Social Media Risks and Rewards

Thanks to social media, messages today can be delivered, commented on, edited, revised, accepted and/or rejected in a very short period of time.  Social media is interactive and universally available to anyone with access to the technology.  It also allows the message to be viewed indefinitely.

Blogging and tweeting can – and should – be used to communicate ideas and concepts that increase learning.  Just as television, radio, music and all the other entertainment media present some programs that instruct, others that entertain, and still others that do both.

As time goes on, the term social media may become viewed as a misnomer.  It is more than a medium for social interaction.  Like any other media, social media can be used for a multitude of purposes.

For right now the terminology is social media.  My point is that the term communicates a consistent message to the majority of people.

Educators, business professionals, parents and other members of society are working to define how social media can be of benefit to them and to society as a whole.   The open availability of social media is a concern to some.  These people and organizations appear to be concerned about allowing everyone and anyone to express their views, regardless of the topic.

Some posts and comments may be inappropriate.  They may contain inflammatory and often erroneous content.  But free speech should never be curtailed or even discouraged.   Because of the interactive nature of these new communication mechanisms, readers are able to reply or comment on these posts immediately.  Therefore, many people have pointed out the errors and inappropriateness of these entries.  I believe that most people will look past the negative. Perhaps a code of ethics will be needed to control libelous or hateful comments.  However, I’m optimistic that things can be managed without formal controls.

… the absence of proven best practices has left some colleges leery of jumping into the social Web, says Sean Fitzgerald, vice president for business development at the marketing firm Spectrum Creative Solutions. “We’ve found that a lot of clients that we talk to are real apprehensive about using social networking tools because they don’t know much about it,” Fitzgerald says.

“It’s easy to be against something you’re afraid of, and it’s easy to be afraid of something you don’t understand,” says Brad Ward, CEO of BlueFuego, a consulting agency that monitors chatter about its clients (which include Abilene Christian University, Indiana University and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst) and advises them on the “do’s and dont’s” of the social Web. “That’s where I think a lot of administrators are on this.”  http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/10/09/socialmedia

Looking back at the history of communication, tools and techniques for communication have changed as each mode of communication grew.  There is a theory that humans first communicated for survival.  Communication could be used to indicate danger, food or other essentials for life.  In time gestures, language, art and other modes were integrated.  Similar process takes place when a new type of media is developed.  Somewhere along the line, all methods of communication are used for learning, entertainment and a host of other purposes.

Once a message is posted on a social medium, instantaneous communication and interaction becomes possible, both across the world and across cultural and educational levels.  With the advent of this new media, teachers become learners and vice versa.  In fact, most participants are both teachers and learners.  They are also able to function as members of a discussion group where concepts and ideas are explored.

Those with knowledge, information, views, or just willingness to participate, are able to make comments and express their viewpoint through social media.  We are in a new era where teachers no longer need to be the major source for spreading knowledge.  Many good teachers are pleased to have additional sources of information.

Many people are restricted from using or fully using social media by their employers or schools.  In some cases, people within learning institutions and industries are trying to use social media to help an organization succeed.  In some cases, control of these communications is good.  However, in other cases it might be fear of losing control or concerns unrelated to the actual situation and need.

At the end of the day, what we are talking about is another medium for communication. Social media should be treated as a communications mechanism.  It can deliver many messages to many audiences.   This of course is what makes social media so powerful.  But, it is merely a tool and should be viewed as what it is.  A hammer is a tool, it can be used to create, or destroy. Social media is a tool and how it is used will vary by its users.

We are fortunate to be living in an age where we have the opportunity to access and share information. We can learn, teach, share and grow at speeds that were unimaginable just a few short years ago.

More people worldwide are using social media. Comscore.com, which tracks Internet activity trends, reported that in April, social networking grew to 140 million users worldwide. Facebook had 67.5 million visitors, and Twitter had 17 million visitors. The MU Facebook network now has about 45,000 profiles attached to it.

….

Some people find social media to be a positive experience for education.

“We’re globally connected,” said Jason Ohler, a former professor of education technology at the University of Alaska, now a media psychology professor at Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbara, Calif. “It only makes sense to be globally connected when we pursue education.”

Some Columbia students are not so easily persuaded.

“I don’t really care. It (social media) probably wouldn’t help. It’s social type stuff — we’re trying to learn,” said Michael Phillip, a 20-year-old junior mechanical engineering major at MU.  “It wouldn’t be distracting. It just wouldn’t be necessary.”

With technology still advancing and opinions about social media differing, time will tell where social media fits in.

http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2009/08/05/what-do-you-think-using-social-media-sites-education-system/

There is valid concern from members of academic communities and business organizations about liability for comments posted by employees, students and others in their employ or otherwise associated with their community.  These are problems that need to be dealt with.  Social media has a great deal to offer and we as a society need to find ways for people to use these new communication tools responsibly.  We need to develop processes that allow open dialog without leaving the individual or the organization open to litigation.  I believe this is the direction that needs to be taken so that the benefits of these new media can be open to everyone.

It’s Time to Make the Lemonade

I was laid off 6 months ago.  I’ve been actively seeking a new position daily since that time.  I’ve been reviewing job posting, I’ve been blogging, tweeting, running workshops, delivering presentations, attending networking meetings, and networking, networking, networking.

