Organizational Clarity: Social Networking and Organizational Learning does not always work.

Although there are a lot of modern day organizations using Web 2.0 social networking applications, these are usually organizations that are trying to meet a market standard and a certain customer in order to maintain engagement between the organization and its clientele. However, this is a challenge for those organizations without the budget or nor desire to focus on social networking and learning technologies as a viable option to how organizational procedures are currently structured.

The motto, especially within my organization, when it comes to interdepartmental communication or any type of basic training is: “This is how we always do it” and usually none of the technology mentioned in this post associated with either process. As most organizations are moving towards using video conferencing, online wikis and other options to decrease costs and standardize training methods there are still organizations that will always defer to traditional methods as the “best way” to do things.

I personally have used online training, wikis at other organizations and have created multiple blogs for academic reasons each of these instances allowed me to see the benefits of Social networking and Learning technologies. Unfortunately, it is hard to create tangible examples of these benefits to create the desire that all organizations even the reluctant ones I have aforementioned to buy into this way of thinking.

Reference

Iverson, Kathleen (2011) “Social Networking and Organizational Learning” May 31, 2011          Retrieved on March 29, 2017 from: https://rutraining.org/2011/05/31/social-networking-and-organizational-learning/

Organizational Clarity: “Project Charter Template” free download

From the Articulate community dedicated to increasing a professional’s knowledge of E-Learning, giving out free tips and free resources on how to implement E-Learning in the workplace or how to easily find cheap solutions to organizational needs.  In this posting upon the site is “Project Charter Template” by Maria Ginsbourg. This is Professional at Articulate has posted a free download for presentation usage in Microsoft Word.

The idea is simple it is a great way to outline for a client or other stakeholders assigned roles for the projects, the goals in which the project is trying to solve, etc., a basic template when an OD Professional is trying to give structure to the implementation while complete the entry and contracting stage to the intervention process.

Just click on the link here, and download! à https://community.articulate.com/download/project-charter-template

 

 

Organizational Clarity: A wiki post called “State the purpose and goals of HPI”

So I wrote a couple of articles for a Human Performance Improvement class assignment that was a Wiki for the class and it was segmented into subject matter that dealt with organizational development and improving the human performance of the employees in the organization. I believe this will help students and professionals alike explain the concepts that deal with Human Performance improvement. This wiki posting is answering the question: State the purpose and goals of HPI this is what I wrote for the class:

One of the main goals of Human Performance Improvement (HPI) is to bring clarity and definition to the organizational expectations of each assigned role within the organization (Standard, D. O. E., 2009). This ensures that individuals in the organization have the skills that are matched to tasks to guarantee completion, and it outlines individual responsibilities for each in the organization.

By assessing all of the aspects of an organization through HPI, the organization itself can develop policies and procedures that will improve and extend its range of competencies and productivity. HPI also strives to add transparency to the organization, not only for role clarity but to build morale through acknowledgment of individual achievements and acquired skill sets. Reinforcement of this acknowledgment through HPI is done by either creating proper compensation or reinforcing the needed consequences.

HPI creates an atmosphere of professional development that reinforces expectations, lowers turnovers and gives an organization the ability to retain experienced individuals. Meanwhile, HPI helps an organization in identifying opportunities to implement the changes necessary to strengthen the organization overall, pushing it forward by highlighting the necessary direction(s) to the next level.

Reference

Standard, D. O. E. (2009). Human performance improvement handbook volume 1: concepts and principles. US Department of Energy AREA HFAC Washington, DC, 20585.

Organizational Clarity: “Can Organizations Benefit from Mobile Learning?” article

From the CommlabIndia community is an article from easy, cheap solutions to meet organizational needs. In an email I received was a link to: “Can Organizations Benefit from Mobile Learning?” By Darshan Dudhagundi. Mobile learning has become an increasingly better option for organizations because of the options it brings in regards to accessibility and mobility.

