Managers are a necessary bridge between the levels and are responsible for facilitating the goals of an organization. Yet, while managers have, most likely, more experience and credentials than those below them, they still can benefit from eLearning courses. It is because of their experience, however, that managers may be resistant to engaging with additional eLearning content.

Thinking You Know All You Need

People at any level in an organization can overestimate their knowledge, especially if they aren’t at the higher levels. This phenomenon is so common it’s named—known as the Dunning-Kruger effect. While it may not seem like a big deal at first, the Dunning-Kruger effect can prevent people from learning knowledge that they might not know. This might be the case for some managers.

Managers may believe that they don’t need any more training, after all, they are managers for a reason. As such, it is vital to make their eLearning courses engaging for them. To do this the content must show respect, be relatable, focus on altruism, teach learning, and be iterative.

Show Respect

The biggest cause for people to reject learning is that it implies a lack of knowledge, this feels especially more pointed the more knowledge someone thinks they have. Showing respect to the managers’ abilities by limiting the hand-holding usually found in eLearning courses will be noticed and make them more receptive to what is being taught.

Be Relatable

Using abstract ideas has a time and place, but if the manager does not perceive it as being directly related to them, they are more likely to ignore it. By making your manager focused on practical situations they can see themselves in will not only feel more respectful for their time, but will also be more engaging.

Focus on Altruism

Managers are leaders and should be selfless like a good leader. Therefore, managers’ eLearning should have a heavy focus on leadership like how to improve it, utilize it, but most importantly—emphasizing it. By emphasizing a managers’ position as a leader, it also emphasizes the need for learning for other people’s sake.

Teaching Learning

One of the most important skills for leadership is the ability to learn about learning, or the best methods to retain new information. Managers are one of (if not the most) adaptable levels of an organization. Things are constantly updating, and managers need to convey these changes to those below them in an understandable and actionable way. Courses for managers should have a focus on developing skills like this.

Be Iterative

Much like knowing the best way to learn, managers should also have courses focused on being iterative. Iteration means constantly developing slightly better strategies until the most optimal outcome is reached. Managers need to be aware of how to identify and begin to change weak points within the organization. Even the process of eLearning should be iterative.

You Can Always Learn More

Being a manager does often entail a better understanding of how the organization functions, however, it does not mean that they know as much as they need to. Some managers may think they cannot learn much from eLearning courses—after all, the new guy does that—but those courses must be delivered in a different way with different content.

eLearning courses for managers should not be like new hire training, rather, it should treat managers as if they know most things about their job already and focus on applying skills like leadership in practical situations.

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