On HR's habits and a video from Dave Ulrich

Short and sharp post for this week.

Here's a couple of finds that are worth sharing;

“7 habits HR needs to break” (6 minutes)

Here’s some food for thought. It’s a summary of key points from last year’s AHRI National Convention and still topical. A little more than 6 minutes to read the article itself without the links.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"Connecting HR to the Business Context" (6 minutes)

One of a series of videos from Dave Ulrich.

It's a real challenge not to feel overwhelmed, trying to reconcile an apparent disconnect between the pressures of day to day HR operations and 'being strategic'. This short video from Dave Ulrich sheds a different light on this apparent dilemma. We move from operational and strategic HR being 'either/or', to operational HR having a direct connection with and important role to play in the organisational success.

I often suggest 'think like the CEO/CFO'. The aim is to move from 'so what' responses to our recommendations to what Ulrich refers to as 'so that'. Take a 6 minute time-out and all will be revealed!

Working out loud "Touching the treadmill"

'Rambling out loud' alert; you have been warned!

I've casually noted other's posts on Twitter and LinkedIn with the #wol and #wolcircle tags. Last year I had the opportunity to catch up with +Helen Blunden and her working out loud circle at the AHRI National Convention.

I recently picked up on John Stepper's blogs and as a result of not only subscribing to them, but actually reading the emails received, two articles in particular caught my attention.

I referred to one in the title of this post; Touching the treadmill. I am a gold medallist when it comes to big ideas and grand plans. I'm equally successful at never getting beyond a collection of aspirations with no clear goal and tangible actions to turn them into reality. I don't begin to touch the treadmill.

The second article "A dream deferred no longer" really hit home, not surprisingly given what I've already said. I was reminded of the line in Spencer Johnson's book Who moved my cheese?, "What would you do if you weren't afraid?". What would I do indeed?

And the story continues. I caught up with some professional colleagues who have become dear friends and realised that we were all seeking something. Something I'll call 'meaningful work' for now.

It got me thinking. Could 'working out loud' help? I shared the post "A dream deferred no longer" asking if they were interested in exploring #wol and seeing where it could take us. Our little circle was formed.

+John Stepper has been incredibly helpful and shared many resources and words of encouragement. We have met twice and those uncertain about the value of social media in connecting with others are 'touching the treadmill'. We all had LinkedIn accounts. We all now have a Twitter presence!

Artwork by Kazumi Koyama

My thoughts so far:

• learning to work out loud is a process, not a destination. Understanding what it is and means for each of us requires a readiness to let go and work in a world that seems to be without (traditional) structure and a concept that is difficult to grasp. I attempt to understand this through what Harold Jarche refers to as 'life in perpetual beta', and 'adapting to perpetual beta'.
• for many, 'problems' are solved privately, 'goals' are personal, reaching out and asking for help is a sign of weakness (subconsciously, if not consciously)
• we tend to see authentic relationships as those formed and maintained through personal face to face or voice to voice interaction; what I have come to know as 'in real life' or IRL. Those that take place in the 'virtual world' just aren't the same

As I work on the activities to prepare me for our 3rd circle meeting, I've paused to reflect on my networks and connections and I realise that they are extensive. I tested this out by searching Google+ for 'empathy', a topic of particular interest. The top results were almost all from people I already have a connection with. My 'working out loud' challenge is less to build networks, more to engage with and contribute to the ones I already have. I have to remind myself that people have valued the little I have already shared and have greater faith and confidence in my ability to continue to do so and 'give back'. I also need to show greater respect for others and myself; showing I value my connections, in we should always show value and respect for people IRL; stay connected, keep in touch, give and take. 

I was reminded that I got ideas for uni assignments through asking open questions, solved crochet problems by asking Google+ communities for help. From 2000km away I was able to find out if my daughter's college was going to be flooded. Connections in the city checked local flood alerts and one person even knew someone who lived near by and could give a real-life report that assured us all would be well. 

I've moved from online to offline; I already mentioned that I met +Helen Blunden last year. We initially 'met' at one of the Centre for Learning and Performance Technologies  courses on personal knowledge management. We subsequently met over an IRL coffee while I was visiting her home town. I've been part of very successful mentoring programs conducted entirely by Skype and phone. +Gem Hodges  and I shared real Christmas cards a couple of years ago.

I visited the Huntington Library as a result of a photo of the Getty Centre in Los Angeles and comment from +Leo Salazar. Thank you again!

I try to give back and certainly need to give a lot more; 'likes', 'favourites' and +1s are at least a starting point....

Back to the beginning, I did warn you this was going to be a ramble. Whilst I wonder what anyone reading this might gain from the experience (other than minutes of their life they'll never get back), this has been a useful activity for me. I've tried to acknowledge a few who have helped so far and I've realised the wonderful connections I already have and know there will be many I have missed, for which I am truly sorry.

Final h/t to +Sue Travers +Joachim Stroh +John Kellden +Leigh-ann Onnis +James O'Sullivan +James Fridley and oh so many more...

Thank you one and all!