I’ve been connecting with people I know and also with new contacts that have been identified in my search.  Everyone I’ve spoken to has been very supportive.  However, I am still no closer to being employed than I was when I was first laid off.

At each of the 3 networking meetings I attended last week there were about a third more people than the prior weeks.  Maybe because the quarter just ended, I don’t know.  All I know is that people are continuing to be let go.  That is not to say that people aren’t being hired.  They are.  Maybe it is just the groups I attend, but the people who have been hired have, for the most part been, in the early stages of their careers.

I realize that I might still find employment with an employer.  But, my observation of the situation to date has shown me that people over 40 are not finding employment at the same rate as younger people. Furthermore, not many of them are finding employment at all, and the competition is increasing.

It has dawned on me that no matter how experienced I am, no matter how glowing my references are, no matter the level of expertise I have, I am not likely to be selected for a new position in this economic climate.  What does that mean?  I’m not sure.  All I know is that it is time to stop looking for others to employ me. It is time to stop looking at position postings and thinking,  ‘Well, I have much more than they are looking for, surely they will pick me.’  No they won’t.  They (whoever they are) don’t want people who have all the qualifications and more.  In this climate they are willing to hire and train someone at a lower salary.  The new younger hire likely has more up-to-date training than those of us who are over 40.  They may not care that we are likely to bring more experience and wisdom to the role.  They are willing to gamble.  There is so very much talent out there to choose from, that if they choose wisely, they can find someone that can do the job and also grow into the role if needed.

So now what can I, and others like me, do?  We can give up or we can take the lemons life has handed us and make lemonade.  At this point I need to do something differently.

We all have areas where we can make significant contributions, why are we depending on others?  Let’s see if we can’t work together to develop businesses, services or other offerings that customers or clients will want to purchase.  While there are many of us out of work, there are still many people who are gainfully employed.  Many others are self-employed and able to purchase what we have to offer.

You may say, “I can’t do it alone.” That is O.K., what I’m recommending is that we seek each other out. Find the puzzle you want to complete and then find people who can bring the other pieces to the table. As a team we can complete the puzzle.  Granted, what I’m suggesting isn’t the answer for everyone.  But, it may be the right answer for some of us.

The key is the right lemonade recipe.  What we can do?  How we can make lemonade?

Here are my suggestions. Don’t just think about these questions, but key your responses into a file which is the beginning of your business plan:

• Inventory what you are passionate about doing.  Note: this doesn’t have to be “work” related.  Just make a list of what you really, really want to be doing
• List the equipment or tools needed to do what you want to do
• Define what other knowledge, skills and capabilities are needed to make what you want to do happen (such as accounting, computer, business)
• Who are your target clients or customers?
• Why would someone want to buy your products or services?  What would make what your offer unique?
• Is anyone else offering this service?
• Who is your competition?  There is always competition.  You need to find who it is and compare what you want to offer and plan accordingly
• Why would people want to purchase this product or service?
• Create a list of benefits your business would offer
• Create a survey to see what interest your target population might have in this product.  Note:  Creating surveys requires expertise. I offer this expertise, contact me if you’d like to discuss it, but if not me, do get help in constructing your survey.
• Include questions in your survey about what people are willing to pay for what you want to offer
• Calculate the income you will need to maintain your current standard of living, and also to just survive

Most web sites that offer information on writing business plans recommend starting while you are still employed.  Well, O.K., so it is a bit harder for us, but let’s acknowledge it’s hard and move forward.  These are very different times and we need to keep making lemonade.

Here are a few urls about starting a consulting business, there are many more out there.  I recommend you search recommendations made in 2009 for the most relevant posts, but others also have good advice.

http://www.usnews.com/blogs/outside-voices-small-business/2008/12/10/4-tips-for-starting-your-consulting-business.html

http://www.consulting-business.com/so-you-want-to-be-a-consultant.html

A few sources for general information on starting a small business

http://www.entrepreneur.com/magazine/entrepreneur/2009/february/199706.html

http://sbinfocanada.about.com/cs/startup/a/10startingtips.htm

Good luck, I’m off to make lemonade!!

Preparing for a Job Interview

Candidates for positions need to be as prepared as possible for each interview session. Interviewers ask questions that determine the candidate’s qualifications. The successful candidate needs to answer the questions in a way that demonstrates their expertise. These statements may seem obvious, but keeping them in mind can illustrate effective ways to prepare for your interview. Putting yourself into the interview’s position and trying to determine what questions will be asked can enhance your preparation.

A review of each statement on the job description will allow you to identify the qualifications. This will give you an opportunity to prepare examples of how you meet the requirements and what you can offer. Once you have identified the qualifications, you can develop questions that might be asked and also practice answers to those questions.

Even if the interviewer doesn’t ask questions that lead to your prepared answers, look for an opportunity. Most interviewers will give you an opportunity to ask questions or share additional information. At this point, you can speak about your experience and expertise related to something on the job description that the interviewer didn’t cover.

The Job Description

Most job descriptions list three types of qualifications. Generally, the largest component lists the knowledge a candidate will need. Then there will also be a listing of skills and behaviors needed for the job. Example skills might be the ability to lift 35 pounds or collate and distribute handouts. Skills describe activities the hiring manager wants an applicant to be able to do.

Behaviors, also known as emotional intelligence, show how you will do your job. How you carry out your work and how you interact with others. Interviewers want to know if you will fit into their culture, and whether you will augment or enhance it.

