ASSESSMENT COVER SHEETStudent Information: Student Name: Mehveen Ali Student ID: 160101616Study Semester: Spring 2018 Study Program: Islamic Banking and FinanceCourse Information Course Code: BU 204 Course Title: Organizational BehaviorInstructor Name: Mohammed NoureldinAssessment Submission Information Title of Assessment: Individual ReportIs this a group activity? FORMCHECKBOX Yes FORMCHECKBOX NoIf this submission is a group activity, each student must attach their own signed cover sheet.Number of pages: 10Due Date: 29th Aril 2018 Date Submitted: 29th April 2018All work must be submitted by the due date.
If extension is required, student must submit official request for late submission. Marks will be deducted for late submission in accordance with university assessment policy.Has an extension been approved FORMCHECKBOX Yes FORMCHECKBOX No If yes, please give the new submission date Please note that it is student’s responsibility to keep copies of their assessments.Student Declaration: I hold a copy of this assessment if the original is lost or damaged. Student Signature: ……Mehveen……………………………… Date: 29/4/2018………………………Table of Contents TOC o “1-3” h z u Abstract PAGEREF _Toc512676123 h 3Key words PAGEREF _Toc512676124 h 3Introduction PAGEREF _Toc512676125 h 4Methodology PAGEREF _Toc512676126 h 4Data Analysis PAGEREF _Toc512676127 h 5Changes and development in technology PAGEREF _Toc512676128 h 5Online training activities every corporate should have PAGEREF _Toc512676129 h 6Role of IT department PAGEREF _Toc512676130 h 7Recommendations PAGEREF _Toc512676131 h 9Conclusion PAGEREF _Toc512676132 h 9References PAGEREF _Toc512676133 h 11ROLE OF IT IN TRAININGAbstractThe research is done to find out what is the role of IT in training.
Researching on such topic is very important because the trained workforce is an essential for long term success of organizations. Training employees being an important aspect also poses potential problems to organizations, like hampers the productivity of organization if the right training method is not selected and affects organizations investment of money and time. With organizations striving to develop and looking to train their employees with the best methods suitable for them and methods that are cost effective. Technology and innovative interventions have small training budgets and more advancements in technology lately makes it a more attractive option for organizations. Using secondary source of data like internet articles it was found that technology has more benefits than harm when it comes to training, it does not pose a barrier to timings, updates, information delivery etc. like the classroom training would, technology-based training has made lives much more easier and is a very effective tool in understanding and developing individual skills.Key wordsInformation TechnologyTrainingSkillsDevelopmentOrganizational changeIntroductionInformation technology was first ever used in 1978, it is a technology comprising of development, maintenance and use of computers and software for storing, retrieving, processing and distribution of information.
ADDIN EN.CITE ;EndNote;;Cite ;;Author;Merriam Webstar;/Author;;Year;2018;/Year;;Prefix;;/Prefix;;Suffix;;/Suffix;;Pages;;/Pages;;DisplayText;(Webstar, 2018);/DisplayText;;record;;ref-type name=”Web Page”;12;/ref-type;;contributors;;authors;;author;Merriam Webstar;/author;;/authors;;/contributors;;titles/;;title;Information Technology;/title;;periodical/;;dates;;year;2018;/year;;pub-dates/;;/dates;;/record;;/Cite;;/EndNote;(Webstar, 2018) With increasing competency in the field of business, organizations are striving to develop as much as they can. Organization development can be defined using Richard Beckhard’s 1969 Organization Development: Strategies and Models definition that says, Organization development is an effort of organization wide planning, managed from the top that increases organization effectiveness and health through planned involvements in the organization’s processes using behavioral sciences. ADDIN EN.
CITE ;EndNote;;Cite ;;Author;Richard Beckhard;/Author;;Year;1969;/Year;;Prefix;;/Prefix;;Suffix;;/Suffix;;Pages;;/Pages;;DisplayText;(Beckhard, 1969);/DisplayText;;record;;ref-type name=”Web Page”;12;/ref-type;;contributors;;authors;;author;Richard Beckhard;/author;;/authors;;/contributors;;titles/;;title;Organization develpoment;/title;;periodical/;;dates;;year;1969;/year;;pub-dates/;;/dates;;/record;;/Cite;;/EndNote;(Beckhard, 1969)For developing an organization, it is very important to ensure that the labor force is well trained has the right skills for knowing how things are to be done correctly and efficiently. Skilled employees have a specialized approach to their work and using the right techniques in improving their skills can help the organization to grow in a better way. Technology has seen great advancements since it has been developed and that makes it a viable tool in managing and training employees. Technology-based training is a cost effective and time saving training choice for organizations that are looking to develop their employees faster and efficiently with managing the cost pressure as well. The research is going to present how Information technology is contributing in training employees, and how should the IT department be responsible in ensuring they provide the organization with best training technology and practices.MethodologyThe research consists of secondary data sources taken from various website articles relating to the topic selected. The research was designed in a simple format for presenting the analysis and discussing the related articles and information.Data AnalysisOver the years the workplace has been changing and there is need for wide range of skills and competence from the labor force.