An employee can access an organization’s E-Learning materials anytime, any place although I believe it is a hard sell only because most employees defend their time away from work, or when they are off the clock as sacred. Therefore, getting employees to use mobile learning is a 50/50 gamble, however, I think with added incentives employees would readily use mobile learning than spend a day in a classroom or in a larger arena for an all-day training event.

These are the five organizational benefits gained by using mobile learning:

1.       Improved consistency in training

2.       Improved completion rates and information retention

3.       Improved on-the-job support

4.       Improved productivity with better retention of information

5.       Reduced investment in infrastructure

 

If you want to know more just click the link here:

http://blog.commlabindia.com/elearning-development/mobile-learning-benefits-to-organizations

Organizational Clarity: “Vitalize Your Online Training Programs with Videos”article

In an article called “Vitalize Your Online Training Programs with Videos” by Sushmitha Kolagani, the author discusses why on-demand videos should be used in Online Training Programs. The basic tenant is that it is much cheaper than sending a trainer to various locations for annual events and presentations.

When it comes videos reusability, training uses or increased retention are great reasons to use videos in addition to e-learning programs or with performance support tools. The more of the material that a learner learns has access to the better, also the adaptability of on-demand videos to either be used to increase or boost morale or even giving quick techniques for representatives to do certain tasks in half the time. The idea of introducing on-demand videos into your training repertoire is one that should be made into reality.

If you see the same thing happening in your organization I urge you to click on the hyperlink below and read the article about E-Learning to educate yourself and your organization’s E-Learning dissenters

Here is the hyperlink to “Vitalize Your Online Training Programs with Videos” by Sushmitha Kolagani:

http://blog.commlabindia.com/elearning-design/5-things-to-know-about-elearning

 

Organizational Clarity: “ETEC 561 Fall 2012: Section 4: Human Performance Technology” blog

This is a blog that briefly discusses Human Performance Technology the main thing you can take away from this is the graphic of the ASTD HPT Model and possibly if you are a student you can use as that much-needed reference for a project. Please click the link to learn more:

ETEC 561 Fall 2012: Section 4: Human Performance Technology: Not all problems in learning and/or performance require an instructional one. Many times a non-instructional approach is a more ap…

 

5 Tips For Creating Beautiful E-Learning Courses, Fast

From the Articulate community dedicated to increasing a professional’s knowledge of E-Learning, giving out free tips and free resources on how to implement E-Learning in the workplace or how to easily find cheap solutions to organizational needs. In this week’s email, I received a link to: “5 Tips For Creating Beautiful E-Learning Courses, Fast” when you do not have an in-house designer to create professional courses for your organization’s employees this link will give you the information you need.  The five tips for creating learning courses are:

• Using Free Graphics
• Starting with a Template
• Picking 2-3 Go-To Fonts
• Picking a Color Palette and Stick with It
• Keeping It Simple

This article has 5 steps of great advice plus a free E-book for visual design that you can use, free!

As I always say it’s “it is a great resource that defines the challenges that may face your organization and tells you the E-Learning authoring tools you can use, without you or your organization wasting time and money researching various programs…”

Just click on the link here: https://community.articulate.com/articles/5-tips-for-creating-beautiful-e-learning-courses-fast

Chipotle, an organization in need of Organizational Change.

With a bunch of E-coli breakouts and sanitary problems at their stores where does the blame lie? With the employees? Store management? Corporate? Obviously, there are standards in place but not being adhered to. The issue has become an even bigger problem for Chipotle and is affecting its bottom line, as per the article (below) customers are staying away in droves.

I know I have seen some disgusting things at various locations like:

• Customers leaning over the sneeze guard pointing at the items they want to workers on the other side
• Workers spit talking into their gloves as they consort with other coworkers and personal visitors.
• I’ve also seen employees wipe the food prep area clean with their gloves/hands and then make the following customer’s (in line) food

I give these examples as reasons why I did not back to any of Chipotle’s locations because they are legitimate instances that maybe at one time we would have:

• Downplayed in some manner (just one time or one bad apple employee)
• Ignored as if we “did not see that” (disbelief)
• Or simply did not catch as loyal customers to our favorite lunch spot.

