[WEB4LIB] RE: Article from Chronicle

[Jul,Erik]

Roy:

You said:

> But what we found was
> that offering the classes was easy. Having staff attend, and then
> do something with what they learned, was quite another thing.

What are some of the key success factors that may have been absent? 

* Vision and strategy [Were participants or would-be participants able to
relate the course to a clear and compelling organizational/departmental/unit
vision and strategy to which they had individual commitment?]

* Management support and encouragement [Was it abundantly clear that
management supported and actively encouraged participation in these courses?
Was the message disseminated equally throughout the organization? With equal
support?]

* Resources [Did participants have sufficient resources--computers, system
accounts, network access, storage space, etc.--to easily integrate the new
knowledge into everyday work flows?]

* Time (to take the classes) [Could the current work load be managed to
provide sufficient time to take the classes?  Were individuals empowered to
structure their work individually to find the necessary time?  Did
management support the use of time for this purpose?]

* Time (to do anything with the new knowledge) [Was the new knowledge
related to anything that the participants were doing or *could be* doing on
the job?  Were participants able to find time on the job to practice the
newly learned tasks?]

* Benefits [Was the course offered with a clear statement of potential
benefits to the individual and the organization?  Were the participants able
to answer the question, What's in it for me?]

* Aptitude and orientation [Were the participants or would-be participants
naturally oriented toward new technologies?  Did they prefer the status
quo?]

* Motivation [Related to issues above.  Were participants or would-be
participants personally motivated to take the courses?  If not, why not?]

* Reward system [What direct rewards, in whole or in part, were available to
participants apart from the opportunity to gain new knowledge?  More
interesting, challenging, and exciting work opportunities?  The chance to
make a difference?  New job classifications?  Pay raise?  Promotion?
Other?]

* Follow-up [What specific activities or programs were in place to follow-up
with participants after the classes to assist their continued learning and
the integration of new skills into the job?]

Other?

I'd be interested in what you have learned over the years, how you have
addressed this apparent reluctance, and whether and to what extent you
believe that the symptoms and behaviors that you observed still exist.

And I would be interested in hearing from anyone else with similar problems
or experience.

Regards,

--Erik

Erik Jul
Associate Director
OCLC Institute
jul at oclc.org