Revisiting the HBR 2002 paper "Everything I Know about Business I Learned from Monopoly"

Originally published by Harvard Business Review in 2002, "Everything I Know About Business I Learned from Monopoly" by Phil Orbanes provides great insights for all working in HR/L&D.  I recently rediscovered this paper in my files.

Orbanes is cited as "one of the world's foremost board-game designers". To be successful he needs to understand what makes people want to compete - and win.  

I see clear parallels with a people-manager needing to understand what makes their direct reports want to be engaged and committed to the organisation's mission.

Orbanes presents six principles of "Great Game Design"

• Make the rules simple and unambiguous
• Don't frustrate the casual player
• Establish a rhythm
• Focus on what is happening off the board
• Give 'em chances to come from behind
• Provide outlets for latent talents

Make the rules simple and unambiguous

"people can [also] find a game bewildering if the aren't given a sound structure and clear guidance"

So, while from an L&D perspective the use of simulations in training can help cut through real life complexity, this also hints that the inconsistency and unpredictability of the workplace needs to be mitigated where possible.  

I see strong links here to a central role of leadership - namely defining the vision & mission of the organisation/team and communicating to reinforce understanding.  From an HR perspective, this also needs to be supported by ensuring employees have a good understanding of policies/processes & the wider psychological contract.  

 

Don't frustrate the casual player

"if a game is to last ... it must appeal to a critical mass of casual players who will rapidly comprehend and enjoy playing it"

I'd suggest this insight can be related to the issues of information overload in the modern workplace.  Just as there is a wealth of entertainment options competing for an individual's leisure time, employees need to navigate conflicting priorities.  

When an organisation changes its strategy (i.e. game), mass communication is needed, and it needs to be kept simple !  To 'enjoy playing it' I'd suggest aiming to involve employees in collectively working out the details of the change.  I see a great role for Enterprise 2.0 tools in achieving these aims.  Podcasts help focus leaders on keeping communications short and to the point, Blogs provide a level of access & interaction with senior management that was previously only enjoyed by HQ staff.

  

Establish a rhythm

"If a game paces itself effectively, people will instinctively know which phase they are in.  If the pace doesn't build, its not so much of a game."

Orbanes makes his own connections to the workplace: "Is there an analogy for business to the beginning, middle, and end rhythm in games ? I think so. A good manager might engineer these types of shifts over the course of a critical project - and be prepared for different moods and levels of motivations from people".   I'd certainly agree that building 'Interpersonal Skills' is a powerful lever for enhancing Leadership.

For HR, I also see the importance of guiding an annual cycle of managing performance - with well-understood phases of goal setting, feedback and reward. 

Focus on what is happening off the board

"a well-designed game makes people feel better afterwards - and for many players, that's due to the larger social experience, of which the game is only the core activity"

Gallup recognise the importance of having 'a best friend at work', if employees are to be highly engaged.  Also, as the HBR paper states "... a manager must consider people's work:life balance". 

I see HR taking a lead in this area: championing the benefits of flexible working etc. 

Give 'em chances to come from behind

"One of the trickiest aspects of game design is achieving just the right balance of skill and luck"

This raises the issue of what role is there for 'luck' in the workplace.  Reward & recognition mechanisms need to be fair and consistent (i.e. driven by acknowledging the outcomes achieved from skill) if they are to motivate rather than demotivate others.  Equally, good performance management processes should provide reasonable support to help struggling employees turnaround poor performance, with manager setting clear, attainable goals for improvement.

But, just as a Monopoly 'Community Chest' card can introduce a new, improved situation for a player, I see the need to invest in both the predictable future (e.g. grooming high potentials for the next level of leadership)  and the unpredictable (e.g. encouraging 'skunk works', by expecting 10% of an employees effort to be directed towards bottom-up projects).

Provide outlets for latent talents

"great games and great workplaces, also offer outlets for skills that people would like to express but don't use during their normal routines"

Orbanes also highlights that "Chess and Bridge had their heyday in the United States in the 1930s and 1940s when wide-ranging opportunities to exercise intellectual powers or gain intellectual stimulation on the job simply did not exist".

In the workplace there is an increasing trend for multiple careers.  As individuals' interests  and circumstances change over time, organisations can capitalise on this if they provide outlets such as secondments.  I'd also see the role of L&D/HR as helping employees better manage their own career development.  They can then effectively partner with the organisation on creating appropriate outlets for their skills and interest.

