Locked Out: Bridging the Divide Between Training and Information Technology

Alarmed by a growing number of companies whoseexecutives have been charged with accounting fraud and other crimes, the CEO ofa company in the United States asked his corporate university to create acourse that would provide training on compliance with the country’sSarbanes-Oxley law, and to deliver the training to all 20,000 global executivesand managers as soon as possible. To meet the tight deadline and the heavyrecord-keeping requirements the Training organization turned to e-Learning, andstarted building a highly interactive, media-rich program that, in pilottesting, appeared to deliver the necessary skills and knowledge in anefficient, engaging, and effective manner. The e-Learning program even includeda video address by the CEO stressing the importance of the training.

The Training department approached theInformation Technology (IT) group about delivering the course on the company’scomputer network. The training program, at this point, was well underdevelopment when several concerns arose. The IT staff had strong reservationsabout delivering the course to managers and executives working in corporateheadquarters, let alone in the 60-plus locations around the world. IT neededtime to prepare, including several weeks to install the course on stagingservers, where new or changed software applications are tested before they golive, and to run a series of tests of the video performance over the network.Furthermore, IT didn’t know that the leader of the corporate university hadsent an e-mail to all managers in the corporation telling them that the coursewould be available in a few days, and adding that they should take the courseas soon as possible. Feeling boxed into a corner and pressured by the CEO, theCIO pulled valuable resources off of other critical projects to run somenetwork tests. Her staff projected that the maximum number of simultaneoususers who could access the course without negative impact to othermission-critical applications was just 20 people. Because this wasunacceptable, course deployment was delayed.

The next day, the CEO called the CIO and theChief Learning Officer (CLO) into his office to explain what happened. The CIOstated that the course did not conform to IT standards and would bring thecorporate network to a crawl. Training would have to redesign the course,remove the rich media components — including several executive videos — anddeliver the course in a format that used simple graphics and text. The CLO wasembarrassed, and could only state that he would look into how much time itwould take to redesign the course.

Gone are the days when training organizationscould go their own way with regard to learning technology; it has become toocomplex and expensive. Training applications require sophisticated networks,reliable servers, and 24×7 support to deliver learning to everyone who needsit, when and where they need it.

Customers demand more flexibility, lessdisruption in how training is delivered, and faster and better access. Businessdemands more frequent updates to training content. Both Training and IT have avested interest in meeting these demands. Despite their differences, the twogroups ultimately have the best interests of the organization in mind and canonly succeed when bridges are built between them.

Two different world views

Before we can talk about building bridges, however, we mustunderstand the essential differences in how Training and IT groups approachtheir work.

IT organizations often see e-Learning in the same way as theysee other enterprise applications in terms of technology – servers,applications, networks and data. IT’s goals are efficiency, reliability, andsecurity, and they achieve these goals through standardization, resourceconsolidation, careful planning, and rigorous process management.

The view of technology is quite different among trainers. Forthem, technology is an enabler for learning; a tool to be used, manipulated,and adjusted as the need arises. For example, while the planning horizon in ITis several months or a year, planning within Training happens in a matter ofweeks, or a few months at most. Learning and human performance problems must beaddressed rapidly, before they affect organizational performance. Many traininggroups are often brought in at the last minute to solve a human performanceproblem, and internal clients expect a quick solution.

In the process of accomplishing Training’s goals, however, ITmight not have vetted new and innovative e-Learning solutions. The Traininggroup sees the issues of compliance and control with technology standards, socentral to IT management, as obstacles that slow or stifle dissemination oflearning throughout the organization. This culture clash discouragescooperation and, quite often, promotes conflict.

On one side — the IT staff: who find that learning technologyis “all over the place,” unwieldy and unmanaged; too costly and unreliable. TheTraining organization has too much “unauthorized” technology that does notconform to corporate standards, and Training people are not team players. Theirtechnology involves too many variations, too many vendors, too muchcustomization, and puts undue stress on the network; it needs to be simplifiedand standardized. In short, IT might say that, “unless Training plays by ourrules, they put us in a position to fail.” Their concern is that trainingtechnology may not be reliable, may not perform well, may negatively impact therest of the infrastructure, and may be a maintenance nightmare.

