New technologies present real opportunities for learning, and they get cleverer and cheaper all the time. The ‘traditional’ approach can be labelled ‘Big’ e-learning. This involves the design and delivery of large-scale software applications to replace traditional classroom-based training events and programmes. Such applications are intensively thought-out in advance, to ensure that e-learners have all possible questions answered and all possible approaches met. They need to be exhaustively tested and debugged to be robust in working environments. Big e-learning companies often employ experienced and expert ‘learning designers’ (not just trainers) and web designers, analysts and programmers, as well other specialists who would be just as much at home in a video games company or a film production organisation. All this means that big e-learning has high design and set-up (fixed) costs, although these can be balanced by very low delivery (variable) costs. This makes big e-learning good only for training very large groups (100+).
Recently, Podcasts and Blogs have begun to be used as a cheaper and quicker-to-implement 'Small' alternative to big e-learning. All anybody needs is the ideas they want to get across, a video camera and/or a decent microphone, some simple to use editing software and Internet access, and short video, sound or text training materials can be prepared and delivered to learners by the web. This is resulting phenomenon of ‘Just-in-time’ small e-learning, where for example, a hassled manager can go to YouTube or download a short Podcast on ‘10 important things to do in performance management’(or whatever) immediately before they run an appraisal meeting with a member of their staff.
Links to live-action lectures and presentations (TEDTalks set the standard), simulations and role plays with animation, graphics and sound (like computer games) can all be built into blogs, offering a much more involving and challenging learning experience than traditional book learning. Introvert e-learners can take part in interactive activities without having to present publicly or talk to strangers. And online tests and quizzes can be built into the applications, giving e-learners immediate feedback and giving us Learning Professionals the means to assess, evaluate and manage the learning.
Google, Wikipedia and social networking websites are proving to be invaluable e-learning resources. ‘Google’ is already used as a verb, meaning ‘find out about’. Wikipedia presents information that is ‘self-created’ and ‘peer reviewed’, a little like the contents of an academic journal. Users of Twitter and LinkedIn seem to solve many business problems by seeking and getting input from their networks through ‘crowd-sourcing’. Ning, software that enables the creation of in-company and ‘behind-your-firewall’ social networks that work like Facebook or LinkedIn, can keep colleagues continuously and automatically up-to-date on each other’s activities without the chore of writing weekly or monthly reports.
The advantages of all new technologies mean that e-learning is not tied to particular times or places. E-learners can learn at their workstations, at home, while commuting… anywhere or anywhen they need it. As such it is increasingly replacing book learning: PCs are approaching the portability of paperback books, MP3 players are smaller and lighter, and iPhones, iPads and book readers like Kindle are all blurring the lines between all these machines.
The disadvantages of new technologies seem to be how they can encroach on the work-life balance of workers. Not everyone wants to be listening to learning Podcasts or searching Wikipedia for the solutions to business problems in evenings or at weekends. And working through e-learning applications and assessments at your workstation does not give the same thrill or reward as staying in a four star hotel to attend a training workshop.
But, there are a lot of benefits to be found in new technology learning resources. They can influence knowledge and attitudes. Carefully designed big e-learning and just-in-time small e-learning can also influence behaviour and skills. Like traditional book learning, new technologies tend to be preferred by Reflectors and Theorists, but with careful management the strengths of these e-learning tools mean that they can be useful to all learners and to the organisations that need people to learn. Go on: do a search for what’s already freely available. Maybe even try recording and uploading your own!
Monday, 27 December 2010
Monday, 20 December 2010
Class-room based training
Classroom-based training is what most people think of when you say ‘training’. It’s been around forever and is (at least thought to be) familiar to everyone from their days in school or college. It is still occasionally called ‘chalk and talk’ learning, reminding us of blackboards, hard chairs and desks, exercise books and detentions.
