The following article was published in Training Technology & Human Resources [Sept/Oct 2002].

Opportunities and benefits of an e-surround

This document has been produced following conversations with a number of strategic partners, clients and prospective clients, where the potential for an e-surround is becoming an increasingly attractive option.

The purpose of this document is to outline some of the features, benefits and approaches that constitute an e-surround and to provide the reader with an insight in to how this technology could be best used within their organisation.

The term e-learning is used throughout this document to describe training interventions delivered via electronic means. It therefore covers web, intranet, CD and other electronic media.

In an ever faster, tougher and increasingly cost-conscious business world, organisations are facing constant challenges in balancing their operating costs with the needs of the business. One of the areas of greatest challenges is training and development, where organisations realise and understand the value of excellent staff development, yet wish to increase the flexibility of training provision whilst at the same time containing or reducing costs in the face of tough market conditions.

The balance has always been difficult, but is getting tougher; we are constantly seeing organisations juggle with some of the following issues:

• how do we maintain quality and competitiveness, whilst operating costs are under immense scrutiny?
• how do we grow quickly, yet continue to provide training and development when our real focus lies elsewhere?
• How do we rapidly re-skill the workforce without reducing the operating capability of the business?

One answer to the above questions is to implement an e-surround.

The remainder of this paper outlines the opportunities and benefits that organisations might enjoy following the adoption of an e-surround.

Much has been written in recent years about the benefits of e-learning, and whilst the medium undoubtedly offers distinct advantages where learning and educational interventions are directly transferable to the web, many programmes run by organisations require face-to-face interventions which cannot be wholly replaced by e-learning. For such organisations there is still a need to maintain operational flexibility whilst containing or reduce logistical costs. For these reasons, a hybrid approach is desirable, whereby an element of e-learning forms part, but not all of the overall intervention resulting in effective learning at reduced cost and increased flexibility. We are calling this an e-surround.

An e-surround is an approach and methodology whereby core face-to-face interventions are supported by electronic means. There are four types of e-surround:

• pre
• post
• dual
• encompassing

Pre e-surrounds are those used prior to any face-to-face intervention or event. They may often be time bound, i.e. they need to be used four weeks before the event and they provide advanced information and tools allowing participants to gain a common understanding of core information prior to the forthcoming event.

Post e-surrounds provide information, feedback or tools after the event. Using an e-surround in this manner allows the learning and application of the course or event to continue long after the event has finished. Examples may include reference access to the course materials, access to tools for use in the workplace, access to course delegates for continued discussion and access to e-coaches for one-to-one development.

Dual e-surrounds are those which provide information both pre and post event on the basis as described above. By their nature, they are more highly integrated into the face-to-face element of a programme.

Encompassing e-surrounds are those which provide support throughout the intervention, no matter what length this may be. This includes pre and post e-surround as well as provision of supporting mechanisms during the programme itself. Examples of encompassing e-surrounds can be found with executive development programmes and flexible MBAs. There is no better way of explaining the real nature of an e-surround than through an example. The one chosen in this case is how an e-surround would add real value to a corporate leadership programme.

Let us assume that the organisation has say 500 staff who need to attend a leadership development programme. The traditional method of approaching this would be to commission the research, engage the consultants, write the course, deliver it at a range of locations from dark rooms to grand hotels and hope that some of it gets transferred back into the workplace.
Participants on such courses are often ill informed prior to the course, lack understanding of the subject area and possess no real views on the applicability of the material. They may not even [as is often the case] know the other participants with whom we expect then to immediately open up and share their innermost secrets! Such is the nature of the traditional training course. On completion of the course, they will often complete action plans which sit at the front of the course file which then acts as a relatively expensive bookend back at the office. Relationships formed within the short space of the course are rarely continued and as is often the case, the course finishes just as the participants were interacting at a level to facilitate real learning and behavioural change.

Taking the same example and utilising an e-surround we see a very different story. Each participant is able, prior to attending the course, to register with the course e-surround. This is the same e-surround which is used for all corporate programmes so they are familiar with the design, interactions and tools. Their registration details allow them access to the relevant parts of the course material, in this case the pre-course work. Here they are asked to consider a number of well-known leaders including Shackleton, Churchill, Sun Tzu, Attila the Hun, Ron Dennis, Ricardo Semler and others and discover how a selection of these people approach leadership. They are also asked to complete an online pre-course questionnaire which examines their leadership styles. They also have access to the details of the other participants on the course and are encouraged to exchange information and say 'hello'.

By the time these participants arrive on the course, some fundamental changes have taken place. They have an understanding of some of the different styles of management [even thought they don't yet know what hey are called]. They have met several of the other participants online and are therefore more willing to share information. They have a leadership language [even though they may not realise it] and the course tutor has details of their leadership questionnaire so they have advance information about the needs of the group.

The course leader therefore spends less time introducing participants to each other and filling in forms and more time helping them understand the effects of excellent leadership and the role they have to play. After the course [which has been compressed by a day] they are able to stay in touch with each other via the e-surround and exchange thoughts and ideas about implementing the learning in the workplace. They also have access to the course tutor via the e-surround and can therefore ask the 'what do I do in this situation?' question at a time when they really need an answer. The course tutor is able to support all participants in this manner adding real value to the use of external resources.

