ILT development times 2007 vs 2010

Bryan Chapman, Chapman Alliance, provides another great research service for the workforce learning professional in reporting development times across ILT and elearning for 2010. Contrasting this with the 2007 report [note you'll need to scroll down for the 2007 data],  I would have thought that we'd see the average flat versus more improve numbers.

In 2007 "average" ILT ratio was 34:1 (low range 10:1 to 72:1) versus in 2010 of 43:1 (low 22:1 to high 82:1). Note that these are development hours needed for one hour of delivery.

So what's up here?

• Are the training issues tackled in the classroom more complex leading to higher development ratios? 
• Or staff has been cut and drawn too thin leading to the higher ratio? 
• Or something else?

BTW - The 2010 survey had nearly 2 x participants than the past survey.

Lessons: Internal groups should be aware of these studies and certainly have some measures in place that track effort and "explain" variances from this data.

Two different views

It's brutal in the job market and ain't so great for those that provide services either. I believe that the job loss in workplace learning will not recover, never, ever. Organizations will look to outside resources (like me) to get the work done project style. This will require different skill sets for those in the corporate side in managing program, projects and contracts. That's my theory.

From the September 2010 Training + Development Intelligence// story, As Future Brightens for Job Seekers, Disturbing Trends Emerge for Trainers, hiring will increase. However, only 11% of respondents described their HR and L&D functions as industry leading.  This is a tremendous lack of confidence in the internal resources in training and developing new hires.  From the September 2010 CLO Magazine, Cushing Anderson in Business Intelligence, When, Why and What to Outsource, we learn that training outsourcing is overall declining. However, when organizations outsource, they outsource "important" functions. For 2011,  81% of companies will hold steady or increase outsource spending. Those outsourced functions are: custom content design, development; training delivery; learning strategy development with program oversight; technology management and reporting and measurement.

The message for me is that internal providers must build credibility and deliver results. If not, there continues to be a willingness to buy.

Does peer pressure imapact innovation?

We knew this or at least sensed this from high school. From the April HBR, innovation is chilled by image risks, that is unfavorable social impressions - the fear falling into disfavor by colleagues disrupting the status quo by offering ideas. Feirong Yuan of the University of Kansas and Richard W. Woodman of Texas A&M conducted the research and found that organizational support for innovation reduces the impact of social riskiness.

Innovation faces other barriers and resistance. This American Life #403 NUMMI tells the story of the recently closed GM and Toyota joint venture auto plant. Resistance to the innovative practices by unions and risk adverse GM management doomed introducing the lessons form the joint venture and doomed the plant.

Social media growth stunted

From a UK press release, we learn that the business leaders lack of understanding and data security concerns key barriers to use of social media within UK businesses. HR, on the other hand, demonstrates high usage and support for social media. In the survey, almost half of HR and L&D professionals use social networks, such as LinkedIn, to learn and gather knowledge.

Brightwave, who conducted the research, says that business leaders just don't get it. They don't see the value in social networking. In many instances employees don't have access to social networks like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and others.

Data security, wasted time and bandwidth concerns were also cited as key reasons for not using social media.

Lars Hyland, from Brightwave,

“UK businesses are missing out on a huge opportunity to cost-effectively build knowledge and understanding, as well as engagement, across large volumes of employees in different locations. Business leaders must be informed about the real opportunities in applying social networks to business, otherwise they risk alienating their highly networked current and future talent in today’s global workforce.”

Suspect this is the case here. Personally, my participation in the weekly #lrnchat (Thursdays, 8:30 PM - 5 GMT) demonstrate the power of social media for learning. The intelligence and diversity transmitted through the keys enrich me with every session. I even read the transcripts.

I wonder when we'll see the tipping point where some brave organization demonstrates value and blesses these tools. Is there some social media acumen competencies out there? Even Jack Welch uses Twitter now!

H/T to @gminks for the Tweet

On Boarding

Catching up with the reading, June 2009 T+D article, Making New Employees Successful In Any Economy. Good article by Katharine Giacalone about the first 90 days. The first 90 days are critical especially in a downturn and the expense of hiring. As the incoming Atlanta ASTD chapter president, I’ve been thinking a lot about on boarding and reflecting on past experiences.

Giacalone in her article gives us six strategies to make sure your new employees stick:

1. Schedule employees first day when the bosses in the office
2. Have workstations ready for them when they arrive
3. Give the employee the lay of the land – tour of the office, campus
4. Get down to brass tacks – not only the routine policy and procedures but
5. Train new employees within the first week's
6. Check in frequently during the first weeks months and beyond

It's been some years since I've been on-boarded in process. On my last new job I had showed up on the first day and was informed that there had been reorganization and I was now reporting to someone else. I spent my first day following my new manager around and attending three different staff meetings that covered the same topics. That’s my memory of my first day! BTW, no computer, no voice mail, no paycheck in first pay period and my “new hire” orientation, was scheduled in two months.

While I was still in that organization with a different role, the then director of the group had made a new hire. Unfortunately, the director had scheduled herself to be out of the office the entire week. So this poor soul came in on Monday and really had no direction for her first week. I took pity and ran the organizational gauntlet for ID, PC and telephone. Perhaps a better plan would be to have this new hire show up when the director was available.

Back in the 80s I joined a health care system that actually had a very good on boarding system. I went through employee orientation prior to starting my job and then spent the better part of the first week shadowing with other employees in the group. Actually the hospital brought back the former incumbent to orient me to the system, an in-house television operation.

Any on boarding stories to share? Good, bad?

The week in review

So we've learned this week:

• Apparently AIG and all of Wall Street do not have HR functions providing advice on the term "bonus." Google "AIG bonuses" = 2,270,000 hits. As a former HR practitioner, this troubles me and further sets the profession back further.
  
• Treat head injuries seriously. See Natasha Richardson's tragic head injury and death.
  
• Men, take the time to wipe up the pee spillage around the toilet in hotels as part of your pre-departure routine, per Tom Peters.
  

You've been upgraded

From the best terms for downsizing from Workplace Prof Blog:

A reader reports that when she was fired by her US company in mid-2008 she was told: “We are going to upgrade you with immediate effect. We are going to allow you to move on in order that you can you use your talents and skills more effectively and thus upgrade your career and opportunities.”

Honorary mention: dynamic rightsizing.

Tip of the hat to Evil HR Lady.