But this link in people’s minds to their own past lives seems to put off about as many people as it attracts. If there is a continuum running from formal education at one end, through teaching, training and learning to development at the other end, classroom-based training often looks trapped closer to the formal and abstract end rather the practical and business-focussed end. However, most classroom-based training must be practical if it is to be cost-effective.
Trainers often report that the people they see to train are those that like training rather than those that need training. The people who need training most are sometimes those who work hardest to avoid it. And often these ‘training avoiders’ are the more senior staff and managers, who feel that their seniority and experience means that they don’t need training, that they don’t need to learn what’s on offer. Good senior management teams take classroom-based training very seriously: they ‘lead from the front’ by taking an active part in the work of the training room, both as participants and as training providers.
Classroom-based training can have relatively low design or set-up (fixed) costs. The content of training events and programmes is often already available and accessible within the organisation. Content can also be found in the literature or online, or bought from larger and well-established training organizations like Oakwood International. Even ‘bespoke’ training events or programmes usually involve at least some standard ‘off-the-shelf’ elements, and careful web searching can find complete agendas and training plans, ice-breakers, exercises, games, presentations, handouts and role plays. Intellectual property law precludes the wholesale reproduction of these online resources, but the ideas that underlie them are not copyright, so as long as the ideas are reformulated into new training plans, the training designer need not fear legal action.
The greatest cost in the design of training is usually the salary or fee of the trainer. Most freelance trainers charge fees for design of training at somewhat below those they charge for delivery, although this will vary depending on the complexity of material to be trained and on the regularity and frequency of delivery – and on whether the designers will be doing the delivery themselves. If the designer is spending a great deal of time designing an event or programme they will only deliver once, they will seek to charge more for the design than if they are guaranteed to get ongoing delivery fees.
Classroom-based training has relatively high delivery (variable) costs. In a one-day or longer event or programme, one trainer can probably only deal with a maximum of about twelve participants at a time. Between four and eight participants is often judged as more practical.
So, in order to train a small group of people in a day, the costs could break down as:
• Trainers fees and expenses (travel, accommodation and subsistence)
• Participant expenses
• Participant lost-opportunity costs (work that is being missed while participants attend the training)
• Materials costs (participant manuals, handouts, case studies and exercises, copies of slides, folders, writing paper, pens, name cards or stickers, flip chart paper and marker pens, Blu Tack or tape)
• Room, facilities and equipment costs (including hardware and new technology where needed)
• Refreshment costs (lunch, water cooler and glasses, tea and coffee, sweets and biscuits)
If a single event or programme training ten people costs $6000 to deliver, then ten such events, training 100 people, can cost $60,000, as there are few economies of scale in classroom-based training. But there may be other ways to meet the learning objectives. For example, an e-learning application to meet the same learning objectives may cost $60,000 to design, but almost nothing to deliver. Many more than 100 people can hit the learning objectives, at no additional cost.
All this means that if large numbers of people (say more than 100) are required to learn the same material, other kinds of learning opportunities and interventions need to be considered. E-learning is often favoured for delivering very high volumes of training.
However, Classroom-based training is good for smaller numbers of participants, to obtain buy-in, build team spirit and practice behaviour change. It needs to do so in order to avoid the charge of it being too abstract, formal and unfocussed on business needs. It is especially good for Activists. It can strongly influence knowledge, skills and attitudes but, as it takes place away from the workplace, trainers need to make action plans explicit to translate learning back into the workplace.
It is easy to measure learners’ immediate reactions to Classroom-based training, through assessment/evaluation forms or ‘happy sheets’. Harder-to-measure longer-term changes to learning, behaviour and results need to be examined through the organization’s performance management processes.
But this link in people’s minds to their own past lives seems to put off about as many people as it attracts. If there is a continuum running from formal education at one end, through teaching, training and learning to development at the other end, classroom-based training often looks trapped closer to the formal and abstract end rather the practical and business-focussed end. However, most classroom-based training must be practical if it is to be cost-effective.
