Managers are crucial drivers for learning success within an organization.
Ever heard of the expression “learning organizations”? Well, managers are behind such organizations. Constant learning leads to innovation.
Unfortunately, managers are also too busy in their daily activities to offer the desired support to their teams. This counts double when teams are in training mode.
Managers are enablers of learning. Senior management needs to support front line managers to support their learning teams. This practice is crucial to adopting new technologies, changes in business, improving performance and yielding better business results.
In this article, we will reveal the best practices of leading organizations in supporting their line managers that can lead to inevitable success!
1. Create Learning Programs With Managers
Make sure your line managers are involved in the learning solution design stage of your eLearning course development.
This initiates their engagement, their responsibility to implement learning, add real challenges in the training and create new ideas in the learning solutions.
2. Combine learning with existing performance context
Link learning solutions directly with the problems presented by the line manager. Avoid creating isolated solutions that do not include job related issues of your learners.
3. Relevant eLearning only
Make sure that your eLearning solution is relevant to current jobs and directly supports important work initiatives (leadership, sales, new systems and processes).
4. Apply eLearning
Your eLearning solution should redirect learning to application. Monitor progress closely by:
- Supporting coaching skills and peer group sessions.
- Providing learning aids that reinforce eLearning concepts at the desk, for example checklists, workflows, job-aids etc.
- Building online learning communities through forums or in-house social networking.
- Mentoring a culture of intellectual conversations in online chats.
- Involving learners immediately into projects that require them to apply their new skills.
5. Receive feedback from learners
Encourage peer to peer communication about learning and performance improvements. Share these between managers as well as learners.
6. Empower Managers through model experiences
Finally, the best way to teach leadership to managers is to model it. Help managers become better leaders!
Watch how more and more learners benefit from their managers and develop better relationships with each other. A well supported learning experience goes a long way!
