Where Have All The Corporate Universities Gone?

The simultaneous impact of several major forces contributed to the decline of Corporate Universities.

Organizations began to adopt a bottom-line approach focused on cost cutting to improve efficiency during the global economic meltdown of 2008. Investments in learning and development initiatives declined, which impacted leadership commitment towards sustaining CUs.

Second, professional associations, consultants, and leading organizations shifted their attention towards talent management. Organizations became inwardly focused on improving and developing their existing human resources..

Third, the changing demographics exacerbated socio-cultural pressures on traditional universities and questioned their legitimacy and value in society.

Because corporate universities were established to closely approximate traditional universities in terms of developing cutting edge knowledge and innovation, they were affected by these contextual factors, and suffered from decreasing interest. A shrinking global market, privatization of education and a spurt in the private online education providers, and the increasing demands for complex skill sets demanded individualized approaches for developing the full potential of human resources.

What happened to the "L" in L+D?

L

L+D stands for Learning and Development. In years past it was referred to as T+D which stood for Training and Development. We guess at some point there was a shift towards sounding as though we were doing more for our constituents than simply training them.

Unfortunately, the truth is, we are still T+D. Where is the L in L+D?

In the last decade-plus, training budgets have been cut, time allowed for training has been drastically reduced, coaching has been all but wiped out, and "learning strategies" have become self-service, self-directed, eLearning in many organizations (choose from this menu of management classes).

But true learning requires a long tail. It requires interaction with others in order to vet multiple ideas and arrive at the best one, or perhaps a hybrid-NEW-best idea. It requires coaching. It requires experience that informs future experiences and what one "knows to be true." Learning and development is a misnomer and perhaps a sad relic of what we thought this profession would become during the rise of corporate universities (see Where Have All the Corporate Universities Gone? below).

Organizations are consistently announcing that their businesses are suffering from a lack of skilled employees and a lack of bench strength for management, and yet there is little being done to ensure that our role in L+D is actually focused on the L. This truly requires the L+D department to have a seat at the table, to help organizations strategically plan their future through their people, but that vision is, sadly, far from reality in many organizations. 

Interview with Will Thalheimer, PhD

Thalheimer (1)

What motivated you to write this book?

I've worried about my own smile sheets (aka response forms, reaction forms, level 1's) for years! I know they're not completely worthless because I got useful feedback when I was a mediocre leadership trainer-feedback that helped me get better.

But I've also seen the research (two meta-analyses covering over 150 scientific studies) showing that smile sheets are NOT correlated with learning results-that is, smile sheets don't tell us anything about learning! I also saw clients-chief learning officers and other learning executives-completely paralyzed by their organizations' smile-sheet results. They knew their training was largely ineffective, but they couldn't get any impetus for change because the smile-sheet results seemed fine. 

So I asked myself, should we throw out our smile sheets or is it possible to improve them? I concluded that organizations would use smile sheets anyway, so we had to try to improve them. I wrote the book after figuring out how smile sheets could be improved.

If you could distill your message down to just one - what would it be?

Smile sheets should (1) draw from the wisdom distilled from the science-of-learning findings, and (2) smile-sheet questions ought to be designed to (2a) support learners in making more precise smile-sheet decisions and (2b) should produce results that are clear and actionable. Too often we use smile sheets to produce a singular score for our courses. "My course is a 4.1!" But these sorts of numerical averages leave everyone wondering what to do. 

How can trainers use this book to assist them in the work that they do?

Organizations, and learning-and-development professionals in particular, can use my book to gain wisdom about the limitations of their current evaluation approaches. They can review almost 30 candidate questions to consider utilizing in their own smile sheets. They can learn how to persuade others in using this radical new approach to smile-sheet design. Finally, they can use the book to give them the confidence and impetus to finally make improvements in their smile-sheet designs-improvements that will enable them to create a virtuous cycle of continuous improvement in terms of their learning designs.

Getting valid feedback is the key to any improvement. My book is designed to help organizations get better feedback on their learning results. 

Do you have a personal motto that you live by?

Be open to improvement. Look for the best sources of information-look to scientific research in particular to enable practical improvements. Be careful. Don't take the research at face value. Instead, understand it in relation to other research sources and, most importantly, utilize the research from a practical perspective. 

