'Scared of first' - why business is resisting new learning.

The past

I'd like to take you back to where I was 5 years ago. My role was working for Australia's then largest retailer, ColesMyer. I managed a team of facilitators whose role was to deliver face-to-face workshops to staff, from entry level, through to senior management. Face-to-face learning was the dominant delivery method with some elearning to deliver generally fact-based knowledge, for example, induction, food safety, OHS and so forth. Other than the elearning component it was really a case of, 'training' = workshops. If I had been working within many other medium to large businesses at that point in time the picture would have been pretty much the same!

Since then what has changed?

Today

I now work independently and have worked with large and smaller businesses over the last 5 years. What do I see today? I see that its still a case of, 'training' = workshops, and face-to-face at that! Over the last 4-5 years I have seen and heard so much about new technologies, elearning, informal learning and so forth. I keep hearing that people are sick of 'death by powerpoint'. BUT I see businesses introducing 'click, click, click' 'powerpoint-style' elearning and believing that this means that their learning is 'modern'.

I design learning strategies for businesses. I often have a difficult time when encouraging businesses to try different/new approaches to learning.

So, why do many businesses not embrace learning approaches that would provide their businesses with real competitive advantages? 

10 Reasons

1. Successful businesses build systems and processes for doing things. The informal/social technologies appear to live outside established systems and therefore scare them.
2. It's easy to measure attendance at workshops and list who completed an elearning module, but how do you measure the results of informal learning?
3. Why change what 'seems' to work?! Businesses like certainty and they see new learning approaches as 'risky/uncertain'.
4. It can be difficult to 'sell' the benefits of new learning technologies when it can be hard to measure results.
5. Businesses may either lack the technology/expertise to implement newer learning approaches OR they are scared of it.
6. They ask, "Are our competitors doing it?" If you answer, "No" this is seen as validation for maintaining the status quo. They are 'scared of being first.' Rather than seeing an opportunity to get a jump on their competitors, they are innovation phobic.
7. 'Training departments' are for managing/administrating programs rather than being responsible for organisational learning, innovation and growth.
8. Many businesses see learning as information transfer,therefore Powerpoint slides full of bullets and text are seen as an efficient and 'snazzy' way of transferring knowledge.
9. Social media is seen as a 'fad'.
10. Informal learning means losing control.

Look, there is a long way to go! OK, it's possibly not as bad as I've made it sound, but it's important to remember where we are now. I'm looking for the 'tipping point', however it just looks a fair way off from where I'm standing. How about you?