Basically the hiring team is looking for two things:

• Can you do the job? That is, do you have the knowledge and skills to do the work?
• Do you have the emotional intelligence or behaviors that the organization is looking for in this role? The same organization generally will want different behaviors for different roles. Most often, the behaviors a good sales person needs are not the same behaviors a good engineer would display.

During a behavioral interview, the interviewer wants to learn about how you do things. During this type of interview, or segment of an interview, the focus is on how you perform your work.

Example Job Description

Position: File Clerk

Filing and pulling charts, going through papers, stocking, general helping around with the office. Some phone answering.

Need someone who is dependable, pleasant manner, self motivated, presentable and can multi task.

Interview Prep

Deconstruct the job description, identify each requirement, and construct questions related to each. This will give you an idea of the kind of questions the interviewer might ask. Prepare answers to these questions and you will be that much further ahead.

In reviewing the job description, you can identify the needed knowledge and skills and also the needed behaviors.

Knowledge and Skills:
Filing
Pulling Charts
Stocking Supplies
Answering Phones

Behaviors:
Dependable
Pleasant Manner
Self motivated
Multi tasker

In preparing for an interview, develop both the questions you think might be asked and also prepare answers. It is important to be aware that the interviewer may not ask any of these questions. However, in answering the questions that the interviewer does ask, keep the job requirements in mind. Respond to the questions and, where it makes sense, integrate the examples of how you have successfully done something similar to what is being asked.

You can practice by looking at job posting for jobs in your area of expertise. Identify the knowledge, skills and behaviors. Then develop questions and potential responses.

Behavioral Interviews

Some interviewers will ask you “past performance questions.” These questions provide the interviewer with information about how you carried out your job responsibilities previously. Research has shown that if what a person does is successful, they will do things the same way in the future.

During this type of interview, the interviewer will ask you to recount a time when you did something similar to what they will need you to do on the job. The interviewer will be focused on how you did your job.

Prep for a Behavioral Interview

• Review the behaviors listed in job posting
• Keep in mind experiences from within the last year to 18 months which show you demonstrating the desired behavior
  • Think about what you did, said, thought and felt during that time
• In responding to questions, DO NOT talk about what other people did. The interviewer is interested in what you did. You can acknowledge that others were involved with a statement like “there were many people involved in this activity, but here is what I did”
• You will likely be asked to talk about what you:
  • Did
  • Said
  • Thought
  • Felt
• Do NOT talk about what you usually do. They want you to remember what you did in that specific situation. They want to hear specifically about that time and place
• Pick something you remember well. They will ask for details about what you did, said, thought, and felt during that specific experience

“While job interviewing may not come naturally to everyone, the right preparation can make the difference between landing on your feet and hitting the street. Still, even the most experienced professionals often under-perform by overemphasizing their career progression and chronology or projecting only what they know, rather than focusing on the impact that their leadership has had on the organizations they’ve worked for and the lessons they’ve learned over time.

Today, the more senior the position, the more crucial “soft” skills are. Thus, there will be a high degree of probing throughout the evaluation process to gauge your emotional intelligence and social styles — characteristics that help distinguish a good manager from a true leader.

At this level, the most commonly used interview technique is known as behavioral competency. This type of interview focuses not only on your self-awareness but also on what is known as your learning agility — the ability to apply what you’ve learned through past adversity to overcome obstacles in the future.”

How to Master the Art of Executive Interviewing; by Tierney Remick

Summary

Be prepared for an interview, both with examples of what you know and how you applied your knowledge. Be ready to speak to your skills, how you demonstrated them, and your emotional intelligence along with examples of how you behaved in a specific situation.

Opportunity in Adversity – Demonstrating the Value of HR in a Down Economy

As HR professionals we know that we add real value to the businesses we support. In some cases, we know that line managers appreciate what we do. In some of our efforts we are viewed as partners. However, there are other cases when the line manager works with us because they believe they need to. But, they would bypass us if they could.

There are ways in which we can improve our image so that line managers see us as true partners working together to achieve business results. A down economy might just be the perfect opportunity for us to demonstrate the contributions we can make. Below are some ways to showcase our value.

1. Career Planning

There are likely some HR activities, which have been postponed or cancelled because of the down economy. This opens up time to investigate current business activities for areas where the HR team can be of assistance. Even if nothing has been removed, and even if there are fewer people on the team, this is an opportunity that should not be wasted.

Now is when the line manager may be more receptive to a well conceived and presented collaborative activity. For example, this may be an ideal time to offer an Individual Development Plan (IDP) workshop to upper level managers who do not have development plans in place. A half-day workshop with directions and feedback for developing their own plans might be appreciated. This can demonstrate the value we bring to them individually, and by extension, to their entire organization. Offering the workshop to upper level managers, without cost if need be, can demonstrate the value of HR. Once the manager has seen the value of the workshop, they may be willing to pay to develop members of their team. They may agree that “down turn time” is an opportunity to develop and maintain their teams.

2. Surveys

What services do you provide to the businesses? Are all your offerings being subscribed to effectively? Are there additional offerings or services that your HR team could make available? Organizational development activities might find receptive audiences as the businesses seek to find new ways to promote business. Sometimes a quick and simple electronic survey will uncover needs that might not be evident from day-to-day interactions.