Will Thalheimer, PhD, PresidentWork-Learning Research, Inc.

What is the Business Goal for this Training?

It is surprising how much training exists that doesn't have a real connection to the goals of the business. Perhaps these are legacy courses left over from a time when there was a need and organizations are still offering them. But these days you want to ensure that any training that you are asked to develop anew has a clear business goal.

In discussions with the business process owner who is requesting the training, be sure that they can articulate what the expected business outcomes are for the training. Not only does this assure you that they have truly thought through the need for the training that they are requesting, but it also establishes an ROI point for you (which is something else that is seldom targeted in training design).

If a sales manager requests training in negotiations or cross-selling - you can be relatively sure that there is a business outcome expected from that training. If a sales manager instead asks for team building or training on a particular software - dig a little deeper to find out what they believe that training would accomplish for the business / their business unit.

If an operations manager for a manufacturing facility asks for a course in quality control or machine calibration - there is probably a link to the output of that department. If, however s/he asks for forklift safety you may want to investigate how that will positively benefit the department and its deliverables to the organization.

Not only will asking "How does this training link to the business goals of the company / department?" save you time and money by not developing courses that have no real relevance for the business, but you'll be seen as a thoughtful contributor to the business overall rather than an order-taker of training requests.

Train People BEFORE You Hire Them

idea

Latin America and the Caribbean will need about 1.2 million software developers within the next decade, according to growth projections, and yet "official educational institutions" only graduate 1000 coders a year. What to do?

How about starting a training division to train people you'll need in the future? A start-up in Lima Peru did just that. Called Laboratoria, the company began training coders because it could not find qualified personnel for its growing web design business. Last year 1,200 people applied; the company trained and graduated 150. This year they hope to graduate 300 .The training is 9-5 daily, over 5 months. Training is free and 60% of graduates landed entry level jobs upon graduation. (Although Laboriatoria was created from one company's need, graduates are not obligated to go to work for the parent company; what they ARE obligated to do is give back 10% of their earnings for the first three years following graduation, to help continue to fund the free training for others.)

Similarly, Code Camp was started in Charleston, SC because of the growing "Silicon Harbor" of technology companies in the area. Two such company owners grew frustrated with not being able to find the right talent and decided to "grow their own." Classes are now offered Saturdays and in the evenings so working professionals can get the training they need to change or further their careers. There is even a 4-session Kids Camp for kids aged 10 - 14 years - why not get them in the pipeline early?

The next time your Talent or HR department is lamenting the lack of qualified candidates - consider growing your own!

Dare to Compare

Training Magazine and Wilson Learning Worldwide recently completed a survey of 544 learning practitioners, surveying how well the respondents felt the L+D department was achieving its objectives, what modes of training delivery they felt were worthwhile, and whether they were considered a strategic partner of the business or not. The summary categorized L+D organizations as "Strategic," "Emerging," or "Lagging".

Here are some of the interesting results:

Strategic L+D departments are more likely to:

• Speak about L+D as an investment rather than a cost

• Have executives involved in program launches

• Mention learning in the company's annual report

• Take an active role in reviewing L+D initiatives

On-the-job training and formal classroom training were the top 2 preferred delivery methods across all three spectrums. The least effective delivery methods were learning libraries, mobile learning, social media, MOOCs and self-paced printed manuals.

The summary of the article suggests ways that L+D departments can become more strategic. See the article here.

It is definitely worth the read - especially if you'd like your organization to become more strategic.

The Dark Side of Leadership

lightening

Bold, innovative leader or r narcissistic, paranoid personality disorder? You decide.

A series of articles and research papers investigate the "dark personality traits" of leaders. While most of us are looking forward, toward ways to develop our future leaders (topics, training, experiences, etc.), some researchers are investigating the personality traits that bring our "rising stars" to us in the first place.

Leader Development and the Dark Side of Personality (Leadership Development Quarterly); The Dark Side of Trait Leadership (Penn State Psychology Blog); Dark Side Personality and Extreme Leader Behavior (slide show from Kaiser Leadership Solutions presented at the 28th Annual SIOP Conference) The "father" of the Dark Side (the Hogan Development Survey (HDS))

Scroll to the bottom of the page and you will find the top 3 personality predictors for leadership derailment, by industry (in general terms, of course).

