Organizational Development article: The Learning Organization Revisited

As part of one assignment I had to read a Organizational Development themed article and comment upon it. This article was located on the Roosevelt University blog entitled: “The Learning Organization Revisited” I will post my response to the blog below, but I recommend reading the blog and maybe even commenting upon the article itself. Here is my posting which you will find also upon the site:

I like the idea of what respecting others in the workplace to create a learning environment, in my experience so far I have not seen any organization, department or team that meets or exhibits this type of thought process. Usually when it comes to stimulate any type of learning it is done by self-motivated employees or individuals from the training and development department, the managers play no part in the learning process. What managers can do, as mentioned in the video, for assisting employees contributing to the learning process are not instilled in the usual organizational culture and instead are thought of as characteristic of “weak” leadership. Giving a chance for employees to have a debate regarding ideas, policies and procedures even during “open house” discussions that I have seen, are just opportunities for managers to identify troublemakers or squash “challenges” to the current method of “doing things” in regular organizations.

Although I believe organizations that have this type of learning environment established, have managers who openly encourage innovation, and the dissemination of best practices will be highly productive and successful, I have not seen it yet. To do so most organizations need a change to their entire organization’s culture, to reverse the mindsets of CEOs and management staff included that believe creating supportive learning environment in which best practices can be shared and discussion of alternative points of view are not complete wastes of time. If the organization is serious about change, and the management staff is not it is in the best interest of the organization to move forward with personnel changes and recruit leaders who are to committed to this new environment.
I have taken the Learning Organization Survey as recommended by the authors of the article and my organization scaled highest score was in the area of “Time for reflection” at 48.6 I had five of these categories in averaging at 14.3% the others in the low twenties and thirties. This was far above what I expected to score for my organization but quite accurate in various areas.

Reference
Iverson, Kathleen (2012) “The Learning Organization Revisited” February 13, 2012 RU Training @ Roosevelt University in Chicago, Graduate Program in Training & Development, Roosevelt University Retrieved on April 5, 2017 from:
https://rutraining.org/2012/02/13/the-learning-organization-revisited/

Organizational Clarity: “PowerPoint '13: Medical Research Tab” 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 ““PowerPoint '13: Medical Research Tabs” by Trina Rimmer. 

This is Professional has posted on Articulate a free download for presentation usage in Microsoft PowerPoint, now this is more tailored for those in the medical profession, however, I like the use of tabs and it can be customized for anything. This is great in keeping the records for your client’s intervention organized or just for simple personal record keeping, the origin sites for the graphics and pictures that are used listed in the article.

Just click on the link here, have fun, download and get organized! à https://community.articulate.com/download/powerpoint-13-medical-research-tabs

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

Clear communication is key with Job Posting

How does the average person who is looking for a job build trust or communication with a prospective organization when the organization itself cannot deliver on the necessary aspects of communication, and presentation of the job description?

 In other words, when you apply for an opportunity it is then in the responsibility hemisphere of the organization to do two things. One, have created a job description that is detailed and encompasses all the aspects which the job entails on a daily basis. Second, the organization should be able to have the ability to set up and structure a workable interview process that benefits both parties.

I have seen in multiple experiences that this is not always the case. One place I tried to interview with was a non-profit organization offering Human Resources opportunity; I had a lengthy email interaction with one of their representatives about an interview multiple times. However, the reason this interview never happened was that the representative never got back to me until the day of and wanted to reschedule at the last minute (the day of,).

Now, this is the right of any organization when dealing with job applicants, but I eventually was dissuaded from participating any further because I could not interact with this organization like I aforementioned. The reason was that I had other interviews to go to attend, other organizations that were organized in their hiring processes and were able to complete the initial interview process with other applicants and me. I based this on some individuals that were in the lobbies and offices of these organizations waiting to be interviewed as well.

Fast forward a few weeks into the future after I disengaged from this organization of disorganization I noticed that they reposted the position again on an online job search site. The first assumption is that this organization could not find anyone, was there others like myself who were deterred by the hiring process that they had to try again? Was it that they did hire someone and they left because the position’s duties were not communicated properly and the new hire became disillusioned and left immediately?