The trainers often wonder how to best develop the labor force skills. Lately technology has seen tremendous advancements and growth which makes it a viable tool in learning and development. Many organizations due to cost pressure find technology as an attractive option for training purposes because most innovative interventions account for a small training and training budgets. Organizations also intend in improving efficiency, which is why IT is playing a very essential role in training recently. CITATION Mar97 l 2057 (Landen, 1997)The trend of online training began in 2004 which attributed introduction of the user-friendly software packages that were designed for training professionals to use. IT based training does not face barriers like classroom training, they are much more convenient in terms of developing it, quick delivery and updates, flexible timings, cost effectiveness, accessibility i.e. information can be accessed on mobile phone and such devices on the go like in trains, cars, offices, basically anywhere you want.
Technology also makes it possible for learners to revisit the learning content whenever they need to refresh their memory. The learning may also be incorporated within the organization’s system to be able to provide just in time training which facilitates better knowledge retention as employees can commence learning during their working time and comprehend information in small manageable portions.HR professionals with the IT department’s support have also wanted to bring the interactivity of classroom in the training, the recent technological advancements have also made these classroom interactivities possible. Earlier during mid to late 1990’s computer-based training consisted of documents presented in digital form, but now with all the advancements in the technology field replaced these digital formats into more engaging format that includes audio and video content, graphic rich text and simulations. Further to this, now it is possible to add online coaches and mentors, social learning tools, attractive tests, games and virtual classroom courses. Such benefits make technology-based training a rewarding possession for modern organizations and their employees.
CITATION Edd10 l 2057 (Kilkelly, 2010) Changes and development in technologyIt is always misunderstood that teenagers and new graduates today are driving the use of technology in training, but the fact is that the ‘Google Generation’ i.e. the present generation, uses technology impulsively to access whatever information they need at whatever time, whereas many older employees prefer using technology for making their work easier.
It is these older employees who have lived through the start of home broadband access, 3G telephone network, and have experienced changes in access to different type of content and speed at which they can access the information. These factors have developed their skills and given them more experience about different situations and hence they have become accustomed to technology-based tools for longer time now and prefer having mobile phones with web access functionality.Recent researches in relation with age and technology indicate that technology is not just a reserve of young men, it was found that over half the UK members on social media like Facebook are over the age of 29. This shows that technology has affected every individual equally.Development in gaming industry cannot be underestimated as the industry has been considered as one of the most influential factors driving expectations as to what technology-based learning should be like. ILX, World’s Most Innovative Best Practice Learning Provider in spring 2010 launched an app on iOS and android named Snakes and Ladder for its numerous best practice training courses. The game was designed as a revision tool for helping highlight the core elements of training programs and preparing candidates ahead of exams. The game works in the following way; it is either played individually or with three more people by connecting through Bluetooth.
The players can post the results of game on Facebook or Twitter, this helps in emphasizing on the social element of learning. Initial feedbacks indicate that people engaging in game play have seen an improvement in their knowledge retention capacity. CITATION Edd10 l 2057 (Kilkelly, 2010)Online training activities every corporate should have:Task simulations- It serves multiple uses from software online training to soft skill development. The task simulations give employees an opportunity to explore every step involved in the process first hand, rather than reading the process or related information. It also helps employees master new software, equipment’s and tools they will need to use in workplace.Bite-size tutorials- Watching half and hour-long presentations about training courses gets hectic for employees when at workplace, bite-size tutorials give employees a brief tutorial that offers quick professional knowledge they’ll need to brush up their skills or refresh their memories. This method is one of the most effective as it helps in reducing mental overload and improves retention capacity and is also a cost efficient online training method.Online demos- Employees need to see and understand the aspects of task more accurately with more visual approaches rather than text.
Online demos help in providing such visual approaches that help employees understand the task in detail and perfect the behavior. This method of training is social learning in action.Serious Games- These games help in building an employee’s professional knowledge and cheers up their normal work day, making it an integral part of eLearning courses. The games consist of deeply engaging storylines, unforgettable eLearning characters and game system. These games give employees chance to earn points, advance through levels and go up the leaderboard.
