A study conducted by a group of Fellows of the Royal Academy of Engineering show ed that despite spending 22.6 billion pounds spent on information technology projects in the UK during 2003/2004, a significant number of projects still fail ed to deliver key benefits on time and as per the targeted cost and specification ( Niazi, Wilson & Zowghi, 2006). Th is was because the acceptance and use of computers by employees is often limited due to fear of their confidence levels and abilities, suspicion towards new technology, perceived difficulty of use, not understanding the importance of technology, and lack of motivation to adopt a new technology.
The core function of Training is to influence employee attitudes, behavior, and use towards new software. Training communicate s the new solution to with the employees to reduce the ir exposure to negative information that might reduce the efficacy and a acceptance of the new system. Specifically, when an employees are exposed to complex concepts such as new software for the first time , Igbaria and Iivari, ( 1995) suggests that it is possible that employees may be confused on how to use the software. The employees who have inadequate skills and capabilities will find a new software system too complex to use therefore avoid it . The provision of a t raining program can reduce confusion by providing information about what the software is and what it can do, how to operate it, what to do when problems occur, and how the software fits into the employee work environment.
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The benefits of learning a new software package are often delayed as opposed to being clearly noticeable immediately , even after the software has been implementation. For example, the mastering of a command-line interface by employees is realized after a two-day delay period after the training ( Olfman & Mandviwalla, 1994). Companies that consider training an added expense there fore often increase the time period for adaptability of a new system by all employees by leaving the new systems to be learnt only by the tech-savvy employees. In addition to that, without this training, different employees develop different methods of executing the same job and as they move up into leadership positions they are often required to train others, which leads to inconsistencies and confusion within the organization. A customized training program allow s the users to obtain first hand information and experience in a standardized and company-specific manner for quality checks within an organization.
Training also allows employees to interact with the new software at all levels thereby creating useful behaviors with the software which consequently increases its perceived usefulness. T he right skills are the developed in employees which in the end contributes to the success and survival of highly competitive companies. For example, Companies like Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard strive to have “only the best” employees by developing up-to date training and recruitment programs that certify and retain employees. Such Training programs results in career development opportunities thereby increasing job satisfaction.
Training Delivery
Instructor-led or classroom delivery systems simulates a classroom set up of learning and it involve s an instructor delive ring training material s from the front of the room. S oftware training requires practical skills; it is therefore essential for the instructor to use explanations and demonstrations while supervising practice to enable individuals learn. The instructor can break down a complex task into clearly defined steps. Then demonstrate the correct procedure of performing the specific task, for example how to open and clos e the new system or even logging into the system. The learner is gradually provided with less and less direct instruction s until he or she can perform the task independently and without assistance
E-Learning takes advantage of courses delivered on a web platform also called Web based training (WBT) . Such web base courses and training programs are easy to update and can be access ed from anywhere . Online or e-learning has become an important tool for training a dispersed workforce especially when rolling out company-wide change s . It is effective because of its relatively low cost , accessibility and the ability to hold a variety of content for an organization. For example, Barnett Bank, a large commercial Florida bank, implemented a new data-entry system through the company intranet by providing simulation s of the actual work processes and procedures ( Scott, 2010). The training was designed to monitor and correct the mistakes the employees were making before the system went live.
For employees who do not respond well to e- courses or paper based training manuals because they have heav y text and are difficult to organize. A well-executed video training could help avoid confusion and eas e the learning process . Video training is a popular way to deliver Modeling-based training which allows trainees watch someone else perform a target behavior and then attempt to reenact it. The video training may include Procedure based tasks that describe how to carrying out specific tasks using the new software systems . O ther descriptions may include the objects in the software interface and the relationships between these objects.
While software training oversees the change process and increases user acceptance, it also provides an avenue to find bugs and errors that might hinder the acceptance of the new system. After sales support from software vendors also provide Continuous software support and resolves conflicts which enables the system to run smoothly throughout its shelf life. For example, software upgrades are often used to add new functionality to an older system while it is still in operation. Security patches are also provided to fix any security vulnerabilities that expose sensitive company data to hackers who can cause the new software to crash of fail.
References
Igbaria, M., & Iivari, J. (1995). The effects of self-efficacy on computer usage. Omega , 23 (6), 587-605.
Niazi, M., Wilson, D., & Zowghi, D. (2006). Critical success factors for software process improvement implementation: an empirical study. Software Process: Improvement and Practice , 11 (2), 193-211.
Olfman, L., & Mandviwalla, M. (1994). Conceptual versus procedural software training for graphical user interfaces: a longitudinal field experiment. Mis Quarterly , 405-426.
Scott, S. G. (2010). Factors impacting the selection of training-delivery systems and training methodology of Virginia training professionals (Doctoral dissertation).