No doubt I've only scratched the surface of the links that can be drawn between 'making engaging board-games' and 'engaging employees by the board'.  Please share other workplace insights generated from this introduction to the principles of board-game design   

FYI: The HBR article also makes comment on the use of game-playing to build teams:

"at very least an afternoon of playing games builds relationships among workers and increases the social capital within an organisation..."

Also see an old article of mine "Unleashing the power of metaphor in business games"

PS: in the current economic turmoil it would be interesting to consider what 'new rules' Waddingtons should add to their board-game .... or was it great insight that while the waterworks, the electric company & the railways stations could all be privately held, the bank is centrally managed ?!

Keeping L&D/HR focused on the 'Big Picture' during the economic downturn.

While talk of recession dominates the current business agenda we should not forget that most are short lived.  Hence, I believe that the L&D topics being debated before the phrase ‘sub-prime mortgage’ entered the popular press remain important. 

 

The economic growth of China continues.  It is thus inevitable that, like Japan beforehand, management and leadership practices associated with their climb up the world order will be of global importance.  Currently the vast majority of textbooks read by our UK managers are written by US opinion leaders: but should we expect this to be the case in 10 years time? For HR to influence the uptake of ideas from these new thought-leaders, we will need to build global partnerships.

 

Global communications and mobility have changed how the efforts of individual employees are aggregated.  Management structures refined over the past century now look clumsy if not obsolete, as ‘amplifying effort’ (i.e. colleague engagement) becomes the greater challenge for leaders.  Gary Hamel’s thesis on “The Future of Management” provides great insights, and now HR must help take up the challenge.   

 

Mentoring, coaching and on-the-job experiences have always been an important part of workplace learning.  Training is becoming increasingly squeezed both from a time and financial point of view.  In a world where vast amounts of knowledge can be accessed with a couple of key strokes, ‘just-in-time’ performance support rather than ‘just-in-case’ training is being demanded.  Understanding and integrating the ROI of training and other forms of learning has never been more important than at present.

 

Equally, a harsh economic climate provides some additional opportunities for those involved in Learning & Leadership.  The psychological contract with employees has already moved away from expectations of ‘a job for life’ in return for loyalty and commitment.  Individuals who accept the need to invest in life-long learning are most likely to successfully navigate a world of rapid organizational change and multiple careers.  Building this mindset and ensuring organizations contribute to keeping their workforce ‘employable’ is likely to be most valued now.

 

Leadership judgment is critical at this time, as poor business decisions are unlikely to go unpunished.  Perhaps more important, however, is the ability to execute whatever business strategy is selected.  This depends on successfully changing employees’ behaviours, a complex challenge where HR expertise can contribute significant business value. 

Hence I hope that the value of L&D/HR will come to be better recognised by business leaders as they navigate the current economic downturn.

L&D 'Transfer Climate'

Training Industry Quarterly (Spring 2008) has an interesting article on L&D 'Return on Investment'.

The title is somewhat confusing 'Take your ROI to Level 6' - given that normally Kirkpatrick is cited as 4 levels. [when expressed as 5 - these are (i) reaction; (ii) knowledge; (iii) behaviour; (iv) impact; & (iv) ROI]

The new sixth Level is proposed (by author Paul Leone of American Express) to be 'Transfer Climate'

This is defined as 'Assessment of factors in the learners' work environment (climate) that will help or hinder the transfer of learning'


This seems very similar to the 'Success Case Method' promoted by Brinkerhoff (see this earlier post on this blog) !

Rather than debate this - I'm more interested in the finding presented from studies at American Express (studying over 2000 managers, attending one of their core leadership programmes).

Leone states "..we found the true impact of a training program will best be predicted by the work climate each participant returns to after the event..."


Key enablers were:

• manager clearly communicates endorsement and support for the training - sets goals and expectations before learner initiates learning event
• manager follows up with participant after the event to discuss what was learned and how to apply
• manager recognizes and rewards improved leadership behaviour

The article highlights that blended learning makes it easier to design formal training that encourages the above - e.g. leader-led kick-off & wrap-up sessions.


What are additional best practises being used by the L&D profession to influence the managers of those attending training courses ?

Tricks of the Mind (by Derren Brown)

Not obvious reading for HR/L&D Professionals - but having had it recommended to me, I recently found myself engrossed in this book.


