A common and glaring gap in Learning Management System (LMS) implementations is fostering effective organizational adoption. Employees at every level can play a role in shaping organization-wide perception of the system’s success or failure. Once initial decisions have been made, and the system is “stood up,” many organizations fall into the set-it-and forget-it trap of only assigning training and monitoring results. Achieving a positive impression of the system can be a more lasting challenge.
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One solution is to empower targeted groups of stakeholders within your organization, via enhanced roles in the LMS. By “playing a part in things,” these groups can become vocal champions of the system.
Consider giving the following audiences LMS permissions to do some or all of the following:
First-Level or Mid-Level Managers:
- Assign their employees training, with or without due dates
- Record employee completion for training (e.g. on-the job training, performance-based checklists)
- Provide approval for employee registration in elective (catalog) training
- Access metrics and reports around training completion for their employees
Mentors:
- Record mentees’ completion for select training(e.g. on-the-job training, performance-based checklists)
- Collaborate with their mentees on an integrated social networking platform (e.g. JAM)
HR or Finance Representatives:
- Provide approval for users’ registration in elective (catalog) training which incurs a subscription cost
- Provide approval to attend external training events (e.g. where tuition reimbursement is a factor)
- Access metrics and reports around employee certifications or licenses
Executives:
- Access reporting “Dashboards” to view training metrics for their division or department
Finally, consider moving toward a pull model within the “Push-Pull Spectrum” if your current paradigm is to only assign required training. When users access the system once or twice a year to “do what they’re told,” perception of the LMS will suffer. Providing access to elective training in the LMS catalog (or access with approval) will go a long way toward making the LMS seem like a job benefit instead of more work. This effect is multiplied across all levels of the organization when targeted and relevant content is offered.
End-user adoption is a critical factor when implementing an LMS; however organizational adoption will help your implementation withstand the test of time.