Case Study: Bite-sized Instructor Led Training

telephone

When we think of bite-sized learning, we often think of something that is self-paced, just-in-time, mobile or e-Learning.

We recently visited with a client that is providing bite-sized learning (10 minutes or less) delivered by live instructors. Picture this: a room of 40 trainers who sit in cubicles wearing headsets, at desks with two computer monitors. The trainees call the trainers when they are ready for their lesson. The trainees go in to a queue and any trainer can pick up the call and teach any topic thanks to a script that pops up on one screen. On the other screen they document the learner, the lesson, and the advice / next steps prescribed for that learner.

In a 10-minute-or-so conversation, the trainer and trainee discuss how the last lesson has been working for the learner, practice a read-through of the new lesson, role-play the new lesson, audio-record the new lesson and listen-back for a self-critique as well as a trainer critique.

Lessons are meted out, one-per-week, for a period of weeks depending on the topic. The learner is expected to practice one minute technique during the week and then the next technique is introduced, the following week.

Bite-sized learning? More like crumb-sized learning! And SUPER effective. Just ask their 850 clients!

Interview with Author Yael Hellman - Learning for Leadership

Yael

What motivated you to write this book?

In my years of teaching leadership, I noticed a huge gap between leadership theory and how my students, from all walks of life, actually turn into leaders. I saw that by respecting their varied life experiences, abilities, and learning preferences, I inspired them to value those qualities in themselves AND in those they would lead.

I also saw that traditional lecturing and assignments didn't produce the self-reflection and emotional intelligence leaders need. So I created a participant-centered group environment safe enough to contain and ignite individuals' unique energies and openness to experience. Turned out, this facilitative approach (which decades of research on leadership teaching supports) actually cultivates deep, lasting leadership skills through immediate, hands-on practice. I wanted to share what I learned training leaders in business, public service, and academic settings.

So Learning for Leadership; A Facilitative Approach for Training Leaders culls my best techniques, resources, and lesson plans. Perhaps most important, it presents real-life accounts of the pitfalls and potentials of facilitative leadership teaching to inform and encourage other instructors.

If you could distill your message down to just one - what would it be?

Leadership teaching-like leadership itself--is not for the faint of heart. You must be a lifelong learner to know yourself, your triggers, and your dynamic, and then to recognize those in others in order to reach and to motivate them.

How can trainers use this book to assist them in the work that they do?

Learning for Leadership; A Facilitative Approach for Training Leaders briefly outlines how adults learn so trainers can approach them appropriately and effectively. The book offers on-the-ground activities and projects that let participants experience-and so truly learn--the instructor's points. Its concrete tips facilitate the learning AND the teaching of leadership by helping trainers meet the intellectual and emotional demands of an experiential, participant-centered group. Its clear theory and tried-and-true practices let instructors in business or any context develop profound, practical executive wisdom in their trainees.

Do you have a personal motto that you live by?

Know yourself, and know your trainees. Only then will you see when to lead and when to follow, and be able to transform learners into leaders." (Hellman, p. xii) 

Grow Your Own Pilot!

Many organizations have realized that in order to be successful they simply haveto "grow their own" skilled workforce. It is impossible to buy, borrow or stealthe skills they need from their competitors or the population in general.  Oneimpressive example of this is Jet Blue Airlines, who announced, in November, thatthey would begin training their own pilots. The current "source" of new pilots isaviation school or the military. Jet Blue is being quite proactive in this endeavorbecause they see a pilot shortage looming as the older generation retires. It isprojected that the training will take four years. Quite an investment! The AirLine Pilots Association - North America's largest pilot union - says "this is notan effective way to secure qualified aviators." HUH? If you're thinking of a careerchange, check it out: http://www.futurebluepilots.com

Workplace Training Trends for 2016

Training Industry's winter quarterly publication has a "futuristic" article examining the following workplace training trends they have identified for 2016:

• A growing number of technologies or apps will help to "boost" transfer of learning from the classroom to on-the-job (aka performance support)

• Continued research into neuroscience to enhance learning outcomes and breaking the 'paradigms' of classroom and online training

• Curated learning allows the learner to identify and partake in the training they deem appropriate for themselves

• Properly preparing SMEs to be instructors in order to get the best information from the most-qualified authorities

• Video will be the dominant approach to mobile learning delivery

• Corporate training organizations will continue to use independent training professionals instead of carrying fixed staff for variable activities (like ISD) YAY!

