Development On Demand — Improving Employee Adoption of an Integrated Learning Management System

— by taylor (7 min read)
HRorganizations understand the important role that a Learning Management System (LMS) can play in increasing the knowledge base of their workforce. And moving the learning experience online makes good business sense — a well-implemented LMS can potentially enable 25 to 35 percent improvement in learning operational effectiveness and efficiency.[1]

In many organizations, however, the overall effectiveness of e-learning delivered through an LMS remains an issue because of low user adoption of the system. Why? The reasons are many — it may be due to a lack of integration of e-learning into the wider learning and talent management strategy, insufficient planning, or a poor user experience reported with the LMS technology. Failing to achieve prolific user adoption will prevent the organization from achieving the best possible ROI of the LMS technology, and can result in:
·        Low or limited employee usage
·        Users expressing frustration and experiencing difficulty with the new system
·        Poor performance results at the individual and division level

Despite these risks, implementing an integrated LMS can fundamentally change the business and improve the ability of individuals or groups to do their jobs. Before going forward with implementation, take into consideration the following key factors for the greatest success of an integrated LMS — culture, communication and customers.

Culture. Give plenty of thought to the readiness of your organization for accepting the new system:
·        Do executives and line managers support the new technology, and how will they visibly promote the importance of its use? Getting active buy-in from the leaders of your organization can address perceived concerns over the value of the new system.
·        Prepare employees for the differences they’ll experience between traditional classroom learning and e-learning. E-learning through an LMS emphasizes that the employee is responsible for their own learning, and some employees may not be equipped with the discipline necessary to complete online coursework. Unleash your LMS internal champions to help employees understand the value an LMS will bring to their role and their career aspirations.


Communication. Prepare and evangelize a PR and communication plan for your LMS implementation early on, and use different mediums to spread the word and inform your audience. But be wary of over-engineering your communication strategy. As Mark Twain once said, “The more you explain it, the more I don’t understand it.” Keep communications simple and straightforward, and talk about what your audience will find meaningful rather than what’s important to you. Tap into your company’s intranet or internal social media channels to generate learning and development discussion and spark conversations with your internal community.

Customers. Consider the “personas” of who will interact with the system, what they will uniquely need to be successful, and how the LMS will help them improve and grow in their career. When the LMS is fully integrated with the organization’s broader talent management strategy and performance management systems, your employees will see compounding benefits and a “familiarity of use” from these learning tools. For example, an LMS can bridge information from the employee’s performance appraisal to the creation of a customized development plan. When e-learning coursework and activities are specifically targeted to grow competencies or improve performance, the employee will be positively reinforced for completing their learning and development plans when performance improvement is recognized and rewarded in subsequent reviews. And with rich, Web-based e-learning content available online, employees can access and integrate learning activities into their work at their moment of need, wherever they may be.    

A fully integrated Learning Management System is a smart investment for any company looking to boost organizational performance. Before unveiling a new system in your company, create a detailed user adoption plan to ensure that your implementation garners a positive reception from everyone in the company.

[1] Clarey, Janet. Choosing an LMS: Differentiating the Needs of the SMB Market. Bersin & Associates. August 2011.