Whichever it was the position, the same position that I applied for was now more detailed, in fact, the length of detail in this new posting was amazing in comparison to the original posting. The new wrinkle in the position was that it was now UNPAID! Obviously, I did not reapply for this position even though it meant some professional development, was not worth it. From any Organizational Development standpoint, this organization is one of chaos, and even without a Cause Analysis, it is obvious that there are no protocols, standards or even processes in place to hire effective individuals to create change.

Knowing that there are still organizations out there without processes that we all think are necessary and vital to maintaining a success workforce. Understanding that there are opportunities for the Organizational Development professional out there, we must temper those academic urges to the hard realities that organizations must be able or want change. However, if the organizations as in this example are “tripping over their own feet” with its publicly presented policies then it is evident change may not be in the cards.

Lack of strong sponsors, inept processes, lack of experienced individuals who can work around procedures that hinder or start the innovation process are all major roadblocks to implementing the change that is needed in such organization. In other words, if you take the chance to apply and be hired by such an organization do not have ideas of becoming a “hero” and creating major changes. The likelihood of such a change happening assessing from academic, professional and realistic standpoint(s) are almost impossible and most likely will never happen.

Organizational Clarity: RePackaging brands

As we all know organizations constantly repackage their products, the idea to rebuilt, retool, and reorganize is not only a foundational “brick” to building a successful organization. Most repackaging of products are successful, but there are some examples that most of us have lived through that have left us scratching our head. These organizations realized their mistakes and undid the repackaging process to get back to what their customers what they wanted.

For example, the new Coke is a very good example at not only repackaging but an entirely new product if you asked Coke customers, later the company would come out with Coke Classic and run that with the “new” Coke until there was only one left standing. Just recently Kylie Jenner repackaged her line of beauty products only with new packaging and a higher price, with the same old products inside. Being a “celebrity” and her product line not as globally used by a broad base of consumers can escape such scrutiny.

Although I have not used her products, it is still smart marketing as most people do not realize what they are paying for until it is too late. The smart part is that her company realized that their consumer base is paying for the “name” that goes with it, not the product as she rises in popularity so should her prices, or as reasoned by their actions. It is until it is too late will there be changes made to the new Coke formula will an organization retool their product from repackaged back to its original state, but only then.

Here is the article regarding Jenner’s repackaging error:

https://uk.style.yahoo.com/people-accusing-kylie-jenner-repackaging-103434739.html

Organizational Clarity: “25 Creative Image Effects for Stock Photos in E-Learning #156” article

From the Articulate community is an article from easy, cheap solutions to meet organizational needs. In an email I received was a link to: “25 Creative Image Effects for Stock Photos in E-Learning #156” by David Anderson.

This article ties 25 projects that emphasizes the use of creative image effects for stock photos when you are using them in the E-Learning process. This allows you to bring the learner’s attention to the object or main idea of the presentation, this helps the learner maintain a visual of the subject matter and retain the knowledge learned at that time.

Each link is simply discussing the methodology or reason each presenter took as they approached this issue, in maintaining the focus of the learner. They are very brief so even though this article gives you a lot of links and examples it is really not that time consuming, you may even find some ideas you can use in your own presentations.

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

https://community.articulate.com/articles/image-styles-and-effects-in-elearning

Organizational Clarity: “Sound Effects in E-learning: Top 8 Sample Music Sites” 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: “Sound Effects in E-learning: Top 8 Sample Music Sites” by Gitika Nagra. With experienced and novice instructional designers constructing E-learning lessons for their organizations on a budget (we all have them) this article presents eight websites where you can find the music you need to up the level of your E-Learning training sessions.

Realistically, we have all sit in presentations in which a voice just drones on and on talking about the information presented adding music can actually help in keeping the learner's attention. With a little music, even boring subjects can be made to come alive so I would recommend using some of these sites for your E-Learning productions today.

But before you move ahead please take note of the “free” sites, free is always good whether you are working for an organization or self-employed, or even if you are a student creating a project for class, take the free option, FIRST.

