Using Big Data to Improve Employee Training

by Natalie Smith, Guest Contributor
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In order for your business to succeed, you need to utilize usable data – raw data won’t do the trick until you give it structure and analyze it. Enter Big Data. You probably know how Big Data has already changed the business landscape by giving business owners and managers the support they need for quickly making good decisions. In fact, a study published by IDG in 2015 showed that 80 percent of enterprises and almost two-thirds of SMB’s have engaged in Big Data operations. So what else can Big Data do for your organization? ⤺ Tweet This!

Now, Big Data can also be used as a vital tool in the effort to give appropriate training to teams and individuals in the corporate environment. As companies rush to incorporate Big Data into their business, experts have begun realizing that data gathered from learners can help corporations increase the effectiveness of their employee development programs. Read on and find more about Big Data in the context of employee training.

IDENTIFYING NEEDS

You might not know the training needs of each employee who works for your company. Even if you spend a lot of time interviewing your staff, you will still have difficulty identifying what training methods and objectives will best support your corporate mission. Big Data helps businesses discover the educational and training needs of departments and teams as well as the individual needs of employees. 

Data collected by learners will help you understand what knowledge, skills and other capabilities your team lacks so that you can target your training and development effort. Available information can also help you understand the delivery methods that will work best for each topic and employee to help you create personalized, targeted training programs. Is it an online course, a physical classroom or 3-D virtual training? Let Big Data tell you.

CONSTANTLY IMPROVING

Real-time information gathered from learners gives you a chance to continually improve your training and development program. Data showing how people interact with courses guides the delivery of training and the selection of material so that you can get the best possible return on your investment in workforce education. Thanks to Big Data, you don’t have to wait for the end of a training program to evaluate its effectiveness. 

Data gathered in real time gives your trainers the ability to change their tactics and topics as needed, eliminating wasted time, effort and expense. You also get the tools you need to stay on the cutting edge of training tactics as they evolve, without having to wait for the publication of research studies that can delay your responsiveness by months or years. 

INDIVIDUALIZED APPROACH

Big Data analytics give you and your Human Resources professionals the ability to evaluate your employees and provide them with the training methods that best fit them. It also gives you a chance to utilize efficient educational technologies and apply them individually. By continually tracking the results of your training efforts, you can adjust your strategy to meet the individual needs of each of your workers, rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach. 

The ability to track individual progress through educational programs means that you can identify struggling employees and take prompt remedial action. As a result, your company will get extraordinary returns on your training investment and become more competitive on the global stage. 

EXPECTATIONS FOR THE FUTURE

You can prepare for the future by accessing Big Data and analytics to identify potential threats to your business. In order words, Big Data will strengthen your company by helping you identify and prepare for future trends. In terms of corporate training, when you know the future trends, you can adjust your training programs accordingly and keep your workforce competitive.

Big Data will also support your efforts to develop a sustainable and socially responsible business. For example, Big Data can help you design flexible training programs and work schedules that reduce commuting and business travel and other overhead expenses while giving your firm the green credentials it needs to attract quality customers. 
  
FINAL THOUGHTS
 
To improve employee training in your company, consider embracing Big Data. When you gather and analyze such data, you are more able to choose the best training methods and technologies for your firm. If your Human Resources department learns to depend on Big Data, you’ll have personalized strategies that will equip every employee for top performance, so they can fully contribute to the goals of your organization. 

Now that you know that Big Data analytics gives you the keys to better employee training, put it to work in your business. The efficient, sustainable team you build with Big Data will make your company more profitable than you ever thought possible. 

​Natalie Smith, a Seattle-based copywriter, enjoys writing about themes related to online marketing, customer service and the business world in general. You can reach her @Natalie Smith.

IMAGE CREDIT: KAMIPHUC

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