Facilitator68

Kung Hei Fatt Choy

2012-01-21T14:22:00.009+08:00

迎春接福 , 歲歲平安 ; 新年快乐 , 萬事如意 ! Wishing One & All

A Happy & Healthy YEAR of the DRAGON!

"THE" HR Guru

2012-01-06T22:03:00.006+08:00

I just completed conducting a 3-day training about "aligning human resource services with business needs" where I was reminded about the work of one whom I consider as perhaps THE guru in HR.

Dave Ulrich is Professor of Business at the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan and co-founder of THE RBL Group. He is greatly sought after as a speaker, management coach and management consultant, who has been listed by HR Magazine countless times as their "most influential person in HR".

More importantly he has authored/co-authored many books that are almost mandatory reading for anyone planning a career in HR.

Some of these essential readings include:-

The Why of Work: How Great Leaders Build Abundant Organizations That Win,with Wendy Ulrich 2010

HR Transformation: Building Human Resources from the Outside In,with Justin Allen, Wayne Brockbank, Jon Younger, and Mark Nyman, 2009

HR Competencies: Mastery at the Intersection of People and Business,with Wayne Brockbank, Dani Johnson, Kurt Sandholtz, and Jon Younger, 2008

The HR Value Proposition with Wayne Brockbank, 2005

HR Scorecard: Linking People, Strategy, and Performance
with Brian Becker and Mark Huselid, 2001

Human Resource Champions: The Next Agenda for Adding Value and Delivering Results, 1997

Happy Reading!

Cheers to 2012!

2011-12-24T16:26:00.004+08:00

Wishing One & All - A Blessed Christmas

and A Very Happy 2012!

Human Capital Singapore Conference 2011

2011-06-07T10:35:00.005+08:00

I am excited to be part of the inaugural Human Capital Singapore Conference 2011 this year, along with many other noted luminaries in the HR and consulting world.

http://www.hcsconference.com/hcs/speakers.asp

Day 2 - 7July 2011: Delivering Productivity Improvements In Singapore
11.30am Communities of Practices in Practice 4 parallel sessions

CoP workshop A: Retention Facilitated by: Dr Kimbal L. Wheatley, PhD, Principal, Flexner Wheatley & Associates

CoP workshop B: Skill / Capability Development Facilitated by: Mr Wong Tuck Wah, Associate Facilitator, Human Capital Singapore

CoP workshop C: HR for Further Effectiveness Facilitated by: Mr Kenneth KL Tan, Associate Facilitator, Human Capital Singapore

CoP workshop D: Innovation Facilitated by Dr William A. Flexner, PhD, Principal, Flexner Wheatley & Associates Inc

CEO Roundtable on "Challenges in Management and Retaining Talent" Facilitated by PwC (by invitation only)

For more details, do check out http://www.hcsconference.com/hcs/index.asp

Hope to see you there!

Aspiring to HR

2011-04-07T13:26:00.011+08:00

I just completed a public training for a core module in the WSQ HR Framework ie Measuring HR Effectiveness.

Some of the participants have been in previous modules with me as they pursued their WSQ Professional Diploma in Human Resources (10 modules in all - in a combination of core and elective modules) http://app2.wda.gov.sg/wsq/contents/contents.aspx?contid=975&Pg=2

One participant stood out for me.

As part of her upskilling, interest and aspirations, she decided to take up this WSQ HR Prof Dip on her own accord (self-funded - still a sizable investment inspite of government subsidies for these programs) and in fact wanted to quit her job in Student Affairs so that she had the time to do these 10 modules progressively over the last year or so.

But her employer (to their credit), asked her to stay on and offered to let her take no-pay leave for the additional days required for classes, in an effort to retain her. And to engage her in her aspirations, has begun to transition her from her previous role into their Human Resources function.

Personal aspiration and determination, management & organisational support, the WSQ Framework and the CET eco-system, all working in tandem, to make it happen for her in her new career path in HR.

All the best SL!

Blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year!

2010-12-25T19:52:00.014+08:00

“Do more than belong: participate. Do more than care: help. Do more than believe: practice. Do more than be fair: be kind. Do more than forgive: forget. Do more than dream: work.”
William Arthur Ward (1921-1994)

William Arthur Ward was author of Fountains of Faith and is one of America's most quoted writers of inspirational maxims. He was also a dedicated scholar, editor, pastor and teacher.

Many variations have arisen from his original maxim, the one that I like and is popularly known and in circulation today is the one below :-

I will do more than belong, I will participate.
I will do more than care, I will help.
I will do more than believe, I will practice.
I will do more than be fair, I will be kind.
I will do more than forgive, I will forget.
I will do more than dream, I will work.
I will do more than teach, I will inspire.
I will do more than give, I will serve.

On this Christmas Day, as we remember the reason for the season and as we head towards the end of 2010, making plans and doing up new resolutions, I hope that you can reflect on these words, and that they may give you inspiration and encouragement, even direction - as you look forward to the coming of the New Year.

Have a Blessed Christmas and a Great 2011!

Yum!'s High Impact Coaching

2010-11-30T10:09:00.010+08:00

Many would have grabbed a bite to eat at their many restaurants dotted across 100 nations world-wide , and would have been served by one of their 840,000 people. YUM is their NYSE ticker symbol as well.

Still not sure who I am referring to? Perhaps these 5 brand names will ring a bell? KFC , Pizza Hut , Taco Bell , A&W , Long John Silver's!

I have been in training these past few weeks running many corporate as well as public runs for Implementing Performance Management. And a recurring theme is oft about how to manage "under"-performers.

A key aspect for any manager in that position would be to ascertain if it's a lack of resources, lack of skill or a lack of will. This is where coaching comes in.

In a book he co-authored with Jim Ballard and Fred Finch, Ken Blanchard, one of America's biggest bestselling authors and inspiring business leaders, writes of the key to customer service- creating a people-oriented, performance-driven, customer-first organization.

A section of Customer Mania! describes Yum's high impact coaching model called the EARS model - Explore, Analyze, Respond, and make it Stick.

The authors go on to detail how "through asking different questions", managers can "get to the core problem of what (staff are) struggling with". It's not about telling them "what's wrong" but rather to "get (them) to see it themselves".

They describe it as having an "epiphany about the real issue" and how managers "just helped them get to that point".

The authors rated Yum! 8 out of 10 for their Performance Coaching - "for doing a fabulous job when it comes to positioning and implementing a coaching philosophy as the driving force for creating a Customer Mania culture".

Once a manager can ascertain if it's a resource, skill or will issue, he/she would be better positioned to either provide support or training or more importantly, seek interventions that will appeal and engage the staff to higher performance.