These are the eight music websites listed in the article that will allow you to download music from creating your E-Learning training sessions:  

1. freesound.org
2. Free Music Archive (FMA)
3. Audionautix.
4. ibeat.org.
5. PacDV.
6. ccMixter
7. Partners In Rhyme 
8. Audio Archive

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

http://blog.commlabindia.com/elearning-design/sound-effects-in-elearning-music-sites

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: Hurricane Awareness does your Organization have it?

In an article from the Articulate community, one of the examples that they use for their Rise program is a website called: “Hurricane Safety: Are You Prepared to Weather the Storm?” Now it is a great example of what the product can do however it is a great to prepare organizations located in hurricane prone areas. One of the things Organizational Development deals with when trying to combat a lack of production is external factors, and the weather is a major external factor!

I worked for one organization that had at least five sites in Florida and one in Chicago, every time during Hurricane season it seemed that the organization just did not have a plan for backing up the official duties of the employees employed in the Florida sites. There was always this season of chaos that went hand in hand with the Hurricane Season, everyone scurried around to figure out how the Chicago location employees would handle the employee duties of the affected sites.

In other words, if the East side of Florida was affected by a major hurricane this would mean at least three sites would be affected and therefore the employees in Chicago for every department would have to handle their workload and that of at least three other employees. I believe this is because the organization just did not have the right information on how to deal with a Hurricane, this website has tons of information regarding hurricanes! In fact, this website could be a great tool for helping employees and the organization on the proper procedures of evacuation and proper storage of the organizational property and equipment.

Although it would not cover the practical solution of dividing organizational operations over more geographical locations, most organizations cannot afford it nor have the organization culture to allow this to happen.

If you want to know more about Hurricane preparedness or maybe try to create something for your organization just click the link here:

http://articulate-heroes-authoring.s3.amazonaws.com/Trina/View%20this%20in%20action/hurricane-safety-are-you-prepared-to-weather-the-storm-scorm12-zIWw5Oi9/scormcontent/index.html#/?_k=cktn7x

Organizational Clarity: “Why are Organizations Migrating From Classroom Training to E-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: “Why are Organizations Migrating From Classroom Training to E-learning?” by Aruna Vayuvegula. Creating a LMS for an organization that has international or a global reach is a challenge, to keep costs down the basic tenet is to stop training or allow in-house training by managers.

However, this is not always effective, so getting the organization’s training department around the world or at two or more sites simultaneously an organization must think outside the box. This is one of the reasons that organizations choose E-learning as a usable option to meet these challenges as an extensive global organization.

E-learning is a great option to reach employees no matter where they are and assist in their professional growth in and out of the organizational span.

These are the five reasons why organizations move from Classroom Training to E-Learning:

1.       Need to update skills to match growing business needs

2.       Compulsion to keep training costs low while not compromising on training hours

3.       Need to train a large and dispersed workforce

4.       Demand for flexibility in knowledge transfer

5.       Need to track training completions and effectiveness

After reading these five reasons you can understand the desire for many organizations to move from one theater to another. Meeting the employees halfway on these training courses by allowing them to complete sessions on their own time, goes a long way to achieving the cooperation and involvement of employees in the learning process (for the organization). If you want to know more just click the link here:

http://blog.commlabindia.com/elearning-design/migrating-from-classroom-training-to-elearning

Organizational Clarity: “5 Tips to Set Flawless Learning Objectives for eLearning Courses” 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: “5 Tips to Set Flawless Learning Objectives for eLearning Courses” By Ashok Kumar K.  Learning objectives are always tough to create especially for the eLearning arena.

Most organizations do not have the resources to commit to E-Learning courses so when the practitioner has the chance, they have to do it right! Stating to the learners and one’s sponsors what one will learn from this presentation of material is crucial to maintain support and fan the learner’s desire to engage.  