Infographics- They help in influencing the learning process online by simplifying complex ideas and highlighting important trends through visual representation.Collaborative online projects- Feedbacks from co-workers is an essential to a learning process. Collaborative online projects help benefit employees from online training experience of their colleagues and makes it possible for them to share their queries and concerns. Microlearning Online support tools- It offers small proportion of information also called as bite-sized information. This method may include any of the above training activities and the main aim is to provide short and important information.
It focuses on specific topics or goals and providing training content that is mobile-friendly. CITATION Chr16 l 2057 (Pappas, 2016)Examples of successful technology-based training programs are, Lynda.com that offers visual courses for software, creative and business skills; google primer is a fast and super easy way to learn impressive marketing skills; treehouse offers online courses for mobile, web and business development. CITATION Ste16 l 2057 (Penfold, 2016)Role of IT department With the technological advancements and increased uses of multimedia learning, it is the IT department that could pose potential restrictions rather than facilitating learning.
Which is why it being very important to ensure that the IT infrastructure of an organization is able to upkeep the demands of it, in terms of the software’s and hardware’s installed in IT department are well updated or not, the number of users, the number of desktop users, the suitable connection speed of internet required etc.Inconsistency results in different learning experience, which could be considered as an influencing factor of the perception of the programme. Such inconsistencies could be problematic for multinational companies or other organizations where the organizational structure varies from location to location.
Common learning needs to be removed and implementation of future proofing is also needed to overcome such inconsistency related problems. Multimedia learning, virtual classrooms etc. require abundance of resources as they are complex, and it is important to ensure right standards and capacity are in place.It is very important for IT managers to take control over mobile technologies, as delivering and sharing a lot of learning content on mobile devices will increase mobile data bills, employees might use their personal phones rather than company phones across several networks with varying network speed and mobile software. These factors can negatively impact mobile learning strategies hence an organization wide contract of standard phones and set tariffs should be negotiated for better efficiency.
Outsourcing organizations IT management can also have a negative impact as making changes will become slower and difficult because they are not within the organizations control. Permissioned access through corporate firewall for the type of information and services can also be an issue.It is the IT manager’s duty to manage the balancing act of opening corporate network permitting the extensive access to potential learning without putting the network at risk.
Many a times organizations block social networking sites, but certain sites could be helpful in development of some employees. Blocking certain post training motivational emails from learning vendors is better for the organization as it could lead to decrease in effectiveness of learning programme. CITATION Edd10 l 2057 (Kilkelly, 2010)Discussion:The articles reflect that technology based training has a lLimitationsTechnology related training can get frustrating at times, if the content is not designed properly by means of instructional design principles. Early 2010 companies found that the online training systems that were sold to them few years ago did not engage their employees nor did it meet their business needs.
In 2010 the reports indicated decrease in use of online training. The reason behind this decline was maturation of the delivery system. Another major challenge was reported in 2013 survey named “getting learners to take online courses”. The most repeatedly reported reason for the failure was the model of learning where there is no classroom, or group studies involved. Employees started considering this type of learning slow and boring and of restricted value. Technology based learning does have certain limitations like; not very high-speed web connections, insufficient bandwidth, trainee’s preference of face to face interaction with the instructor and trainees not being able to find free time during workdays to devote to desktop learning. There was another concern associated with the technology-based learning and that is when trainees have certain doubts they do not have on the spot instructor to assist them.
The training using technology has limited opportunities to receive expert advice or receive faster responses to employee questions. CITATION Dav16 l 2057 (Beach, 2016)To overcome such problems following are certain recommendation the organization implementing IT in their training can follow. RecommendationsTo be able to facilitate learning through technology, organization needs high quality and common technology infrastructure with an effective firewall system that can cater the demand problems.There should be proper interaction between IT and HR department on regular basis regarding learning and development functions for making sure that learning programmes are making the most of organizations technological capabilities and to be able to factor their needs into future plans of the organization.Identifying and understanding the values of game and social networking on communicative learning and facilitating collaboration and to reinforce against the blocking of such materials.ConclusionThe world is moving with a very fast pace and technology is the key to such advancements. Technology has come as an intervention which doesn’t cost much and makes our live much easier.
The research is talking about how organizations have started adopting Information Technology for training their employees in convenient and cost-effective manner. The study shows how technology has changed and impacted the lives of older and younger generations; best methods for technology-based training with examples is also mentioned; and the role of IT department in delivering best suitable technology-based training. Researching through various articles it was found that using Information technology as a tool in learning and development is a much better option even though there are tiny glitches present. Organizations to be able to implement right Technology for training must ensure the IT infrastructure of the company is well developed and updated to withstand various demands.
To sum up technology has come up as a bigger boon to our society than bane if implemented correctly and used wisely.References BIBLIOGRAPHY Beach, D., 2016. Impact of Technology on training. Online Available at: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/impact-technology-employee-training-david-beachAccessed 25 april 2018.
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