Caveat operarius

We've all heard of caveat emptor  most commonly translated as 'buyer beware'. This week I was reminded of caveat operarius, similarly translated as 'workers beware'. I  picked up a comment somewhere that associated caveat operarius with the phrase "vulture capitalism" and described as occupational slavery.

Scene in North West Carolina

I continually read about the casualisation of the workforce; the rise of the contingent worker; the demise of the full time permanent job with a move to portfolio work (often a euphemism for underemployment). Whilst the harsh realities of this new world of work are well known, they remain poorly described and we really don't know the true social, emotional and economic costs.

Triangle Shirtwaist factory after the fire

Has anything changed since  146 girls and young women perished in the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire of 1911? In 2012, a little more than 100 years later, a known number of 112 people died in not dissimilar circumstances in the Tazreen Fashions factory fire.

The Tazreen Fashions factory after the fire

What is it drives us to accept working conditions that we theoretically know to be downright unsafe, illegal and/or morally wrong?

We, the precariat

I referenced Dr George Morgan in my last post. In a recent conversation he referred to the "intellectual precariat - the academic pieceworkers of the 21st century."  Whilst we were focusing on academic employment, this is true of employment beyond the realms of the tertiary sector. "Knowledge workers" are increasingly finding themselves in a situation well known to itinerant workers such as fruit pickers, banana packers and sheep shearers. If you are where the work is, when the work is there, you stand a good chance of picking it up. If you aren't, you won't. If you can't move to it, you won't get it.

A section of society, previously protected from the uncertainties of seasonal/fluctuating work is now exposed to, if not directly experiencing it.

I could ramble on, however it will become even more incoherent. Hopefully someone can follow my poorly articulate train of thought.

I'll end with a quote George Morgan uses at the end of this email signature block that has more relevance to my previous post, however links with those with the power and influence to minimise the caveat operarius warning and improve the treatment of the "intellectual precariat":

"If one meets a powerful person … one can ask five questions: what power do you have; where did you get it; in whose interests do you exercise it; to whom are you accountable; and, how can we get rid of you? Anyone who cannot answer the last of those questions does not live in a democratic system" Tony Benn 

Questioning leadership and (academic) freedom

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to listen to Dr George Morgan from the University of Western Sydney on 'questioning leadership'.

How do we respond in situations where leadership behaviours are against what we believe to be morally and ethically wrong? Whilst Dr Morgan presented and invited discussion on this within his plenary, today I want to revisit his observations on the situation.

One of the many realities facing us is that once we assume a position of leadership, we immediately become answerable to a larger bureaucracy. We are answerable to those 'who inhabit a different universe and hence we are caught between former colleagues and our political masters'. In a bureaucratic hierarchy, each level above us is the bottom of another one.

The education sector across the world is in the middle of a messy shift as politicians and administrators corporatise education systems, viewing education as a 'marketplace' responding to 'consumer choice'.

Dr Morgan referenced Dr Thomas Docherty from the University of Warwick and articles he has written on the unseen academy and academic freedom. Education professionals, and system administrators in particular would do well to peruse these.

It is not only the education sector that is in the middle of this mess. Health professionals and others find themselves in conflict with the administration, operating in an environment of conflicting priorities and imperatives. Dr Morgan wisely reminds us that this is a cascading conflict and that there are administrators who were once colleagues.

Even in moments of deep despair at the state of bureaucratic hierarchies, I try remain hopeful that we can find something beyond the binary of yes/no, ether/or. In this seemingly intractable situation, there has to be a 3rd way, one that Roger Martin describes in his book The Opposable Mind.

There are various reasons for our conscious or sub-conscious decision not to speak out, whatever our place in the bureaucratic hierarchy. Observed and lived experience may cause us to see any action as more trouble than it's worth and 'bound to fail'. We may also be choose to 'bubble wrap' ourselves from the environment around us and create a space in which to stay true to our values. Some are in a position and/or chose to take the risk and say 'no', enough is enough, and walk away.

I am reminded of bridges. We see resistance as futile, there being no alternative other than to precariously walk across the rotting bridge. We may hide under it hoping not to be seen, patching the supports where we can to try and prevent it all falling down. Alternatively we turn away and seek to find another safer and better maintained bridge to cross. It appears that openness about the reasons for choosing another path are received as a metaphorical burning of the bridge. In all cases we put ourselves at risk. At risk of physical (and psychological) harm due to the bridge collapsing from under us, or onto us; or from finding ourselves lost, unable to find a safer pathway.

It remains a point of great sadness for me that the despondency that can set in at the difficulty of finding a secure path, causes us to settle for a 'bridge' that we know is in a state of disrepair in the hope that this time it could be different.

The open and unseen warfare that exists in these environments takes our focus away from the very purpose of the organisation, from its very reason for being. This results in a despair and dissatisfaction all round; 'consumers' included.

2015

"He who breaks a resolution is a weakling; he who makes one if a fool" F.M. Knowles

It's that time of year again...

+Helen Blunden wrote a post about her 3 words for 2015 which prompted a some casual thoughts from this direction and a quick tweet in reply of "meaningful", "intentional" and "authentic".

That was a few days ago.

I paused to jot down a few ideas this morning and returned to these 3 words, asking myself if 2015's words are to be...

