Surviving troubled times: Five best practices for training solutions

Although executives in the current economic downturn have often downsized human resource, training, and performance improvement staff, five strategies can help training and performance improvement professionals survive these trying times: (1) align efforts with business goals, (2) use training to address skill gaps, (3) craft job‐focused objectives, (4) create sound training, and (5) collaborate with others to promote transfer to the job.     

Approaching Knowledge Management Through the Lens of the Knowledge Life Cycle: a Case Study Investigation

More organizational leaders are recognizing that their greatest competitive advantage is the knowledge base of their employees and for organizations to thrive knowledge management (KM) systems need to be in place that encourage the natural interplay and flow of tacit and explicit knowledge. Approaching KM through the lens of the knowledge life cycle allows for the design and development of KM solutions that are systemic and address the dynamic nature of organizational knowledge. In this paper we provide a review of the literature regarding how organizational knowledge may be studied and propose a methodological framework for investigating the knowledge life cycle. To illustrate the framework we present a recent case study in which it was successfully used. This framework is intended to be useful to learning and performance improvement professionals who work in organizational KM as well as to researchers who wish to conduct further research in this area.     

Open learning formats in high performance training

Corporate training strategies which seek to improve the performances of organisations and their employees are now likely to incorporate a number of open learning formats. Where training strategies are geared to improving skill performances, and where the productivity of organisations depends upon such improvements, the use of open learning becomes vital. In this article, Peter Bowen, Company Training Manager of W. H. Smith & Son Limited and a Director of Management Performance Limited, considers the practice and promise of open learning as an instrument of performance training. His argument is based upon recent experience with print and computer‐based learning systems in W. H. Smith.     

Characterizing and Diagnosing Complex Professional Competencies—An Example of Intrapreneurship

We describe an approach to characterizing and diagnosing complex professional competencies (CPCs) for the field of Intrapreneurship, i.e. activities of an entrepreneurial nature engaged by employees within their existing organizations. Our approach draws upon prior conceptual, empirical, and analytical efforts by researchers in Germany. Results are presented from an application of a cognitive diagnostic modeling approach to the performance of late stage apprentices on tasks derived from a previously developed competence model of Intrapreneurship. The results are discussed in terms of the type of cognitive diagnosis model (CDM) most appropriate for the domain and task battery, and patterns of performance are presented for seven diagnosable Intrapreneurship skills. By interpreting the assessment task response data in terms of a CDM, diagnostic, skill‐based information is obtained which verifies the strengths and weaknesses of the apprentices at a late stage in their training and has the potential to provide feedback to training programs triggering the improvement of individual apprentice learning and subsequent work‐related performance.     

Overview of Transfer of Training: From Learning to Performance

This article explores the background, current state, and emerging trends in transfer of training. Transfer of training can be denned as, ensuring full application of new skills and knowledge to the workplace. Typically, past training efforts have focused on ensuring learning by trainees, and not on supporting the transfer of that learning to performance on the job. Today's organizations recognize effective workforce performance as a strategic asset in the global competitive economy but face problems in attaining high performance. Experience of successful organizations shows that key stakeholders (managers, trainers, trainees, and others) must be closely involved in all phases of the design, development, and implementation of training and other performance improvement efforts, to achieve and maintain effective workforce performance. However, both managers and human performance professionals frequently overlook the need to gain stakeholder involvement to support full transfer of new skills to the job. A successful program in a government agency, and recommendations for transfer strategies for technology-based learning, illustrate the collaboration of stakeholders which is necessary to achieve high levels of transfer of skills to the workplace.     

服务当地社会 充分发挥实验中心作用

通过对社会企业质量检测人员存在的普遍问题分析,结合基础化学实验中心师资力量强、教学资源丰富等特点,对社会企业人员的培训方式和方法进行了探索。采取集中讲授、操作技能训练和参观交流等方式,从基本理论到操作技能上进行了多期培训,形成了"集中性-系统性-针对性"培训模式。一定程度上解决了企业中理论知识薄弱、新技术消化和旧技术更新的问题,取得了良好的社会效益。     

Partnering through training and practice to achieve performance improvement

This article presents a partnership effort among managers, trainers, and employees to spring to life performance improvement using the performance templates (P‐T) approach. P‐T represents a process model as well as a method of training leading to performance improvement. Not only does it add to our repertoire of training and performance management methods, it assists trainers and managers to promote change, achieve flexibility in performance, and enhance the fluency of skill application with regard to critical performance events.     

