Thursday 31 October 2013

Redifining Workplace Learning in the 21st Century

What will workplace learning look like in the 21st Century? The advances in technology and the expectations of learning are changing the way learning will be delivered with an emphasis on social collaboration, decentralized peer-to-peer learning and team-based activities. Jenny Dearborn has written an interesting article in Forbes on this very topic http://tinyurl.com/kal5azg.

How will this impact the learning & development profession and how our value on the organization is measured, as Dearborn says "Companies won’t care how their employees acquire knowledge or obtain a certain skill or ability, but only that they can prove their expertise." Will this move us away from the traditional ways of evaluating learning in organizations? Time will tell.

Friday 18 October 2013

Women Rising: The Unseen Barriers

"Even when CEOs make gender diversity a priority—by setting aspirational goals for the proportion of women in leadership roles, insisting on diverse slates of candidates for senior positions, and developing mentoring and training programs—they are often frustrated by a lack of results. That’s because they haven’t addressed the fundamental identity shift involved in coming to see oneself, and to be seen by others, as a leader.

Research shows, the authors write, that the subtle “second generation” gender bias still present in organizations and in society disrupts the learning cycle at the heart of becoming a leader. Women must establish credibility in a culture that is deeply conflicted about whether, when, and how they should exercise authority."

Authors Herminia Ibarra, Robin Ely, and Deborah Kolb http://hbr.org/2013/09/women-rising-the-unseen-barriers/ar/1 outline the case that organizations should take three steps to promote gender diversity: educate women and men about second-generation gender bias, create safe "identity workspaces" for women, and encourage women to define their development in relation to leadership purpose rather than gender stereotypes. This topic is one of increasing importance in the 21st Century workplace and the authors have added thoughtful insight to the debate.

Friday 11 October 2013

Bring your own device policies help improve ROI in training

The increase in "Bring your own device" policies are helping improve ROI in training, particularly IT skills where the opportunity for hands on tasks allows the opportunity to utilize and retain new skills. David Day in his article http://bit.ly/17PDRYX explains how these mobile strategies are providing a cost effective solution to organizations seeking to bridge the skills gap.

Thursday 10 October 2013

Do What I Do - When Leaders Mean It

"Do what I say, not what I do" a boss might say, I know I've had it said to me directly and indirectly on more than one occasion during my career. However a leader says "Do what I do" and leads by example, providing a role model for others to follow.

In his article "When Leaders Mean It" http://bit.ly/1gkX2yf Stephen Paskoff gives the example of a senior leadership team of educators who are passionately committed to their institution and its mission. Their goal is to build an inclusive, welcoming culture that engages people of all backgrounds and differences. To help achieve this goal they have started by focusing on themselves considering their own approach and communication skills, rather than start by simply asking others to change how they behave, they are leading by example.

Remember be a leader, not simply a boss.

Wednesday 9 October 2013

Work Hard, Nap Hard

Si Robertson one of the stars of A&E's hit TV show Duck Dynasty is famous or should that be infamous for his habit of taking naps at work, much to the dismay of his co-workers. However, studies carried out have shown that a nap during the working day can improve cognitive function, creative thinking, and memory performance. In fact there is research that suggests that as humans we are designed to have two sleeps a day. Perhaps Uncle Si is onto something! To read Beth Belle Cooper's article click here http://bit.ly/1e9vMAM