Smart learning adoption in employees and HRD managers

Abstract The innovation of online technologies and the rapid diffusion of smart devices are changing workplace learning environment. Smart learning, as emerging learning paradigm, enables employees' learning to take place anywhere and anytime. Workplace learning studies, however, have focused on traditional e‐learning environment, and they have failed to capture the features of new learning environment and prove its impact on the adoption. As a result, they have failed to align educational needs of employee and technology‐oriented approach of organisation. Thus, this study addresses the differentiated characteristics of smart learning and analyse how this characteristics influence its adoption. In order to suggest the way of successful adoption, this study compares adoption behaviour of employees and HRD managers, as a learner and a coordinator of learning. The results demonstrate that mobility and personalisation of smart learning is crucial for the adoption. According to comparative analysis, the adoption behaviour of smart learning also differs in employees and HRD manager. HRD manager emphasise perceived ease of use as a reason for adoption, while employees emphasise perceived usefulness. Mobility, interactivity, personalisation and collaborativeness, which are important features of smart learning, have different effects on perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness for the two groups. This analysis provides useful guidance for practice to adopt smart learning successfully.