How Expert Designers Design

Two studies were carried out with expert educational designers at Arthur Andersen and the Open University of the Netherlands to determine the priorities they employed when designing competence‐based learning environments. Designers in a university context and in a business context agree almost completely on what principles are important, the most important being that one should start a design enterprise from the needs of the learners, instead of the content structure of the learning do main. The main difference between the two groups is that university designers find it extremely important to consider alternative solutions during the whole design process; something that is considerably less important by business designers. University designers also tend to focus on the project plan and the desired characteristics of the instructional blueprint whereas business designers were much more client‐oriented and stressed the importance of “buying in” the client early in the process.     

Diversity and Performance: A Shotgun Marriage?

Books and articles promoting “diversity” abound. Many of their authors are not clear what they mean by diversity. Many seem to be naive about the amount of conflict “diversity” can engender. And almost all authors assume–without presenting any meaningful evidence–that diversity is somehow good for organizations. This article attempts to define diversity, suggest the conflict that is often associated with it, and then investigate the conditions (if any) under which diversity with its attendant conflict can benefit the organization.     

Lessons from Adult Education: Identifying and Exploring Emerging Ethical Issues in Technologically Enhanced Performance

Technologically Enhanced Performance (TEP) is the application of technology to improve the performance of knowledge workers. TEP is both an intellectual and ideological complement to the field of Adult Education. As such, much can be learned about ethical issues associated with implementing TEP from the established research and literature base in Adult Education. The application of TEP in organizations brings to light at least six as‐yet‐unresolved ethical dilemmas that have been identified through empirical research of Adult Education/ Training and Development practitioners: Confidentiality, Ownership of Instructional Materials, Conflicts of Interest, Finance and Financial Issues, Evaluating Student Performance, and Professional Competence and Credentials (Gordon & Sork, 2001; McDonald & Wood, 1993). Essential to resolving these issues is a framework for effective ethical decision making. McDonald's model on ways to reconcile ethical dilemmas in practice proposes that individual characteristics, the organization's ethical environment, and the profession's views of ethics are key factors which can contribute to this framework for ethical decision making. As organizations wrestle with these ethical issues in TEP, they should consider how well they support ethical decision making.