• meaningful
• intentional
• authentic

...are they the 'right' words and more to the point, what was my 'intent' behind their choice?

What would a meaningful year look like? More could be said on this matter than there are pages in the webverse and I'm not going there. When I was mulling over my 3 words, I wanted to include 'purpose' or 'purposeful', yet decided to opt for meaningful. For me, they go together; doing something on purpose yet without meaning is not worth contemplating.

I asked my good friend Google and this is what she offered me;

meaningful

ˈmiːnɪŋfʊl,-f(ə)l/

adjective

1. having meaning.

   "meaningful elements in a language"

   synonyms:

   significant, relevant, important, consequential, material, telling, pithy,weighty, valid, worthwhile, purposeful "a meaningful remark"

   • serious, important, or worthwhile.

     "the new structure would bring meaningful savings"

     synonyms:

     sincere, deep, serious, in earnest, significant, important "a meaningful relationship"

   • communicating something that is not directly expressed.

     "meaningful glances and repressed passion"

     synonyms:

     expressive, eloquent, pointed, significant, meaning;

At this point I am reminded of the movie Hugo and the notion that 'everyone has a purpose'.

There's a lovely excerpt from the movie here http://youtu.be/nE70UbTl1rY

So...for me meaning and purpose go hand in hand in my hopes for 2015.

Why intentional? I considered 'focused' as I know this is something I need to get better at as I'm addicted to distractions. I settled on 'intentional' as it was a means to reconcile the meaningful/purposeful quandary. Again, Google offers this;

intentional

ɪnˈtɛnʃ(ə)n(ə)l/

adjective

1. done on purpose; deliberate.

   "intentional wrongdoing and harm"

   synonyms:

   deliberate, calculated, conscious, done on purpose, intended, planned,meant, considered, studied, knowing, wilful, wanton, purposeful,purposive, purposed, premeditated, pre-planned, thought out in advance,prearranged, preconceived, predetermined...

How I chose to spend my time is just that; my choice. If I am without focus for a day or however long, it is my choice. So I will spend my time as I intend to and be conscious of the consequences.

So where does authentic fit? Be real; be true. I don't mean abandoning all self-control. For me a year of authenticity will be one where I am true to what I believe in and true to myself.

What lies ahead?

To be honest, I'm not sure. However, for me, if these are to be 'my words' for 2015, the challenge is significant. It will take courage and persistence and only I can do it!  So...how? Through meaningful, intentional and authentic endeavours maybe?

Whilst I would love someone else to hold me to this, it really is up to me if it is to be!

Happy 2015 one and all!

On engaging presentations...

I was recently invited to contribute to a LinkedIn discussion on the AHRI (Australian Human Resources Institution) Group, in response to the question..."What are some strategies to create an engaging presentation?"

As anyone who reads anything I write will know, I have an amazing ablity to write around and over-complicate a topic, and have probably just driven everyone witless with my response. However, in my quest to increase my writing and blogging in 2014, I thought this might be worthy of a piece here.

All the previous contributors made excellent points about what goes into an engaging presentation... I'm not sure if you can access the discussion without group membership (just request if you want to join); if you can, it is here AHRI Group

Having read the comments, a selection of words stood out for me and rather than a direct response to the question, I decided to respond to these words...engaging, presentations, keynotes, PowerPoint, audience, facilitators, training.

Here's a slightly edited version of what I wrote;

Presentations - for me this means the presentation of something and that is that.

Keynotes - a presentation with a specific label. For me a "keynote" is a presentation that has been deemed significant enough not to have to compete with other presentations; one that it's been decided everyone present would benefit from hearing.

PowerPoint - a tool. One of many in the bag which also contains voice, non-verbals, other resources. PowerPoint is a vehicle for "presenting" some other tools - video, images...keywords... Over-reliance and starting to prepare a presentation by opening PowerPoint are well documented errors in "presentations 101".

Audience - is it ever possible to really know the audience? In addition to the cynics etc mentioned, time of day, venue, what was for lunch, who came before; are a few variables that can impact audience reactions.

Facilitator - anyone who delivers in a didactic, automaton manner is not a facilitator.

Training - for me and in my less than humble opinion, should never rely on presentations of information alone. I have been on the receiving end of too many "training" sessions that were really presentations of corporate policy and information. Whilst the presentation of some information and key points may be required, all of the comments so far indicate the additional components required to increase the learning opportunity. There is also a difference between training and educating, but let's leave that one for another day.

Eventually, and probably to the relief of the readers, I returned to the keyword in the original question; "engaging".

The discussion triggered further thoughts. There was mention of the use of humour, knowledge of the content of the presentation and delivery style. My comment was

"A few thoughts...energy, appropriately light-hearted, stories...whatever, but please remember style over substance. Too often I hear conference participants rave over a shallow "song and dance" routine. Really "knowing your stuff" has already been identified as critical. I'd combine this with rehearsing - if you really know your content, rehearsal is easy...you know when you need to brush up on your content when you find rehearsal a slog!

It IS harder to engage and focus on a presenter who's voice lacks light and shade, energy and a degree of animation. Sadly, those not blessed with performance skills (either innate or acquired) struggle, however significant the content, to share this with their audience.

