Technology’s Effect on Training – Part 1

I was thinking the other day about the digital technologies that have impacted our work and personal lives – things like cell phones, personal digital assistants, e-mail, the Internet and others. These things have become indispensable. Imagine working today without a cell phone or an Internet connection. Imagine going to a bricks and sticks library every time you want some information. It’s more than being used to these advantages - in reality we’ve come to expect them. We’re not happy when they’re not available.
Then I asked, “Is it possible that these technologies have had a greater impact than just being conveniences?” Is it just that they make things “easier to do?” Or has more happened? My thoughts led me to this conclusion: Beyond creating conveniences, our technologies have instilled a strong set of expectations about how we interact with our work environment.

• Today, we expect that we can get all information we want, with almost no exception, on the Internet. Yes, it may take some patience, but we probably all agree it’s likely there somewhere.
  
• In addition, we expect to be able to access that information from anywhere, at any time. It does require an Internet connection, but today that’s possible pretty much anywhere.
  
• And finally, we expect to get the information we want really fast. No one would be happy if it took hours to download a file, or days to send an email. The faster the better – that’s why they keep making faster computer chips.
  

My thoughts then took me to corporate training methods, the area of my experience that I usually write about in this Blog. And the question arose: “Has the way we train people kept up with all of this?” Can we still meet the expectations of people whose lives include instant retrieval of almost anything from anywhere? My thoughts on that topic next time.