The five tips to setting flawless learning objectives for eLearning Courses are:

• Keep learning objectives specific
• Keep learning objectives simple and concise
• Say NO to ambiguity
• Specify expected performance
• Align assessments & activities with learning objectives

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

http://blog.commlabindia.com/elearning-design/5-tips-to-set-elearning-learning-objectives

Organizational Clarity: Explanation of the OCAI Assessment presentation

To explain the Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument even further there is a slide share presentation by Yeliena Prokhorova from Enterprise’s Strategy Department, called “Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument (OCAI): Practical Training” each slide is chockfull of information. The slides go from “What is Organizational Culture?” to a short analysis of Edgar Schein’s three levels of culture this helps explains what Organizational Culture is, what the assessment is about and basically why you should take the assessment.

Even though the slide share usually requires a LinkedIn account to download you can still view the slideshow by clicking on the link below. I really like how in-depth and brief the presentation was detailed the sequence of tasks of the OCAI assessment, knowing what the OCAI assessment is about may change your answers a bit, knowing about it, the assessment or with anything actually beforehand changes the outcome of what a person may decide.  

In this case, it may change how the person answers the questions naturally to with some type of skepticism or more analysis of a question, than if there was no or was a lack of knowledge when taking the assessment.

Click upon the presentation here:

http://www.slideshare.net/annaskiteva/encolloquium

Organizational Clarity: “5 Handy Tips That Help You Personalize Your Online Learning [Infographic]” article

I was reading an article about online learning in an effort to make any programs I may develop in the future become more user-friendly and inviting to the trainees I want to reach. So I read an article called: “5 Handy Tips That Help You Personalize Your Online Learning [Infographic]” by Saritha Esaboyuna this article is again straightforward and to the point (the way I like it), listing 5 ways to draw in learners and to have effective e-learning sessions.

These are simple everyday things that we simply forget about when creating training sessions in general and helps give the session that personalized touch that learners actually appreciate when learning new material, or having to brush up upon current organizational practices,

Please click on the link for more information:

http://blog.commlabindia.com/elearning-design/personalize-online-learning-tips-infographic

I hope these tips work for you and have a good day!

Organizational Clarity: "Top 8 E-learning Tips to Help You Succeed in 2017" article

When building an effective e-learning course we must keep in mind that the learner is ultimately the audience that we must please. Yes, the client or organization that we creating the e-learning for is first, but the learner is the audience we are trying to reach, the customer we are really trying to satisfy. The organization may love what we have created, but if the course is not effective or not “enjoyable’ to the learner then issues may arise.

In this article, “Top 8 E-learning Tips to Help You Succeed in 2017” by Madhusudhan Madaram what is covered is simple, effective ways to ensure the learner’s attention, thereby increasing the effectiveness of the e-learning program that was created for the organization’s purposes. These are some of the tips covered and explained more in the article:

·         Use Style Guides

·         Go ‘Mobile First’

·         Use a Clean Design

·         Use Large Fonts

·         Create Enough Space

·         Adopt Responsive Design

·         Simplify Navigation

·         Use Quality Images

If any of these tips are sound right up your alley and you want to know more, please click onto this link:

http://blog.commlabindia.com/elearning-design/top-elearning-tips-to-succeed-in-2017

Organizational Clarity: "Don’t Fall into the Capability Trap: Does your organization work harder or smarter?" article

During my studies at Roosevelt University, I had the chance to look at their Training and Development blog site, which has a lot of great articles done by Staff, Faculty and Students that are themed along the lines of Organization Development. In this article by (Professor) Kathleen Iverson called: “Don’t Fall into the Capability Trap: Does your organization work harder or smarter?” the author discusses how organizations deal with hard times or competition in a violate market. The article gives some great tips that as a professional you can deliver or repeat to any organizational head and sound like a genius or a “go to” person during times like these.

Give the reader five principles to learn by and follow:

• Don’t expect a quick turnaround
• Metrics are important
• Avoid silos of improvement
• Invest in capabilities, even when times are tough
• Invest in capabilities, even when times are good

Here is the link for the article I am talking about:

https://rutraining.org/2016/05/02/dont-fall-into-the-capability-trap-does-your-organization-work-harder-or-smarter/

It has been my experience in the organizations that I have worked for those organizations usually work harder and they simply ignore these principles discussed in the article. The major of the time organizations lay off employees, experienced employees ruining their overall productivity and their Return on Investment (ROI) in the long run. Following these simple principles would allow any organization to bypass such an action and keep the majority of the seasoned employees while investing in the future during these tough, lean times.