When developing a survey, develop a mix of item types. Include multiple-choice, check all that apply, ranking, or other fixed response choice selections and just a few open-ended questions. Also, many people will only respond to questions that provide response choices. Open-ended questions require more time and effort to analyze. Keep the survey short with no more than 10 questions in total; with no more than 3 open ended items.

In developing your survey, think about the type of issues you are seeing, the type of services you can offer, and also look at the larger picture. The larger picture can be found in news reports, business publications and in speaking to colleagues, friends and relatives about issues and opportunities they are seeing.

There are several excellent and free survey tools that you can use. Survey Monkey is one that has a good reputation, as does Zoomerang. Both of these tools are available on-line for free. The tool you choose is secondary to determining what end result you want to achieve. Know what questions you want to ask before you develop the survey. Having data without a goal is not likely to result in meaningful results.

Also, you don’t want to collect data that doesn’t relate to what your organization can offer. Develop questions that relate to tools and services you can deliver. For example, your team may want to help the organization develop mentors. You would develop one or more questions about a mentoring program. You might want to ask which of several types of mentoring programs the respondent would be most likely to participate in. What would encourage them to participate in one, discourage them, etc?

3. Workforce Development / Focus Groups

If your organization has downsized, it might be an opportunity to help the organization effectively develop and deploy the remaining resources. You might offer to facilitate focus groups. The focus groups would help work groups identify their business goals, the organizational capabilities, and the steps needed to achieve goals. Setting up focus groups with representatives from senior levels and individual contributors should provide a view of organizational capabilities and needs. Start by gaining consensus on what the overarching goals are. Then, as a team, determine what needs to be done to achieve those goals. Next, identify the areas of expertise that exist within the group. Finally, identify areas where development might be needed for the organization to achieve its goals. Help the team to identify appropriate development activities.

4. Teamwork

Now, perhaps more than ever is a time when groups and organizations need to look at ways to work together towards common goals. Silos and hording key talent will not help turn an organization around. Getting the organization to stability and greater profitability may require a unified approach. It may be advantageous to set up a committee composed of key talent to address a set of specific issues and opportunities that impact the overall business.

Bringing together key thinkers and high potential members of several organizations to address problems and recommend steps for action might benefit all the organizations that participate. This is an activity that the HR team could lead. Beginning, perhaps, by inviting organizations to participate in a task force. This won’t be an easy “sell” but it might be worth the effort.

One potential way would be to let the head of the organization know that just a few groups have been selected to participate. You can explain that, by accepting the invitation, they are committing to identify a high potential member (HiPo) of the organization to participate. You can explain the value of the effort and offer to meet with them to explain the benefit to their organization. Let them know that having a group of HiPos address issues and opportunities often leads to successful results. Additional topics are also often discussed and plans are put in place to address them. Also, the HiPos will likely keep in touch with each other and share their expertise in the future.

A key task at hand is to help organizations understand that breaking down silos will benefit them even if a key resource moves to a different role. It may even be advantageous to have HiPos rotate from one organization to another. Sharing knowledge within a company is always better than maintaining silos.

“A report by Industry Week noted that silos are the biggest hindrance to corporate growth. Another study by the American Management Association revealed that 83 per cent of executives said silos existed in their firms. Of these, 97 per cent believed silos were counterproductive.
The silo mentality can lead to a number of serious communication issues. Managers may be overprotective of their department’s activities, even going so far as to act as gatekeepers of information that impacts the rest of the organization. Internally, this lack of co-operation can cause internal competition and even a complete breakdown in communication.”

Shared information helps firms dismantle their ’silos’, Written by Dr. John McFerran; Saturday, 04 April 2009
Summary

A down economy is an opportunity to forge greater connects to the line organizations you support. It is a time when activities and program put in place can result in a win for both the line and the HR organization.

What Makes for a Good Certification Test?

Most certification tests are developed by teaming subject matter experts (SMEs) and certification test development experts. People responsible for writing the test questions need to have expertise in the subject area. They also need to know how to develop tests or have someone on the test writing team who knows how to develop credible, valid and reliable test items. A group or individual with expertise in testing, rather than the subject matter, usually provides this knowledge. Even so, certification tests don’t always live up to the standards set.

Tests are announced along with a description of what they will cover. The test development team has to make certain that the examination tests what the description promises. That may sound obvious, but the challenge lies in determining how to develop test questions which measure an individual’s ability to perform activities that they will need to carry out on-the-job.

The test writers need to develop questions and correct answers directly related to the skills being certified. They also need to write plausible incorrect answer choices. This is not as easy as it might seem. It is especially difficult when the test writers need to populate multiple versions of an exam. Additionally, extra items need to be produced, as some items will be deleted during the review process.

Developers will often concentrate on plausible incorrect responses. The resulting exam may get high marks for how well the items are constructed. But good construction is not enough. The question must also test the work that will be done. Take, for example, a question that asks what color a wire is and then lists four color choices. This may be a well constructed question when looking strictly at writing answer responses that are similar. But, knowing the color of a wire doesn’t test the ability to apply information in a work situation. If the question was about which wire to cut when defusing a bomb, then the question is testing application of knowledge. But it also isn’t sufficient to develop a question that asks the test taker to select the correct response. The answer choices must also be plausible. If wires are never pink, pink shouldn’t be an option.