Our future as performance improvement practitioners: A follow‐up wake‐up call

In a recent article (Vieregge & Moseley, 2012), we reported the findings of an informal pilot survey we conducted at a meeting of the Michigan International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI) chapter. The survey was intended to secure responses to a brief set of future‐focused questions from both the emerging and the seasoned talent who attended the meeting. Recently, we made the survey available for others in the human performance improvement (HPI) field to participate and offer their responses. In this article, we report the results in hopes that they will encourage continuing discussion about our future as HPI practitioners.     

Improving and Communicating Workforce Skills: A Regional Initiative

The demand for improved workplace skills in the U.S. is rapidly rising, and U.S. industries, employees, and educational systems are struggling to respond. This paper describes the Skills Advantage program, an effort led by employers and facilitated by Kirkwood Community College to address regional employment needs. This work-ready certificate program allows emerging, traditional, and incumbent workers to communicate their skills and skill levels to employers in relationship to the requirements of the workplace. Regional training organizations and community agencies can help improve the capability of the regional workforce by integrating Skills Advantage-related skills instruction to existing programs.     

Live and Learn: Informal Learning Among Future Professionals

Although most workplace learning occurs informally, instructional design and technology professionals often focus their attention on more formal interventions, such as training. This article addresses a research study that examined the perception and use of informal learning strategies among instructional design and technology graduate students, the future members of the workforce of instructional designers and performance improvement practitioners. Results of this study may have implications for both instructional design and technology graduate programs and managers of instructional design and technology teams in organizations.     

中职教师在职攻读硕士学位培养方案探讨

目前,中职学校专业教师存在着学历不高、知识更新能力较差、实践经验不足、教育学知识缺乏等问题.培养学校应当针对上述问题制定培养方案:课程设置中,理论基础课应以培养学习能力为主,不必强调基础理论知识的深度,专业课应以实用的科技前沿知识为主,并有一定的专业宽度;对一般理工科毕业的教师补充职业教育学方面的知识,对专业教师进行现代教育技术的训练;重视实践环节;硕士论文要避免纯理论研究而应具有实用价值.     

A Strategic Research on Improving Middle School Students' Listening Abilities

Listening is a life skill that is often developed during early childhood.it is one of the most important life skills that helps people become effective communicators for the rest of their lives.Listening ranks first among are the four basic skills that English learners in middle school should develop. The improvement of middle school students' listening ability is very helpful to the development of their abilities. However, the training of listening has not been placed in its proper position in traditional teaching for a long time and hence listening has long been a weak point. Many students think that listening is one of the most difficult things in English study. As the development of students' listening ability has become the demand of middle school's New English Curriculum Standard, nowadays the training of listening has drawn unprecedented attention than before. How to increase the students' ability in listening and how to improve students' listening comprehension in the examination has been the common concern of many English teachers'. this thesis tries to probe into middle school students' problems into listening and to seek solutions for these problems so as to improve their listening ability.     

A Study of the Journey from Training to Performance

This is an exploratory study questioning progress in the shift from training to performance. A total of 62 training and performance professionals responded to a survey administered at two professional conferences, ISPI (International Society for Performance Improvement) and ASTD (American Society for Training and Development). The survey, constructed by two people admittedly keen on performance technology, queried respondents about concepts relevant to performance perspectives: analysis, solution systems, cross-functionality, customer and collegial expectations, and shared knowledge. We also inquired about perceptions of how to move their organizations beyond the status quo. Overall, organizations report that they are making progress in the transition from an emphasis on training to the concepts associated with performance technology, although room for progress remains. Bedrock human performance technology (HPT) concepts, such as analysis-first, data-driven decisions about solutions and collaboration with colleagues across the organization, are reported to be more typical aspects of organizational culture. On the other hand, customer and colleague perceptions lag, and measurement and boundarylessness are only occasionally components of the organizations described by respondents.     

Students reflecting on test performance and feedback: an on-line approach

Undergraduate students accessing on-line tests in Human Biology in three Western Australian universities were asked to complete an on-line post-test reflective survey about their perceptions of their test performance in light of automated feedback. The survey allowed pre-determined choices and comment text boxes relating to students’ perceptions of their performance, self-identified areas of difficulty and suggested strategies for improving test performance. One-third of students undertaking on-line tests responded to the optional survey, and 60% of respondents thought reflecting on feedback was useful. Students reflecting on formative rather than summative assessment reported a more strategic approach to testing, often using it to assess their knowledge and prepare for future assessment. Their reflections were more internally focused on motivation and preparation compared with those assessed summatively. Respondents were more likely to be female, older, more experienced learners who had scored well in the test. Younger respondents expected higher scores than they achieved and were less likely to reflect, but, when they did, were more likely to select pre-determined reasons for their performance and less likely to suggest strategies for improvement. These results support formal training and scaffolded integration of reflection into on-line assessment feedback, especially for less experienced learners.     