There seems to be an increasing focus within HR on understanding how the brain works. For example: both David Rock (Quiet Leadership) and Guy Sutton (Director of Medical Biology Interactive/University of Nottingham) have spoken at HRD. [NB: For a great summary of the latter see the Epic blog.]

As stated by Rock: "If people are being paid to think, isn't it time the business world found out what the thing doing the work, the brain, is all about? "


In part, Derren Brown's book 'Tricks of the Mind', helps explore the working of the brain.

There is a wealth of information on Memory - and the tricks of the trade used in memory feats. While it may be debated in this age of 'Google', promoting a good memory of facts and figures is important (vs. developing the skills of reasoning, debate etc...) - at very least it should help trainers rapidly remember the names of delegates attending a course !

A key component of moving 'information' from short-term memory (with its very limited capacity) to long-term involves the power of images. Given that these images need to be relevant to the individual, I'm not sure this insight should have presenters using PowerPoint reaching for the Clipart. Rather let me suggest: learning interventions need to build in reflection exercises that guide participants to link key concepts to pictures they create in their own mind.



Another area that will be familiar territory to many L&D colleagues, is Thinking Traps

The class 'Monty Hall Problem' is included, together with other examples - all of which can be great ice-breakers within relevant training courses !

Clearly the relevance goes beyond fun ice-breakers since, as Brown highlights: "cognitive traps make us unwittingly prone to drastic misunderstanding of probability, which in turn can lead people to make poor decisions".



Within the section on 'Hypnosis & Suggestibility', Brown provides his assessment of NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming). This is another area that often attracts the interest of trainers.

Brown discusses that: "One of the more sensible tenets of NLP is that the way you represent (anything you feel strongly about, as a) picture or film will affect the way you emotionally respond to it". He then illustrates how the mind can be directed to modify the picture, in turn modifying the associated emotional response.


I'd suspect that the style of this book will not be to everyone's taste, but it provides great insights into the psychology of magic - and as such give helpful perspectives on the working of the human brain !


Also see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derren_Brown

Induction Training

Human Capital Management (HCM) magazine (May/June 2008) has an interesting article on the 'onboarding' (induction) processes used by US firms. This is taken from work conducted by the Aberdeen Group.

Some of the key points are predictable:

• Employees who form a negative opinion of their new work environment produce sub-standard work and may leave.
• Increasing competition for talent is putting more pressure on organisations to improve retention rates of new hires.

Equally, there are some very interesting insights !

• many end their induction process prematurely - best practice being to assign new employees (including new leaders) a mentor for the first six months
• best-in-class organisations concentrate on the 'human' element of induction and include socialisation as a primary focus.

In my view, L&D Colleagues can play a key role in implementing the above current best-practices

As the authors (Kevin Martin & Jayson Saba) state:

"Employee induction is not a nice-to-have, but rather a need-to-have. Organisations spend large amounts of time and money to fill job vacancies - and competition for human capital talent does not go away with an accepted job offer"

The Value of Learning (HRD 2008)

At last week's HRD conference I was invited to provide a brief case study in support of the presentation on 'The Value of Learning' given by Martyn Sloman of CIPD.

Last year CIPD, in partnership with the University of Portsmouth, undertook a focused project on 'the value of learning'. This resulted in several tools being created - most notably 'Instrument 3: Establishing the most relevant appropach for your organisation'.

The tool defined four approaches to assessing the learning value contribution:

• Learning function efficiency measures
• Key performance indicators & benchmark measures
• Return on investment measures
• Return on expectations measures

My key points - from our experiences in introducing a global 'bite-size' training curriculum (of 90 minute skill-boosters) - included:

