In a world of virtual learning there will still be a place for bricks and mortar, asks Ray Wild
People Management, 24 Dec 1998
Ray Wild's article ("As a matter of course") explains how the Internet, digital television and other technological changes will bring business education into the home and the office.
But if you can do all this, why go to college, university or business school? The answer is that you will probably go occasionally simply to retain your sanity.
Because of the impact of mobile telephones and e-mail, there is no longer a clear distinction between your working time and other time.
Education is no longer confined to time spent primarily at an educational establishment. It is all being mixed together. This puts obvious pressures on you and your family. These opportunities can quickly become threats, and one of the things that we will soon need to learn is how to cope. Technophobes will resist. Technofans will indulge.
Busy managers will need to learn how to balance and adjust, as they cope with increasing workloads that cannot be kept apart from other activities. They will learn to take advantage of just-in-time and individually tailored learning.
For them it will be one way of dealing with the problem of needing to know more but having less time for learning. It will also be important for them to learn how to put aside some time to secure the experiences that can be gained only by going somewhere to participate in something. In this way, some aspects of education will be like live theatre or music; they will remain valuable, distinctive and, probably, shared experiences.
Measured response By dramatically reducing the time and money spent on managing human capital, the latest HR software systems are freeing up more time for strategic thinking
