Improving IT training at Norwegian companies

Anne-Lise Aakervik

For many, computers and IT systems have become a part of everyday life. Therefore, it is important to be able to cope with the tool you are working with. Inadequate training, poorly adjusted systems and limited access to help generate stress and reduce effectiveness.

Linn Anette Solberg of SINTEF Telecom and Informatics has investigated how IT should be introduced into a company so that employees can handle the changes as well as possible. Five Norwegian companies have participated in the investigation.

Technostress

"The most sensational aspect of the investigation is that Norwegian IT systems have lower usability than their European equivalents," says Solberg. "Usability means that the system is easy to learn, easy to remember how to use, and reliable. Even more important, usable means the user likes the system and finds it an effective tool.

"Our research showed that a low level of usability led to increased technostress in the user," she says. "Many employees felt more monitored and controlled, and had received more unnecessary additional tasks in connection with the IT changes. Poor quality systems also led to reduced effectiveness because, among other things, the system stopped or was difficult to learn."

Another sensational result of the investigation is that IT changes do not always lead to improvements for the users. The fact that employees must go through extensive readjustment processes without some tangible benefits in their work situations can lead to resistance to later IT changes at the company.

In addition, a staggering six of 10 participants were dissatisfied with the training they received. In particular, lack of individual training and user support caused the dissatisfaction. Half of the participants also said that they were dissatisfied with the help they received from their colleagues.

According to Solberg, "Many say that they seek help from colleagues for IT-related problems, but with the increased time pressure it seems that fewer friends have time to help. This can be improved if management acknowledges that helping each other is part of the job."

User participation

A central concept in Solbergs's research is user participation. Employees who are not involved in the development and implementation of a new system often have the feeling that the changes are forced upon them.

"Generally, employees will handle changes in IT much better if they are involved in the upgrading process from an early stage," says Solberg, adding that all user groups should also get an opportunity to offer advice and opinions about the changes. "Only then it is possible to chart the type of training and user support that is needed and which system should be chosen to best fit employees' needs and tasks.

"It may also be necessary to customise a lot more than is the case today, like separating the staff according to their needs, knowledge and experience."

Solberg's investigation showed that when employees found that the quality of training was good, there was less general stress and fewer negative consequences. Nevertheless, the investigation also established that better organised training can not compensate for poor IT systems.

The consequences of age

Older people seemed to handle IT changes with greater difficulty than younger people. They tend to become stressed more easily and experience fewer positive results. They also reacted more impatiently to poor quality training or systems.

"There can be different reasons for this result," says Solberg. "One possibility is that the training is designed for younger users and that the system itself is made for a specific age group. Another important factor is whether or not you have grown up with IT."

Contact at SINTEF: Linn Anette Solberg
Tel.: +47 22 06 76 70
E-mail: Linn.A.Solberg@informatics.sintef.no