• The tool encourages a systemic, balanced-scorecard approach to evaluating (and more importantly - improving) the value of learning. This ensures consideration of both factors that are important in managing key stakeholders, and those used internally within the L&D team to promote continuous improvement.
• For Learning Function Efficiency measures: we have found it helpful to critically appraise the tutor:delegate ratio of courses ... so for 'skill boosters' running classes with a 1:20 ratio (vs. longer classes with a typical 1:12 ratio). Similarly, working in a global organisation seeking to 'leverage scale' ... there is significant benefits to be negotiated via volume discounts on unit costs (where training classes are provided by an external partner).
• For Key Performance Indicators: in my experience this is a difficult area to establish 'quantifiable' measures directly correlated with L&D activities - however it does drive consideration of whether the L&D approach is supportive of an appropriate psychological contract with employees. 'Bite Size' classes have proved a popular format in helping colleagues reconcile the tension between wanting to invest in class-based self-development, but also needing to stay focused on delivering on current performance goals.
• For Return on Investment measures: I'd suggest that it is probably more rewarding to focus on understanding the extremes (ie why the same class will be highly impactful for some delegates, but not for other colleagues), rather than just measure the 'average' return achieved. Through understanding the enablers & barriers for achieving high business impact attributed to the training class provided, L&D can then act to help more colleagues get more from the course.
• For Return on Expectations measures: As highlighted by CIPD, this is probably the most important of the four types of measures. A colleague of mine introduced me to the phrase 'cheque-book & calendar' - to reflect the tangible signs of senior management support. Hence the fact that senior managers have funded & hosted additional 'bite-size' classes within team and focus-week events (ie outside of the core L&D curriculum) can be seen as a clear sign that there is 'satisfaction' with the value of these courses.

---------------------------

From past articles on this blog on L&D metrics - also see: Reflections on ASTD 2007, part #2

---------------------------

PS - HRD was a great opportunity to network with 'old friend' and meet fellow L&D professionals. More reflections on HRD in coming weeks !

Strategic Learning & Development - 2008 Conference, Amsterdam 21-22 Feb. (3)

In this my final post relating to the recent Strategic Learning & Development conference, I want to highlight three models/frameworks I found particularly helpful.


Kerry Derry (Director of HR Operations - Coors Brewers) shared the following model as a simple, but very powerful & practical framework for engaging senior line leaders on their own learning.

The model consists of three overlapping circles - representing (i) Self, (ii) Context & (iii) 'Others' - i.e. employees/colleagues - with Leadership being the intersection of these three dimensions.

For me, this highlights the need for a focus on topics such as Emotional Intelligence, Business Acumen, & Interpersonal Skills ... equally: that these Leadership Competencies must be considered in relation to each other !



Nick Shackleton-Jones (Manager, Online and Informal Learning - BBC) described an Online Learning Strategy pyramid. This combines both top-down and bottom-up approaches.

At the top of the pyramid is the 'High End' driven by a top-down approach. This online e-learning is high-cost, involves extended development, and requires high interactivity.

At the bottom of the pyramid are 'Social Learning Technologies'. Wikis, blogs and social networking sites such as Facebook drive online learning from a bottom-up strategy.

In the middle of the pyramid is 'Rapid Development' (typically = Rapid E-Learning). The top-down & bottom-up strategies merge, thanks to the availability of inexpensive tools and templates for rapid content development.

In my view, this helps position the co-existence of these online learning approaches within an integrated strategy that needs to be both deliberate and emergent. It also suggests that the rapid e-learning tools may prove to be very valuable if the top-down and bottom-up strategies can be reconciled (e.g. to position SMEs to create e-learning that is more than just 'automated powerpoint presentations', and thus achieves 'top-down' quality standards)



Finally: Rainer von Leoprechting (Head of Management and Organisation Development - European Commission) provided the Commission's Emergent Learning Agenda.

• Professional development of HR Functions
• Organisational Development
• Action Learning
• Promoting 'on-the-job' Training
• Learning support as an internal consulting service
• Building Communities of Practice to enhance knowledge sharing

I'd suggest that this provides a great checklist for any organisation !



Also see my previous posts on this conference:

Strategic Learning & Development - 2008 Conference, Amsterdam 21-22 Feb. (1)

Strategic Learning & Development - 2008 Conference, Amsterdam 21-22 Feb. (2)

CIPD L&D Survey - Managing expectations 10 years on

In a recent People Management on-line article - Daniel Wain (who will be speaking at HRD in April) previews some of the finding from the CIPD tenth annual Learning & Development survey.

The article reveals that the results of 1999 survey reads 'like a sneak preview of the latest survey results'.

In 1999:

• eighty-one per cent of respondents were reporting training activities explicitly designed to support strategic business objectives
• knowledge of business objectives ranked almost as high as knowledge of people management, at 95.4 and 97.8 per cent respectively
• skills of organisational development, consultancy and knowledge of business objectives were seen as important for the training manager

While I agree that as a profession we do need to reflect on whether our pace of 'evolution' is sufficient ..... I also feel that the statement: “One senses little real movement over the past decade – worrying given the extraordinary developments that have happened in the wider business and economic world.” misses a key point.

L&D (in the context of HR) is primarily focused on people-management and leadership effectivness.

