Overcome Resistance

Implementation of eLearning can create enormous change within an organization, so implementers can expect to face some resistance. eLearning changes the way learners learn, instructors teach, designers develop, and managers manage. Championing and communicating are two strategies that can help you deal with eLearning resistance.

Championing eLearning
An effective champion of eLearning must have the following skills:

Be steady.
Good champions are always consistent in what they say and what they do. For instance, if you’re advocating the use of eLearning, it’s vital that you have hands-on experience with eLearning that you can describe.

Be flexible.
To be an effective leader, you need to be able to balance consistency with flexibility. When you identify a problem, you might need to take a new direction. When you reorient your sails, you need to explain why you selected the new direction.

Encourage truthful discussion.
Opposition is not bad in itself. All eLearning leaders must create a safe place for opposing ideas to be expressed. It’s always better to bring out and confront conflicting ideas rather than force them underground to fester.

Promote the program.
You’ll find that stakeholders will embrace eLearning once they take the time to talk to you. Always try to use these opportunities when they occur. Report positively on your progress and make sure to provide support.

Take the initiative.
The success of an eLearning program depends on how hard you work and your ability to face issues. Whenever you discover a potential risk to your project, watch it carefully, identify ownership, and act decisively to mitigate the risk.

Stay positive.
Be prepared for any eventualities and help your organization move into action. Employees within your organization might lack the tools, knowledge, or infrastructure to implement eLearning, but you can help them acquire what they need. Because you’re a champion, you’re probably in a management position from which you can seek resources (human and financial) and create partnerships.

Leading through communication

In order to manage eLearning effectively, you must be a very good communicator. Your communication skills will help people in your organization understand and accept your eLearning program. Plan your communication strategy by keeping the following questions in mind.

Which set of groups in your organization need to know about the eLearning project? Taking time to identify these different groups will enable you to target your messages to them.

What kind of messages does each group need to hear? Managers need to know what their role in the implementation will be. Employees need to know what eLearning offers them. Trainers need to know how it will change their job function.

How should the messages be distributed? What sources do people access and trust?

Who should be the representative for the messages? Who do listeners trust? Who is available? Who wants to take on the role of eLearning champion?

Who should not deliver the messages? Who do listeners not trust? Who is not available to follow through? Who is reluctant to champion eLearning?

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