Three months after the course, the participants are asked to take an online poll to see if they feel they are better leaders. An overwhelming 96% believe they are. The course is a success, the investment in training has been transferred to the workplace and the participants have gained more from the programme than would normally be the case. Oh, and the organisation has saved on a nights hotel accommodation for each participant and gained an extra day back in the workplace!

This example is not meant to be fictitious; it is there to serve as an indication of the benefits that can be derived from adding appropriate support and information mechanisms to well-designed face-to-face interventions.

Adopting e-surrounds can bring a number of benefits outside of the cost reduction agenda. These are:

• ability to build common understanding prior to an event or intervention
• rapid and cost-effective dissemination of core information
• enables the provision of directed activities, tasks, checklists etc.
• provides a framework for the development of tools, email support etc.
• provides a common space for interchange of ideas between participants
• provides ongoing and readily accessible support for participants, wherever they may be

Whilst not intended as a technical document, it is worth outlining some of the technical elements that comprise an e-surround.

The e-surround essentially consists of three key components. These are:

• core functionality
• functional modules
• database

to explain these in more detail:

core functionality: is the elements of the e-surround that must always be in place. This is the 'engine' of the whole system and drives information to and from the various modules. It tracks users, allows or denies them access to areas or modules and records their activity. On its own it is little use unless combined with one or more modules

functional modules: are the 'building blocks' of the e-surround. They provide the functionality for things such as forums, polls, chat, news articles and so on. They should be thought of as 'Lego bricks', independent of one another, yet able to readily connect to form something new. These modules can be tailored at an exceptionally detailed level to provide precise functionality of required.

database: this is the component which holds all the data and content of the e-surround. Its design allows information to be input once and used many times, in addition to enabling data to relate to each other. There are a variety of industry standard databases which can be used depending on the needs of the organisation

The e-surround can be placed on an intranet, internet or extranet server as appropriate. It can be accessed via any one of the readily available web browsers and does not, in its native form, require any additional plugins to operate.

Whilst an e-surround as its name implies utilises technology as a delivery medium, the fundamental core is based upon the well-proven online community model. The core elements of an e-surround are:

• defined purpose
• flexible and extensible gathering places
• a range of roles
• strong leadership programme
• appropriate etiquette
• promoting events
• integrating rituals of community life
• facilitated member sub-groups

In addition, well developed e-surround s [often referred to as 'learning communities'] also exhibit the following features:

• knowledge updates
• research bulletins
• access to 'thought leaders'
• toolkits
• resource centres
• content creation by users
• networking across industries, cultures, continents and so on

Ideally, an e-surround should be comprised of a number of modules, each of which provides access to discrete and value adding functionality. The requirement for this functionality will change from organisation to organisation and therefore a well constructed e-surround should enable these modules to be rapidly and cost-effectively applied as appropriate.

Whilst not an exhaustive list, we are able to offer the following modules which can be rapidly added to the core e-surround as desired. Each are designed to work with one other to provide a smooth and integrated user experience. The modules available are:

• PDA [personal Digital Assistant] viewing of news items
• downloadable content files e.g. PDFs, zip, exe etc.
• Frequently Asked Questions - FAQ
• viewing of the sites members
• news articles and reviews
• comprehensive search systems
• statistics - covering most aspects of the site
• web links management, keeping track of popular links, easy management of broken links etc.
• poll / survey system
• messaging system - private messages between users of the site
• discussion forums - several types and styles exist
• calendars - to help track and promote events
• document collaboration system - allowing for full version histories
• site feedback form - get in touch
• external search engine integration
• news feeds- allows news, weather, etc., delivered to your e-surround

Clearly the costs of an e-surround must be balanced by the savings that can be made. There is little point in even trying to 'sell' this concept unless these models are understood. The simplest manner to demonstrate costs is by comparing the costs of a traditional programme pre and post e-surround.

Based on average cost metrics, a five day residential course with an external tutor, accommodation and travel expenses could cost in the region of £12,000 for 12 delegates. If this course was required for 120 delegates then the overall cost would be in the region of £120,000. It is estimated that by utilising an e-surround, it would be possible to reduce the five day programmes to a three day programme immediately saving 40%, or £48,000 of the programme cost whilst still maintaining the integrity of the learning.

Put another way; by implementing the above example, it is possible to pay for the design, implementation and commissioning of an e-surround and still have some money to spare from the savings made in this example alone. As an e-surround has the ability to support all courses across an organisation, the potential for cost saving without a reduction in learning outcomes is immense.

Technology is never a panacea; nor should it ever be seen as such. A well positioned e-surround however, can add substantial value and flexibility to the organisation it is serving.

We will increasingly see the use of technology to support and enable excellence in learning and the tools provided by e-surround s will be at the heart of this transition. Organisations who are early adopters of this approach will reap benefits far in excess of their incurred costs. In all, e-surrounds have the real ability to act as a focal point and enabler for organisational learning and transformation.

Organisations do not have to wait for this technology to be developed; it is here now, ready and able to provide benefit and support.