As expertly highlight by Gary Hamel in his current book - The Future of Management; it is actually the model of management that has had 'little real movement'. This is not just over the past decade, but the last century !

So we do need to keep the Leadership Pipeline flowing ...while (in my view) playing our part in management innovation. For most organizations I suspect that this will continue to be reflected overall as evolution rather than revolution !

PS: I love the 'sound-bite' from Jimmy Naudi, Head of L&D at Christian Aid: "We have to facilitate more, helping people to help themselves, acting as 'a guide on the side' rather than 'a sage on a stage' .."

Strategic Learning & Development - 2008 Conference, Amsterdam 21-22 Feb. (2)

Here are a few memorable quotes from this event.



"The difference between learning and not learning is emotion" Nick Shackleton-Jones (BBC)





"Coaching = helping people find their own answers" Karen Daleboudt (ABN AMRO)





"People have to learn to make time to learn" Peter Caeldries (Fujitsu Siemens)





"Be your own chief learning officer" Peter Caeldries (Fujitsu Siemens)





"Engage, Educate, Encourage, and Embed" Kathy Morris (Hays)







also see my earlier post on this conference

"Training", "Learning & Development", "Leadership & Talent" ......or ????

At the recent Strategic Learning & Development Conference I found myself reflecting on the various titles we use to describe our profession.

While it is widely recognised that most workplace learning occurs outside of formal training - and hence to maximize our impact we need to think broader than 'Training' ... I'm struck by the lack of precision in the phrase 'Learning & Development' ....how does 'Development' differ from 'Learning' ?

It could be argued that we 'develop' the skills, knowledge, & behaviours of others - while learning is undertaken by the individual. Equally, the phrase 'personal development' is widely used.

No doubt, this is also a reason that other terms such as 'Leadership & Talent' are also used



My suggestion is to consider 'Performance & Development'

In my view, this would capture the essence of the outcomes we seek to deliver, namely:

• Performance Improvement (learning solutions to address current needs - based on understanding the skill gaps for delivering current business goals)
• Development of Talent (learning solutions to position key individuals to be skilled to meet predicted future business needs, and to enhance the adaptive capabilities of the organization)

Maybe one day we will be refered to as P&D Professionals ?!



NOTE: This topic is something that has it's foundations in an earlier post relating to the Ulrich model of HR [interestingly, this has proved to be the most read post on this blog to-date this year]

Strategic Learning & Development - 2008 Conference, Amsterdam 21-22 Feb. (1)

Having just returned from the above conference - speaking on 'The Role of the Line Manager in Facilitating Workplace Learning' - I'm encouraged and inspired by the various conversations and presentations from fellow L&D professionals.

Firstly - a big thank you to all those with whom I had the pleasure to swap ideas and share stories ! (and share the odd beer or glass of wine).


Here are a few initial reflections:

• There are significant similiarities in the challenges we face in L&D across all sectors & countries !
• Equally, the business acumen of L&D professionals is impressive ... not only is it a 'given' that L&D services need to be fully aligned with the business strategy of the organization, but there is also clear expertise of applying people-orientated change-management strategies appropriate to the contextual factors of the company.
• Current 'Hot topics' include: Outsourcing of L&D services, and collaborative learning via Web 2.0 technologies and understanding the impact of learning.

Successful L&D strategies tend to have the following common features:

• Active sponsorship from the senior leadership of the organisation - (to drive organizational change).
• Understanding of the need to connect with the emotions of the learners - (since people are choosing to 'reference' vs. retain knowledge as the shelf-life of knowledge dramatically decreases)
• Deployment of web-based L&D technologies - (where global solutions are required)
• Recognise that you can only outsource the systems that facilitate learning - (not learning itself !)

I'll be returning to the insights from this conference in the coming days/weeks - meanwhile I continue to reflect on the question posed by Nick Shackleton-Jones of the BBC:

"What would a perfect learning environment look like ?"

The Goal of Learning ?!

Jay Cross, writing in CLO Magazine writes:

"adapting to one’s surroundings is still the goal of learning"


or to add more context:

"Traditional learning is bursting at the seams because there is always more to learn and unlearn. The amount of knowledge in the world doubles every three years. New discoveries invalidate former truths.

What is learning when knowledge is liquid and any curriculum dies in infancy? We used to learn in order to get along in the environments we take part in. Familiarity with how things worked enabled us to adapt, and adapting to one’s surroundings is still the goal of learning"



thought-provoking stuff (as usual !)