Training Design Basics, by Saul Carlinger - Interview with the author

cover--training-design-basics

An interview with our friend and colleague Saul Carlinger, on the publishing of the 2nd edition of his book  Training Design Basics (ATD) 

What motivated you to write this book?

The motivations behind the two editions differed a lot. ATD (then ASTD) asked me to write the first edition. Although I was flattered, I had my concerns. First, I had just finished Designing e-Learning and was concerned about too much overlap between the books: both were about instructional design. But the distinction between the two was clear: one focused solely on e-learning and the other focused on more traditional forms of training-classroom and workbook-based programs, both of which were still dominant at the time.

My second concern was more fundamental; with so many books on the market about instructional design, what could I add? But as I looked at most textbooks, I realized that most focused on analysis, writing objectives, and evaluation. Those are all important, but I remember from my own time as an instructional designer that the majority of the work is focused on design and development. I covered analysis, objectives, and evaluation, but decided to emphasize the daily reality of most instructional designers: design and development.

Fast forward to 2011. Designing e-Learning was increasingly out of date, so I contacted ASTD to see if they would be interested in a revision. At the time, they had not made a long-term decision about that particular series of books on e-learning, but said they were looking for someone to write a book on informal learning. That interested me because I had explored that topic for my dissertation. Within 90 minutes, I had an outline for the book that would eventually become Informal Learning Basics: not the book I had planned to write when I called my editor but one I was delighted to write.

When that book was published, I suggested revising Training Design Basics and expanding its scope to include all training media, including e-learning. So the second edition of Training Design Basics is essentially a single book that updates both Training Design Basics and Designing e-Learning.

Part of the motivation was practical. The only way to integrate e-learning into the mainstream is to treat its design along the design of other types of programs. I also wanted to update Training Design Basics to address issues that arose when I used it in the classroom.

In addition, I wanted to address a general misunderstanding about ADDIE in this edition: that it is a linear one-size-fits-all process. Part of that is addressed in language about ADDIE (each part is described as an activity rather than a step in a process). Part of that is addressed by describing how the "full" approach is adjusted for revisions and lower-impact projects.

If you could distill your message down to just one - what would it be?

Given that my publisher always has to cut sizeable chunks of my original manuscripts to meet page limits, the real issue is whether I'm capable of distilling my message. (ATD's wonderful editors make this a learning experience more than anything else and the resulting versions are much tighter, stronger, and focused than the originals.)

But I'll try: Effective instructional design is problem solving. The better that trainers define the problem up-front and the tighter the alignment among the objectives, assessment of learning, and the course material, the more likely that designated learners will be able to develop the intended skills with the materials prepared for the learners.

How can business/ HR / training use this book to assist them in the work that they do?  

Use this book to guide a training project. For example, suppose someone is starting their first training project or trying to improve their design technique. Read the first three chapters before starting a needs assessment. Then use the book to complete an entire chapter, reading one chapter at a time and using the worksheets at the ends of the chapters to apply the content in their work.

Do you have a personal motto that you live by (related to your book)?

Focus!

You can learn more about the book at Saul's website: https://designingelearning.wordpress.com/

The Demise of Thinking Skills

In addition to a lack of work experience, the younger generations have learned what they do know in two primary ways: through rote memorization and by searching for information that they need, in the moment. While these practices are certainly useful in the knowledge economy, they do not begin to build the ability to extrapolate meaning or action from that knowledge and apply it in the real world to inform decision making, influence and performance.

In the past, there has been a gradual ascent into leadership positions in the "second half" of one's career; often after years of experience which contributes to a broad and "expert" level of performance. Malcolm Gladwell coined the "10,000 Hour Rule" to explain this path toward mastery in any field. However, the expectations of younger workers for advancement, along with the simple fact that today's leaders will have soon retired, makes it likely that many Gen Y/Millennials will be promoted to management and leadership positions before they have the skills, knowledge and experiences to be fully prepared for success at that level.