As audiences, we have to learn to engage ourselves and not sit passively waiting for it all to happen. Those of us "in the know" should do what we can to encourage, from the floor, those presenters who have great content but lack in an engaging delivery style...we know what makes it hard for us, let's not make it hard for someone who deserves a fair go - everyone else in the room will do that!"

As I mentioned at the beginning, I had totally digressed from the original question...and in response to all the other participants contributions, I decided to share a mash up of personal thoughts, triggered by what had been said.

It's also timely for me to reflect on this whole topic as I'm taking on the teaching of an undergrad unit in Change Management and have received the presentation documents. Making this an engaging and meaningful learning opportunity is up to me!

Write something...what? Just something...

I got an email from Dan Pink today... I'm a bit of a fan and like the fact that his emails are erratically occasional. Actually my inbox is in love with anyone like this.

Towards the end, he put forward 3 alternatives to New Year resolutions (Life hacks) that he'd gleaned from others...

1. Start the new year with an empty jar and every time something good happens, write it on a piece of paper and pop it into the jar. Should make for some interesting reading at the end of the year! IDoneThis
2. "Come hell or high water, write 20 minutes a day in January" CopyBlogger
3. Video one second of your life every single day 1SED

Anyway, point 2 made me put fingers to the keyboard...and reminded me of Atul Gawande's "Five Rules" and I reckon they are also worth considering as a new year begins.

1. Ask an unscripted question. Get interested, really interested in the person you are speaking with and learn something from them that you didn't already know. For those of us with two mouths and one ear, this may be the only thing to focus on in 2014
2. Don't whine. Yep, we might love to do it, and we also dislike having to listen to someone else doing it. Spit it out, and move on. Don't ruminate and depress yourself and all those around you
3. Count something. We might have to think carefully about this as I am not sure he meant CircleCount, +1s, mentions, likes, connections, followers etc.But then, as he said, "If you count something interesting to you, I tell you: you will find something interesting."
4. Write something. (The connection with Dan Pink's 3 alternatives)  "It makes no difference whether you write a paper for a medical journal, five paragraphs for a website, or a collection of poetry. Try to put your name in print at least once a year. What you write does not need to achieve perfection. It only needs to add some small observation about our world. 
5. Change. Gawande says this is his final rule for a good life in medicine. I think we all know it is a final rule for all of us...it is one of life's great certainties. All things change. He recommends becoming an early adopter and looking for opportunities for change

Gawande's final words are:

"Don’t let yourself be. Find something new to try, something to change. Count how often it succeeds and how often it doesn’t. Write about it. Ask...a colleague what they think about it. See if you can keep the conversation going."

So, coming back to Dan's list... aiming to write for 20 minutes really shouldn't be so hard, and if I can't manage that, something good can be recorded and popped into the jar - at some point I'll be able to count them and also "count" what's on them and I am sure I'll find something interesting! And there is a whole world of family, friends and people to be met who have so many interesting things to share - just got to ask the question and listen!

Short and sweet - a quick visual

The Organisational Learning & Development Community on Google+ is looking for a visual.  Thanks to the Making Learning Connected MOOC #clmooc I discovered Tagxedo and here's my creation.

Will this be the making of me?

Manicured Lawn

What do you know about me so far?

That I can bake and make jelly would be the minimum; add to that my voracious appetite for searching out posts, ideas and writing that captures whatever it is I am thinking about or interested in at the moment (or on a quest in order to complete a uni assignment).

Add to that an incredible ability to get distracted and leave a trail of part completed tasks on the computer or in the house, garden and office... and pivotal to it all I have a wonderful husband, 2 grown children and a 3rd four legged child with all of whom I am besotted.

My Blogger and Google+ profiles give a glimpse of me at the moments in time they were written.  Posts in both places will give you further insight into me and my world.

So, what is making?

Cakes, toys, clothes, dance costumes, assignments, clean clothes ironed clothes, dirty clothes, dirty houses, clean houses, smiles on other's faces, smiles on my own face.

A planned workforce; leadership development programs in place; confident and capable managers; workplaces free from harassment and bullying and positive workplace cultures.

Now that gets me thinking...

Making is not in isolation.  If I collected all my individual 'makes', it would build a picture of the larger make that is me.

We are a system of makes!

I read a post by Jens Graikowski  on G+.  He talked about the impact of "too much noise in your stream" - readers are confused about who you are and what you are interested in.

I'm not sure my response, so leave you with this;

Some of us are manicured lawns, others are patchwork quilts.  Both are beautiful and equally valuable

Patchwork Quilt

The words we use...

Liquid

I met with a friend recently and she expressed her frustration at the way a major restructure was being handled and senior managers continued use of the statement "things are still fluid".

We were talking about what 'fluid' really meant and what the response might be if she asked the question of those so fond of the word.

Many things are fluid, and flow... water is fluid, sometimes a trickle, sometimes a river, sometimes a gush from a tap or hose, rapids and Niagara Falls.  What about treacle? Primary school science taught me at glass has fluid-like qualities. It just takes a couple of hundred years for it to flow!