The Role of the Line Manager in Facilitating Workplace Learning - Part 4 (of 4)

This post concludes my thoughts I'm pulling together ahead of a forthcoming presentation later in the year.


The Role of the Line Manager in Facilitating Workplace Learning - Part 1

The Role of the Line Manager in Facilitating Workplace Learning - Part 2

The Role of the Line Manager in Facilitating Workplace Learning - Part 3


In this section I consider the implications of a learner-centric focus for managers.


CIPD (and others) cite a move from 'training' (an instructor-led content based intervention, leading to desired changes in behaviour) to 'learning' (a self-directed, work-based process leading to increased adaptive capacity).

In the CIPD model (see A Worthwhile Read ) they cite that the implications include:

For the Employer - 'expresses clear commitment to learning as a business driver and ensures that sufficient resources are available'

For the Line Manager - 'Initiates opportunities for individuals to develop and apply their learning at work. Provides on-the-job coaching'


In my view this is a desirable direction for L&D - but needs to be explained further (to these stakeholders) in order to gain the required commitment.

Keeping things simple - I see two main areas driving this change from 'training' to 'learning'

Firstly - the changing psychological contract (or put simply without HR-speak ... the fact that organisations no longer can realistically offer 'a job-for-life').

Secondly - the proliferation of collaboration tools (typically described as Enterprise 2.0 ... Web 2.0 tools in the workplace)



The Changing Psychological Contract:
While organisations can no longer offer a job-for-life, in my view they should strive to keep employees 'employable' ..be it for future roles inside or external to the organisation. This may be viewed as promoting 'a career for life' rather than 'a job for life'.

Organisations can take a lead here - through line manager coaching and the strategic focus of L&D - providing employees with better insights of how they learn (e.g. learning styles), and why they should learn (eg Schein's career anchors). They can also illustrate best practices through sharing inspirational stories of colleagues (or external folk) who have actively managed their own careers.



The Proliferation of Collaboration Tools
Jay Cross provides some great sound-bites on this topic, including:

'In a knowledge era, work & learning become synonymous - and knowledge workers are becoming self-service learners.

....conversation is the most potent educational technology known to man, and Web 2.0 amplifies our conversations'

Hence to thrive on Web 2.0 an employee must be able to:

• navigate the web to find people and information
• collaborate
• express him/herself
• connect with other people
• be a productive contributor to groups

There are many consequences for the line manager - not least to build up sufficient personal knowledge of this area to be an enabler rather than barrier to help coach their reports to fully utilise these tools within the workplace.

Thoughts ?!

Finally:

'In times of change the learner shall inherit the earth, while the learned will be equiped for a world that no longer exists' (James Thurber - humorist)

The Role of the Line Manager in Facilitating Workplace Learning - Part 3

This post follows on from:

The Role of the Line Manager in Facilitating Workplace Learning - Part 1

The Role of the Line Manager in Facilitating Workplace Learning - Part 2

I have been asked to give a presentation on the above title at an international L&D Conference later in the year.

Consequently, I've started to pull together my initial thoughts on this topic. I plan to use this blog as a mechanism to help pull these ideas together, and (hopefully) to get some feedback from others reading this emergent 'presentation'.

In this part I examine the opportunities for L&D professionals to help to develop the coaching ability of managers

... on the basis that this is a core skill that can be developed through training, and can help managers be more effective at employee development (leading to significantly higher performance).


Using the PDCA cycle (Plan, Do, Check, Act) - this can be helpful to illustrate the integration of training into a broader learning 'loop' of improvement.


PLAN: I believe there is value in championing common coaching frameworks - to be taught systematically to all new people managers. This is actually more important than searching for the 'ultimate' coaching model. Through creating a common language there is greater opportunity for both peer-to-peer, and manager-to-report support (especially in global organisations with ever shifting reporting relationships)

DO: As well as training, consider the opportunities for skills-practice that extend beyond any brief opportunities obtained through role-play in-the-classroom. Company supported mentoring schemes can be a great vehicle for this !

CHECK: Regular monitoring & feedback to managers is critical to maintain a focus (recognise & reward success) on achieving the desired outcomes from applying the coaching skills. Consider the use of regular colleague engagement surveys - that typically explore the extent to which colleagues feel their managers have supported their development in recent months.

