Read this article by Lindsay Edmonds Wickman to find out more:

Learning management systems (LMS), in many cases, are the bane of learning organizations. Instead of simplifying the learning process, they tend to overcomplicate it. When learning executives enter the relationship, they are filled with hope, but those hopes are quickly dashed as the LMS becomes yet another burden instead of a solution.

“People are investing in LMSs thinking this will improve their return on investment in learning, but I think that is a very questionable assumption,” said Bob Becker of Becker Multimedia, a creative services firm specializing in corporate learning. “I think learning management is very important, but the cost and the labor that are going into [it] are out of proportion to the benefits that are possible to achieve.”

Organizations can spend between five and six figures on the initial implementation of an LMS, Becker said, but satisfaction results are low: At least three out of five LMS customers have not had an exceptional experience. So why does virtually every learning organization have one?

“There really is no other way to administer a large curriculum to a dispersed population. You can’t do it manually with a tablet and pencil. You need an LMS,” Becker said. “The need is real, [but] the appraisal or assessment of the need by LMS vendors is sometimes imprecise or exaggerated, and the promises made to users of LMS [tend] to be overstated.”

With LMSs, bigger is not always better. In fact, Becker advocates for a simpler, more straightforward approach.

“LMS tends to become a problem when the needs are inflated and the system becomes too complicated and too ambitious to deliver on its promises,” he explained. “Organizations that are conservative and critical about their learning management strategy can do it well and spend very little money getting it done. We’re doing an LMS implementation now for a very large company, and we are doing it very simply, very straightforwardly and very inexpensively. So we know it can be done and others are doing the same.”

One obstacle to a successful LMS is integration. Trying to get your LMS to interface with a number of other applications can present problems, Becker said. Additionally, an LMS can impose certain standards on an instructional system. Typically, when an LMS is installed, everything has to conform to it. This can be difficult when involving different departments, different people and different vendors that like to do things their own way.

“It’s a little bit like herding calves,” he said. “Trying to get everybody to comply with and conform [to] the standards of your learning management approach can be an obstacle. It’s so easy to get too fancy with LMS and try to make it do more than what is reasonable to expect from it. I believe that using it for fewer things and making it a relatively modest, straightforward and simple solution is one way to avoid that complexity.”

If learning executives go with a simpler LMS, they will spend less on it, making it easier to attain a return on investment.

“If you keep your cost very low getting into LMS, you will more than achieve your return on investment in a very short period of time,” Becker said. “If I’m not spending $250,000 on an LMS but instead $25,000, I’ve got a lot less to do to make up that expenditure.”

The full article is available at CLO Mag.

What you can do:

1. Keep it simple stupid….. Seriously keep it simple.
2. Keep your costs low
3. Get a hosted LMS application

We recommend eLeaP Learning Management System (LMS). See why at www.eleapsoftware.com

According to Bersin & Associates,

• Of the top 18 learning processes that drive greatest business impact, the development of a strong learning culture tops the list.  The study discusses this topic in detail and lists 50 key elements of a high-impact learning culture.

• In the face of tremendous demand for integrated talent management, the integration of learning with performance management and the re-centralization of learning operations are now essential best practices for business impact.

• Of the 750-plus organizations studied, 80 were characterized as particularly effective learning organizations.  These exemplary, high-impact organizations are primarily in the banking and finance, business services, telecommunications, technology, and insurance industries.  Segments that lag in learning maturity include transportation, media and entertainment, manufacturing, and state and local governments.

• Money is important but not the ultimate determinant in achieving business impact.  The research clearly found that learning effectiveness and efficiency do not directly correlate to budget or spending per learner.  Rather, organizations with average or even below-average budgets can generate two- to three-times greater return through more rigorous organization design, governance, and operations.

• The disciplines and strategies for high-impact corporate learning have changed.  Today’s modern training organizations must go far beyond instructional design and delivery and focus instead on building expertise in information architecture, strategic competencies, content management, organizational culture, and end-to-end talent management.

You can get the full report at www.bersin.com

You can get started with your high impact learning at www.eleapsoftware.com using the eLeaP LMS and Training Software Platform

1. No need for large capital expenses.
2. Less need for internal training as the system comes pre-built and all you have to do is plug in to it.
3. Lower administrative staff required. The SaaS application is being managed externally. All you need to do is log into your account and begin using your service.
4. Reduced start up costs. Because there is no need to custom installations, software and hardware purchases and all the complexities of systems implementation, most companies can afford SaaS applications.

So if SaaS is so great where are more companies not adopting it? The reason can be as simple as the lack of proper sales people marketing SaaS. As with any “new” strategy, sales professionals need the right tools to be able to effectively market SaaS. To this end, the new book “How to Sell SaaS” by Don Weobong, MBA, ICSA is a timely resource. Download a copy today and see how you and your team can expand your marketing reach and reap the potential of SaaS. Go to www.howtosellsaas.com for your copy today.

Build your professional library by downloading these free company training and e-learning white papers today. To get started go to: http://www.eleapsoftware.com/free-training-resources/

• Training budgets and staffing are continuing to grow, but at a slower rate.

• Per learner spending is essentially flat, primarily because organizations have more employees to train.

• Organizations are spending the largest percentage of their budgets on leadership development and management/supervisory training.

