Continuous improvement deployments are as unique and varied as the people who work in them. Some organizations work with a great deal of support for their efforts; others need to launch in small ways and slowly advertise the benefits to gain a positive profile with leadership.
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In these difficult economic times, an increasing number of large and small organizations have turned to Blended Learning as a way to continue to execute a high-quality program without sacrificing time and money. A Blended Learning design is an affordable way to improve the effectiveness, flexibility, and success rate of your internal training program.
The Truth about Blended Learning
At MoreSteam, we define blended training as: a Lean Six Sigma training model that integrates multiple delivery modes and learning activities – generally a mix of e-Learning, classroom exercises, coaching and job-like applications - to reach a globally and educationally diverse employee audience.
Because the concept of Blended Learning is fairly new and involves online technologies, many leaders and training directors are uncertain as to whether a blended training model is one to consider for their deployment. The table below offers a side-by-side comparison of what Blended Learning is and what it is not.
Less expensive, more flexible, and more effective |
A second-best approach to training |
A thoughtfully designed integration of live and online materials and methods |
e-Learning + Classroom activities combined without a plan |
Designed to have periodic scheduled meetings with coaches and mentors |
e-Learning without any interaction with an instructor/mentor/coach |
Rooted in best practices as identified in adult-learning theory |
Posting static PowerPoint slides online and calling it “online training” |
Designed to be delivered JIT and in harmony with work schedule |
Something which can be accomplished without a time commitment |
Much more scalable, allowing redirection of MBB resources |
A panacea. Robust project selection and senior management are still imperative |
For students of all ages and levels of technical savvy |
Only for those born after 1980 |
Highly interactive practice exercises and activities |
Limited to classroom learning only |
Rich with opportunities for team members and leadership to manage project work flow and receive information on-demand |
Passive |
Blended programs can have very different mixes of learning components. Learn more about the most common training components being used in successful Lean Six Sigma Blended Learning deployments.
The Benefits of Blended Learning
Several recent studies have shown that Lean Six Sigma Blended Learning is more efficient and effective than traditional live, instructor-led training classes, and universities and companies continue to publish articles and papers in support of these results. The table below lists just some of the benefits that deployments receive when investing in a Blended Learning model.
Cost Savings |
By minimizing expensive face-to-face instruction and travel, as well as eliminating of the direct costs of printing and shipping training materials, the blended model usually offers a cost advantage of at least 50%, sometimes much more.
Other cost benefits that are present but harder to quantify include: reduction of administrative overhead for scheduling classes, and the benefit of on-demand e-Learning reference resources. |
Better Prepared Graduates |
A mix of defined exercises, hands-on simulated process improvement, and case studies are used to meet the learning objectives in a dynamic and interactive fashion.
Up to 60% of students' time is spent in practice, with classrooms used for hands-on workshops rather than lectures. Graduates of training models that emphasize practice are better prepared to complete projects, and this accelerates the rate of project completion. |
More Flexibility
for Students |
The e-Learning component features a lot size of one, so participants can start at any time with no lead time. The online portion of the model is self-paced, which results in a faster path to self-sufficiency for training graduates. Students can also focus on the areas of knowledge that are most difficult and replay those lessons as often as needed. |
More Flexibility
for
Instructors |
Instructors benefit because less of their time is spent in the classroom, so more time is allocated to project completion and coaching. When coaching is emphasized over live lectures, instructors can dedicate more time and interaction to struggling students, without adversely affecting the best students. Master Black Belts can dedicate more time to what they do best: coaching Belts and completing projects. View our recorded Webcast on "Intrusive Coaching" to learn more. |
More Flexibility
for Organizations |
Organizations can easily integrate on-demand blended training with the day-to-day needs of the business. As a result, students are not obligated to miss one week of work every month during the training wave. |
Training Consistency |
Not all Master Black Belts and Black Belts are equally good instructors. A Blended Learning model that uses e-Learning in place of live lectures eliminates instructor variability. This means a more consistent and higher level of qualification of training graduates. |
Training Aligned
with Projects |
With Blended Learning, organizations can align their training objectives with strategic objectives. Using integrated project tracking and management tools like MoreSteam's TRACtion, deployments can more tightly link training materials and progress with specific projects. Students can learn new tools in each Phase when they need them rather than at an unrelated time when the tools are not relevant. |
Blended Learning is LEAN Learning
Why do organizations gain so many benefits after adopting a Blended Learning model? Because that model is essentially a Lean Six Sigma approach to Lean Six Sigma. Blended Learning removes much of the waste found in the traditional instructor-led classroom training model, yielding higher effectiveness at lower risk, and a dramatically lower cost structure.
 By incorporating the best of online technologies (e-Learning, simulations) and
the best of live interactions (coaching, study halls), organizations cut away the inefficiencies of the old lecture-based training model and emphasize winning strategies: Just-in-Time training, self-paced learning, an emphasis on practice, and an alignment with projects. Only with those types of experiences can freshly graduated Belts truly achieve the level of competence and confidence required to quickly complete critical projects.
Blended learning has become the best-in-class approach to Lean Six Sigma training and should be strongly considered by any organization contemplating a Lean Six Sigma deployment, or a redesign of the existing training model. By using a combination of online training, live exercises and coaching and support opportunities, students are rewarded with more engaging and flexible ways to learn. Deployments gain a more efficient, resilient and standardized method for educating their global professional work force over the long term.
 Over the past few years, MoreSteam.com has worked closely with Lean Six Sigma deployments to provide organizations with the online and classroom tools they need to move from a traditional instructor-led training model
to a blended model. Learn more from our Blended Learning Playbook about how we support Blended Learning and why you should consider taking advantage of the benefits of Blended Learning.
Blended Learning is also Green Learning! By eliminating waste in materials, movement, and energy consumption, you can also reduce your company's environmental impact. Estimate the environmental cost of your current training using MoreSteam.com's Carbon Load Calculator - you may be shocked by the results.
For more examples and ideas on how you can implement a Blended Learning program, visit our online resources page or learn more about MoreSteam.com's Blended Learning Playbook.
The Blended Learning Playbook by MoreSteam.com is the first and only practical guide dealing with the design and implementation of a Blended Learning model for Lean Six Sigma training.
Drawing on our expertise and the experiences of our customers, MoreSteam has compiled this Playbook as a means to help interested deployments to understand what Blended Learning is and as a single source for answers to these questions:
- Why does my organization need to adopt a Blended Learning model for Lean Six Sigma training?
- How can my organization design the most appropriate and effective Blended Learning model to meet our requirements?
Learn more about The Blended Learning Playbook and download a free, abridged version.
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