ACT: Provide options to go beyond the initial intervention & reinforcement ...so that individuals/departments can act on the data from monitoring. This may take the form of a second 'tier' of training opportunities ...where it may be appropriate to help delegates better understand 'when not to use a coaching style' rather than 'more of the same'.


the final part will consider the implications for managers of an increased self-directed learner-centric focus - created due to shifts in the psychological contract (no longer the expectation of 'a job-for-life'), and enabled by new 'Knowledge Management' technologies.

Predictions for 2008

Happy New Year !

Given that it is traditional at this time to make predictions for the forthcoming 12 months - here are mine relating to the L&D Profession.


Firstly - I see 2008 as the year when Web 2.0 tools will start to be integrated into mainstream L&D. Currently I see a massive gap between the knowledge of the early adopters of Web 2.0 technologies and the vast majority of L&D/HR colleagues (and other colleagues in our organisations). For example: just do a quick straw poll on how many colleagues know what an RSS reader is, and how it can improve workplace productivity. In 2007, we started to see the occasional article in CIPD, ASTD and similiar L&D publications ...in 2008 I hope the discussion will increase.

From increased awareness, I anticipate we (as the L&D profession) will start to identify the most beneficial tools for enhanced 'blended' learning (blended - both in the sense of (i) instructor led & 'e-learning'; and also (ii) L&D influenced & manager-influenced workplace learning).



Secondly - given the anticipated ecomonic 'slowdown', I anticipate that 2008 will further differentiate between organisations that see L&D as an investment to navigate the difficult operating climate, and those who dont make this a strategic priority (and hence impose significant financial cuts to L&D activities).

Many L&D professionals are already well skilled in driving value-for-money - through solid management of training services procurement (e.g. leverage of volume discounts with third party vendors), attendance (e.g. ensuring classes run full) and metrics (e.g. demonstrating to line managers their role in securing lasting behavioural change)

I'd anticipate these skills will be ever more important (as well as those more traditionally associated with our profession - e.g. instructional design, learning needs analysis, facilitation).



Thirdly - I see 2008 as a year of increased merging of roles & responsibilities in our HR profession. In 2007 there seemed to be an increasing number of articles highlighting the limitations of the Ulrich model - and the dangers of L&D being a silo (or even separate profession).

The need for the L&D profession to look beyond 'training' to ensure effective workplace learning, and the need for HR business partners to engage (ever more impactfully) with business leaders on both performance management & talent management/development, should help bring HR more closely together.

Hence, for L&D professionals, we need to expertly understand 'Performance Management' and 'Talent Management' strategies, tools & current best practices.



....only the next 12 months will tell !

Leaders in London

I recently received a summary of 'sound-bites' from some of the high-profile presenters at this year's Leaders in London conference

These are the ones that particularly caught my attention:


RENÉ CARAYOL: Management vs Leadership

"If management is what we do, leadership is how we feel."

"Managers talk strategy. Leaders tell stories."



EDWARD DE BONO: On which comes first, ideas or data?

"I was in the desert and our guide was explaining the spikes on the local cacti. 'It's so they don't get eaten,' he said. 'No, it's not,' I said. 'The spikes help keep the air around the plant still, to minimise evaporation.' Everyone thinks it's to stop animals eating them. They looked at the data and came up with the idea. And that became the received wisdom. In fact, it's the wrong idea. Many organizations believe that if they collect enough data in their computers that will set their strategy for them. In fact, unless you see the data in different ways, you will be stuck with the same old notions."



MARCUS BUCKINGHAM: There's no such thing as corporate culture

"There is no great company culture, so stop looking for it. The best you can say about a great company is that it is the accumulation of lots of great teams. Culture varies enormously within large organizations."

The Role of the Line Manager in Facilitating Workplace Learning - Part 1

I have been asked to give a presentation on the above title at an international L&D Conference in the new year.

Consequently, I've started to pull together my initial thoughts on this topic. I plan to use this blog as a mechanism to help pull these ideas together, and (hopefully) to get some feedback from others reading this emergent 'presentation'.


So - Why focus on the role of the Line Manager ?

Firstly: the Corporate Executive Board has some powerful data on 'What a difference a (great) manager makes'. In summary: they illustrate that 'employees whose managers are the most effective at employee development perform up to 25% higher'.

The 25% is cites as a combination of both the directly attributable impact (16%) and the effects of enhanced engagement (9%).