Do you know if you have the right "coaching philosophy" as part of your performance management in your organisation?

Asking the Right Questions

2010-10-06T11:31:00.008+08:00

Kishore Mahbubani is a person I admire. He has a dignified demeanor, speaks eloquently and writes succinctly with insight and thoughtfulness. He is currently dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.

In the weekly column Think-Tank in today’s Straits Times, he was writing a piece about taking a “holistic approach to public policy”, citing transport as an example and to a lesser degree education, here in Singapore. He ended the piece as follows:

“Singapore has made enormous progress in the first 50 years by successfully finding the right answers to the urgent questions we faced in our early days. Over the next 50 years, we should try to find the right questions to ask before we begin trying to find the right answers.”

In his book Just Ask Leadership: Why Great Managers Always Ask the Right Questions, Gary B. Cohen makes a case for how leaders at every level can learn to ask the right questions, in the right organization context, so as to enable both individuals and organizations to thrive.

“Leadership is about allowing others the chance to flourish, and you do that by asking questions. This empowers coworkers to find solutions, embrace responsibility, and become accountable. Moreover, it opens the door to greater productivity and creativity. Indeed, more than ever before, leaders can’t know everything. By seeking others’ input, they can inspire powerful and positive change.” - Gary B. Cohen

In creating a culture of question-based leadership, he addresses five key areas:

1. Improve Vision - Getting Insights form All Levels of the Organization
2. Ensure Accountability - Increasing Team and Organization-Wide Performance
3. Build Unity and Cooperation - Creating a Culture of Trust
4. Create Better Decisions - Getting the Right Answers by Asking the Right Questions
5. Motivate to Action - Asking for Success

As a facilitator, I do not profess to be a subject matter expert in the discussions of many groups I have had the opportunity to work with – however, the better I am able to quickly ask the right questions to trigger discussion and reflection, providing a platform for participants to share in a “safe environment”, the faster the collective wisdom and relevant expertise of those present will come to the fore and the sessions will be value-adding to individuals and the organization.

“The leader of the past was a person who knew how to tell. The leader of the future will be a person who knows how to ask.” – Peter Drucker

Leaders today would do well to ask more and listen even more!

Communities of Practice (CoP)

2010-09-15T22:11:00.006+08:00

In addition to being an Associate with Human Capital (Singapore) doing HR-WSQ training, I am also a licensed-CoP facilitator with them.

What's that you ask?

HCS, the national CET centre for HR WSQ competency-based training, has received support from WDA to create 12 Communities of Practice (CoPs) across 6 industries in the Human Resources profession to pilot CoP concepts for our professional fraternities.

The evidence is clear that CoP can be an effective approach to learning, especially when it comes to practical knowledge about getting the job done. The pilot project adapts general CoP ideas to work in the professional context in Singapore to develop an additional approach to professional learning and knowledge development.

The pilot CoPs will focus on the practice of Human Capital stewardship in Singapore and those who participate, will find themselves immersed in a stew of people and ideas at the cutting edge of the profession.

One of the most interesting aspects of the pilot is the creation of a Community of Practice made up of Community of Practice facilitators. These people will define and refine the practice of CoP facilitation in Singapore.
Source: Human Capital (Singapore)

At the upcoming Singapore Human Capital Summit 2010 organised by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and the Workforce Development Agency (WDA), HCS will be conducting 2 CoPs at the Pre-Summit Workshop on 28.9.10 @ Resorts World Convention Centre, Sentosa.

http://www.singaporehcsummit.com/?PGID=CONTENT_PROGRAM_AGENDA_2010&Pre=Y#PRE

I am looking forward as part of the HCS team - to share the CoP approach with the delegates then.

See you at the Summit!

Employee Engagement

2010-08-16T11:35:00.012+08:00

I have been conducting WSQ-HR training in the areas of Performance Management, Talent Management, Recruitment & Selection and have had the opportunity to work with many corporate groups as well as heterogenous groups in public runs.

Often, whether the discussion topic is on employee performance, retention, motivation or satisfaction etc, as I facilitate the discussions further, invariably the issue of employee engagement comes to the fore. And rightly so.

"Research by Gallup and others shows that engaged employees are more productive. They are more profitable, more customer-focused, safer, and more likely to withstand temptations to leave. The best-performing companies know that an employee engagement improvement strategy linked to the achievement of corporate goals will help them win in the marketplace.

Top-performing organizations understand that employee engagement is a force that drives performance outcomes. In the best organizations, engagement is more than a human resources initiative -- it is a strategic foundation for the way they do business."
Source:Gallup

And when discussing engagement, the matter of motivation and hence motivation theory - like Hertzberg's 2-Factor Theory or Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs would also inevitably be raised.

In the book, "The Enthusiastic Employee - how companies profit by giving workers what they want", Wharton School Publishing 2005, authors David Sirota, Louis A Mischkind & Michael Irwin Meltzer look into worker enthusiasm as a factor for organizational success.

They put forth that "the overwhelming majority of people begin a new job with a sense of enthusiasm......people are naturally excited about their work and their organizations, eager to be part of a productive team of co-workers, and reasonable in how they expect to be treated".

In their studies they note that invariably, "something happens to the great masses of employees who begin work enthusiasitcally", they found "significant declines in morale in 9 out of 10 companies" after 6 months of joining. They go on to confidently say that "in fact..often...it is management that kills enthusiasm!".

They go on to "assert that there are three primary sets of goals of people at work: equity, achievement, and camraderie." What they call as their "Three Factor Theory of Human Motivation".

I found the book easy to read, the many examples provided useful and their propositions relevant.

Organizations would do well to consider doing an employee engagement assessment before embarking on new & costly company-wide performance management, reward & compensation, learning & development or talent management & development initiatives.

Teams Need "Time-Outs"

2010-07-17T21:03:00.007+08:00

It's been a whirlwind past few weeks with kids back to school, tuition and CCAs and a very busy work schedule.

So when we had a break this afternoon because my daughter did not have her regular ballet class from 4-6pm, the family decided to have a time-out so we went for a family movie to Iluma in town to catch Pixar's Toy Story 3 and then to a calorie-busting dinner at Empire State Cafe of ribs, coney dog and herb chicken.

I enjoyed this 5 hours outing tremendously. We spent some quality time catching the 3rd installment of a movie trilogy we loved, had a great time bonding over dinner and just chiilin out and hanging out together, without any other agenda, except to relax, have fun - together!

I have been busy doing many team building programs these past weeks, many teams catching the upturn to come together for some R&R, team bonding and team building.

