Innovative Training Technologies As An Element Of Corporate Personnel Development

Classification of forms of education by degree of innovation

In our opinion, in the context of the development of the digital economy, it is necessary to highlight the forms of training according to the degree of innovation. In theory and practice, they usually distinguish between traditional (passive) and modern (active) teaching methods, while modern and innovative forms in the works of Russian researchers are synonymous. In our opinion, modern and innovative teaching methods should be distinguished. Innovative ones include those that have a certain novelty or uniqueness in the practice of application, or it can be improved training procedures that differ significantly from previous methods and have not received wide distribution. In other words, we can say that the technologies in staff training have advanced enough to define new methods and tools for transferring knowledge and building competencies by the criterion of involvement in digital technologies.

So, if modern teaching methods mean the interaction of training participants with the teacher and with each other in order to develop professional competencies (skills), then innovative methods involve the use of digital technologies as a learning intermediary for the formation of both new knowledge and skills. From this point of view, modern and innovative forms of training relate to different selection criteria. Thus, according to the degree of involvement in digital technologies, we can distinguish between traditional (including both passive and active teaching methods in the classroom and at the workplace) and innovative, involving the interaction of training participants through the use of computer technologies and intelligent information systems.

Comparative analysis of traditional and innovative methods of staff training

In Russian and foreign practice today, a huge variety of active and passive teaching methods are used, each of which has its own application features, advantages and disadvantages that must be taken into account when planning the budget for training costs and the organization of the training process as a whole. Table 01 presents a comparative analysis of the most common traditional and innovative methods of training employees according to individual criteria. It should be noted that as part of the study and systematization of the variety of training technologies existing in practice, we analyzed each of the presented in Table 01 methods; their advantages and disadvantages are determined; studied the practice of using the analyzed methods by Russian and foreign companies.

Meanwhile, despite the existing variety of active and passive training methods, many companies, with the goal of continuing training of their employees, are searching for new technologies that can increase the efficiency of the process of mastering knowledge, cover the maximum number of employees and at the same time reduce financial costs. This has become possible with the development of the digital economy. According to the Training Magazine portal, companies save about 50-70% of the training budget by replacing full-time forms with remote ones.

Characterization of types of innovative training, their advantages compared to traditional methods

In the context of digitalization, it is proposed to distinguish two main types of innovative learning: e-learning (online learning) and distance learning. Despite the fact that some researchers consider these concepts synonymous, they should be distinguished by the criterion of the subject of action.

E-learning (e-learning) is the use of new multimedia and Internet technologies to improve the quality of education through access to educational resources. A distinctive feature of e-learning is the obligatory mediation of interactive electronic means of working with information, while interaction with another person (even indirect) in e-learning is not necessary, but may be present. That is, there is both a subject-object interaction and an interaction between subjects. Online learning is not formalized, its main method is self-education, i.e. an attempt to independently fill in the gaps in knowledge in a convenient form.

Distance learning is a way to implement the learning process, based on the use of modern information and telecommunication technologies that allow learning from a distance without direct personal contact between the teacher and the students. A distinctive feature of this training is that the interaction of participants is carried out indirectly, through a program that sets the algorithm for the functioning of the training system and all its participants; it is more formalized than e-learning. It should be noted that some researchers consider distance learning to be methods. In our opinion, this is a generalized concept that includes several varieties of methods (see table 01 ). As part of our research, we have identified the advantages and disadvantages of using distance learning methods.

A review of the Russian market for the development and implementation of distance learning systems revealed the main players in this area. These are the platforms Moodle, iSpring Online, Teachbase, Competentum, WebTutor, etc. Many Russian companies choose the distance learning system iSpring Online, because it provides companies with many opportunities. Among them are Russian companies such as Alfa Capital, Travelline, Paolo Conte. The Web Tutor distance learning system is also very popular and is used by holdings and large organizations with a complex organizational structure, such as PJSC «Sberbank», Magnit, Rossgostrakh, and Alfa Bank.

An assessment of the cost-effectiveness of implementing distance learning systems for some companies revealed positive trends. So, the return on investment in the distance learning system at Nestle was 28% per year, which indicates the significant effectiveness of the introduction of LMS. Other indicators also showed positive dynamics, in particular, an increase in the level of knowledge in the company amounted to 88%, moderate progress in changing behavior was observed in 49.5% of students.

Rossgostrah conducted a retrospective assessment of the effectiveness of the WebTutor distance learning system using criteria such as the impact of training on turnover; the number and frequency of horizontal and vertical movements; quantitative and qualitative indicators of the activities of trained employees and expert assessment of managers; quantitative and economic performance indicators. The examination showed that after the introduction of distance learning practice, sales grew from 15 to 25%; satisfaction of customers and target consumers with the quality of services has grown; staff turnover has decreased. After the introduction of the Teachbase system at Siberian Health, the employee engagement rate increased; staff turnover has decreased; significantly reduced the cost of mentoring and as a result, increased the number of positive reviews from external clients.

Gamification as an innovative learning method

Recently, a new distance learning tool such as gamification has been actively used in Russian HR practice. It represents the transfer of game mechanisms, principles and tools for solving real, non-game problems and problems in various fields of human activity. This method is actively used, including in employee training, motivation, development of corporate culture, development of innovation. The method is based on the game as a special type of activity.

Since serious information is difficult for trainees to perceive, various training simulations are created using various technologies (for example: business games, business quests), during which training takes place. The learner’s involvement is facilitated by the involvement of the learner, because by translating complex information into an accessible form, introducing the heroes of the game, accruing prize points, game money, etc. gamification helps to make the learning process dynamic, interesting, and most importantly, effective. The teacher gains experience, forms a personal list of achievements.

It should be noted that recently the interest of Russian employers in gamification has grown significantly, due to several factors:

- the costs associated with staff training are considered by companies as priority and most profitable investments, which necessitated the search for new technologies for effective training;

- in the personnel policy of companies, there is a shift towards attracting generation-Y employees, characterized by a deep involvement in digital technologies. One of the effective mechanisms for influencing generation Y is precisely the game;

- huge investments in employee training and development force the company management to use various techniques to keep them: using gamification, a special corporate culture of involvement in the work and affairs of the company is formed;

- improvement of digital technologies and their cost reduction allow introducing gamification elements into various projects and expanding the scope of tasks to be solved (recruitment, development of innovations) (Markeeva, 2015);

- the company's innovativeness, as a new indicator of its success, forces corporations to constantly generate new ideas, while not exerting pressure on their employees, which helps gamification. Researchers have identified an increase in loyalty, productivity and idea generation up to 50% of the implementation of gamification in companies. We must not forget that the higher the loyalty of the staff, the lower the potential personnel threat from this staff the organization has (Makhmudova, Ilyukhina, & Bogatyreva, 2019);

- psychological studies in the field of training have shown that a person remembers 90-92% of information if he independently performs actions associated with this information (Varenina, 2014).

Unfortunately, despite the factors presented, in the Russian personnel management practice the gamification method is not often used.

So, innovative teaching methods have a lot of advantages. They more flexibly “adapt” to the needs of students, contribute to the achievement of learning goals at a time convenient for the student, reduce time costs and save the budget, provide high audience coverage, bear minimal risks for the implementation of business processes. Using innovative teaching methods allows you to constantly and continuously maintain a high level of professional competence of personnel, to train them ahead of schedule, focusing on organizational changes in the external environment.