On the other side, the Training staff, who find that theInformation Technology people want “heavy-handed” control of everything havingto do with computers and technology. Working with IT slows everything down, asit seems to take forever to approve, test, and install hardware and software.The view of many Training professionals is that IT will make them abandonpromising learning innovations and experimentation in favor of a moreconservative approach. Furthermore, Training often sees the IT organization astoo fragmented into specialty groups such as networking, desktop, databases,hardware, application software, and security, each with its own myopicviewpoint and often not working together. This fragmentation can make projectapprovals more like an endless string of paperwork and meetings – with nothinggetting done. Everyone chimes in, but no one seems to own the overall solution.

At the end of the day, Training may view IT as far too rigidand process bound; a sluggish bureaucracy that needs to be much more flexible,client-focused, and responsive. In short, they’d say that, “unless InformationTechnology becomes more responsive to our needs, they put us in a position tofail.” The Training group is concerned that a learning or performancesolution might not be implemented in time, and may not meet the business needit’s intended to address.

So, in many organizations, Training and IT perceive eachother as adversaries who put each other in jeopardy. It’s little wonder thatthese two functions have difficulty collaborating.

Risks of maintaining the status quo, and the benefits of working together

So why should they try collaborating? One could argue that IT and Training havesuch different missions and personalities that it is only natural their viewswould diverge. That would be fine if these divergent views did not limit theeffectiveness of both groups. But they do. Tension and dysfunction between ITand Training poses many risks for the larger organization. Without a truecollaboration with IT, a Training group cannot sufficiently penetrate theorganization to have the impact it needs to be successful. When a Traininggroup cannot work with IT, it might engage its own outside vendors for ITservices or build its own redundant data centers and technical resources. YetTraining must still go through the organizational network to deliver many ofits services. As a result, IT cannot deliver the cost savings, reliability, andsecurity needed by training applications; much less integrate learning into theworkplace. So not only does IT fail to achieve its goals, so does Training.

Conflict between the two groups ultimately affects employeesoutside of both. With less immediate access to learning and information,employees waste time looking for the content they need or wait to attendclassroom courses. As a result, the organization might fall behind in themarketplace, losing valued business to competitors whose employees, partners,and customers have immediate access to the precise tools, information, andtraining needed inside of the organization. Lack of cooperation between IT andTraining might also result in delays in delivering critical programs to largenumbers of people. This sluggishness takes its toll in company competitivenessand agility. The friction and conflict between Training and IT iscounter-productive, drawing attention and resources away from more criticalareas. Eventually, the organization’s leadership may try to end the tensionthrough the expedient route of outsourcing one or both groups.

Such an estrangement can no longer be tolerated. Fortechnology-enabled learning to fully permeate the workplace, IT and Trainingmust cooperate. Beyond this basic imperative, both organizations realize anumber of benefits by moving to a more collaborative relationship.

Multimedia-rich applications, like video and simulation,require extensive system resources to run efficiently on users’ systems. This,in turn, fuels an appetite for increased power and bandwidth, areas in whichthe IT organization can bring expertise and economies of scale. Training groupsreally do not have people to spare to work on upgrading technology services. Byletting IT focus on bandwidth, servers, and systems, Training can focus on itscore skill: designing and delivering learning and performance improvement. Inturn, this strengthens Training as it seeks to move from being a provider ofcourses to a group focused on improving organizational and individualperformance.

IT benefits by building a strong partnership with Training,too, because, if for no other reason, e-Learning, when done well, hasdemonstrated a return on investment.

Four areas of mutual benefit seem to be the most immediatelyapparent. First, significant new learning and performance solutions likesimulations, workflow-based training (training integrated into the workplace),and online coaching and tutoring systems provide job enrichment opportunities,showcasing new and more sophisticated technologies in a more innovative andflexible manner. Training applications can serve as a bellwether for corporatenetworking requirements. The advanced technology needs of Training oftenprecede similar needs to follow in corporate communications, sales andmarketing, HR, and other business functions.

