TRAKS Model: A Strategic Framework for IT Training in Hierarchical Organizations

Abstract

Introduction of new information technology (IT) in organizations is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for organizational success. The effective adoption and use of IT by organizations is dependent to a large measure on the strategic planning for using the technology, including long-term planning for training the organizational members. Despite the strategic nature of technology training in organizations, most existing studies on technology training address only the operational issues e.g. training needs assessment, learning, delivery methods, etc. The strategic concerns of IT training for enhancing business productivity are largely not addressed by the current literature. To address this gap, we explore the strategic role of IT training in hierarchical organizations. We synthesize various ideas in the literature on change management, training needs analysis and IT adoption to evolve a ‘strategic IT training framework’ for hierarchical organizations, namely the TRAKS model. The proposed framework recognizes the differences in IT training requirements for different levels of employees. Further, the model suggests tracking training requirements based on attitudes, knowledge, and skills for different segments of employees and planning training accordingly. The study provides an actionable and comprehensive tool, which can be used for systematically planning IT training for enhancing productivity of organizations.