Show report
The e-learning Festival
Case study 2: BP International
David Appleton, of BP International, focused on the cultural differences
that must be carefully considered when rolling out a global e-learning
programme:
- Individual identity is high within the USA, UK and Italy while
the group culture prevails in Japan and Venezuela
- Hierarchical structures are dominant in France and Italy while
flat organisations are preferred in the UK and (perhaps surprisingly)
Austria
- Resistance to change is very high in Japan, France and Italy
and is lowest in the UK, Sweden and Singapore
With 107,000 employees worldwide based in 100 countries and speaking
80 languages cultural diversity is inherent within the business.
A key enabler has been the establishment of a common PC desktop
environment.
Several e-learning initiatives have been launched using partner
organisations:
WebLearn - offers 200 courses to promote better IT literacy
across the organisation, available in 5 languages. The initiative
has saved $4.4 million through reducing the number of classroom
sessions in 2001 alone (gaining a 4-5 times ROI). Learning is more
uniform across the world but initially demand created network problems,
so CD-ROMs were produced. An interesting motivational idea to encourage
usage was the offer to pay charities for each course successfully
completed (Earn as you Learn).
First Level Leaders - 10,000 staff have been trained on
leadership responsibilities through a blended solution offering
high quality supervisory knowledge. A network of peers acting as
mentors creates a community sharing best practice. The solution
is available in 6 languages and has acted as a catalyst for change
in regions around the world where default leadership styles (derived
from the local culture) differ widely.
Some lessons learned included:
- The need for phased rollouts so that time is made available
to translate and localise content (think big, start smart, scale
fast)
- Regarding cultural issues, be aware, show respect and be inclusive
Next>>
Introduction
Case study 1: Shell International
Case study 3: Unilever
The Future View
|