Niagara Falls

Today's Daily Idea from Harvard Business Review was titled "Language matters..." and was extracted from Michael Schrage's post titled "Good Leaders Don't Use Bad Words" 

"The business world, no doubt, is full of jargon, clichés, truisms, and buzz words. Quality, morale, lean, innovation — all fine words, in and of themselves, but they are often rendered meaningless by our repetitive, and sometimes thoughtless use of them.

It's a shame; language, when used carefully and correctly, can make a big difference. Referring to customers as clients, or offers as products, as simple as the distinctions may be, can have a profound, cognitive effect on your team's behavior. 

"The difference," Mark Twain wisely wrote, "between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter — it's the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning." 

Well said."

What do they mean by 'fluid' in my colleague's situation?

The skeptic in me suspects it is 'we really aren't sure what we a doing or how this is going to end up' and reminds me at we need to be so careful with the words and phrases we use and we should say what we really mean.

The shifting landscape of learning - MOOCs

They are massive, they're online, and they're open; but do participants learn - for themselves and with others? To what extent do participants contribute to and gain from collaborating with other participants?

Monet's Haystack series

The same, yet ever changing

I'm participating in a MOOC at the moment - Managing Change in Community Development. Don't ask me how I found out about it - I know I was checking out the world according to Google+ at the time, after that - serendipity rules OK!

I read some of the other MOOC participant's blogs and albeit at the 11th hour, found the discipline to begin my contribution here.

Dave Valentine made reference to poverty limiting access to learning and I'd like to add another dimension to this and thank Dave for sparking the connection.

Some years ago a high school teacher introduced me to the term 'low learning resourced families', families where there was an absence of of the physical resources that can support a child's learning.  Importantly, it also included families where the resources were, or could have been present, but little value and importance was placed on learning and the child received little or no encouragement to engage in any learning experience.

What about online learning?  Some 'Googling', the Managing Change in Community Development MOOC, webinars and blogs triggered more of my thinking that has contributed to this post.  Face to face interactions motivated an online quest for more.  Without some human interaction - in real life, Skype, webinar, Hangout, whatever, I suspect it wouldn't have been as extensive.

Helen Blunden wrote about her experiences with online learning, identifying that the addition of a face to face component enhanced the experience;

"In my experience, I have yet to experience an online learning community that doesn’t use some additional face-to-face time whether it is through Skype, Google Hangouts, webcams or meeting face to face (whether they are organised by the organisers or the participants). Certainly using the additional forms to meet and work online only adds and enriches the learning experience because it personalises the people within your community."

I joined week two's session for the Managing Change MOOC - it was great to see Ramona and Inge on screen and this motivated me to engage (at least a bit) more!  Without this, for me, it would all be a bit impersonal.

So, do MOOCs work...?

With time zone differences, it can be difficult for participants to be there in real time.  Technology issues can also hinder participation - recent personal experiences include slow internet speed and routine maintenance by the ISP (well who is online at 3am?).

The technology aside, there are other challenges and potential barriers to learning online, including via a MOOC.

"Education is primarily driven by motivation, and online learning doesn't do anything to address people's motivational needs.  In fact, the nature of online education strips away many of the components that keep students engaged and committed.  Many of the factors that online education advocates claim are a benefit, such as time, flexibility and the lack of classrooms, are actually a hindrance to learning. Studies have show that a fixed structure and the sense of belonging that comes from a student body improve completion rates.  Allowing students to study on their own removes these components of the support system resulting in lower rates of course completion."

Francisco Dao

I've already mentioned the value of the webinar and video; scheduling activities to specific times; scheduling tasks and providing ready access to those facilitating the learning could provide the support system Dao states is missing.

Online learning remains dependent on the motivation of the learner - but isn't that true of face to face learning?  Whilst it is easier to work with other students, collaborate, meet up outside the classroom in the real life setting; this isn't impossible in the online setting.  Google+ has Hangouts; there is Skype and other web-based chat.  Google+ and other communities provide a 'learning space' for participants to interact and discuss.  Doing so rests with the motivation and drive of the individuals and stimulating 'triggers' from the facilitators.

Does classroom-based learning work?

David Gurteen drew my attention to Jeff Bliss (high school student) who criticised his history teacher in a 'YouTube rant'; "there's kids in here who don't learn like that, they need to learn face to face".

"If you would just get up and teach them instead of handing them a freaking packet, yo.  There's kids in here who don't learn like that, they need to learn face-to-face."

"You want kids to come to class?  You want them to get excited?  You gotta come in here, you gotta make 'em excited, to change him and make him better, you gotta touch his freakin' heart."

It is important to note that Jeff was criticising class based instruction - if you looked through the door, it was technically face-to-face.  Here is a student, frustrated by the real life classroom environment, it was facing to provide the very support Dao states is absent in online learning.

Where does this leave us?

Online learning presents some different challenges (confidence in and ability to use the technology is only the beginning), yet is filled with similar pitfalls to face-to-face learning.  Learners won't engage or be motivated if the teacher/facilitator isn't engaged and highly motivated (plus skilled etc...).