Trainers often report that the people they see to train are those that like training rather than those that need training. The people who need training most are sometimes those who work hardest to avoid it. And often these ‘training avoiders’ are the more senior staff and managers, who feel that their seniority and experience means that they don’t need training, that they don’t need to learn what’s on offer. Good senior management teams take classroom-based training very seriously: they ‘lead from the front’ by taking an active part in the work of the training room, both as participants and as training providers.
Classroom-based training can have relatively low design or set-up (fixed) costs. The content of training events and programmes is often already available and accessible within the organisation. Content can also be found in the literature or online, or bought from larger and well-established training organizations like Oakwood International. Even ‘bespoke’ training events or programmes usually involve at least some standard ‘off-the-shelf’ elements, and careful web searching can find complete agendas and training plans, ice-breakers, exercises, games, presentations, handouts and role plays. Intellectual property law precludes the wholesale reproduction of these online resources, but the ideas that underlie them are not copyright, so as long as the ideas are reformulated into new training plans, the training designer need not fear legal action.
The greatest cost in the design of training is usually the salary or fee of the trainer. Most freelance trainers charge fees for design of training at somewhat below those they charge for delivery, although this will vary depending on the complexity of material to be trained and on the regularity and frequency of delivery – and on whether the designers will be doing the delivery themselves. If the designer is spending a great deal of time designing an event or programme they will only deliver once, they will seek to charge more for the design than if they are guaranteed to get ongoing delivery fees.
Classroom-based training has relatively high delivery (variable) costs. In a one-day or longer event or programme, one trainer can probably only deal with a maximum of about twelve participants at a time. Between four and eight participants is often judged as more practical.
So, in order to train a small group of people in a day, the costs could break down as:
• Trainers fees and expenses (travel, accommodation and subsistence)
• Participant expenses
• Participant lost-opportunity costs (work that is being missed while participants attend the training)
• Materials costs (participant manuals, handouts, case studies and exercises, copies of slides, folders, writing paper, pens, name cards or stickers, flip chart paper and marker pens, Blu Tack or tape)
• Room, facilities and equipment costs (including hardware and new technology where needed)
• Refreshment costs (lunch, water cooler and glasses, tea and coffee, sweets and biscuits)
If a single event or programme training ten people costs $6000 to deliver, then ten such events, training 100 people, can cost $60,000, as there are few economies of scale in classroom-based training. But there may be other ways to meet the learning objectives. For example, an e-learning application to meet the same learning objectives may cost $60,000 to design, but almost nothing to deliver. Many more than 100 people can hit the learning objectives, at no additional cost.
All this means that if large numbers of people (say more than 100) are required to learn the same material, other kinds of learning opportunities and interventions need to be considered. E-learning is often favoured for delivering very high volumes of training.
However, Classroom-based training is good for smaller numbers of participants, to obtain buy-in, build team spirit and practice behaviour change. It needs to do so in order to avoid the charge of it being too abstract, formal and unfocussed on business needs. It is especially good for Activists. It can strongly influence knowledge, skills and attitudes but, as it takes place away from the workplace, trainers need to make action plans explicit to translate learning back into the workplace.
It is easy to measure learners’ immediate reactions to Classroom-based training, through assessment/evaluation forms or ‘happy sheets’. Harder-to-measure longer-term changes to learning, behaviour and results need to be examined through the organization’s performance management processes.
Sunday, 12 December 2010
On-the-job (OTJ) learning
The importance of OTJ learning cannot be overstated: it is the most common kind of learning at work and very possibly the most effective. It happens to everybody at work, anyway, whether HR, Learning Professionals and line managers like it or not.
Examples of OTJ learning include:
• Delegation
• Trial and error
• Research and projects
• ‘Sitting with Nellie’(being shown a task by someone who already does it)
• Work shadowing and placement
• Secondments
• Observation
• Questions and listening
• Networking
OTJ learning needs no special or additional facilities to those already made available to staff. It has a direct, immediate and relevant relationship to actual work because it IS actual work. Its relevance makes it particularly good for Pragmatists. Activists can also benefit from it, as they are required to DO the work rather than just think or talk about it. Reflectors and Theorists can benefit, but will need time to process and consider tasks (Reflectors) and will need to be given reasons and background behind tasks (Theorists).