A blueprint is used to build a home. Following a blueprint ensures that the home is built according to the original plan. Certification tests are also built according to a plan, also often called a blueprint. The blueprint provides detailed information for construction. The blueprint describes what should be included on the exam. There are multiple ways to develop an exam blueprint, but that is a topic for another blog. An exam development workshop generally begins with a review of the exam blueprint. The participants review, edit and modify the initial blueprint. As the workshop progresses and items are developed, the blueprint is reviewed, to ensure it is still valid. In some cases, content is modified or deleted from the blueprint. In other cases, content is added. The blueprint is normally not finalized until the test items have been reviewed, revised, edited and finalized. The blueprint is finalized only when the exam is ready for publication.

A Recommended Approach to Test Item Development

• Each workshop participant provides a brief summary of a situation they experienced that relates to one or more of the blueprint items (exam objective). Each blueprint item should have at least one situation associated with it. In some cases, a situation will cover more than one objective. This is not a problem; it might even lead to test questions which require higher level thought processes.
• Participants write a question based on one of the summary statements. At this point, they only write the question. Once the question has been reviewed and approved, they will develop the correct response and the distracters (the plausible incorrect responses).
• The exam facilitator and the workshop group review each question and critique it, both for relevance to the end result and for effective exam question development.
• Review and modify the answer choices as needed for content and effective test design.
• The exam facilitator may want the participants to develop another question following the above process.
• The facilitator determines which participants are ready to write additional questions without immediate review and feedback. It is recommended that these people write for approximately one hour and then a review and feedback session be conducted.
• Have the participants who still need a bit more support write about three more questions and response options. The facilitator should review and provide feedback to each of the three questions before the individual develops another question. If a question needs significant revision, the facilitator should provide feedback and then the participant should revise their own questions.
• The facilitator should review questions before presentation to the workshop participants. Individual feedback will help participants develop better questions. It will also move the process along without embarrassing any participants. Writing test questions isn’t easy. If the facilitator supports the people who are having problems one-on-one, it will lead to a better experience for all involved.
• During item review, the facilitator should remind the workshop team that the items should test activities that a certified support person will be doing. Participants may want to write items that test facts or information that would normally be looked up or found without memorization. This is not good test items development. Because so many items are needed, participants may push for including questions that test components. One option for effective test content is writing items which test finding the information rather than their ability to memorize. The team should ask if it is something done on the job. If it is, discuss and describe how and why it is done. This method will likely come up with a higher level capability and a better test item.

Comments in Blogs About Certification Exams
Below are some typical comments posted about certification exams.

“… a lot of questions that were ambiguous (had more than one answer, or no good answer). I ended up reading a number of them out loud to myself, shaking my head.

But where the CS2 test was full of ridiculous questions such as “does the tool tip in the navigator panel say ‘magnify’ or ‘zoom’?”, this CS3 test at least did give the sense that they were trying to test actual knowledge of how to Use the program.”

InDesign CS3 Certification Exam News, March 18 2008, Steve Werner

Variants on this comment are often posted for other certification exams. To avoid this problem, continually refer back to the initial summary experiences. Make sure these real experiences are incorporated into the questions. Discuss the process and steps taken for each example situation and job requirement being tested. This will result in a question that asks for higher level thinking not memorized information that can be looked up on the job.

Approaches for Item Review
After the development workshop, a few simple activities can lead to a better SME review process. These steps will allow SMEs to concentrate on technical aspects of the questions. An editorial review of the language, especially if the exam is going to multiple geographies, will help the technical reviewer concentrate on content. If possible, arrange for feedback to a sub-set of the items before the beta review. Conduct one-on-one sessions, if possible, with SMEs who didn’t participate in the exam development process. Another good way to receive quality feedback is to limit the number of items a reviewer is asked to review.

General Tips and Rules of Thumb
Focus on the work that is done using the knowledge being tested. Write items which test the application of the knowledge to real world situations. Ensure items are written so that all populations who will be sitting for the exam will understand the question. No tricks questions or responses. Don’t use idiomatic phases. Items should evaluate an individual’s ability to perform the job role, rather than their test taking ability, or their facility with the language in which the exam is written. If questions require minute technical detail, or are unrelated to the job, or require memorization of facts that can be looked up; these questions should be removed from the item pool.

It is important to know how customers will use the products. Someone who is certified in an area does not need to know every application of the products. However, they should know how the knowledge of the product can be applied. Knowing how knowledge can be applied, will allow the certified person to successfully handle a situation that is new or different.

After the Handshake – Onboarding Strategies for Success

Effective Onboarding Processes

Why do so many presumably good hiring decisions lead to disappointment? Why do star performers join a new organization and fail? Where are we falling down? What causes a robust interview and selection process to produce poor results? What can be done to improve the process for all involved?

Organizations are now adopting onboarding processes to integrate new hires into the group. Essentially, onboarding is the process of integrating a new hire into the company or new group. Onboarding helps a new hire fit into, and understand, the organization and their role.

The concept is to provide a new hire with a support structure. Structure helps them become a part of the organization. One or more people are designated as their mentors or contacts. Typically, several meetings are set up to meet people in the organization and those in other groups that they will interface with in their roles.

Onboarding processes are being implemented by organizations to help increase the successful integration and performance of new hires. However, even with onboarding programs, the success rate could still be improved. Research is showing that onboarding activities may need to be enhanced and the length of the onboarding process may need to be increased.