Enter my recent studies in social ecology and transformational learning; 

Mezirow describes a 10 phase process of transformational learning:

1. A disorientating dilemma
2. A self-examination with feelings of guilt or shame
3. A critical assessment of epistemic, sociocultural, or psychic assumptions
4. Recognition that one's discontent and the process of transformation are shared and that others have negotiated similar change
5. Exploration of options for new roles, relationships and actions
6. Planning a course of action
7. Acquisition of knowledge and skills for implementing one's plans
8. Provisional trying of new roles
9. Building of competence and self-confidence in new roles and relationships
10. A reintegration into one's life on the basis of conditions dictated by one's perspective

I've previously explored Prochaska and DiClimente's stages of change, and in particular the readiness and motivation needed to support the change journey.  Joe Moore used it to identify appropriate tools for managers working to build respectful workplaces, depending on the level of awareness of the need for change - sadly this isn't in his blog, but you could always ask him!

Returning to the challenge of low learning resourced environments, I would contend that there are 'low learning resourced' adults.  The physical resources are not the barrier, it's a mindset that dismisses learning and education as a means to continuous self development and improvement.  They are unaware (unconsciously incompetent) of the benefits of learning and personal development.

From my perspective, Mezirow's phases are relevant for individual, organisation and community development - in each we seek a transformation from what is, to a new state, which becomes the future 'what is'.  Need awareness, motivation and readiness to learn are key (stages of change).  Use of information, tools and materials that the individual, organisation and/or community can relate to, depending on their readiness to move increases the potential for success.  Changing and adjusting them as the awareness of the benefits of change become stronger, helps build sustainability and ownership.

MOOCs present as great an opportunity to achieve this as any other form of collective learning - it's not the what, it's the how that matters.

The Twist

"The twist with its crisscross form represents the many paths of life and love and as such is regarded as the original eternity symbol.  The double and triple twists have similar meaning but refer more to the joining of two peoples or cultures rather than individuals."

I've rambled in response to an activity that forms part of the Managing Change MOOC already mentioned.  I am not sure if this really adds value, but it does represent a collection of thoughts triggered as a result of what we've explored so far!

"Everything alters me, nothing changes me"

Salvador Dali

Roll with the resistance and maintain the momentum; a journey in leadership development

Ok, I rose to the challenge of getting a PowerPoint slide into a .jpeg for posting onto Google+ with patchy skills...and did it!

Here it is...

Where did this come from?  A colleague (Sonia Hay) and I submitted an abstract for a Healthcare Improvement Award in culture change and leadership.  We were selected as poster finalists and spent a few weekends working on the data and a way of visualising what we had done and what we trying to achieve (which we did to an extent)!

The original abstract was available online, however since removed and as the poster was displayed publicly for a day, I have no qualms sharing publicly without de-identifying (the good public servant that I am).

We aimed to portray the roller coaster ride our managers experience in their leadership roles...and show the cultural and staff satisfaction improvements we had achieved as a result of some intensive interventions.

The original poster had to be 800x900mm or thereabouts, hence the size.  Hopefully it loads this time.

We wanted the poster to speak for itself...if not and/or you want to chat, feel free!

Also viewable on Google+ via me! https://plus.google.com/110463521707116846096/about

There's a Berkeley Lineman in us all

This post was inspired by something Helen Blunden shared via Twitter this morning which led me to post on my employers Yammer presence.

In times of budgetary constraints and as many of our executives and their project teams work to find efficiencies and eliminate waste from the systems and processes we use to deliver services to our customers; this is a timely reminder.

"The Berkeley Lineman" - http://www.internettime.com/2013/01/the-berkeley-lineman/

As with the Berkeley Lineman, all organisations have front line staff who know the real game and are frequently ahead of the game.  They all continue to deliver services; at times despite all the plans, projects and intents of those who seek to 'improve' the way they do the work they do.

Over the years they have learned the ultimate survival technique... keep on keeping on and most importantly stay focused on your customer; this too will pass.

I quote the section from Jay Cross's post that really hit home for me...

"The Berkeley Lineman’s story didn’t surprise me. I have been mulling it over for a dozen years. As usual, I was taking in the 60,000 foot view. (Down, boy!) I haven’t taken time to connect the dots for my readers. Let me point out that:

The Lineman’s in a bind because the industrial revolution is over but lots of people are still playing by its obsolete rules (like the Lineman’s number-crunching, misguided bosses). Networks are begetting networks, denser connections make for faster cycle times, the rate of progress speeds up, effectiveness trumps efficiency, and a surfeit of variables causes uncertainty and instability.

Everybody wants a simpler, less confusing, and more just world. The way to get there is to go back to treating people like people. Dump the vestiges of the by-gone era. Skip micromanagement. Follow your heart. Revere your values. Do what’s right. Change the world.

Some people probably think their company’s moving too fast. Actually, the company’s too slow. The Lineman’s ahead of his employer. He has his priorities right: satisfy the customer and have a good time doing it. The company must change its ways to enable its Linemen to flourish."

My vent and frustration to my colleagues was this;

"The 21st century is NOW - not tomorrow, not next year, NOT WHEN WE HAVE SOLVED THE LATEST BUDGETARY CRISIS - yes I am shouting. I shout for all out 'linemen' who remain unheard and/or misunderstood.