The second set of benefits emerges from the seamlessintegration of e-Learning systems into the enterprise IT architecture. Adoptionof a single sign-on (also known as a simplified user log-in and authentication)increases network security and reduces the need for Training to administer itsown user accounts and passwords. Integration with corporate e-commerceplatforms enables training sales to partners and customers, while mitigatingthe need for Training to handle its own billing and collection activities. Dataintegration with human resource information systems increases the completenessand accuracy of employee records, including training records. Integration withcorporate portals brings training to the desktop of each person in theorganization in the same familiar context as other enterprise content.

The third set of benefits emerges when new solutions andtechnologies are introduced. As Training groups evolve into Workplace Learningand Performance groups and increase their offering of non-training solutionslike knowledge management, communities of practice, and electronic performancesupport, IT will not only have additional, production systems to support, butones that are critical to the mission of the organization and that bringincreased business value to business operations.

The fourth — and most significant benefit of collaborating —is realized when new programs go live. Coordination between IT and Trainingbenefits end users, especially when an application runs well, necessaryplug-ins and players are installed on the desktop, and IT is prepared to handlecalls to the helpdesk. That simplifies use of a new learning application, whichincreases the likelihood of adoption. Only when people use learning applications doIT and Training ultimately benefit.

How to achievecollaboration

The growing need for interdependency must shape the futurerelationship between Information Technology and Training. But how can twodifferent cultures, and years of non-collaboration, be turned around? Based onour practical experience, we offer these eight concrete recommendations.

Recognizeexisting limitations, even while working to alleviate them

It’s only natural to want to shape e-Learning into amore interactive, media-rich experience, especially when it enhances learning.But these requirements will, at least initially, put a strain on the I.S.infrastructure. In the short-term, if the organization’s capability is not yetready to handle the desired level of sophistication, Training should designprograms for the current state while IT continues to find ways to advancenetwork capacity. So Training should focus on being ready to upgrade trainingapplications when the infrastructure is ready to handle it, and IT should beupgrading its capacity to handle the training applications.

Developan e-learning technology strategy, iteratively and jointly

Efforts that mutuallyclarify expectations and establish clear responsibilities can build a mutualunderstanding. One of the most effective tools is to establish a technologystrategy. To strengthen the relationship between Training and IT, the strategyshould seek to carefully deploy e-Learning technology, use it to solveincreasingly bigger and more complex business problems, determine whichcomponents should be replicated and scaled, and, ultimately, enhance theinfrastructure of the organization with each solution. If this is done well,both groups will share success, while, at the same time, keeping investment andimplementation at a level that is manageable for the organization.

Establishwork-level relationships, partnerships and processes

Although a strategy setsout a longer-term plan and identifies responsibilities, it usually stops atdefining what happens in the everyday environment. That’s the purpose ofwork-level relationships, partnerships, agreements, and documented processes —to create the next level of documented detail in the relationship between ITand Training. Professional development, joint goal setting, establishingcross-functional teams, and integrating training development processes with ITdevelopment processes, are just some of the ways to build better relationships.

Establishan appropriate governance mechanism

More often than not, disagreements between IT andtraining arise not so much out of differences in goals, but out of differencesin approach. Having a mutually agreeable way to make decisions, resolvedifferences, allocate resources, and manage interdependent processes can helpsurface problems earlier, when they can be more easily resolved. In addition, agovernance framework can ensure that what was learned from one experience isapplied to future activities so that, over time, differences are mitigated,redundancies are eliminated, and productivity and innovation are enhanced. Itis important that the CIO and CLO form a collaborative relationship to providestrategic guidance and sponsorship for lower level collaboration. One criticalaspect of the relationship between the CIO and CLO is to agree to supporte-Learning as a mission-critical business application that might requireinvestment in the network, the desktop environment, and certainly, in the ITand Training people and processes that will drive success.