We simply do not have the luxury to wait 10,000 hours for the next generation of leaders to develop the thinking skills required to lead organizations in the 21st century. When development time is short, every missed opportunity to "grow a leader" is a costly business mistake.

(This is an excerpt from our recently published white paper: Teaching Thinking: Solving Tomorrow's Impending Leadership Crisis, Today.  You can download a copy by clicking on the News and Resources Link in the top menu bar.]  

Where is your Training GPS Leading?

GPS football player

There is an individual in our workplace who is 100% reliant on their GPS to get them places - even if they have been to that place numerous times in the past.

This "phenomenon" is caused by the fact that when information is readily available to you, you don't have to commit it to memory or learn it. In some instances, this is a wise approach. You don't need to remember what is in your refrigerator - just open the door and remind yourself. You don't need to learn how to complete your taxes when there are step-by-step guides available online (the GPS of taxes, if you will).

But, in other cases, being completely reliant on prompts is counter-productive and potentially dangerous. Sadly, there is more than one example of a person who followed their GPS to doom (go ahead, we'll wait while you Google "GPS Fail"). And, alarmingly, the GPS example is akin to what is happening in our companies today. How often have you heard (or said!)  Hmmm. I  don't know, give me one second, I'll Google it.

Google and "generic" or "universal" information is just one part of the equation, however. A readily available "smartphone" enables workers to have instant access to information they need to do their jobs - either from that universal fount of information, or from a company-supplied portal. In some arenas this is known as mLearning (an abbreviation of mobile-learning) - however, simply putting the word "learning" in the title doesn't magically turn it in to learning.  It should more accurately be called: mInformation

Just like the driver who is dependent on their GPS, an employee who is dependent on a resource to provide them with information to do their jobs, will be consistently dependent on that device. They will never grow their skills, or experience, or capabilities because they will never put any of their own independent thought in to the work. They will be 100% reliant on prompts.

True learning is dependent on experience, experimentation, practice, reflection, and an internalized understanding of not only what and how to do something, but why it is done the way it is. True skill and mastery comes from having internalized the rationale or thinking that underpins a process.

Imagine a football coach who is reliant on robotic prompts to call the next play. Come to think of it, the coach wouldn't be necessary would he? The prompts could be transmitted to the players through their helmets. They would be completely focused on their job, and their position, without having to take in to account the environment around them (e.g. other players, both on their team and against), the score / clock, their proximity to the end-zone, etc.  While in some respects, this might lead to a very accurate game, you would have players who never had to learn the sport, the rules, the strategy. They simply would follow the information they were provided, whether accurate or not.

A Filter is Required"whether accurate or not," is an important point. If you know nothing about a topic, and suddenly you are presented with a "how to," it seems perfectly reasonable to you. Why? Because you have no critical thought through which to filter the information. Especially in the workplace, where decisions are made quickly and can have far-reaching effects, it is imperative to have perspective on a topic or process, and not rely on a quickly-received “answer.”

For worker and workplace success, it is important that we teach people to think more thoroughly, to ask questions, to look for more than one answer, and to be able to make judgements about the information they receive. 

FAIL: LMS's not living up to their promises

Source: Software Advice survey of 155 HR professionals. You can view the full report here.

• Users spend 59% more than they expect to (average spend $70,000+)

• Live video / conferencing ranks as the #1 feature LACKING in current LMSs

• 26% of users are dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with their current LMS

• LMS's have the greatest impact on overall costs of training

The Two-Manager Model is Necessary for Professional Development and Organization Stability

According to demographics, three out of every four employees in the workplace will be a Millennial by 2025. That's ONLY ten years off, which means there is a lot of skill development required for Millennials to be prepared to lead our organizations- at any level. 

Unfortunately, a recent study by EdAssist (a tuition assistance management service provider) showed that nearly three-quarters of millennials feel their schooling didn't give them the preparation they needed to enter the workforce. This leaves most professional and skill development to be accomplished on the job.