I also know that of the 80,000 or so living people who work for [our organisation], there are only 1202 of us [on Yammer]."

Never doubt that a small group of people can change the world; indeed it is the only thing that ever has.
Loosely quoted from Margaret Mead

The business of change...

I just Googled 'change management'.  It turned up "about 273,000,000 results" according to Google Chrome.

Then I Googled 'leadership' and got "about 48,500,000.  Out of curiosity, I couldn't resist 'change leadership'... "about 134,000,000 results".

Good grief.

I attended a Marshall Goldsmith coaching masterclass is 2010.  http://www.marshallgoldsmithlibrary.com/

Similarly, Marshall had conducted a 'leadership' Google search and also commented on the number of guides and texts (never mind about the courses, programs and consultancies operating in this field) along with all the self-help publications on the topic.  He compared this with people trying to lose weight - always buying new products, trying new diets and exercise regimes, buying books on how to lose weight.

Tara Diversi http://taradiversi.com/ has also observed the millions made by the weight loss industry and the variable impact it has had on achieving successful weight loss.

Have the change management/change leadership books, resources, consultancies, courses (even entire qualifications) and programs resulted in better change management experiences?  I doubt it somehow.

John Kotter's HBR article, "Leading Change. Why transformational change efforts fail" is now listed as a classic and has been republished a number of times since it first appeared in 1995. It is still used and referred to by consultants and academics - I have earned money using the model myself.

I was recently introduced to Prochaska and DiClimente's "Stages of Change" model (1982), used in addiction counselling.  I don't have a direct link, but this will help http://www.agale.com.au/FiveStagesOfChange.htm

Joe Moore (at the time with Proactive Resolutions) now founding member of Kimber Moore & Associates http://au.linkedin.com/pub/joe-moore/12/150/27 tailored this to a model for managers and 'change agents' to use with individuals and teams to bring about behaviour change within an organisation.  Identifying the right intervention to use at the stage of readiness being critical.

Kevin Bourne (2009) has also looked at the stages of change and developed "The 7 Stages of Transformational Change. Coaching the "Journey" of Changing".  http://www.worklifeexpeditions.com/userfiles/403843/file/Coaching%20Process.pdf

OK, Kotter talked about this in 1995. Prochaska and DiClimente wrote up their model in 1982.  We are now in 2012!

Addiction counselling services largely use stages of change and the accompanying process "motivational interviewing".  An underlying principle is to 'roll with the resistance'.  A colleague and myself working on a major management development program added '...and maintain the momentum' to this, seeing that both working with people's readiness, rolling with rather than confronting their resistance AND keeping on keeping on was likely to bring better results than a big bang initiative.  It was working... we had hard evidence... and then senior management decided (despite the accolades and results) that they wanted to focus on something else and my colleague moved on to another project.

Which adds something else into the mix and now talked about in the change field - 'stickability', 'spreadability' and 'sustainability'.

Let's just remind ourselves of something - again.  A well researched and now evidence based model from 1982; an article widely used and respected from 1995.  And we are still looking for the holy grail of how to 'do change'.

Back to initial comment...

Good grief!

Change is hard.  Achieving behaviour change is not a simple or even complicated problem that can be reduced to task or action lists or replicable processes.  It is complex - a 'wicked problem' and one that seeing organisations as organic systems and webs of connectivity that operate despite the structure chart and formal hierarchies.

The Cynefin Framework is handy here - there's a YouTube guide here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mqNcs8mp74 and Harold Jarche has also referred to this on a number of occasions - here's one of them http://www.jarche.com/2009/12/embracing-complexity-at-work/

My conclusion? I'm not sure I have one - this is a 'wicked problem'.

I do believe that until we address some core issues (maybe the equivalent of exercise, portion control and what is actually consumed) we will remain like those on the quest for permanent weight loss... caught up in an industry that promises it has the easy, quick fix solution, or that someone else can solve the problem for us.

Losing weight and overcoming addiction happens when someone is ready, motivated and supported to do it.  Not when huge amounts of cash are handed over and someone else assumes responsibility.

One thought at a time...

Postscript...

Read a great piece on my 'favourite' topic - performance appraisal and development today from Fistful of Talent  http://fistfuloftalent.com/2012/10/lawn-mowers-leverage-and-performance.html 5 October 2012.

Steve Boese quoted his father "Don't take anything out of the shed unless you intend to use it the right way".

He talks about what can be achieved by simply tweaking the current approach to performance appraisal and what happens when major software programs are purchased and/or 9 year organisation-wide cascade plans (I had to chuckle!)...

There is something to be said for leaving in the shed that which you are only going to fiddle with and not use for it's intended purpose...

Just one thought at a time!

Performance, motivation, testing and 'if-then'...and a whole lot more

I've had a few robust conversations recently about appraising performance and staff development... and in my usual way have been collecting an array of thoughts and writings on this and related topics.

Given my bower bird tendencies and previous post, I thought it worth the time to pause, take stock and reflect on a few.

