Training and Development Magazine (T+D) just reinforced what I’ve been saying repeatedly about employee training: It’s very valuable and will become even more critical to company ability to compete in the future.
In its December 2008 issue, T+D discusses “Learning in 2020.” The article notes, “…work organizations are already finding new ways to harness our interconnectedness to make information faster, more current, more accurate, and more customizable for individual workers. This trend will expand with the rise of intelligent tutors and on demand learning technologies…Many industry experts agree that learning will be a critical part of the future of work and employee development. Workplace learning and performance professionals will still be involved in the skills training portion of the field, but they will become facilitators of learning.”
As a company involved in implementing accounting software, we are heavily invested in training. It makes no sense to buy software, install it, and then scrimp on the employee accounting software training needed to make sure people both understand and appreciate its benefits and features.
Despite what we see as a common-sense approach, stories of accounting solutions being forced on unwilling and unwitting employees run rampant. Too often, companies view accounting software training as an afterthought or a bare necessity.
Accounting software is the lifeblood of an organization. It mandates and deserves adequate training and support, so people can practice, learn and make mistakes in a non-judgmental environment.
We’re already well into the trend identified by T+D when it comes to self-directed accounting software training, and our role as learning facilitators—not just “preach and teach” professionals. Our standard protocol for Microsoft Dynamics GP and SL implementations includes a comprehensive menu of automated, self-paced training processes coupled with support customized to individual and specific company needs.
As the T+D article adds, “…training must be aligned with business goals and opportunities as determined by enterprise leadership. Its deployment will shift from the ‘tell’ mode to the ‘guide’ mode, achieved through work-based learning leveraging coaching, mentoring and facilitated group interaction.”
It’s extremely critical when implementing new accounting software that the impact on the entire workforce and company productivity be taken into account. By aligning business goals with accounting system software objectives upfront, companies can look forward to much smoother deployment. Effective, timely, supportive training is the glue that ties it all together.
As training modalities progress, look for more informal, collaborative learning environments. The T+D article explains, “More and more individuals are managing their own personal, informal learning and building their own personal learning environments…more teams or groups of people are making use of social media and Web 2.0 tools to share links and content with each other, and are participating in discussions, collaborating, and co-creating content.”
Train early. Train often. Train to stay ahead of the curve—and you’ll stay ahead of the competition.
December 8th, 2008 at 3:07 pm
[...] Training, Training Over at Implementing Microsoft Dynamics GP & SL, Paul again makes the point that so many of us have made, training is important. This is not simple [...]