who has access to certain systems, other privacy concerns and permissions, and more.
Evaluate Metrics Uncovered from New Learning Technology and Adapt
Once you roll out a new learning technology, you’ll want to continually evaluate it to ensure it’s still being used on a large scale across your organization for the right purposes and that those purposes match up with your business goals as they change over time. Is it continuing to meet the needs of your organization and intended users? Have fewer or more people adopted the learning technology over the course of the previous year and why? Adapting to this information will ensure your learning technology isn’t just adopted but continually used for years to come.
As detailed above, your new learning technology will be widely adopted across your organization only if you have a solid plan in place and if you take the time to know what your users will need from the learning technology as your company evolves.