Many have openly said at the end debrief and sharing that "these sessions were long overdue" and that they needed "more of them" to continue this climate of fostering communication and collaboration.

Cost of the training intervention - a few thousand ; cost of the venue and food & beverages - a few hundreds; improved team understanding, communication and collaboration - priceless.

Everyone - individuals, families and of course work teams all need to have regular "time-outs" to recharge and refresh themselves.

If you haven't organised anything these last 6 months for your work teams, I really suggest you do something now and just see the results you can get when you foster high performing teams.

I'll see you at your next teambuilding session!

Bite-Sized Training

2010-05-01T00:00:00.001+08:00

Recently, a few of my more "sedentary" friends have decided to climb on the running bandwagon. They have found encouragement and success via a program called 'couch to 5K' from Cool Running.

The program has been successful as it offers many starting from scratch a simple, practical but do-able program entailing about just 30min workouts for 3 times a week.

Participants would be able to run 5K within about 2 months or 9 weeks i.e. 27 sessions.

I remember first starting out on my running training and how difficult it was to sustain the momentum and sticking to a training regime week in week out. This program has proven successful even for the most die-hards of 'couch potatoes' as it offers a simple, routine program that is "bite-sized" and which builds up into a comprehensive and sustaining overall training regime.

Since early last year, I have been involved in a national training system set up by the Workforce Development Agency (WDA) of Singapore called Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ). The Minister of Manpower recently made an announcement that WSQ has now been elevated to a national credentialling system for post-secondary leavers under the Singapore Standard Educational Classification.

What WSQ offers for the workforce in Singapore are "bite-sized" competency-based training for working adults to upskill their work skills, knoweldge and qualifications over a period of time whilst remaining a productive member of the workforce.

WSQ now also offers individuals a recognised national qualification for job employment similar to that offered from ITE, polys and junior colleges. An initiative that will no doubt be a boost for the need to promote productivity and innovation in Singapore, so that we can compete "cheaper, better, faster".

Climate for Innovation

2010-04-03T22:37:00.006+08:00

Much attention has been focused on innovation and revisiting productivity since the Economic Steering Committee’s (ESC) report was released in February.

I first became aware of innovation as a discipline just at the turn of the millennium some 10 years back when I was doing work on organizational climate surveys.

Charles W Prather, Ph.D. in his article How is Your Climate for Innovation lists nine dimensions of the climate for innovation as follows:

1. Challenge (How challenged, emotionally involved and committed are employees to the work)

2. Freedom (How free is the staff to decide how to do their job?)

3. Idea time (Do employees have time to think things through before having to act?)

4. Idea support (Are there resources to give new ideas a try?)

5. Trust and Openness (Do people feel safe speaking their minds and offering different points of view?)

6. Playfulness and humor (How relaxed is the workplace-is it okay to have fun. )

7. Conflicts (To what degree do people engage in interpersonal conflict or 'warfare?")

8. Debates (To what degree do people engage in lively debates about the issues')

9. Risk-taking (Is it okay to fail?)

This was based on the pioneering work of Goran Ekvall in Sweden some 20 years ago where he was able to validate the climate for innovation as a determinant of business success. Ekvall's work has now been further refined and validated by Scott Isaksen and others at the Center for Creative studies, State University of New York-Buffalo.

So, as Singapore embarks on this journey of innovation - organizations, teams and individuals should be mindful of these dimensions as a basis for self-assessment, self-reflection and action.

IWD & The Hedgehog Concept

2010-03-07T00:01:00.001+08:00

Interesting Fact #1

March 8 is International Women’s Day (IWD).

IWD is a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future. In some places like China, Russia, Vietnam and Bulgaria, it is even a national holiday. The first IWD was run in 1911 and next year 2011 marks its Global Centenary.

Interesting Fact #2

“The Hedgehog and the Fox: An Essay on Tolstoy’s View of History” was written by the liberal philosopher Isaiah Berlin and it is perhaps one of Berlin's most popular essays. The title is a vague reference to something attributed to the ancient Greek poet Archilochus: ("The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing").

Interesting Fact #3

In his 2001 book “Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't” James C. Collins

described how companies transitioned from being just average companies to great companies and also how some others have failed to make that transition.

He goes on to describe 7 characteristics of companies that went from good to great and one of these characteristics is the Hedgehog Concept.

The Hedgehog Concept talks about a “sweet spot” in 3 overlapping circles: What are you passionate about? Ie what lights your fire? What could you be the best in the world at? What drives your economic engine ie what makes you money?

So whether you are an individual, a company or a corporation, if you can find that “sweet spot” you will find sustaining and fulfilling success.

In 2002, my wife founded Hedgehog Communications. At the time she had not previously read “The Hedgehog and the Fox” or “Good to Great”, nor heard about The Hedgehog Concept. As unsexy as it sounds, she admits to merely stumbling onto this cute little animal to represent her new communications consultancy she was setting up after a decade in both the public and private sector.

In the last 8 years, she has managed to juggle personal and family demands and also establish a thriving and if I may say a successful business. All orchestrated based at home, she truly epitomizes work-life balance.

She has been successful juggling all these challenging roles of wife, mother, blogger as well as entrepreneur/business-woman because Hedgehog Communications co-incidentally, is operating in her “sweet-spot” of the Hedgehog Concept.

My wife is an exceptionally intelligent, talented, capable and liberated woman.

I can probably say that the smartest and most valuable investment I have ever made was having the good sense to ask her to be my wife.

So ahead of IWD tomorrow, I pay tribute to her and women all the world over.

Happy International Women's Day!

LEAP

2010-02-26T21:23:00.005+08:00

I was at the Fullerton Hotel today doing a team-building program for an MNC involved in providing integrated solutions for the area of genetics and health.

Looking back at the program, the outcomes, the discussions and thoughts arising from the day's session, I could not but help think about how teams can really perform and I came up with this:

LEAP!

Leadership
Engagement
Alignment
Performance

(ha ha - let it be so documented that I came up with this on this day/date....just in case)

Leadership
Leadership is important for teams to perform. The right type of leadership provides the safe and secure environment for teams to work together, explore and create. The right leadership supports the team by providing them the necessary resources to succeed. The right type of leadership allows for failure as a stepping stone to success. The right type of leadership inspires and motivates.

Engagement
With the right leadership, the team will be energized and engaged. And we all know what a big thing engagement is with organizations when they talk about talent and performance management today. Engagement occurs when there is true buy-in to the "cause".

Alignment
When every team member is engaged, then it becomes so much easier for them to achieve consensus, overcome conflict and achieve harmony, gaining alignment to targets, objectives, goals, KPIs, whatever.

Performance
Finally, once the team gets it's leadership, engagement and alignment in order, what results can only be performance. And performance of the long and sustaining nature, not the short-termed malaise affecting so many organizations that rely on incentives or cohersion, preying on employee's insecurities about job security and advancement. Performance that arises from staff who believe in the vision, feel for the mission and live the values the organisation espouses.

I would dearly like to see teams today take this big LEAP forward.

Happy Lunar New Year

2010-01-31T21:56:00.005+08:00

2010 began hectic as with the start of every school and work year. But with my daughter beginning Secondary school this year, old routines had to be changed and remained fluid to accomodate the various changes to the time tables for both school, work and family.

Hence I apologise for my tardiness in updating my blog these past weeks but please bear with me just a little more ( I am seeing light at the end of the "scheduling" tunnel).

The Year of the Golden Tiger is upon us - please let me wish one and all

Gong Xi Fa Cai, Wan Shi Ru Yi!

and to the romantics out there - Happy Valentine's Day too! :)

Happy New Year

2009-12-31T10:43:00.009+08:00

2010 is not only a New Year, it will also mark the start of a new decade.
Amazing that it’s been 10 years already since the Millennium.

So I suspect this year, many individuals, even if they have not previously been the enthusiastic “New Year Resolution types”, would be hard pressed not to contemplate about life, work and family and find at least an area they would like to “do something about”.

And now, with the global economy showing signs of a recovery, however fragile naysayers say it may be, many organizations I bet are gearing up for the “upturn” – planning and setting targets & goals, managing expectations from their stakeholders.

One of the programs I facilitate is Performance Management and a common recurring theme that crops up again and again that invariably impacts the entire process, happens right at the front-end of the cycle i.e. proper or rather, the lack of proper goal setting.

So whether we are individuals looking to “do something about” their personal lives - like giving up smoking, exercising more, lose weight, learn a new skill, or a corporation - looking to regain lost market share, to improve on profitability, to improve their customer satisfaction index or reduce manufacturing wastes etc , a key success factor is ensuring the Goal-Setting is done right!

Here are some ways to give you a better shot at success:-

1)Set Realistic and Specific Goals

Trainers oft refer to this as setting SMART goals ie
Specific , Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time Frame

For example, do not set a goal to stop smoking in 4 weeks when you are doing 2 packs a day or say you are going to exercise everyday when you can count the number of days you have excercised in the last 6 months on your hands.

Be realistic – like gradually cutting down to 1.5 packs per day by Chinese New Year or I will schedule to do 1 or 2 half hour sessions a week for January.

2) Write your Goal(s) and Action Plan(s) Down

There is no better or constant reminder for you if your goal is written and visible to you on a daily basis. Not only can it act as motivation to achieve, but also a reminder to act, if you are falling behind.

3) Act – Just Do It® as Nike says!

Do not get obsessed with immediate results – just take it one step at a time, small goals at a time. More importantly, just focus on getting started and keeping the momentum going.

4) Celebrate Success & Reward Yourself

Do not forget to celebrate and reward yourself once your goal (no matter how small) is achieved. An example is to reward yourself with new sports gear after successfully doing 2 half hour sessions of exercise per week during January. Or a new watch from the savings of reducing half a pack a day of cigarettes for 6 months!

Finally, go back and set the next (realistic and specific) goal – perhaps 3 sessions per week for February and March and plan a reward of say a new pair of running/gym/tennis shoes when you achieve that.

Suddenly by Q12010, you find yourself exercising regularly – up to 3 times a week. Or you are down to 1 pack per day, then half a pack by May 2010 and then a ¼ pack by September and just 5 sticks a day by November.

So even if you did not achieve your original goal of stopping smoking in 2010 or exercising daily, the improvement would still be significant and worth celebrating. So then work on improving on 2010 in 2011 and so on.

Invariably, these “smaller” goals amount to a great step forward, even if it was not in the time-line you expected.

Not everyone, or every organization can do quantum leaps. And many fail in trying to do too much too soon.

Juggling your personal, family and work lives is not easy. But isn’t it better to ensure we finish the races we started than not even managing to complete them, even if we were leading the pack at the beginning.

As we spend some time in reflection this New Year’s Eve and as we cast our eyes towards the New Year and New Decade ahead, I wish that you will find your “success(es)” in 2010 and beyond!

I would like to also take this opportunity to thank you for joining my blog journey this past year and especially for your emails with your comments and words of encouragement - I am very appreciative of your support.

Here's Wishing You and your Loved Ones a Blessed and Wonderful holiday season!

Happy New Year !

Evaluating Training

2009-12-16T17:09:00.014+08:00

Yesterday, an associate and I delivered a team-building program to some 80+ managers, executives and the leadership team of the Singapore office of a global leader in the digital document managing technology and services industry.

On the ride back from Jewel Box @ Mt Faber to the office, we got into one of our regular philosophical discussions about learning and development and this time we gravitated to the topic of training efficacy.

The conversation reminded me about Kirkpatrick’s Levels of Learning Evaluation.

Donald Kirkpatrick is Professor Emeritus of the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the US and also a past president of the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD). He is best known for his highly influential model for training evaluation, consisting the four levels of learning evaluation that essentially measure:

1. Reaction of the participant - what they thought and felt about the training
2. Learning - the resulting increase in knowledge or capability
3. Behaviour - extent of behaviour and capability improvement and implementation/application
4. Results - the effects on the business or environment resulting from the trainee's performance

Kirkpatrick's ideas were first published in 1959, in a series of articles in the US Training and Development Journal but are best known from his book entitled, "Evaluating Training Programs", published in 1975.

Most people would be very familiar with level 1 ie the post training questionnaire. Even Level 2, with some form of assessment to test understanding or competency by way of a written, verbal or practical test is also not unusual. This could also take the form of a pre & post training evaluation by the participant (self) or the participant’s supervisor or both.

But it is levels 3 and 4 that most organizations or rather HR/L&D/OD professionals find harder to evaluate and subsequently justify for training dollar investments. For individual contributors, it might be easier, but in today’s complex and matrix organizations, where results arise from project or team collaborations, it would seem that more difficult for organizations to evaluate a particular training or even a series of interventions to the overall business results.

Hence, it is no surprise that a further addition to Kirkpatrick's model has been suggested by Jack J Phillips in the form of a fifth level - Return on Investment (ROI) level, which is essentially about comparing the results (ie fourth level of the standard model) to the overall costs of training.

Only when organizations really invest in the resources to adequately evaluate training at all the 4 or even 5 levels, the question of training efficacy and return on training investment will continue to be a blot that will not go away in the landscape of learning & development.

Teachable Moments

2009-10-09T13:55:00.006+08:00

In the educating of the young/children, you will oft hear of the term “teachable moments”.

Some have even gone a step further to say that one of the most important skills to nurture as a parent or educator, is the ability to recognize and capitalize on these teachable moments in everyday life, which can happen almost anywhere.

And many of these are important lessons pertaining to values, morals and ethics.

My wife just blogged about such a moment with our son this week arising from an episode from his badminton training session last week - about staying focused and not giving up until the game is over.

What is the relevance of this to adults, working life, corporations and businesses you ask?

In my trainings, I always endeavour to facilitate learning for my participants as I take them on a journey of discovery and awareness - whatever the topic, be it team development, conflict management or leadership.

This is done by encouraging the recounting and sharing of their own workplace experiences, as these occasions present countless teachable moments - those that arise from failures or successes, customer praises or criticisms.

The question is - Are leaders, managers and supervisors seizing on these opportunities to model the desired behaviours they want to see within the organisation?

Are they using these moments to coach and mentor to motivate high performers or help the under-achievers?

Are they leveraging on them to recognise talent as well as help develop and retain said talent?

Parents naturally want the best for their children.

Hopefully we also want the best for our staff and subordinates and by seizing on these “corporate teachable moments”, it will translate to a more engaged and motivated workforce that consistently performs and achieves the desired objectives of the organisation.

Use that “teachable moment” the next time it presents itself.

"Fitting" In

2009-09-13T21:06:00.012+08:00

I was involved in a Recruitment & Selection training program last week and in line with my focus on group facilitation, quite a lively discussion arose regarding finding someone who would fit the job and also the organisation.

Now then shouldn’t a person who is right for the job naturally be also right for the organisation you ask?

This concept of “fit” is not new and is the main crux of the hiring process i.e. finding the right person that is right for the job but also right for the organisation.

Industrial or organizational psychologists have defined “fit” in 2 distinct ways:-

Person-Job Fit (or P-J Fit).
Person-Job Fit involves what we can refer to as the “hard” aspects about a candidate’s suitability for the tasks that are required for successful performance of a specific job.

These “hard” aspects of P-J Fit include things such as a candidate’s level of knowledge (K) and level of specific skills (S) about the specific subject matter, and could also include their cognitive abilities i.e. tests for literacy, numeracy, intelligence, verbal reasoning etc.

For example in hiring a secretary, an assessment to his/her ability to do short-hand and type at more than 45 words per minute, could be a necessary requisite.

In many cases, P-J Fit also includes “softer” aspects such as the examination of an applicant’s personality traits or work preference or attitude (A) with respect to the job requirements ie tests relating to values, relational style, leadership style etc.

This is by far the easiest part of the recruitment and selection process, evidenced by the numerous assessment tools available to “test” a candidate’s suitability.

Person-Organization Fit (or P-O Fit).
For the second type of fit known as Person-Organization Fit, it would be fair to say that it is much less common for this kind of fit to be properly measured during the hiring process using a valid assessment tool.

Instead, this type of fit is typically based on anecdotal evidence and based a lot on the “gut feel” of the Hiring Manager (HM) or Human Resource (HR), usually after a face-to-face interview.

“I have a good feeling (or vibe) from this candidate”. “I’m more comfortable with that candidate”. Do these sound familiar?

But how many times have we also found out the hard way that the new recruit is just not performing to expectations, usually not from the job competency standpoint, but from the way he/she relates to the rest of their colleagues, in terms of the values that are not in synch with the organization’s, or does not seem as motivated to succeed etc.

The simplest way to look at it is that the candidate does not seem to fit the “culture” of the organization. How oft have we heard about the famed US or Korean or SME “work-cultures”?

So it is important to not only understand what our company’s organization culture is like ie is it formal vs informal, task or people-oriented, results or process-oriented, team orientation, orientation towards learning and development etc but also how well a potential candidate can ‘fit” and eventually thrive in those sorts of environments.

So, in addition to getting the “P-J” fit right, organizations would do well to spend a bit more effort and resources to get the “P-O” fit as it would yield both tangible outcomes like reduced turnover and lower costs of hiring but also in other intangible ways like a more happy, committed and productive staff.

An Interesting Read......

2009-08-26T22:46:00.006+08:00

I was doing some research recently and came across this book which I think is quite good as (which the inside cover also pitches) it "demystifies the essential concepts that any entrepreneur, manager or student of business must grasp".

It's concise, bite-sized and easy to digest and is really good for an introductory overview.

Some the 50 management ideas include:-
1) Adhocracy
2) Balanced Scorecard
4) Blue Ocean Strategy
13) Costs of Complexity
17) The 80:20 Principle
18) Empowerment
20) Experience Curve
21) The Five Forces of Competition
28) Lean Manufacturing
30) The Long Tail
43) Systems Thinking
45) Tipping Point
49) Web2.0
50) What business are you really in?

If you would like to find out more, here are the details
50 Management Ideas You Really Need to Know (Hardcover)
by Edward Russell-Walling (Author)
Publisher: Quercus Publishing Plc (3 April 2008)
ISBN-10: 1847240097
ISBN-13: 978-1847240095

Edward Russell-Walling is a writer and editor, specializing in business, finance and economic affairs. He had contributed to a wide range of publications, including The Times, New Statesman and the Financial Times, and he has edited numerous magazines.

Happy Reading!

Achieving Learning in Training

2009-06-25T16:52:00.012+08:00

I just came out of conducting a 3-day training early this week.

I was appreciative of the enthusiastic response by participants during the course, especially their effort and great work, as evidenced by their very productive and colourful flipchart outputs. And I was most gratified by the positive rating for my facilitation.

The whole event reminded me of Gagné’s “Nine Events of Instruction”.

Robert Mills Gagné (1916-2002) was an American educational psychologist best known for his "Conditions of Learning". Gagné pioneered the science of instruction during WWII for the air force's pilot training. Later he went on to develop a series of studies and works that helped codify what is now considered to be 'good instruction.' He also was involved in applying concepts of instructional theory to the design of computer based training and multimedia based learning.
Source: Wikipedia

Gagné’s most major and best known contribution to the theory of instruction was his model of "Nine Events of Instruction".

1. Gain attention
2. Inform learners of objectives
3. Stimulate recall of prior learning
4. Present the content
5. Provide "learning guidance"
6. Elicit performance (practice)
7. Provide feedback
8. Assess performance
9. Enhance retention and transfer to the job

If any trainer is able to apply these 9 events into the delivery of their program - whether it is on how to operate a stamping machine, to how to communicate better or on performance management, I am pretty certain participants will be responsive, learning would have taken place and the trainer will be “rewarded” with an appreciative rating.

What's Your Learning Profile?

2009-05-21T13:44:00.007+08:00

I was back behind the classroom desk this past week as part of an industry certification course.

I “survived” the 04 days, fortunately by the fact that the topic allowed the training to be very hands-on and participative and an enlightened trainer that decided to leverage on that. Versus just the atypical lecture and information dump so typical of many certification-type courses.

If you hadn’t already guessed by my profession and approach & methodology to facilitation and training, I am a very hands-on, participatory type of person. I seem to learn and assimilate best in those sorts of experiential training environments and I have observed that many working adults seem to be that way.

Many would be familiar with the Dunn & Dunn's VAK model, with it’s origins from Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), which asserts that for most circumstances and most people, their mental processing is dominated by three main sensory based modes:

visual (V- learning by seeing)
auditory (A - learning by hearing)
kinesthetic (K- learning by doing)

But I personally prefer Honey & Mumford’s (1982) typology of experiential learning styles.

Activitists (Do)
involve themselves fully in new experiences
enjoy the here and now
open minded, enthusiastic, flexible
act first, consider consequences later
seek to centre activity around themselves
==> Enjoy learning through games, competitive teamwork tasks and role plays.

Reflectors (Review)
prefer to step back and observe
cautious, take a back seat, can be perceived to be indecisive
likes to collect and analyze data about experience and events, slow to reach conclusions
use information from past, present and immediate observations to maintain a big picture perspective.
==> Prefer learning activities based on observation/investigation which gives leeway to ponder upon.

Theorists (Conclude)
Think through problems in a logical step-by-step manner, value rationality and objectivity
can assimilate disparate facts into coherent theories
disciplined, aiming to fit things into rational order
keen on basic assumptions, principles, theories, models and systems thinking
==> Prefers activities that explore the inter-relationship between ideas and principles.

Pragmatists (Plan)
Keen to put ideas, theories and techniques into practice
Search new ideas and experiment
Act quickly and confidently on ideas, gets straight to the point
Are impatient with endless discussion
==> Prefers learning activities that resembles direct work experience.

Knowing your learning style can accelerate your learning as you undertake activities that best fit your preferred style.

Future Now

2009-05-07T22:53:00.008+08:00

My wife was invited to SIM’s 2008 Annual Management Lecture last August to hear the keynote address by their distinguished speaker Dr James Canton.

Canton is CEO and Chairman of the Institute for Global Futures, a think tank he founded in 1990 that advises business and government on future trends. He has worked with Fortune 1000 firms like IBM, BP, Intel, Philips, General Electric, Hewlett Packard, Boeing, FedEx, and Proctor & Gamble on trends in innovation, financial services, healthcare, population, life sciences, energy, security, workforce, climate change, and globalization.

I found his book The Extreme Future: The Top Trends that will Shape the World in the Next 20 Years, to be insightful, clear and relevant.

Points raised relating to the workforce for 2009, updated from this book, makes for good reading and I have reproduced it here for sharing:-

Top Ten Workforce Trends for 2009

1. A global war for Smart Talent will be the top driver of competitive advantage, as educated, skilled and experienced employees will be in demand.

2. The aging of the population in America and Europe will have dramatic effect on society and the economy impacting productivity, knowledge and growth.

3. An increase in women in the U.S. workforce will change the policies, power and positioning of organizations. Women will alter the strategies of boardrooms, industries and markets.

4. A diversity savvy workforce will be required to understand and align with the diversity in the global marketplace. Diversity will be a critical competency for leaders and employees.

5. Finding, training and retaining high-tech skilled employees from a global talent pool will be the greatest challenge for every organization.

6. Incorporating innovation into the organizational DNA will be a key driver of future competitive advantage.

7. Building a sustainable, healthy and green workplace will be an essential capability for retaining talent and attracting the future workforce

8. Preparing employees to meet the challenges of a complex and stressful future, where accelerated change and risks can be managed effectively with high performance agility, will be vitally important.

9. An organization that is committed to employee development, continual education and training, will return to the organization new skills and new competencies.

10. Attracting the next workforce, or preparing the current one, will require a new workforce culture to better understand trans-national teams, online collaboration, globalization and business process transformation.

Source: Institute for Global Futures

James Canton, Ph.D is a senior fellow at the Centre for Research in Innovation at the Kellogg School of Management and is also an advisor to our Economic Development Board (EDB).

He is also the author of Technofutures: How Leading-Edge Innovations Will Transform Business in the 21st Century.

Save Gaia

2009-04-22T23:06:00.009+08:00

Today is Earth Day. Happy 39th Birthday!

Earth Day was founded by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in way back in 1970. That nation-wide environmental protest movement in the US was first proposed by him to thrust the environment onto the national agenda.

April 22, 1970, the inaugural Earth Day marked the beginning of the modern environmental movement. That event had approximately 20 million Americans participating, all with a goal of a healthy and sustainable environment.

Today millions all over the globe, observe Earth Day, this as the dire consequences of our continued industrialization and modernization has put the environment onto the global agenda.

What can organizations do?

Here are some simple ideas that'll work for the 2-pax to the 20,000-pax organization

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Restore

Reduce
- electricity usage in the office – make sure all electrical appliances are turned off at the device and also the mains at the end of the work day.
- or eliminate the use of plastic / sytrofoam cups in the office (including plastic bottled water) – everyone to use their own cups.
- the amount of paper used for non-essential printing eg printing out emails to read.
- non-essential air-travel, do a tele-conference instead

Reuse
- the other side of unwanted/unimportant (non-confidential) paper print outs

Recycle
- copier or printer cartridges
- have recycling bins for paper, plastics, aluminium
- organize a recycling drive eg newspaper collection in your community

Restore
- offset your carbon footprint by organizing a tree-planting event with your local community partner http://www.gardencityfund.com.sg/pat/How_to_take_part.htm
- organize a beach / park / mangrove clean-up to rid them of litter and refuse
- use public transport or car-pool or even cycle to work

As Nike succinctly puts it - "Just Do It!"

Darwin200

2009-04-18T20:38:00.008+08:00

We hear lots of buzz words today - in business, the economy and for the workforce.

Words like re-inventing, paradigm shift, thinking out-of-the-box, re-skilling, change management, resilience, mind-set change, transformation, catalyze, innovate, revolutionize….the list is endless – but all eluding to the importance of change and adapting for the better.

Which leads me to one of my favourite quotations - from Charles Darwin, 1809-1882 :

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.”

Charles Darwin was an English naturalist and author of On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, the book on the theory of evolution by natural selection that shook the scientific world.

Darwin200 is centered on his 200th birthday in February 2009 as well as the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection in November 1859.

It will be a platform for countries and scientific communities all over the world to celebrate how the impact of his ideas, about evolution and his approach to the understanding of the natural world as an outstanding scientist, continues to have on our lives today.

Ideas that continue to have relevance and resonance for us in this constantly changing and rapidly evolving world we live in.

Many organizations I have been asked to work with are often grappling with either coping with and/or sustaining change management.

If you have a similar dilemma and need a solution or intervention, let me know and I can share with you why so many change initiatives fail and how not to go down that same path.

Change is the only constant these days.

Question is are you or your organization ready to face up to it?

HR Day

2009-04-15T20:50:00.013+08:00

In celebration of Singapore's most important asset, this nation's first Human Resource (HR) Day and a centre dedicated to HR training (Human Capital Centre) was launched by the Minister of Manpower yesterday.

Singapore's HR Day will be held annually on March 1st.

Madam Ho Geok Choo, President of Singapore Human Resources Institute and also the new Chief Executive of the Human Capital Centre (HCC), was quoted by the media as saying "Singapore's success story is really all about human resources" and this "day formally recognises the significant contribution of HR and people managers."

In the many workshops/facilitated meetings that I have conducted relating to employee/staff motivation, one of the top factors that come up again and again, that really motivates employess at the workplace is recognition.

Employees who are regularly recognised/praised for their contributions ie positive feedback that their effort/work matters, will be more motivated and engaged at the workplace.

This leads to enhanced morale, reduced attrition and improved productivity & performance. All of which will go to boosting organisational effectiveness, performance and results.

Simple, novel and when done with sincerity, HR Day is a great way of letting employees know that people really are an organisations greatest asset.

What will you be doing come 1st March?

Servant-Leadership

2009-04-12T10:00:00.003+08:00

In 1970, noted American organizational expert, Robert K Greenleaf, coined and defined the term ‘servant leadership’ in his essay The Servant as Leader.

This visionary approach to leadership development has since been advanced by such renowned authors such as Steven Covey, Ken Blanchard, Peter Senge and others.

In that essay, Greenleaf describes servant leadership in this manner:

“The servant-leader is servant first… It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead……The difference manifests itself in the care taken by the servant-first to make sure that other people’s highest priority needs are being served. The best test, and difficult to administer, is: Do those served grow as persons? Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants?”

In these trying business and economic times, amidst corporate management debacles about ethics and responsibility, the principles Greenleaf talks about are a timely reminder on what true leadership can be, be it in the community, politics or business.

In Western literature and tradition, Jesus Christ was truly the epitome of a servant leader where he made servitude a central principle of Christianity.

Jesus called them together and said, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
Mark 10: 42-45 (NIV)

As Christians across the globe celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ today, I hope that His message will renew a sense of urgency and purpose for leaders to do what is right.

Happy Easter!

Why Juggle?

2009-04-08T00:00:00.003+08:00

Why not?

Juggling is a fun and very beneficial activity - for all ages.

It improves your rhythm, hand eye co-ordination, timing and it gives you a bit of exercise too. More importantly, it involves whole brain integration (see my earlier post regarding Left-Brain, Right-Brain).

When you are concentrating on the task of juggling, it is a great way to relax and forget about everything else for a moment, attaining what is called a "relaxed state of concentration". It is acknowledged that athletes perform best in this state, what is commonly referred to as being “in the zone”.

Still need convincing?

In edition 427 of Nature (311-312), dated 22 Jan 2004, researchers from the University of Regensberg in Germany found that learning to juggle causes certain areas of your brain to grow.

In the article Neuroplasticity: Changes in grey matter induced by training, researchers discovered that absolute beginners who learnt to juggle over a period of three months had increased their grey matter in areas associated with processing and storage of complex visual motion functions.

But they also discovered that brains returned to their original size when they stopped juggling ie this effect was transient. 'The brain is like a muscle, we need to exercise it," said Dr Arne May who led the research team. A case of use it or lose it.

So want your brain/brain power to get a boost? Learn to Juggle!

And then the next time you encounter a problem/issue - Take a time out, go juggle and when you have attained that relaxed state of concentration, see if a solution or at least some light at end of the tunnel presents itself.

You will be surprised at the results.

I have run many juggling workshops (from 8 to more than 120 pax) and participants often are skeptical at the beginning. But at the end, they not only had great fun, but they take away an important skill (which many secretly wished they knew how to) that gives them a fun way to achieve whole brain integration.

Left Brain - Right Brain

2009-04-05T16:47:00.003+08:00

I hope you managed to catch my earlier post featuring a talk by Sir Ken Robinson. In it he talks about how we are “educating” children from their “waist up to their heads and slightly to one side”.

Sir Robinson was eluding to the concept of brain lateralization.

The term brain lateralization refers to the fact that although the two halves of the human brain (cerebral hemispheres) look pretty much alike, they are actually quite different in their functions. Each hemisphere has functional specializations.

Below is a listing of what is generally widely-accepted today as these “specializations”.

LEFT BRAIN FUNCTIONS--------------------------- RIGHT BRAIN FUNCTIONS

uses logic--------------------------------------------------------uses feelings
detail oriented--------------------------------------------------"big picture" oriented
facts rule---------------------------------------------------------imagination rules
words and language--------------------------------------------symbols and images
present and past------------------------------------------------present and future
math and science-----------------------------------------------philosophy and religion
knowing----------------------------------------------------------believes
acknowledges---------------------------------------------------appreciates
order/pattern perception----------------------------------------spatial perception
knows object name--------------------------------------------- knows object function
reality based-----------------------------------------------------fantasy based
forms strategies-------------------------------------------------presents possibilities
practical--------------------------------------------------------impetuous
safe--------------------------------------------------------------risk-taking

...............................
Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinci............ Weeping Woman by Pablo Picasso

Both renowned and esteemed artists.

I wonder which side of their brains they used more to paint with?

Ask A Stupid Question?

2009-04-02T21:42:00.005+08:00

In August 2000, the National Library Board (NLB) launched a series of forums for it's key staff to get ideas for their key projects.

Ask Stupid QuestionsTM (or ASQTM) is a practical methodology to create original, innovative ideas for any issue and or solutions to any problem. The more “stupid” or unconventional the question, the more original the idea that will be generated. Using these questions as a base, one can brainstorm and arrive at innovative solutions that can be further developed into profitable projects or resolve organisational issues and challenges.

The ASQTM Movement (ASQm), thus, hopes to spread this methodology through partnerships with various associations, clubs, societies etc.