Happy reading!

Free E-book: Mobile Learning 101 - All About Mobile Learning Design and Development

I usually get emails from CommLab India site to increase my knowledge of E-Learning to gain some 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 one email, I received, I saw a link to this E-book: “Mobile Learning 101 - All About Mobile Learning Design and Development” it is another short guide that will give a general breakdown of what mobile learning is and how to explain its uses and positives to clients who have thought about introducing it into their Organization’s training methodology.  This free E-book states by the end of reading it you should be able to:

• Explain What is Mobile Learning?
• Know what Factors Influencing M-learning
• Be able to create Learning Design Strategies for your organization for Mobile devices
• Be able to explain: How Does M-learning Fit with Other Training Initiatives
• Be able to explain: How Mobile Learning Can Support Different Trainings
• Be able to give Examples of Organizations Using Mobile Learning

It is Free and in PDF Format plus it is a great resource that assists your organization in your quest to integrate M-Learning (Mobile Learning) as an option for training in your organization. Just click on the link here: http://bit.ly/2hnZuNf

Free E-book: E-learning: Getting your Organization READY

As I mentioned before, I signed up for emails from the CommLab India site to increase my knowledge of E-Learning to gain some free tips and free resources on how to implement E-Learning in the workplace or how to easily find cheap solutions to organizational needs. Well, in one email I saw a link to this E-book: “E-learning: Getting your Organization READY” it is a short guide that will help you and your organization “implement and embrace eLearning” while also assisting in Organizational change of the culture to adapt to E-Learning as an official training methodology.  This free E-book states by the end of reading it you should be able to:

• “Evaluate your organization’s readiness for eLearning
• Build a compelling business case for the top management
• Decide on whether to make or buy eLearning
• Choose an eLearning partner
• Overcome barriers of implementation you may face along the way
• Implement eLearning successfully in your organization”

It is in PDF Format and did I say free? Yes, free, meaning that it is a great resource that assists your organization in changing its culture so that you can adopt and implement E-Learning as an effective training method in the workplace. Just click on the link here: http://bit.ly/2dXNbUB

Free E-Book: "Authoring Tools That Address Your 5 Biggest Training Challenges"

I recently signed up for emails from the CommLab India site to increase my knowledge of E-Learning to gain some free tips and free resources on how to implement E-Learning in the workplace or how to easily find cheap solutions to organizational needs. Well, in one email I saw a link to this E-book: “Authoring Tools That Address Your 5 Biggest Training Challenges” it lists five challenges that face trainers and authoring tools that can solve them.  The five Challenges this free E-book covers are:

• Rapid Conversions
• Interactive E-learning
• Quick Translations
• Responsive E-learning
• Ease of Online Review

It is in PDF Format and did I say free? Yes, free, meaning that 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: http://bit.ly/2hhfccz

5 Things You Should Know About E-learning

I recently read an article called “5 Things You Should Know About E-learning” by Sravanthi Reddy G, the author makes a five-point presentation, about the basics of E-Learning, but I look at it as five ways to overcome resistance to adding E-Learning to your organization’s training repertoire. 

From arguing that it has been around for a long time to easy ROI measurability when it is used for training purposes, these are five brief reasons that you can add on to an argument to increase E-learning in your organization or finally get the go ahead to introducing it. I have seen the difference that an E-learning presence can make in an organization, I have worked at organizations that have it and do not and the differences are literally night and day.

The Main excuse for resistance is not about money although it is a factor, it is just knowledge about E-learning is limited due to fear of technology and belief that it is a fad. Two resistance points that are easily denounced with reason #2 and #5 but points that readily come up time and time again, 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 “5 Things You Should Know About E-learning” by Sravanthi Reddy G:  

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

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