• Cutting-edge groups are utilizing new approaches to better address the learning needs of younger workers.

• Learning is being integrated with performance and competency management initiatives.

• CLOs are aligning closely with overall corporate strategy to increase effectiveness.

Join the discussion at the e-Learning Website.

You can get the 2008 Corporate Learning Factbook here.

Now Mohive is incorporating e-learning software into the new iPhone 3 G platform. Sounds fantastic. If you have any experience in how this is working out, let TrainingNewsBuzz know.

Get the rest of the story here …

It will be interesting to see if this election season changes anything in this regard.

According to Diversity news:

To help your managerial employees with the process, you should provide
written guidelines explaining how to perform evaluations. These
guidelines should outline the steps to follow and instruct supervisors to:

1. Provide useful feedback to employees by focusing on specific
events or behaviors. For example, it is better to tell an employee that his
failure to help with a rush order contributed to a missed deadline and
created morale problems, as opposed to just saying he has a “bad
attitude.”

2. Prepare a written appraisal that includes future performance
goals. Goals may be both short-term and long-term and can cover a
wide variety of objectives, depending on the employee’s current job
responsibilities and future aspirations. Identified core competencies
should be used to determine future performance goals. Goals should be
specific and quantifiable where possible, such as the completion of a
specific project within a set period of time. To help employees meet their
goals, supervisors should be prepared to offer additional training or other
necessary support. New performance goals should be recorded,
reviewed regularly, and modified as appropriate.

3. When needed, create an action plan for improving performance.
Action plans can be helpful when an employee has performance
problems that need correction. The supervisor should identify and
discuss the problems with the employee as they occur and suggest a
course of action to improve performance. The plan should detail the
nature of the problem, the steps that both the employee and the
supervisor will take to help solve the problem, and the time within which
the plan is to be implemented. The employee should have input into the
plan and be encouraged to suggest changes. Once a plan has been
agreed upon, it should be reviewed regularly to make sure the employee
is on track and able to implement it successfully.

4. Give the written appraisal to the employee several days prior to
the review meeting and encourage him to make comments and suggest
changes to the goals and action plan. By allowing the employee to read
the evaluation and plan before the meeting, you can make the process
more efficient and help defuse possible initial negative reactions. In
addition, employee input is essential to creation of realistic performance
goals and individual buy-in.

5. Create a relaxed atmosphere for the appraisal meeting.
Appraisals should take place in a private, comfortable setting, and
adequate meeting time should be scheduled. The manager should begin
the session by briefly explaining and reviewing the appraisal process and
by encouraging employee questions and comments throughout the
meeting.

Learn more about Performance Appraisals here.

Article excerpt provided by HR Matters E-Tips, a service of
Personnel Policy Service.

—————————-

Leveraging training software via learning management systems enables many organizations to easily continue the performance enhancement process. Learn about learning management systems or training software from eLeaP.

This has been the conundrum in a couple of companies. Many small businesses or organizations are struggling to manage and control the performance of the mobile or remote workforce. If you have any experience in this, please send us your comments. In dealing with a mobile workforce and performance issues, it helps to have an online learning environment. This way you can easily set up and manage courses on demand. Many of these remote users are are familiar with working in an online learning environment so the cultural transition issues are minimized.

If you are considering e-learning or workforce training, I encourage to look at eLeaP learning management and training software.

View from the Window:

If then the goal of the LMS or training software system, is to serve your business and education needs, does the vendor you are dealing with understand this basic requirement in a fundamental way? Yes the LMS system or training software should be the best in terms of the technology – after all you don’t want a crappy system which breaks down every other day. Having said this, you and your vendor should display an alignment of vision in terms of understanding the business needs, the teaching and learning objectives and methodologies and the design or content creation and management interface that is needed to accomplish your needs.

I can’t tell you how many times I have had to caution potential customers about this one. KNOW THY COSTS — ALL OF THY COSTS. Many organizations have plunged into e-learning and web-based training with a zest not seen since the tech bubble of the 90’s. Don’t get me wrong. This is all so exciting. However, one needs to pause and ask all the right questions. Ask about the costs for setup. How about maintenance and support? Inquire about costs to upgrade or have special features implemented. If the vendor’s pricing is based on usage license, you need to ask about overage charges. Are you charged extra if you decide to create extra classes? These are critical questions you need to ask and get answers before you plow into vendor selection. Trust me, you don’t want any surprises.

Do me a favor and ask your vendor if the system is designed to be run or operated by regular folks…erm I mean educators or only the IT department has the resources and skills to manage your learning management system or training software program? Why you might ask? Because this is a big deal. IT departments are becoming woefully understaffed or even worse outsourced. Do you really want to depend on IT for every single thing you need done in your e-learning software? Another way of looking at this question is. How simple is your training software to operate? If you a PhD in computer science, you are probably not talking with the right vendor.

The last question you might want to consider is support and reliability. Many simply assume this or worse get the standard vendor spin. You need to take the free e-learning software trials some vendors offer and test drive the whole system including the support and technical help functions. If you can’t get support before they have had a chance to take your money, believe me, its going to be a whole lot more difficult after you have paid them. So, do your home work and take the system for a spin. Utilize the phone, fax, email, online support system etc and make sure your vendor has passed the test.

View from the window: