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July 17, 2002
There is little debate whether or not we are working in turbulent times. We are! Every news cycle brings us warnings about investment losses, lay-offs, world-wide violence and threats to our personal security. Everyone is stressed and being asked to perform at higher levels then ever before.
Trainers, workplace experts and HR Professionals have the responsibility, and opportunity, to play an important role in helping our associates and companies come out of the tunnel the better.
This issue of WorkplaceXpert provides some valuable resources and ideas on how to succeed in this challenge. You are not alone. This month's issue provides articles about managing performance in these turbulent times, training during anxious times, as well as designing blended learning, evaluating training and tips on making terminations as painless and professional as possible. In addition to our feature article from eLearning Magazine, The Right Mix, you will also value a special feature, Blended Basics.
We are delighted to continue to offer training and HR professionals this newsletter free of charge. (WorkplaceXpert is not a Website - although it acts like one.) You have to subscribe to continue to receive WorkplaceXpert! If you have not yet signed up, please click here and submit the registration form. If you have subscribed, please forward this to an associate who would value the content.
As always, thank you for your involvement and continued dedication to training!
- John Quincy, Editor
The Right Mix - A Bulletproof Model for Designing Blended Learning
By Frank J. Troha PhD.
Bringing together the best features of online learning such as 24/7 accessibility with the best features of classroom instruction such as live, face-to-face interaction is popular. But the question is: Why do so many blended learning initiatives turn into frustrating boondoggles, consuming far more time and money than anyone anticipated?
The answer can be found in poor planning-the bitter fruits of which often appear long after substantial time, money, and enthusiasm have been expended. LEARN MORE
Ten Tips for Managing Change in Uncertain Times
By Pierre Mourier
Post 9/11 anxiety . . . escalating tensions in the Middle East . . . a struggling U.S. economy. Current events are not forming a pretty picture, and within many organizations, a mood has developed that can only be termed "managerial havoc." Which companies and organizations will still be standing when the turbulence dies down? You may be wondering. And more to the point, why will they still be standing?
So how should you manage change in uncertain times? Mourier offers the following 10 tips for managers who want to be on the frontline of organizational performance in 2002 and beyond. LEARN MORE
You Can't Design Effective Training Without Effective Evaluation
By Paul Kearns
Design is just one part of a holistic process. Training designers take a brief from the training needs analyst and turn it into a training programme, right? Wrong.
For a start, training design cannot be detached from any other part of the training process (needs analysis, delivery and evaluation). Training design is not just about a choice of training method, content or materials. The best training designers know what an iterative process it is; constantly checking with the business sponsors and other stakeholders to ensure the training is designed to deliver what they need. And that is where the problems really start. LEARN MORE
Eight Steps for (Almost) Painless Terminations
No one likes to be the bearer of bad news, and notice of termination is perhaps the hardest news you can deliver. To make matters worse, mishandling terminations can lower employee morale and lead to lawsuits. But, if you allow a poor performer or a disruptive employee to keep working, productivity and efficiency are bound to suffer. So, terminations are a simple fact of life for managers. However, they don't have to be traumatic or automatically result in a legal claim. If you follow the eight steps we recommend, you can reduce stress and the chances of ending up in court. LEARN MORE
What’s New?
New Approach To e-Learning Is Needed To Tap Into $14 Billion Market
Report identifies three principles to guide e-learning providers away from early mistakes. Professional and corporate segments represent highest potential for growth. LEARN MORE
Learn how to manage effectively; Employees need quick and effective access to learning
The Herald (United Kingdom)
The Chartered Institute of of Personnel and Development, a U.K. based organization of 110,000 members recently released studies.
The first, Voices from the Boardroom, suggested that chief executives are ignorant about human resource management and the links between good people management practices and improved bottom-line performance.
The second, How do People Learn?, showed that the rise of e-learning and the heightened emphasis on knowledge meant organisations needed to know more about how people actually learn at work. Put the two together and you have a formula for making your mind turn over the resulting potential for wasted opportunities.
The report calls for a new ''blended'' approach, including balancing face-to-face and electronic learning, encouraging informal and collaborative special-interest groups, and better mixes of learning methods, such as conventional instruction along with self-directed, experience-based and group learning. LEARN MORE
NEXT MONTH - The August issue will provide readers with real tools and insights on designing training and a primer on authoring tools. Additionally, we are constantly searching our industry resources for other practical ideas to help you be an effective workplace expert! If you have topics you wish explored, or resources to share, for future editions, please forward them to me. JQ
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