Secondly: the 70:20:10 ratio is widely held as a good illustration of the relative % influence of 'on-the-job':'coaching':'training courses' in workplace learning. Hence, 90% (if not more) of the opportunites to directly influence learning rests not with the L&D professional, but with those managing the colleague.

So as discussed by Martyn Sloman of CIPD and others - the opportunity for L&D professionals is to influence the day-to-day action of managers.



So - What L&D related actions do we require of Line Managers ?

In considering what are the actions we (L&D) want to see line managers embrace - I'd suggest this can be put bluntly as 'developing colleagues is not just about sending them to appropriate training courses'

More constructively - I offer the following SIX questions as a framework for Line Manager action.

1. What are the additional skills your department needs to deliver the business goals ?
2. What actions will help to ensure colleagues understand their individual development needs ?
3. What can you do to help colleagues appropriately blend training with outher development activities ?
4. What will you do to ensure colleagues appreciate the importance of building the required skills ?
5. What opportunities can you provide to ensure colleagues put the newly acquired skills into practice ?
6. What learning can be identified from the actions taken & how will these be implemented in your department ?

Please let me know your thoughts on the above framework

The Three Signs of a Miserable Job - another management fable

I've recently read the latest fable from Patrick Lencioni called 'The Three Signs of a Miserable Job'

For anyone looking for a simple, action-orientated & highly focused alternative to the Gallup Q12 scholarship on Colleague Engagement - I'd recommend reading this book.

The model is very simple - Lencioni advocates that:

• Anonymity
• Irrelevance
• Immeasurement

are the three fundamental factors that drive job dissatisfaction (whether you are a CEO or cleaner).

For more details see: www.miserablejob.com

Clearly, the story-telling style of fables don't resonate with all leaders (especially when the core message is very simplistic) - but anyone considering training interventions relating to building colleague engagement may want to, at very least, add this to the recommended pre/post training reading list.

Use of Actors in Learning Events

The following HR Zone Article provides a good summary of the role Actors & Forum Theatre can play in delivering engaging training & learning events.

In my experience, this approach is more widely understood and deployed in the UK than the US.

As the article highlights - the costs of using actors for 1:1 role-play are high (and can often be replaced adequately by other participants on the training course, playing the 'other' role).

I'm a fan of the (most cost effective) forum theatre approach - where scenarios can be played out based on the suggested words offered by the training class delegates (e.g. what are the actual words you would us if, as the manager, you are faced with this situation ....). Not only can this approach demonstrate different reactions you can get to the same approach (for those managers who don't vary their style depending on both the situation and person involved !), but also the scenarios can be 're-played' allowing the delegates to learn rapidly by trial and error.

Another 'First 90 Days' Text

Peter Fischer has recently written a book called The New Boss

Why is this of interest ? - well many L&D Curriculum focus on providing support at 'transition' points (building from the framework of The Leadership Pipeline by Charan et al).

For me (and others) the key text for building further on the work of Charan is The First 90 Days by Michael Watkins. Hence, it is interesting to reflect on whether this new book offers further insights (for future inclusion into Leadership training courses).


According to Fischer, there are seven building blocks to creating a successful leadership change:

• Managing Expectations Proactively
• Developing Key Relationships
• Constructively Analysing the Initial Situation
• Establishing a Set of Motivating Goals
• Fostering a Positive Climate for Change
• Initiating Changes Effectively, &
• Using Symbols & Rituals

Clearly there are significant overlaps with the ideas of Watkins - a rough (and simplistic) mapping could be:

• Managing Expectations Proactively = Negotiate Success
• Developing Key Relationships = Create Coalitions
• Constructively Analysing the Initial Situation = Match Strategy to Situation
• Establishing a Set of Motivating Goals = Build Your Team
• Fostering a Positive Climate for Change = Secure Early Wins
• Initiating Changes Effectively, = Expedite Everyone
• Using Symbols & Rituals = Achieve Alignment

Hence, at least in these simplistics terms of comparision - Watkins apears to place more emphasis on self - with advice such as 'promote yourself', 'accelerate your learning' & 'keep your balance'.

Equally, Fischer helpfully provides a richer focus on communications - specifically highlighting the 'use of symbols and rituals'.

Symbolic management is the skillful and consistent combination of symbols and rituals into a convincing message. This is why it is important to ensure that what you say is consistent with how you behave. It is a symbolic expression of a different management style

..... an area worthy of further discussion within a 'new leader' training class ?!