Comparing the Roles,Responsibilities, and Activities of Transactional and Transformational HRD Professionals

HRD professionals engage in one of two potential roles—transactional or transformational. Transactional focuses attention on an activity strategy whose cornerstone is training. Transformational focuses on a results‐driven strategy that is performance‐centered‐a role that helps organizations achieve their strategic business goals and objectives. These strategies differ in their outcomes and contributions to organizations in that the former leads to training for training's sake while the latter seeks to maximize organizational performance and effectiveness. Thus, HRD professionals are challenged to choose either an activity strategy that embraces a business as usual approach or a results‐driven strategy that requires adopting a new and exciting role.     

与体育教师谈少儿业余田径训练

对7－13岁这一年龄段的学生在业余田径训练的任务和年训周期中各类训练内容、手段的基本比例，以及少年儿童业务田径训练中应注意的问题做出了研究和总结，希望对提高中小学体育教师的训练水平和业务能力有所帮助，为田径后备力量的培养作出贡献。     

The Changing Corporate Mind: Organizations,Vision, Missions,Purposes, and Indicators on the Move Toward Societal Payoffs

Where are the world's organizations headed? What do they see as their primary destination and contribution? What do they commit to deliver and to whom? How rigorous are they in defining their destinations? What label do they use to describe statements of their intended future? To find the answers to these and other questions, we examined 26 of the leading organizations internationally as well as 60 leading organizations in the United States. Based on this sample of world organizations, we found indications that many organizations see some aspect of societal good as basic to their future, while many others regard their own organization's well-being as what is most important. We find no clear favorite for what organizations label their statements of purpose: most use “mission” while some use “vision,” and some use “values” or “philosophy.” Few of the organizations in our sample state their intended destination in measurable performance terms. From these data, we discuss the implications in terms of an increasing emphasis in the literature on organizations having to deliver outputs that contribute to external clients and society. We also note that purpose statements must be accompanied by appropriate actions to achieve those intentions. In addition, we discuss how this move toward socially-responsive organizations is impacting the role of the performance technologist.     

THE PROVISION OF COUNSELING SERVICES AMONG SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS: AN EXPLORATION OF TRAINING,CURRENT PRACTICES,AND PERCEPTIONS

Although school psychologists have been called on in recent literature to assume a leadership role in a collective and comprehensive effort to address students’ mental health needs, many practitioners find that their professional roles continue to be narrowly focused on special education‐related activities, such as individualized assessment and eligibility determination. Meanwhile, students’ mental health needs have never been greater. The current study focused specifically on school psychologists’ provision of school‐based counseling, an activity that has been shown to be effective in addressing students’ mental health needs, as well as a professional role that many practitioners have expressed a desire to expand. A national sample of school psychologists responded to an Internet survey related to various aspects of counseling service delivery, including their training to provide services, current practices, and perceptions of the importance for school psychologists to assume the responsibility of providing school‐based counseling services.     

浅谈心理契约与人力资源管理

心理契约是组织与员工之间的无形契约,它是组织能否行之有效地做好人力资源管理工作的重要影响因素;同时,人力资源管理也影响着员工心理契约的形成与发展。基于心理契约视角,组织要更好地做好人力资源管理工作,应该做到诚信至上、以人为本、有效沟通以及给员工提供培训和发展机会等。     

Technical Training Evaluation Revisited: An Exploratory,Mixed‐Methods Study

The purpose of this research was to explore some of the most prevalent methods for conducting Levels 4 and 5 of technical training evaluation among large organizations with a preponderance of technical talent. The researchers collected data through a survey and conducted interviews with select study participants. The sample size for the study (n = 26) comprised predominantly large, global organizations in technical industries. While a larger percentage of organizations have been found than in previous research to conduct Level 4 evaluations, few conduct Level 5 evaluations for their technical training, and most of the participant organizations struggle with advanced analytical techniques for technical training evaluation. The article summarizes some of the most prevalent training evaluation models reported in the literature since 2000, and provides useful examples from study participants of how they evaluated their technical training at Levels 3 and 4, along with their advice to fellow technical training and performance improvement professionals. Although the study was exploratory in nature and utilized a small sample size, the study is only the second study since 2000 to specifically explore the evaluation practices of large organizations with a focus on technical training as opposed to general training.