The debate has been taking place for some time about the merits of various performance appraisal and development processes with my colleagues.

This piece probably best sums up my personal views - Motivational performance reviews (and other oxymorons) from Sonar6 at http://www.sonar6.com/colorpapers/motivation

There should be no surprises!

The cause of the tension comes from a particular group of people's practice that dictates someone must have completed a 12 month performance appraisal cycle before any formal performance improvement process can be initiated. Yes, seriously.

As a result, all performance appraisal and development processes are dreaded and avoided, or at best, delayed by all parties. Managers view them as a necessary evil and protection should they need to move into a disciplinary domain at some time. Employees see them as a moment in time where a manager might give some feedback, which has a reasonable chance of being negative and could be used against the employee in the future...

There is certainly very little genuine conversation in the whole experience.

And so the question... how to influence a changed approach when confronted with years of 'lived experience', custom and practice?

Enter 'evidence based practice' and recovery models.

You see, I work in a public health service. Evidence based medicine and evidence based practice are more than buzz words in health - they are meant to be the basis on which all treatment and care is provided.

Following a Twitter lead, I came to the Evidence Based HR website http://www.evidencebasedhr.com/ and have every intention of trawling my way through it to find what evidence I can relating to performance and development of employees. The only hope of influencing change will begin with evidence that supports the merits of doing things differently.

Recovery oriented practice is the preferred approach to the provision of mental health care - as opposed to a medically oriented model. I'm still working out what this really means when it comes to clinician/client interactions, but it is well espoused and enshrined in national and international policy. From what I can glean, it is strengths based, and 'hope' features heavily in the policy documents. Client driven/centered care/services are also key components. Bottom line from this non-clinical person's understanding - recovery is a journey of personal development and growth.

Now some of those I've had the most robust conversations with are also promoters of recovery approaches...and it dawned on me that the very people who are concerned that they identify and document all employee shortcomings in case they have to formally do something about it in the future, are the same people who are working to get clinicians work with clients from a strengths based, self directed, hopeful approach!

I did alert one colleague to this with an interesting reaction I can best describe as denial.

I stumbled across this piece today (and now realise the merits of LinkedIn's news feed)... 'How Finland became an education leader' http://www.salon.com/news/david_sirota/2011/07/18/tony_wagner_finland

I wonder what would happen if we raised the bar this way for our staff, including the way we supported them and developed them? What difference would it make for our client's health and well being? What difference would it make for the motivation and performance levels of our clinicians?

In among this, the latest round of pay rise negotiations are taking place and there are some groups of employees who have got particularly skilled in the process. They are all knowledge workers... on the quest of greater levels of financial reward in order to satisfy needs and expectations that remain otherwise unfilled. Yet each pay rise never quite seems to fix the concerns and issues it was hoped to... like an addict, it seems each hit needs to be bigger than the last and with shorter time lapses... Daniel Pink, what have we done to each other?

Drive; the surprising truth about what motivates us

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc

&

Be careful with an 'if-then' approach to reward and recognition

http://leaderchat.org/2011/09/15/be-careful-with-an-%E2%80%9Cif-then%E2%80%9D-approach-to-reward-and-recognition/

Another conversation with a professional colleague about the formal 'plan/6 month/12 month' approach to performance appraisal and development brought about the realisation that the policy requirement to complete the 'plan' for a new employee within 3 months could be viewed as unreasonable - a real plan requiring a greater length of time to develop a relationship and appreciation of the employees capabilities... further discussion revealed that some of what is intended in this conversation - clarification of role requirements, expectations and standards - are part of a classic induction and orientation process...

Could this be why we have got the performance development aspect of the employer/employee relationship so wrong? We failed to consistently clarify and confirm expectations in the early days and hence spend so much time subsequently fixing up things that should have been sorted out in the early days.

My thoughts then returned to the formal policy documents guiding this in our organisation and wonder the extent to which they are based on historical custom and practice, or on evidence of best practice? When people seek advice on the application of these policies, are they receiving words based on evidence or a personal interpretation and opinion? And I thank my adult daughter for her clarity about the difference between advice and opinion...

So where does this leave me?

Firstly, to always be clear about when advice is based on evidence and when I am speaking from personal interpretation and opinion.

Secondly, to shift from the status quo I will need evidence of a compelling reason for change... and I will need those in formal leadership positions to determine that this is a priority... and a whole lot more to boot, but that will do for a start!

I started this piece in June 2011 and it's now October 2012.  In the passing time, I've read more about why none of these traditional approaches works and the organisational debate has raged.  The organisation I work in has even changed the name - from Performance Appraisal and Development (PAD) to Performance & Development (P&D).  Don't laugh - this is my reality.

Finally, I heard Kim Seeling-Smith speak at a conference.  She had gathered much of the research and evidence about what does and doesn't work as far as career development and employee engagement is concerned and has shared this overall model of FFOCCUSED communication.  She used to have a great pdf visual which I can't locate, but the link will give you the idea.

http://www.kimseelingsmith.com/blog/2012/7/3/ffoccused-communication.html

When I talked with one of our managers about this his comment was "that's what PAD is meant to be about".  (Sigh of relief)

High time to post methinks!