“Best performing, future-looking companies distinguish themselves by extending onboarding to the first six months… Companies need to look to the future by defining the onboarding process, creating an onboarding roadmap, and investing in strategic long-term workforce planning that integrates their onboarding with the pre-hire stages and the post-hire stages.” Madeline Tarquinio; The Onboarding Benchmark Report, August 2006; Aberdeen Group.

Beginning with the decision to announce the position opening and through every part of the process, there are pit-falls that can derail even an outstanding new hire. When a new hire fails to thrive, it can be attributed to many factors. In most cases, a robust interview process is used. The new hire is usually vetted. And yet, within 6 months to a year the hiring team might determine that it wasn’t a good hire. The apparent poor match between the new hire and the existing team is likely to frustrate everyone. So what goes wrong? The interview and selection process is usually a well-conducted process and a thoughtful decision is made. Yet, something goes wrong.

Where do things go wrong and how can they be addressed? Most often the pre-interview process is well constructed and the interview is well conducted. The interview activities related to bringing a new hire on board include:

• Pre-work – identifying the deliverables and associated work that will need to be carried out by the new hire
• Aligning and Agreement – getting buy-in to the role and responsibilities from both the hiring organization and those with whom the new hire will interface
• Interview Prep – identifying the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to perform the job role
• Interview Questions – development of questions that will allow the interviewees to demonstrate their qualifications for the role
• Conducting the interview – collecting objective data for decision making
• Extending the offer and bringing the individual onboard

Onboarding Prep

What needs to be done to have an equally structured post-hire process? How can the success rates of onboarding programs be increased? Success, in any hiring endeavor can be increased through planning, preparation and post-hire processes. Looking at the actions that can be taken both before and after the new hire comes on board may provide guidance on some further steps needed for success.

Prior to bringing a new hire onboard, determine what the new hire will need to do and deliver within the first 90 days. Write a description of the deliverables. Use words that describe actions and outputs that can be seen. This could include things like reports and products. Choose tangible reviewable products that can be examined so that feedback can be provided. Attending meetings, speaking with people and reading materials are all activities that lead to or support the deliverable. These should also be defined, but they are not deliverables. These are the steps that allow the deliverable to be produced.

Once the hiring manager has defined the deliverables and the activities, the next step is to gain buy-in from the rest of the organization. Make sure that all the interface points and deliverables are acceptable to each group.

However, there are organizations which have onboarding processes in place, but these processes are not well planned and executed. This situation might lead some to dismiss onboarding as ineffective. In some cases, the new hire might be viewed as being a poor hire.

Another view might be that onboarding process itself lacks sufficient structure. People within the organization may not have a plan to integrate the new hire. Introducing the new hire to the people they will be working with is not enough. Meeting people is a good first step. A stronger connection to a new job role can be made with an overview of relationships and work roles that tie the new hire to the people they are meeting. An integrated system of information will increase the effectiveness of the onboarding process. Present the new hire with information on the roles and responsibilities of each person they meet. Explain how they will connect with each person and what role each person will have related to the new hire’s responsibilities and deliverables.

Recommended New Hire Onboarding Steps

• Meet with each of the members of the new hire’s direct team. Be sure to cover
• An overview of each person’s role, responsibilities, deliverables and measurements
• A description of the interface of the new hire’s role, responsibilities, deliverables and measurements to each of their teammates
• Assign a member of the team as the new hire’s mentor and, most importantly, remove some other responsibilities.
• Also hold the mentor accountable for the new hire’s successful integration into the group.
• The manager also needs to be available to the mentor to discuss any issues that might arise as they conduct the mentoring activities
• Along with member of new hire’s direct team, meet with members of teams with whom the new hire will interface
• Receive briefing on the contact and their team’s role, responsibilities, deliverables and measurements
• How does the new hire fit into this picture
• What do they need to bring to the table
• What do they need from the individual or group with whom they are meeting
• The existing team member should take responsibility for the introductions and interactions
• After the interface, the new hire and their team member meet and debrief the session. The existing team member provides their impressions of the meeting. What worked and what actions to take, issues that need to be resolved and next steps.
• The new hire asks questions and takes a first pass at recommended actions. The existing team member provides feedback to the new hire’s recommendations
• Set up a second interface. During this session the new hire begins to take on the role responsibilities.
• The mentor participates and helps the new hire where needed. It is important that the new hire take on as much responsibility as possible. We all learn by doing. However, the existing team member needs to participate as needed to ensure the credibility of the group and new hire are maintained
• A debrief session between the new hire and the mentoring team member is conducted after this meeting. Again, actions and next steps are determined.
• The mentor and new hire participate jointly in subsequent sessions with their interfaces until both the mentor and the new hire are comfortable that the new hire can carry on without the mentor participating in the interface activities. However, the mentor needs to remain available for questions, advice and recommendations as the new hire continues to become integrated into the role.
• The new hire’s manager also needs to hold meetings with the new hire. These meetings need to be above and beyond any held with the existing team. During these meetings the manager needs to ensure the new hire is doing what they expect of them. Depending on the situation the manager may also want to provide advice and recommendations.

