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When it comes to HR functions, tradition versus technology has been a
perennial debate in the Indian marketplace. Talk to the HR dynamos of today, and
what you get is a very mixed response. While some acknowledge the efficiency of
e-learning programs crowding the learning space these days, the others swear by
the traditional one-to-one interaction tools.
Whatever said and done, the need for continuously enhancing employees skills
is voiced unanimously for the whole industry. This is especially valid for the
IT industry because of the robust technology environment which todays economic
dynamics naturally afford.
Of late though, the e-learning scene has witnessed the presence of a new
entrant on the block. That is Human Resources. Although the trend is fairly
established in the West, the Asian market is new to the phenomenon. And India
seems to be the most rapidly evolving ground for the HR e-learning programs.
Electronic Practices
Imparting technological and upgradation skills via the Internet facilities
is nothing new for the IT industry in India. What is relatively alien, however,
is training employees about the organizational practices with the help of
e-learning tools.
An Oracle employee told us how astonished she was when she received a mail
giving instructions of a mandatory e-course to better address the issues of
inclusivity and cultural barriers. I never thought that there would be specific
courses for such issues, she says. Workshops and occasional seminars are
supposed to be the only ways to address these matters.
She kind of sums up the whole HR practices scenario prevalent in our country.
Compared to the other nations, India is still a very conventional and orthodox
country as far as the outlook toward HR practices is concerned. According to
Raja Shekhar Reddy, CEO, Global InnovSource, an HR management company, one of
the major reasons behind the cautious approach vis--vis human capital is that
the onus in India has always been on manpower rather than functionary details.
Indias USP is still individual skill rather than project management and
therefore, this (conventional) approach is here to stay, he says.
The specialization and automation of the HR segment first began in the ITeS
sector. The sheer magnitude of the people hired by these units made it a
compulsion rather than just a necessity. Then came the complex project
management of the BPOs which made it indispensable for them to monitor shifts,
employee productivity, required skill set, constant hiring needs and attrition
rates. There was also the increased impact of globalization which made it
indispensable for companies to manage a diverse work-force.
In such conditions, the traditional HR methods not only became inefficient
but almost impracticable. Says Amita Avasthi, HR manager of a leading BPO
company, If I had to organize a training session it would have to be at all
offices across the nation. The coordination and synchronization became a
nightmare for me. Plus, there were the huge costs involved. That is where the
e-learning programs come handy, she says.
Story So Far
According to an IDC survey, e-learning courses in India grew at a CAGR of
about 17% between 2000-05. This figure is expected to more than double up to the
year 2010.
While the IT and the BFSI sectors have been the marked pioneers for the
introduction of e-learning programs, the HR e-learning is yet to take off in a
big way for even these segments. Although no formal research has taken place, it
is pretty evident that HR hardly gets a share in the e-learning domain. Even at
Infosys, which delivers around 15% of its total training programs through
e-learning methods, the share of HR is around a dismal 2%. For IBM, a pioneer in
HR practices, the HR e-learning share looms around the same figure.
Introduction of e-learning leads to obvious changes in the existing systems,
and consequently, many a times is met with resistance by employees. As a part of
the change management process, it becomes imperative to constantly communicate
with the employees and campaign for e-learning. And this doesnt often turn out
to be a successful exercise.
The shift from the old and the established system to a new one is the major
roadblock. Also, e-learning as a term sounds like jargon, which in itself is a
discouragement for many people. Another common perception is that it will be
difficult to take time off from daily activities. E-learning is totally
self-driven and self-enabling. That is a big change and needs some handholding
till it becomes a part of the organizational culture. The transition to an
e-learning environment also needs to be managed very carefully. Otherwise the
RoI is significantly impacted.
Change Dynamics
However, all this seems to be changing. With the concept of e-learning in
general catching up in India, the concept of HR-based e-learning is also sure to
develop and expand. According to Joseph John, VP, HR, India and Middle East IT
business, Wipro, The e-learning programs in the near future will be leveraged
to cover large employee base across regions and customer sites for role related
training as part of blended learning. Assessments are likely to get
strengthened and made part of more and more e-learning modules. Wipro has over
3,500 titles in e-learning, which include technical, project management,
business skills, general management, personal development and executive
development modules. So far there have been 2,750 completions. Similarly IBM,
which set up an e-learning mechanism back in 2002, reaped some excellent returns
on HR e-learning programs.
Analysts say that the success of e-learning programs depends highly on the
way they are communicated to the employees. Any cause, especially when it
involves a major change, has to be espoused by the top management. Also, the
onus always has to be on the individual benefits one would accrue due to such a
change.
SAP now has a special HR module. Interweave Consulting, has also recently
started an e-learning course dealing with the issues of sexual harassment
awareness. The tool is first of its kind in India and has received a good
response so far.
The personalized and need-based services have also started mushrooming.
According to Nirmala Menon, founder, Interweave, Almost all of our work is
customized to the client we work with and so there are variations in all of our
offerings. We have worked with over fifteen marquee clients in IT, ITeS, FMCG
and banking sector on varying assignments. IBM, Texas Instruments, Fidelity,
Sasken, Sun Microsystems, Symphony Marketing Services, UBS among others have
benefited from our services in this area.
According to Anil Veer, AVP, IT, Aricent this is because in a software
company like Aricent, which is connected globally, security is not only an
internal function but a robust security scenario is absolutely critical for
business purposes. He says that the top priority for them is to protect the
customer intellectual property rights (IPR), and we have a multi-tier
information management security mechanism in place to ensure that.
Veer says the biggest challenge is to sensitize people to the security
practices prevalent in the company, because for us even a small mistake can
lead to a huge problem. The only solution to this issue, he says, is generating
awareness, and that is the reason that every employee in Aricent has to go
through multiple levels of training sessions including a comprehensive
e-training program.
There is little doubt about the efficiency and flexibility that e-learning
provides. However, there are challenges which need to be addressed if this trend
is to catch up, especially in the HR domain. There is also a need for more
personalized and specialized solutions for electronic HR training to become a
regular feature for the Indian market.
Mehak Chawla
mehakc@cybermedia.co.in
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