But with all the bad press Chipotle is receiving you add onto these types of experiences and you wonder does it really matter where the blame lies? Obviously, there is a clear need for an examination of the training and hiring practices that are currently in existence. But from an Organization Development (OD)P standpoint, there needs to be an implementation of better coaching practices by the Chipotle management at the local and corporate levels. But what else can be done?

One possibility is that there be a lack of mystery shoppers for the organization, something we never hear Chipotle publicly admitting as other fast food chains do. This could be the leading factor to why there is missing data of these issues or why this problem “blew up” into this major catastrophe as it did. This data would have clearly given Chipotle a clear point of view regarding the chain’s hygiene and other assorted practices from the customers at a ground level.

Maybe the issue lies within the typical corporate culture that many organizations are guilty of and Chipotle is simply ignoring or whitewashing the truth about its stores for its investors and the generic public. In either case, how does Chipotle right its ship and gain its faltering customer base back? Free burritos? Chorizo? Maybe the organization needs to do something more drastic either way it would be an incredible challenge for the average OD professional but where would you start?

You can read more about Chipotle’s issues by clicking on this hyperlink:

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/chipotle-customers-arent-coming-back-131351251.html

How Culture and Positive Leadership determine Organizational Change

I was reading a great article about Organizational Change by Marcella Bremer called “Overview: Change based on Culture and Positive Leadership” basically since 70% of all Organizational change fails the author discusses how to change the numerous factors that cause this failure. As the title suggest the change starts with Leadership approaching change by involving all the stakeholders who this changes impacts and making sure that the organizational culture is flexible enough to integrate those changes.

As we all know any time there is change if management is not behind it or going through the motions and/or there is resistance to change amongst the employees who are then expected to carry the burden of the change implementation. As Ms. Bremer states in the article this combined is the number one problem in why Organizational change fails, I suggest reading her article (click on the hyperlink) for a few starter points and if you see the need for further information to peruse her site for some more information some of it’s free some of it’s paid but if you believe that your organization is of need of dyer change you may want to have all the options possible, available to you and your organization.

Here is the hyperlink to “Overview: Change based on Culture and Positive Leadership” by Marcella Bremer:

https://www.ocai-online.com/blog/2016/10/Overview-Change-based-on-Culture-and-Positive-Leadership?utm_source=ws20170315&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ows

Success and Failure Road Sign with dramatic clouds and sky.

Looking for Sources of inspiration for E-Learning design

I joined the articulate community as part of a school project but all the information as it pertains to E-learning is fantastic but it also confirms thing you may have thought of or did not realize that it was part of a thought process like Organizational Development (OD) or you even thought that you need a college degree to come up with some of the solutions OD professionals create!

In this article “10 Overlooked Sources for E-Learning Design Inspiration” by Trina Rimmer she discusses ten places you may thought of, but did not seriously consider for building block or inspiration for your designing from museums to games to movies, this article briefly discusses where you can see for yourself e-learning examples at work. Some of the suggestions this author mentions you can get a test ride and see for yourself.

For example, my favorite suggestion from this list, video games nowadays with massive multiplayer online environments you can foster teamwork, gain rewards and gain socialization skills earned by interacting with others from different locations than yourself. In the workplace environment, these are skills that any organization wanting a global reach would want to foster overcoming a lack of cultural intelligence and divisions between departments and sites.

If you are stumped for ideas when crafting a e-learning design that will be user-friendly and maintains your audience’s attention I would suggest reading the article I aforementioned at the link below:

https://community.articulate.com/articles/10-overlooked-sources-for-e-learning-design-inspiration