OH-1

Quote

“HRD is Me.”

OH-2

Background: Workplace Learning

THE BLAIR HOUSE

PAPERS

GETTING

RESULTS

THROUGH

LEARNING

“. . . outlines what managers need to do.”

“. . . gives managers the tools to do it.”

OH-3

Getting Results Through Learning

• Written for managers

• Jargon free

• Easy to read

• Strategies to use now, without more money or time

OH-4

Thinking About Workplace Learning

• Is the way you do business changing?

• What is the impact of this change on how work is done to accomplish goals?

• How great is the need to work differently?

• What do people need to learn?

• How can learning best occur?

OH-5

Assessing Workplace Learning

• Where are you, as a manager, on a scale of 1-5 in achieving workplace learning?

1 = I’ve a long way to go5 = I’m doing everything right

• What are your concerns?

OH-6

Rating Scale

You’ve a long way to go

You’re doing everything right

1 2 3 4 5

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Barriers To Overcome

• Treating learning as an individual endeavor.

• Focusing on formal classroom training.

• Keeping business and learning separate.

• Tolerating non-listening work environments.

• Employing autocratic leadership styles.

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Planning

• Make a connection to the organization’s strategic objectives upfront.

• Target training areas of greatest need and biggest payoff.

• Find the best and most cost-effective methods.

• Determine how to evaluate results.

OH-9

Strategic Alignment

• Review agency’s strategic plans.

• Determine how you contribute.

• Plan learning that supports contribution.

• Focus on performance needs.

• Tie into business outcomes.

• Transfer learning into performance and results.

OH-10

Learning Strategies

1. Coaching

2. Mentoring

3. Job rotation/special assignments

4. Manager as teacher

5. Learning teams

6. Self-Development

7. Individual Development Plan

8. Meetings

9. Action Learning

10. Cross-functional teams

11. Workouts

12. Strategic planning

13. Parallel learning structures

14. Corporate scorecard

15. Benchmarking

16. Flocking

17. Groupware

18. Computer conferencing

OH-11

Questions

• What do you need to get started?

• How can HRD help you? What should they be doing?

• How will (could) this strategy help you achieve results? Which results?

OH-12

Coaching

• Involves listening, observing, encouraging, and giving feedback.

• Shapes performance needed to meet goals.

• Involves setting objectives for learning and developing an action plan.

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Mentoring

• Provides advice, increases understanding of the organization, and helps build networks.

• Develops employees by increasing their skills and expanding their awareness and perspective.

OH-14

Mentoring (Continued)

• Mentors typically are not in reporting chain and are about two grades higher than “mentee.”

• Provides learning outside of normal channels or training programs.

• Prepares “mentee” for new job/function.

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Job Rotation and Special Assignments

• Job rotation involves detailing to positions preferably outside the current unit.

• Special assignments can be short- or long-term.

• Both should provide new skills and knowledge that are linked to organizational goals.

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Manager as Teacher

• You set the tone, pace, work habits, and behavior.

• Think of every interaction with others as a teaching opportunity.

• Ask yourself: What could be learned? How can I strengthen learning? Who needs to be here?

OH-17

Learning Teams

• Meet regularly to focus on own develop-ment.

• Form around particular area of interest.

• Manager’s role is to provide encourage-ment, support, and resources.

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Self-Development

• Identify what you want to learn and develop a plan.

• Use computer programs that help analyze skills and interests.

• Maintain learning logs or diaries to analyze “lessons learned.”

OH-19

Self-Development (Continued)

• Get involved in professional organizations or interagency committees.

• Read professional journals and trade magazines.

• As a manager, promote employee self-development by identifying learning opportunities.

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Individual Development Plan

• Developed jointly by manager and employee.

• Identifies development needs within the context of the organization’s mission and performance requirements.

• Helps achieve results because learning is structured and intentional.

• Review and update regularly.

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Meetings

• View every meeting as an opportunity for learning.

• Look for ways to improve communication and understanding among members.

• Discuss lessons learned from project reports and special assignments.

OH-22

Action Learning

• Group effort that involves solving real problems and focuses on acquired learning.

• Involves a sequence of discussion, action, reflection, further action, and reflection.

• Use when there are no obvious solutions.

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Cross-Functional Teams

• Composed of individuals with different backgrounds and skills.

• Collaborate on common work issues and accomplish same task.

• Learn from each other and acquire greater knowledge of business issues and decision-making processes.

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Workouts

• Super-accelerated reengineering projects.

• Teams meet—without management—to identify ways they can work faster and more efficiently.

• Can last from one to several days and conclude with a “townhall” meeting.

• Managers must make immediate public decisions to accept, reject, or ask for more information.

• Save time and money and have lasting impact on people.

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Strategic Planning

• Begins with the end in mind.

• Includes your vision of the future, mission, goals, and indicators of success.

• Sets a direction that everyone understands.

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Parallel Learning Structures

• Temporary groups that cut across traditional organizational boundaries.

• Formed to address a specific issue or need.

• Bring creative approaches to problems that have challenged traditional decision making.

• Result in bringing organization to a new level of awareness.

OH-27

Corporate Scorecard

• Tracks measurements that have meaning to the organization.

• Tracks both financial and nonfinancial measures.

• Distributed across the organization so everyone is reading the same “score.”

OH-28

Benchmarking

• Continually compares your organization with other organizations.

• Involves identifying areas that need improvement and studying “best practices” of those who are recognized leaders.

OH-29

Benchmarking (Continued)

• “Best practices” can then be customized to fit your own organization.

• Particularly helpful in looking at:

– Meeting customer requirements.

– Setting relevant, achievable goals.

– Developing accurate measures of productivity.

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Flocking

• Involves small groups that come together to learn collectively.

• Promotes collaboration and exchange of learning, and establishes ongoing networks.

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Groupware

• Facilitates communication and decision-making processes.

• Allows for people’s anonymous input.

• Makes group work more efficient.

• Gives instant information about how work is progressing.

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Computer Conferencing

• An application of computer and telecommunications.

• Allows people to interact when separated by time and space.

OH-33

Aligning Strategies

Review strategic plans

Determine your contribution

Identify and set up supporting learning

Tie into business outcomes and ultimate organizational performance

OH-34

Next Steps

Where do I want to be?

How can I get started and get

support?

What do I need personally to carry out this

responsibility?

OH-35

Quotation

“Learning and performing will become one and the same thing. Everything you say about learning will be about performance. People will get the

point that learning is everything.”

— Peter Block