Given that organizations have downsized and right-sized so much in recent decades, and understanding that most managers are working managers and not solely dedicated to manage others, The Training Doctor proposes a two-manager model going forward.

Each individual in an organization would have two managers who would guide and develop them as they entered and grew within an organization. The Training Doctor has observed the inordinate amount of training of managers to provide them with soft-skill managerial-capabilities such as giving feedback, performance appraisals, coaching and the like.

The two-manager model would break off these soft-skills responsibilities to one manager and the second manager would be the individual that ensures quality work outputs. For example, Susan joins a public accounting firm as an entry-level accountant. Her manager, Cameron, would be responsible for her technical and skills training, including how to participate in client meetings, how to use the firm's software, ensuring adherence to IRS regulations, etc. 

Jacqueline would be Susan's developmental manager. She might sit in on meetings with clients and offer feedback on the way in which Susan presents herself or participates in the meeting.  Jacqueline would also help Susan to identify or understand her career path and help her to make the right choices in terms of personal and professional development opportunities within the company [SHRM's most recent Employee Engagement and Satisfaction survey also shows that Millennials value professional development and career advancement and will jump companies for a developmental opportunity, so this second managerial role would also help to ensure retention].

Jacqueline and Cameron would meet regularly so that each had the big picture of Susan's abilities and accomplishments as well as future aspirations, and they could collaborate on developmental opportunities for Susan.

This two-manager model would take a large burden off the mid-level manager as it currently exists. It would allow someone to be solely dedicated to the professional development of individuals within an organization while another manager is dedicated to on the job performance, accuracy and mastery.

Marketing the Training Function

If your company already has an internal newsletter, speak with the editor about writing a regular training column. If no such newsletter already exists, you can easily begin your own e-newsletter using your internal email system.

Ensure that anything sent from the training department is engaging and helpful in performing one's job. Don't just send a calendar of events. Training tips might be about software applications, management practices, or on-the-job-skills that are unique to your organization. Keep the tips short and how-to oriented so that recipients clearly see the value of reading your e-newsletter.  You can start with a helpful tip, and then provide a calendar of upcoming events. This format helps to ensure that your messages get opened (because one never knows what this week's helpful tip will be) and once recipients begin reading, your hope is that they will read the entire message, including the calendar of events.

Here's a "tricky" tip: Consider having a "for manager's eyes only" tip - which of course everyone will read. You are subtly training future managers.

Why Utilize a Virtual Classroom?

Book Excerpt from "Tailored Learning":

The ability to interact with experts and peers in real time is a comfortable and familiar environment and eliminates the isolation that often comes with asynchronous technologies. Often a participant requires live interaction with an instructor or an expert, but that interaction does not need to be face-to-face.

For example, medical students observing surgery would, arguably, benefit from being physically in the operating room or a surgical observation area. However, those same participants do not need face-to-face interaction to ask post-operative questions of the surgeon. Questions can be asked and discussed among all of the participants via a virtual classroom. If a recording is made of the synchronous discussion, all the participants can go back and review the recording, at any time, to ensure that they understood the answers. One of the most common reasons for organizations to implement a virtual classroom is an audience that is dispersed across a large geographic area (oftentimes worldwide). Compared with traditional classroom delivery, the money saved in classroom costs, travel, and time away from work quickly becomes apparent. In addition, organizations may choose to deliver content that they never would have scheduled in a more traditional (classroom) setting. For example, an update to a computer system may only take one or two hours to teach, but an organization would rarely convene a training program for such a short period of time because it would be cost prohibitive. The virtual classroom makes this type of content easy to distribute.

As organizations become more global, and the need to collaborate across a distance is becoming more important, a virtual meeting place can help close the distance gap by providing a forum through which employees collaborate in real time.

Why Your Onboarding Training Process Matters

According to a survey of 1,000 employees by BambooHR: 1 in 6 reported they had quit a job between the first week and the third month of starting the position.

Who is responsible for job readiness? Colleges or Businesses?

According to a research study done by the University of Phoenix and EdAssist of 501 managers and 533 workers from diverse industries:

• 93% of managers believe college should teach soft skills such as how to think, learn, and communicate - and 75% of workers agree

• 96% of managers felt that technical training and job-specific skills training was the employers responsibility