Blended Model Learning:
The Beauty of the Blend

Introduction

Web-based and wireless technologies have made it possible to transform the way people learn about other countries and cultures. In an increasing number of programs today, we are beginning to see a future unfold that utilizes new and more effective methods of blended model learning.

Disadvantages of Current Programs

One-day or two-day programs have become the norm for learning about another country or region in the rapidly paced and results-focused environment that characterizes most companies.  But this learning format has significant drawbacks. No matter how well run the program is and how strong the accolades it receives from participants, a onetime event is of course unlikely by itself to change entrenched behavioral patterns and assumptions. A few of the obstacles faced by such programs are outlined below:

• Awareness versus skills: In a single day, trainees can certainly build awareness of intercultural issues and make a run at developing new skills. However, to acquire more complex skills such as leading a global team or negotiating with foreign counterparts requires persistent application efforts over time in various work settings.

• Retention of key learnings: Even enhanced awareness of global issues will have a short duration if it is not reinforced. Good program design and linkage with business objectives are a solid starting place for any program. Longer term, however, program participants need a workplace environment that supports continuous learning. This includes ongoing access to learning resources in order to build on the awareness they have gained so they can test fresh ideas and discard old assumptions.

• The medium contradicts the message: A core issue with many one-day training formats is that they replicate cultural patterns rather than confront them. Programs that cover generic cross-border issues often stress the importance of balancing tasks and relationships, or of dealing with indirect as well as direct styles of communication. However, rapid-fire, task-focused learning that is not linked with the building of longer-term relationships or a visceral understanding of indirect communication signals sometimes creates a false sense of confidence on the part of one-day "graduates."

The beauty of blended learning models is that they help to create a more comprehensive and supportive context for continuous learning by actually leveraging the technology already present in the training room as a potential distraction. It is far more effective to position a training program not as a one-shot event, but as one element in a broader range of learning opportunities. This range involves both a variety of different learning formats and a sequence of events over time  creating a "before," "during," and "after" for any training program.

Possible Learning Formats

New communication technologies provide us with a broad array of learning options that can meet different learning styles, objectives, and budgetary constraints. In the early days of introducing web-based technologies, much of the talk was focused on alarming scenarios in which these technologies might replace in-person training, with potential unfortunate side effects for learning outcomes and for the employment prospects of trainers.

But the trends that have emerged since then are much more complex: depending upon the training objectives, web-based offerings have replaced live training entirely, partially, or not at all. Most organizations have reached the conclusion that there is a place for both face-to-face and web-based learning, and are focused on filling out the range of choices and developing effective ways of blending different options together. Here is a typical set of offerings that are increasingly available to learners in a corporate setting:

Before the Program

When face-to-face training is selected as the most appropriate option, there are a number of ways in which a blended model approach can either enrich the preparation process or make it more efficient. At Meridian Resources, we now commonly use an online needs assessment, for example, to augment face-to-face or telephone interviews with program participants.

The needs assessment form includes a link to GlobeSmart, an online reference tool with information about key business destinations. Participants are requested to fill out the cultural self-assessment profile in the tool before the program and bring a paper or electronic copy with them. They are also asked to complete case studies and access information relevant to countries or skills to be covered in the program. Ironically, participants who might ordinarily ignore instructions for advance readings are often curious enough to access an online tool.

During the Program

Having internet and phone access along with even wireless laptops available in the training room opens up a wealth of new possibilities. Here are a few of the learning techniques that we now use with increasing frequency:

• Comparison of online self-assessment profiles: Participants enjoy looking at their own profile in relation to those of others, examining their results compared with the average profiles for other countries (or even for their own country), and also considering how potential gaps between different profiles could affect business outcomes. A facilitator who has web access can instantly display fresh comparisons with other countries and probe their implications with participants.

• Web-based exercises: One way to build skills while saving time formerly spent conveying background information to participants is to ask the trainees to prepare using online resources. For example, if a skill-building goal is to adapt marketing presentations to better fit the expectations of overseas customers, we send small groups of participants into the GlobeSmart web tool to locate information on how to modify their presentations for China or for France. For bonus points, they are asked to incorporate key language phrases  soon you hear sounds such as "Ni hao ma" and "Enchanté de faire votre connaissance" emanating from those formerly troublesome laptops.

• The conference call with Country X: Rather than fight those cell phones all day, we counter by dialing into the training room ourselves. A co-trainer who is prepared to take the role of a colleague from another country calls promptly at a pre-appointed hour, and training participants are put into a role-play situation designed to demonstrate best practices in virtual communication. These practices are simultaneously displayed for trainees in the form of web-based guidelines that can be readily accessed, upgraded, and shared with colleagues.

Such exercises during the program serve the dual purpose of helping participants to learn in an active, enjoyable way while also introducing resources that will continue to be available to them long after the training. In other words, we are trying to teach them how to fish  virtually.

After the Program

Employees who have completed a face-to-face training event receive follow-up communications with several objectives:

• Reinforcement of individual learning: The first step is a thank you note to training participants with a link back to the web tool and a reminder of the resources that are still available to them. They are also encouraged to set up a personalization function in the web tool that will continue to send them information on a regular basis about countries or topics of interest, local holidays, and so on  this is designed as a further means to stimulate ongoing learning.

• Building a learning community: In the interest of building cross-border learning relationships, former trainees can "Invite a Colleague" to compare cultural self-assessment profiles and thereby contribute to a viral spread of spontaneous learning. We also ask them to add comments based on their own experience to the generic web-based resource, and to contribute proprietary information for a company-specific section within the tool that they feel will be of use to others in their own organization.

• Additional learning options: An employee who has completed a training program can go back to the broader menu of learning opportunities outlined above that range from web-based reference tools to face-to-face learning. Expert advice could be of use, for example, to someone who is about to begin a new global project in an unfamiliar location.  Online modules or webcasts should be continuously available to provide a refresher course or chances to explore new subjects.

Conclusion

The astonishing spread of communications technologies is likely to become an obstacle to face-to-face learning if the facilitator resists their introduction into the training room. By embracing blended model approaches to learning, however, we can leverage the real strengths of these technologies to enhance and improve the learning experience. There will always be a place for approaches to learning that are enjoyable, personal, and effective if we are flexible enough to invent them.