Responsibilities

The new hire, the hiring manager, and the team members are all responsible for onboarding. Business is turbulent and ever changing in the current economic environment. It is critical to discuss every change with the entire team. Even when the change in question wasn’t discovered by the new hire, it is still important to discuss everything with the new hire. It is also important that the team or the manager let the new hire know what work is affected. If it doesn’t impact the new hire, the new hire still needs to be in the loop. The new hire should be told what the impact is, who is impacted, and how they are affected.

The onboarding plan needs frequent interface points so that all involved know how well the new hire is integrating into the organization. This will ensure that the new hire is doing what they need to do, as well as learning about the company and their specific role within it. Schedule multiple meetings with the mentor, other team members, and the manager. Follow each meeting up with debriefs and question and answer periods. It is most important to share thoughts, comments, recommendations and feedback. All of these steps will contribute to a successful onboarding experience for a new hire and the existing team.

Components of Onboarding Communications

It is important for the new hire to forge relationships and perceptions. It is also critical that someone point out any landmines or threats to the new hire. Equally important is letting the new hire know who the supporters are and the group’s relationship to those supports.

A shared mentoring program helps everyone see that they are participating in both learning and training. A new hire provides expertise and skills. Mentoring helps the new hire integrate into their new role. This is a win/win for everyone in the organization.

How to Get a Seat at the Table

We are experiencing an economic downturn that is worldwide in nature. Companies of every size are announcing employee lay-offs. In order to survive, most businesses have downsized their workforce. They need the remaining employees to be as productive and cost effective as possible. Agile employees and business processes are the order of the day. The economic outlook for 2009 may have glimmers of hope, but it is still volatile. This economic situation can be viewed as an opportunity. Learning and development professionals can demonstrate their value to their business organizations. L&D professionals can provide knowledge and tools that can increase employee ability to perform their jobs. Increased effectiveness can lead to better techniques for revenue generation or reduced costs.

Learning and development organizations need to focus on developing materials and tools tied to producing revenue or decreasing costs. The better aligned an L&D organization is to the core business; the more likely it is to develop products that businesses will be interested in adopting and using.

In addition to being closely tied to business strategies and goals, new learning events also need to be brief. They need to be developed and ready for delivery in short time frames. After the elimination of positions, the people who remain will have more responsibilities. They will need to learn more, and have less time for learning. Today it is all about doing more with less.

In the current environment learning materials need to be produced in a timely manner. If needed the learning materials can be enhanced or modified later. Learning events for profitable products or professional capabilities might need to undergo continual improvement. Revisions to less profitable offerings may not be warranted. If it is an offering that consumers want or need, organizations are generally more than willing to fund continual upgrades and enhancements. In the case of product or service offerings with short life cycles, investments need to be sized appropriately to the value and life of the profit-generating offering.

Most training developed for business and industry is only moderately effective. At the end of 2007, Training Magazine conducted an analysis of the U.S. training industry. In reporting their findings, they said

This year, the primary focus among training organizations is on increasing the effectiveness of their programs. … The importance of training effectiveness has ratcheted up significantly in the last year, as organizations look for ways to affect the transfer of learning and ultimately the bottom line.

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2007 training magazine www.trainingmag.com

What follows is an outline of the steps that lead to effective learning results.

• Once an assignment is received, conduct a training needs analysis to verify it is a learning problem. Also verify that the problem can be solved with a training solution. Google “conducting an instructional needs analysis” for more information on how to perform this step.
• Identify the audience for the learning event and what knowledge and capabilities they bring to the learning event.
• Define the desired end result. What should someone be able to do at the conclusion of the instruction
• Deconstruct and document each step that needs to be taken to achieve the end result.
• Identify and document where things can go wrong.
• Review the “can go wrong list” and add steps to achieve the end result. These are steps that should be taken before something goes wrong, but which are usually overlooked when the needed steps are identified.
• List everything that a person would need to do to carry out the activities that will be covered in the training.
• Describe how that performance can and should be tested.
• Develop test items to incorporate within the learning event and for final test of learning.

Summary Instructional Design Steps

1. Needs Analysis
2. Identify the Audience and their Background Knowledge
3. Define End Results
4. Document Steps to Achieve the End Result, Highlight Points Where Things Can Go Wrong
5. Develop Test to Verify Learning has Occurred
6. Draft Content Keeping in Mind the Performance that will Need to be Tested

Why Conduct a Training Needs Analysis?

This step is needed because it determines whether or not the problem can be solved with a training solution. All too often, when a problem impacts an organization, the Learning and Development organization will be tasked to correct the problem with training. Begin with an analysis of the problem rather then diving right into the development of the learning materials. This allows for identifying the root cause of the problem and determines whether or not training is a solution that can correct the problem.

Let’s look at an example.

• Sales revenue is entered into the tracking system when a product ships
• The revenue numbers for a new product are very low
• The training organization is asked to produce an instructional unit on how to sell the new product

The L&D team began by speaking to members of the sales team and learned that orders were being taken, but product wasn’t being shipped. In speaking with the shipping organization, the team learned that manufacturing wasn’t producing the new product. In speaking to the manufacturing organization, the training team learned that the manufacturing team was measured on how much of the older product was moved out of the warehouse. They were not goaled on producing the new product.

The training needs analysis uncovered a business issue that needed to be addressed. The sales organization was being measured on how many new products were delivered before the quarter closed. At the same time, the manufacturing organization was measured on how much of an existing product was shipped before the new product was produced. This is a problem that a training solution is unlikely to solve. This is a metrics problem, not a training problem. The training team provided their findings to management and the request for training was withdrawn.