OTJ learning is powerful as it can influence the knowledge, skills and attitudes of employees. However, this power is completely dependent upon the quality of line management provided to employees. Good managers and leaders see the roles of delegator, coach, mentor and monitor-evaluator all as part of what they do every day. Bad or inexperienced managers and leaders get lost in the implementation of tasks and fail to concentrate on the OTJ learning of their staff. They forget the old adage ‘Give a man a fish and he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish and eats for a lifetime.’
Even good managers often forget to plan, record, evaluate or celebrate the results of OTJ learning. As it happens anyway, they don’t always see the benefit of managing the process. The costs and benefits of OTJ learning can remain hidden.
But if HR and Learning Professionals can work with line managers to demonstrate the costs and benefits of OTJ learning, line managers can be won over and start to manage the process. So start singing the praises of OTJ learning: the HR professional’s little gem.
Examples of OTJ learning include:
• Delegation
• Trial and error
• Research and projects
• ‘Sitting with Nellie’(being shown a task by someone who already does it)
• Work shadowing and placement
• Secondments
• Observation
• Questions and listening
• Networking
OTJ learning needs no special or additional facilities to those already made available to staff. It has a direct, immediate and relevant relationship to actual work because it IS actual work. Its relevance makes it particularly good for Pragmatists. Activists can also benefit from it, as they are required to DO the work rather than just think or talk about it. Reflectors and Theorists can benefit, but will need time to process and consider tasks (Reflectors) and will need to be given reasons and background behind tasks (Theorists).
OTJ learning is powerful as it can influence the knowledge, skills and attitudes of employees. However, this power is completely dependent upon the quality of line management provided to employees. Good managers and leaders see the roles of delegator, coach, mentor and monitor-evaluator all as part of what they do every day. Bad or inexperienced managers and leaders get lost in the implementation of tasks and fail to concentrate on the OTJ learning of their staff. They forget the old adage ‘Give a man a fish and he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish and eats for a lifetime.’
Even good managers often forget to plan, record, evaluate or celebrate the results of OTJ learning. As it happens anyway, they don’t always see the benefit of managing the process. The costs and benefits of OTJ learning can remain hidden.
But if HR and Learning Professionals can work with line managers to demonstrate the costs and benefits of OTJ learning, line managers can be won over and start to manage the process. So start singing the praises of OTJ learning: the HR professional’s little gem.
Wednesday, 8 December 2010
Self-managed learning
In Self-managed learning, groups and individuals set their own learning objectives, choose the methods by which they will learn and the assessment and evaluation criteria they will apply to their learning. Examples of self-managed learning can include syndicates, forums, study groups and action sets, which can be created within or outside of the learners’ places of work.
The quality of Self-managed learning is dependent upon the motivation and ability of those involved and, for groups happening within organisations, the trust and support of their line managers, their HR managers and the wider organisation. As everything is decided by the people involved, costs and facilities can be unpredictable, so the organisation and its management must be committed to the process for the long term.
There is good evidence that Self-managed learning works for committed Activists, Reflectors, Theorists and Pragmatists. And the freedoms provided by Self-managed learning make it ideal for high potential staff and management, but these same freedoms can make it hard to monitor. Because of this, Self-managed learning is best evaluated through performance management.
The quality of Self-managed learning is dependent upon the motivation and ability of those involved and, for groups happening within organisations, the trust and support of their line managers, their HR managers and the wider organisation. As everything is decided by the people involved, costs and facilities can be unpredictable, so the organisation and its management must be committed to the process for the long term.
There is good evidence that Self-managed learning works for committed Activists, Reflectors, Theorists and Pragmatists. And the freedoms provided by Self-managed learning make it ideal for high potential staff and management, but these same freedoms can make it hard to monitor. Because of this, Self-managed learning is best evaluated through performance management.
