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eLearning and Culture February 2001 Author: Rob Edmonds Contributors:  Eilif Trondsen Marcelo Hoffmann About This Report Table of Contents   Download the full report (pdf) About This Report eLearning is like no other product. Internet routers and mobile telephones work equally well in any corporate or national culture. But learning is all about communication, and communication can become muddled—or fail completely—because of cultural differences. Innovative users and vendors are benefiting from aligning eLearning with cultural expectations, and some are even using eLearning as a tool for cultural change. This report examines the impact of corporate and national cultures on the eLearning success. The report suggests strategies for handling culture in corporate eLearning programs and considers the cultural factors in identifying international eLearning opportunities. We welcome feedback about this report and the program, and we encourage you to contact us with any questions or suggestions. For more information, contact Eilif Trondsen, director, Learning-on-Demand (LoD) Program; telephone: +1 650 859 2665; fax: +1 650 859 4544; e-mail: etrondsen@sric-bi.com. We appreciate your support of our program and look forward to working closely with you as a Learning-on-Demand sponsor. Table of Contents Executive Summary 1   Working with Corporate Culture 1   Implementing eLearning in a Multicultural World 2   Identifying Opportunities in eLearning and Culture 2 Recognizing the Importance of Culture 4 Working With Corporate Culture 7   Aligning eLearning with Corporate Culture 8     Defining Corporate Culture 9     Identifying a Corporate Culture 10     Creating Alignment 13   Using eLearning as a Tool for Cultural Change 19     Becoming a Learning Organization 23     Bridging Corporate Cultures with eLearning 25   Developing an Action Agenda 29 Implementing eLearning in a Multicultural World 30   Understanding Cultural Expectations about Learning Experiences 30   Working with Multinationals: A SmartForce Perspective 38   Localizing eLearning 43   Developing an Action Agenda 48 Identifying International Opportunities: The Role of Cultural Factors 49   Adopting a Framework for Identifying Opportunities 49   Harnessing Change as a Driver for eLearning 53   Developing an Action Agenda 57 Putting the Pieces Together 58   Linking Corporate and National Cultures 58   Exploring the Likelihood of Cultural Convergence 59   Capturing Opportunities in eLearning and Culture 60   Tables Characteristics of the Culture Analyst 11 Four Types of corporate Cultures 14 Differences in Corporate Attitudes toward Managing Information and Knowledge 18 eLearning in Cultures with Different Attitudes toward Managing Information and Knowledge 19 eLearning Opportunities through Accelerated Change 54   Figures The New Scope of eLearning 6 Corporate Culture as an eLearning Constraint of Catalyst 8 Corporate Subcultures in an eLearning Project 12 eLearning Tools for Different Corporate Cultures 16 eLearning's Role in Cultural Change 20 National Cultures and eLearning Tools by Power Distance and Individualism 31 Regional Cultures and eLearning Tools by Neutrality and Specificity 34 Global eLearning Projects: A SmartForce View 39 Transware's Localization Process 45 Identification of International eLearning Opportunities 50 Interplay of National and Corporate Cultures in a Multinational eLearning Project 59 Strategic and Operational Cultures 60   Boxes Defining Culture 5 The eLearning Toolbox 7 Adapting eLearning for Cultural Differences: Pensare's Approach 13 Creating Strategic Change with Involve Learning 21 Creating and Sustaining a Learning Culture at Unipart 24 Promoting eLearning at the royal Bank of Scotland—and NatWest 26 Creating Cultures of Use with Knowledge Navigators 28 Providing eLearning for Business Leaders 33 Addressing Cultural Issues in eLearning for Asia 36 Protecting Employee Data in Germany 43 Localizing eLearning for the Royal Bank of Canada and Harvard Business School 46 Taking a Global Position: eLearning Vendors and International Expansion 52

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