Identifying the cause of the problem or opportunity before developing instruction provides the training developer with the information to determine if it is a situation that can be successfully addressed by training. If the analysis shows that the problem or opportunity can be addressed with training, further analysis can identify the areas to be covered in the learning event. The needs analysis is the process by which the training team learns about the work to be done, the end results, and the teams or individuals impacted.

Effective instructional materials are the result of a series of steps, which need to be taken before any content is developed. The learning needs analysis is the first of these steps.

Identify the Audience and their Background Knowledge

Ask the sponsor or learning event requester for a description of the target audience. Who do they want to take this training? What should they be expected to know before participating in the training. To the extent possible, include information in the course description that provides information on training, references or tools where the prerequisite learning can be obtained.

Defining the End Result

The next step is to define the end results of the training. What will the learner be able to do as a result of the training? The training development team will not always know exactly how the learning will be applied. But, knowing what to cover in the training allows the team to define what people need to be able to do. For example, if you are developing instruction on how to drive, you won’t know the type of vehicle the learner will drive. It could be stick shift, car, bus, or truck. But, the basics are the same. The rules of the road are mostly the same, and differences can be included that a specific group will need. A segment on stick shift can be developed, as can one for trucks, and so on. You know the end result is for the learner to be able to safely follow the rules of the road and drive the vehicle.

Your business partners can tell you most of what you’ll need to include. You will then have enough information to begin developing the learning objectives and test items.

Document Steps to Get to the End Result

What steps need to be taken to get to the end result? If someone is doing work that the training covers, shadow them and record what they do and why they do it. This will identify what needs to be included in the training. However, in most cases this won’t be available. If you are developing instruction on a new product or service, look at existing products and services. Ask the product developers what is new or different and why the changes have been made. This will provide some of what needs to be covered in the training. Also, to the extent possible, use or watch the product or service being used. Have your subject matter expert test all of the existing functionality. Document all of the results for inclusion in the training package.

By developing a series of statements about what the learner will be able to do; you define what needs to be included in the training. Each statement needs to contain an action verb and require an observable and demonstrable action. Use words like say or do instead of know or understand. Any non-observable verb statements – such as know or understand – should be placed on another list. This is the list of steps to get to the observable activity.

When the list of observable statements is completed, look at the list of knowledge statements and identify what a person will be able to do as a result of the knowledge or understanding. Take time to identify whether there are any new demonstrable activities that can be added to the “observable actions” list as a result of these knowledge statements.

Next, associate the non-observable skills from the second list – the “know and understand” statements – with the observable actions statements. What does the learner need to know or understand to perform the needed activity? Associate the skills to be learned and knowledge to be acquired with real world tasks. Each point covered in the learning event should map directly to one or more of the end results, the desired outcomes. These results are also known as the statements of the objectives of the training or the learning objectives.

The analysis should identify demonstrable activities that show learning has occurred. This is what needs to be tested. The instruction is a presentation of steps taken to get desired results, along with an explanation of how to perform each of those steps and examples which show how it is done.

It is very important to let the learner know why they need the information that is being presented. A learner might be told that red means stop and green means go. But if that information is never associated with driving or crossing a street, the learner may not know how or when to use that information.

Listing each observable behavior (each “able to do”) creates the blueprint for the development of the instruction. Essentially, this is a list to successfully achieve the desired end result. Each area which could potentially be a problem area needs to be identified. When the instruction is developed, carefully address each area in detail. This will help the learner gain the knowledge and skill to perform the desired end results.

Develop Test to Verify Learning has Occurred

List what needs to be tested and list how it will be tested. Develop test items. Test the effectiveness of the test items with subject matter experts and knowledgeable learners.

Draft Content

Instructional development is iterative, and also needs to be reviewed and tested. As you develop the instruction, it is best to stay in touch with people developing the new product or who are knowledgeable about the product or service. Find out what is new, changed or modified. Have the product developers review your materials and provide feedback. Also, identify a few people who need to be trained on the content. Find some who have the prerequisite knowledge and ask them to “take” the training as it is being developed. Have them identify any areas where they are lost or confused. This often indicates that content is missing or unclear.

As you develop the content, include examples and practice questions. This allows the learner to assimilate the material being presented. Developing short units for a learning objective or a small set of objectives hones in on any content that needs augmentation or revision.

More instruction or explanation may be needed, and it can be added. If there is too much detail or too much information is included, instruction takes longer to develop. It is difficult to determine what should be deleted. It is easier to identify what is missing and add it in then it is to figure out what needs to be removed.

Once all the end results or objectives are defined, the next step is to develop the questions. Questions test an individual’s ability to perform the needed activities. Questions test the objectives. In some cases, an organization may not want to include test items as part of the instructional package. However, writing the questions that test the required end results, even if they won’t be used, helps the instructional developer to ensure that the instruction that is developed contains the right content.

Summary

Following these steps will lead to transfer of learning. Following this type of development process allows extraneous or unnecessary content to be avoided. Like any science, there is no magic or trickery involved. It is a matter of defining what people need to be able to do, defining what they need to know to do it, and then adding “show and tell” and practice. These components may appear simple, but there is expertise involved in each step. Most importantly, it will produce learning events that work.