What is I-O?

I therefore contacted experts to talk about the following three questions:

1. In considering online training, what are the key advantages and disadvantages for organizations?

Here is a summary of some of the answers that I received, along with my thoughts and comments. 

Most of the key advantages will not surprise you. The advantages included reduced travel, flexible scheduling, just-in-time learning, and the fact that trainees are not required to be at the same location. Another interesting advantage cited was that with the proliferation of hand-held devices (e.g., Palm Pilots), training will become increasingly mobile (Does that suggest that future traffic accidents will be caused by drivers who are distracted by a training program?). Interestingly, lower cost was mentioned by only one respondent, and he emphasized that lower costs are not yet the norm but will be when the cost of video clips drops.

Only one respondent included better knowledge acquisition as being an advantage of online training. Thus, this does not necessarily appear to be a strength of online training. Another respondent mentioned that online training is more accurately evaluated by trainees, because it focuses them on the information and away from the trainer. Most of the perceived strengths of this technique, however, revolved around the trainees needs.

In terms of the key disadvantages, the major concern revolved around the potential loss of human interaction. I sensed two aspects to this issue. One dimension involves the training itself; certain skills (e.g., team skills) probably cannot be taught online. On the other hand, I wonder, can one teach online team skills online? Or, are online team skills best taught offline? What do you think, reader? Please let me know if you have any comments on this.

The second dimension of human interaction concerns the degree to which community or interpersonal needs are met. Most people have a need for face-to-face interaction (Let me put it this way: How much of your social interaction needs are met over the computer?) and the training experience is one place where this need may be met. This type of human interaction has no direct relationship to what is being trained. As one of my respondents observed, the use of a videocam may enable some of this human interaction need to be met, but it is not clear to what degree.

Another interesting disadvantage was the loss of immediate-help-for-a-trainee problem. This respondent gave an example of a classroom facility with roving trainers who can immediately identify a trainee with a problem and assist the trainee instantly. The time lag associated with the Internet could make learning more difficult if instant help is not available.

At the risk of oversimplifying, I would say that the lack of human immediacy may be the most significant problem here. It seems clear that online training is only going to continue to grow in popularity. But I dont think it is going to completely eliminate its closest rivalclassroom training. My experience suggests that trainees will, at least for certain skills, continue to request and support the use of live, high-quality trainers. 

What Are Other Major Trends In Training?

Respondents noted a number of interesting trends in training that I-O psychologists should find interesting. First, there has been a shift towards performance consulting. Rather than recommending that every problem be solved by training, performance consulting assumes that work problems may be better solved by determining the cause and then finding the appropriate solution, which may be better selection tools or appropriate compensation. To me, this sounds much like an expanded version of a paper by G. Rummler, published in Human Resource Management in 1972 (the full reference is given at the end of this article). If you havent read this article, I recommend that you do so.

A second popular trend is knowledge management, which focuses on building, capturing, organizing, and sharing organizational know-how and information. A third popular trend, which I have written about in a previous column, is coaching and peer mentoring. This trend appears to have moved from the fad stage to the common-practice stage.

Virtual reality, which seems to have received some attention in the gaming area, but of which I seem to have heard very little lately, was viewed as a particularly useful tool for hard-to-train skills (e.g., combat) but was not currently in much use. Only time will tell if this technology becomes more popular. Last but not least, it was noted that training is becoming more holistic in its approach (e.g., addressing cognitive, behavioral, and emotional perspectives) and increasingly more individualized and interactive.

All in all, it would seem that todays trends in training bode well for I-O psychologists who work in this area. If anything, I would predict that our skills and knowledge base will become increasingly valued in the training area. 

In What Ways Will Trainers and Training Departments of
Today Look and Feel Differently in Five Years?

Respondents offered a number of thoughts as to how trainers and training departments will differ in 5 years. One consistent theme is that there will continue to be major changes. For example, one expected change was a shift towards more external trainers. Internal staff in the training department will be focused more on determining needs and engaging external consultants to deliver the training. In an external role, trainers could continue to function as specialists (e.g., there will be room for some live classroom trainers); whether there is room for internal trainers who specialize in one or two areas remains to be seen.

A second big picture predicted change concerned who is more likely to be in control of the direction of training. According to this respondent, whereas in the past companies would more or less dictate what type of training was offered, in the future, the trainees will have greater control over what type of training is offered.

Another major way in which training will differ is in regard to the skill set required of trainers. As training moves away from live, classroom interaction, the type of skills needed to be successful are likely to change. For example, the role of personal charisma and live platform skills is likely to decline in importance. In its place, one respondent suggested that facilitating online learning, assimilating information and responding effectively in writing would become far more important than in the past (I can see it nowin addition to offering courses covering oral and written communication, universities and training companies will offer courses covering e-communication!).

Finally, it was expected that effective trainers will be able to address the needs of, and communicate effectively with, trainees from widely diverse cultural backgrounds. This suggestion is based on the assumption that technology (e.g., online, satellite) will permit trainees to be increasingly geographically dispersed.

One respondent indicated that trainers will need to carefully examine their assumptions about training. I took this to mean that trainers will need to consider such things as what they have to offer, why trainees attend their sessions, and so forth. From my conversations with this respondent, as well as my own observations as a trainer, people attend training for a plethora of reasons, ranging from learning new skills to interacting with other people. The challenge for future trainers may be enabling people to achieve all of these goals, even while using online techniques.

Another interesting change offered was the use of more action learning, which was defined as learning through applied assignments and projects, with help from experts. Thus, trainers and training departments are likely to look quite different in 5 years. The successful trainer and training department will remain nimble and adaptable and as a result will have many professional opportunities. 

Conclusions

I-O psychologists have much to contribute to activities such as performance consulting, knowledge management, and encouraging people to interact together, as well as many other aspects of training. Based on my discussions, I think that training will continue to be a strong area for I-O psychologists, as long as we continue to adapt to the changes. If anything, I think our role may be expanded!

Well, another column finished, and it is time to catch a few minutes of rest before the regular day begins. You probably wont believe this, but I woke up at 3 a.m. this morning to start working. Impressed, huh? Just the sign of a devoted trainer and teacher! What do you think? Are these trends, practices, and issues that you are finding in your practice?

Please let me know what you think! Please e-mail me at mharris@umsl.edu, call (314) 516-6280, fax (314) 516-6420, or snail-mail me, Michael Harris, College of Business Administration, University of MissouriSt. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63121.

I would like to thank the following individuals for their help in preparing this column: David Baker, American Institutes for Research; Paul Damiano, Center for Creative Leadership; and Scott Tannenbaum, GOE and SUNYAlbany. 

Reference

Rummler, G. (1972). Human performance problems and their solutions. Human Resource Management, 19 (3), Winter, 210.