I'm going to guess that millions, maybe even billions, of dollars are spent annually on new technology. Technology purchases that are negotiated, defended, and budgeted taking funding away from other other just as important issues within a company. Isn't that just great?
No, it isn't . It's quite the opposite. It is typically a waste.
While visiting a new home development site today, the realtor walked over to the "television" and touched the screen. It should go without saying, she grabbed my attention as soon as the screen came to life. She walked me through the house I was interested in. Very cool tech. The point of this blog posting came next when I asked if I could get a copy of the home's floor plan that we were discussing. It was then she noticed she could print what we were viewing on the screen. The development had been at this site for months. Months.
This was not her fault. She was fairly fluent with the interface, except for what I believe was one of the more important facets of supporting customers which was allowing them to walk away holding something in their hands that can supplement their memories of such a fine home. No, it was not her fault. It was her company's.
You can imagine the grand delivery and set up. THEN, a hurried training session by the person in charge who's done it dozens of time and likely has another appointment. The trainer casually strolls through the how-to's and then turns to the new sucker and asks, "Okay, do you have any questions?" Let's all guess what the response is...
Another example is the new introduction of smart boards into classrooms. The smart boards are essentially a white board with a very smart interface allowing teachers to record what is written on the board. It has audio and visual aspects built into, too. I know teachers who understand the basics of the tech, but that's about it. Here we go again...The trainer casually strolls through the how-to's and then turns to the new sucker and asks, "Okay, do you have any questions?" Let's all guess what the response is...
Why is the training budget always the first sacrificial lamb? What a waste it is too spend untold fortunes on new technology, but to not have a corresponding training budget. Productivity drops temporarily due to the introduction of new technology, and I'm sure there are also long term negative affects. Because someone in management thought it would be unnecessary to really go with the recommended training, and instead they find some arbitrary number that's as fantastical as unicorns. They probably receive a bonus later that year for successfully cutting the budget!
Dilbert is always a great laugh, but we only laugh because so much of what is stated in those comic strips are very true. That pointy haired boss is the person making stupid decisions like cutting training budgets. I'm at a loss as to why an organization invests in technology and then immediately cuts the necessary training budget.
This is one of those great mysteries that will probably never be solved.
No, it isn't . It's quite the opposite. It is typically a waste.
While visiting a new home development site today, the realtor walked over to the "television" and touched the screen. It should go without saying, she grabbed my attention as soon as the screen came to life. She walked me through the house I was interested in. Very cool tech. The point of this blog posting came next when I asked if I could get a copy of the home's floor plan that we were discussing. It was then she noticed she could print what we were viewing on the screen. The development had been at this site for months. Months.
This was not her fault. She was fairly fluent with the interface, except for what I believe was one of the more important facets of supporting customers which was allowing them to walk away holding something in their hands that can supplement their memories of such a fine home. No, it was not her fault. It was her company's.
You can imagine the grand delivery and set up. THEN, a hurried training session by the person in charge who's done it dozens of time and likely has another appointment. The trainer casually strolls through the how-to's and then turns to the new sucker and asks, "Okay, do you have any questions?" Let's all guess what the response is...
Another example is the new introduction of smart boards into classrooms. The smart boards are essentially a white board with a very smart interface allowing teachers to record what is written on the board. It has audio and visual aspects built into, too. I know teachers who understand the basics of the tech, but that's about it. Here we go again...The trainer casually strolls through the how-to's and then turns to the new sucker and asks, "Okay, do you have any questions?" Let's all guess what the response is...
Why is the training budget always the first sacrificial lamb? What a waste it is too spend untold fortunes on new technology, but to not have a corresponding training budget. Productivity drops temporarily due to the introduction of new technology, and I'm sure there are also long term negative affects. Because someone in management thought it would be unnecessary to really go with the recommended training, and instead they find some arbitrary number that's as fantastical as unicorns. They probably receive a bonus later that year for successfully cutting the budget!
Dilbert is always a great laugh, but we only laugh because so much of what is stated in those comic strips are very true. That pointy haired boss is the person making stupid decisions like cutting training budgets. I'm at a loss as to why an organization invests in technology and then immediately cuts the necessary training budget.
This is one of those great mysteries that will probably never be solved.