Allow time for network testing

Although a Training group might have already performeda variety of tests, including user acceptance testing, field testing, SMEreviews, and debug testing on e-Learning materials, the IT department willlikely still require testing of network compatibility and performance before anew e-Learning application or technology is “certified.” Ideally,this IT testing should be built into the process for designing and developingthe approved courseware, so that this step becomes part of the natural developmentworkflow.

Learn each other’s language

One of the core problems in the relationship betweenIT and Training is that they speak different languages. To avoid talking pasteach other, IT and Training must create a common lexicon of terminology,processes, and work flow. IT must develop a clearer understanding of e-Learningcourseware in order to work effectively with Training. To do so, ITprofessionals need to acquire knowledge of training standards and terminology.Similarly, training professionals should gain experience in developing usecases and defining functional requirements that clearly communicate learningrequirements in ways that an IT professional can appreciate and use.

Create a new technical liaison position in theTraining group

One of the best ways tobuild bridges between IT and Training is to make that someone’s jobresponsibility. The primary responsibility of someone in this job is to buildthe bridges needed between IT and Training by looking for opportunities tocollaborate and avert misconceptions. More significantly, this person wouldtake a longer-term approach to e-Learning technology planning. He or she wouldwork closely with the infrastructure experts in IT to shape an organization’se-Learning delivery capacity, and with the instructional experts in Training tounderstand their goals and translate them into a set of documented requirementsthat can be handed off to IT.

Establisha technology “sandbox” for experimentation with leading edge e-Learningplatforms

Trainers must be able to experiment with new orevolving technologies in order to assess their value and appropriateness indelivering instruction and other productivity improvement interventions. Byequipping Training with a private network and a set of servers under their control,IT can enable Training to test new tools and approaches without risking anynegative impact to the enterprise network. This approach enables IT to monitorTraining’s experimentation, and helps establish a cooperative workingrelationship where Training and IT are collaborating from day one.

Concluding thoughts

The relationship between Training and IT is at acrossroads. Both groups understand the need to expand technology-enabledlearning in the organization. Both agree on why they need learning technology,and see great advantages and benefits to the business if technology-enabledlearning initiatives are successful.

What they often disagree on is how to maketechnology-enabled learning happen, and who does what in the process.Continuing conflict in this relationship makes both groups weaker, andincreases the likelihood of one or both being downsized or outsourced, forcinginternal and external clients to go directly to outside suppliers who can givethem want they need. In some cases, Training’s almost stubborn reliance ondoing it themselves is hurting the larger organization and the “our way or thehighway” attitude of some IT groups isn’t helping the situation.

To build the needed bridges, trainers mustdevelop an appreciation for the professionalism that IT brings to the table andan understanding of the goals IT people have for enterprise technologymanagement. In contrast, IT must develop an appreciation for the business valueof learning technologies, and an understanding of the goals trainers have fortheir e-Learning programs.

IT professionals possess a set of skills thatmany Training organizations do not have: systems analysis and management. E-Learning programs can have moreimpact when IT professionals are involved in identifying the technologyrequirements, and ensuring the reliability, performance, and security of thesolution. Likewise, Training professionals bring to the table a set of coreskills that many IT organizations do not have: human performance analysis andinstructional design. By working more closely with Training professionals, ITmay eventually find great value involving trainers in analyzing userperformance requirements and advocating a performance-centered user interfacedesign, improving context-sensitive help systems, and strengthening thelearning and performance value of any technology intervention.

The time is now for IT and Training people torecognize that the best possible future results from a mutual collaboration.The collaboration can start with something as simple as a lunch meeting wherecommon issues and disagreements can be discussed and joint opportunities can beidentified. It can then move to some working agreements, and the birth of asimple governance model. A demonstration project can be identified where thisnewfound collaboration can be exercised. Small steps to be sure, but real,important progress will be the result. Get started.

Editor’s Note: This article is an excerpt from Carliner,S. & Shank, P. (2008.) The e-Learning Handbook: Past Promises,Present Challenges. SanFrancisco: Pfeiffer. Used with permission.