Source: ASQTM Movement, National Library Board, 2009

Since then, NLB has shared this methodology successfully with many organisations both in the public and private sector, with ASQTM practitioners from NLB continuing to champion and share this approach.

In conjunction with the Singapore Press Holdings’ (SPH) Learning For Success Education Fair, NLB will be holding an Ask Stupid Questions (ASQ) Movement workshop.

Thanks to my friend in my weekly running group (who works in NLB), I was clued into this event by a series of press ads and I'm looking forward to experiencing this methodology tomorrow.

I wonder what stupid question I'm going to ask?

On Creativity

2009-04-01T12:28:00.012+08:00

I was blown away last year when I first came across this talk from Sir Ken Robinson at a 2006 TED* conference. He makes an entertaining and profoundly moving case for creating an education system that nurtures (rather than undermines) creativity.

* TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from those three worlds. Since then its scope has become ever broader.The annual conference now brings together the world's most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes).

Why you should listen to him:
Why don't we get the best out of people? Sir Ken Robinson argues that it's because we've been educated to become good workers, rather than creative thinkers. Students with restless minds and bodies -- far from being cultivated for their energy and curiosity -- are ignored or even stigmatized, with terrible consequences. "We are educating people out of their creativity," Robinson says. It's a message with deep resonance. Robinson's TEDTalk has been distributed widely around the Web since its release in June 2006. The most popular words framing blog posts on his talk? "Everyone should watch this."

Enjoy!

Building or Bonding - is there a Difference?

2009-03-30T10:18:00.006+08:00

Longman’s Dictionary of Contemporary English defines these 2 words as follows:-

bond :
1) something that unites two or more people or groups, such as a shared feeling or interest
2) to (cause to) stick together

build
1) to make (a structure) by putting pieces together
2) to (cause to) develop; form
3) to try to establish a connection or friendly relationships, especially between opposing groups or ideas
4) to use as a base for further development
5) to base on, to depend on
6) to (cause to) increase, develop or become gradually larger

As you can see, there are marked differences to the nuance to these 2 words which should be self-evident, even if you put the word team before it ie team bond, team build. I especially want to highlight definitions #3 & #4 for "build" as it has such relevance when we discuss team-building.

Yet many organizations fail to make this distinction when they decide to make a request for a team activity.

Michael West in his 2004 book Motivate Teams, Maximize Success – Effective Strategies for Realizing Your Goals shares that research suggests that “quick fix” bonding sessions may have little impact upon how effectively the team actually works together.

He goes on to share that team building is oft imagined to be specially organized outward-bound activities or group exercises like figuring out how to cross a river using plastic barrels, wooden poles and rope. (Others I might go on to share like ‘amazing race’-type activities, dragon-boating, white water rafting, paint-ball, which on deeper reflection equate almost to the ubiquitous bowling session, just more “glam”)

Whilst such activities can result in team members having more positive attitudes towards one another (because of their shared experience), significant impact to the efficacy of the team working together is often not achieved.

"More effective team building processes involves taking days out of the team’s regular work specifically to focus on task performance."

So I will always ensure the following 3 key factors are part of any of my client discussions:-

What is/are the (real) objective(s) for this team building?

Be realistic that this is a gradual and continuous process that takes time and miracles do not happen overnight with just 1 session.

Design with the participants and group dynamics in mind but it is essential that meaningful discussions and reflection arise from these facilitated-activities so that the learning can be applied and sustained back at the work place.

Team-building or Team-bonding ? Do think again.

Facilitation in Small Groups

2009-03-28T08:00:00.012+08:00

I truly believe that small group/team facilitation, when done correctly, will yield significant results for the group/team in their performance goals as the improvements in team functioning are relevant and sustainable.

Marsha Speck (1996) contends that

Adult learners come to learning with a wide range of previous experiences, knowledge, self-direction, interests, and competencies. This diversity must be accommodated in the planning of any professional development program.

Adults need to participate in small-group activities during the learning to move them beyond understanding to application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Small-group activities provides them the opportunity to share, reflect, and generalize their learning experiences.

Transfer of learning for adults is not automatic and must be facilitated. Other kinds of follow-up support like coaching are needed to assist adult learners transfer their learnings into daily practice so that it is sustainable.

Source:
Best Practice in Professional Development for Sustained Educational Change - Speck,M. ERS Spectrum, v14 n2 p33-41 Spr 1996

Having had the privilege to facilitate and work with many groups of differing sizes, from CXO/board level to middle managers to production line teams, I believe this to be inherently true.

With an appropriate program and a good facilitator, these small groups/teams invariably report getting much better results for the objectives laid out - from reducing conflict, to improving team effectiveness and performance to enhancing collaboration and cohesiveness.

Isn't it time you benefitted from such a facilitation?

The Power of the Story

2009-03-27T23:35:00.000+08:00

I am a strong believer in the use of (relevant) stories as part of my facilitation approach.

When used appropriately, it can be a powerful and emotive tool to effect change - for reconciliation, for motivation, for innovative thinking.

John P Kotter, renowned management guru from Harvard writes in a 2006 article in Forbes:

"As I look around me today, I see that too few business leaders grasp the idea that stories can have a profound effect on people. The gestures made (or not made) by leaders can turn into the stories that powerfully affect behavior.

Leaders who understand this and use this knowledge to help make their organizations great are the ones we admire and wish others would emulate. Those in leadership positions who fail to grasp or use the power of stories risk failure for their companies and for themselves. "

From the time Man sat together in front of their earthen fires, stories have been the way to transfer knowledge, pass on traditions, counsel (historical coaching), motivate and lead.

Organisations should return to these roots and re-discover how stories can be a powerful tool for learning and change.

Leveraging Organisations from Within

2009-03-26T22:59:00.001+08:00

Who understands your job and challenges better?
Who understands the issues facing an organisation, group or team best?

The answers lie with the people within the organisation.

Their collective experience, knowledge, know how and will are the answers - the only issue is getting past the obstacles that abound - like turf wars, lack of communication, conflict, pride.

A truly honest and effective consultant will tell you he/she is not a "magic pill" that you can hire and miraculously solve an organisation's issues overnight.

Instead, we seek to ensure that there is a real analysis and understanding of the issues at hand before crafting of a relevant and customised approach to begin the "healing process". To get this collective experience, knowledge, know how and will back on track and to bear on the issues at hand - be they overcoming the competition, conquering new markets, cost-cutting, improving quality, product innovation, leadership or staff morale.

A facilitator will bring in approaches to help an organisation achieve these goals by assisting them to overcome internal obstacles and to find a solution collectively.

Facilitate : to make easy