Monday, 29 November 2010
Coaching and mentoring
There are many excellent websites defining and describing coaching and mentoring, and this blog does not have to repeat their content here. But within Oakwood we like to distinguish between learning and development facilitated by line managers, which we tend to call ‘Coaching’, and similar work-based learning provided outside of the chain of command, which we usually label ‘Mentoring’.
Both are vital activities. Our version of coaching is the main component of ‘delegation for development’ and ‘on-the-job learning’: the main way that people learn their jobs. Our version of mentoring helps people gain essential perspective on their role and is a great help in their career development.
Both are labour-intensive activities, often tying up relatively important and senior, and thus expensive, people. Using internal mentors keeps costs largely hidden, while using outsiders can result in low fixed (setup) costs but high variable (delivery) costs. E-mentoring, by telephone, email, social networking websites and live chat software can offer eco-friendly, just-in-time alternatives to face-to-face meetings. As e-mentors and learners are not tied to place or time for their sessions, travelling and accommodation expenses are avoided.
Coaching and mentoring needs no special facilities other than time and privacy. What is vital are the trust and rapport between the coach or mentor and learner, and the communication skills and specialist expertise of the coach or mentor. Confidentiality is also important, although mentoring sessions often start by exploring and agreeing the three-way contract between coach, learner and the learner’s line manager or HR manager (on behalf of the organisation). What are the expectations and objectives of all sides, what information shall be shared and reported on, and what outcomes are to be measured?
Coaching and mentoring are highly effective influences upon the knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviour of learners. They seem to work equally well for Activists, Reflectors, Theorists and Pragmatists. The private, confidential and one-to-one nature of coaching and mentoring means that is usually preferred for and by senior management. The problem with this privacy can be that the effectiveness of the process, along with any issues and problems arising through the process, can be hidden or ignored, unless monitoring and measurement is agreed in advance.
Both are vital activities. Our version of coaching is the main component of ‘delegation for development’ and ‘on-the-job learning’: the main way that people learn their jobs. Our version of mentoring helps people gain essential perspective on their role and is a great help in their career development.
Both are labour-intensive activities, often tying up relatively important and senior, and thus expensive, people. Using internal mentors keeps costs largely hidden, while using outsiders can result in low fixed (setup) costs but high variable (delivery) costs. E-mentoring, by telephone, email, social networking websites and live chat software can offer eco-friendly, just-in-time alternatives to face-to-face meetings. As e-mentors and learners are not tied to place or time for their sessions, travelling and accommodation expenses are avoided.
Coaching and mentoring needs no special facilities other than time and privacy. What is vital are the trust and rapport between the coach or mentor and learner, and the communication skills and specialist expertise of the coach or mentor. Confidentiality is also important, although mentoring sessions often start by exploring and agreeing the three-way contract between coach, learner and the learner’s line manager or HR manager (on behalf of the organisation). What are the expectations and objectives of all sides, what information shall be shared and reported on, and what outcomes are to be measured?
Coaching and mentoring are highly effective influences upon the knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviour of learners. They seem to work equally well for Activists, Reflectors, Theorists and Pragmatists. The private, confidential and one-to-one nature of coaching and mentoring means that is usually preferred for and by senior management. The problem with this privacy can be that the effectiveness of the process, along with any issues and problems arising through the process, can be hidden or ignored, unless monitoring and measurement is agreed in advance.
Monday, 22 November 2010
Book learning
Trainers and coaches often say that what they enable is not just ‘learning’ but also ‘behaviour change’: that classroom-based events are opportunities for learners to plan and practise DOING SOMETHING DIFFERENT in their jobs. That if all that was needed was new knowledge being transferred into the heads of learners it would be cheaper and easier to just buy them the right book.
So why not do that, anyway? Put together a list of appropriate and useful business books and buy them for your staff. In comparison with the price of training, especially training involving international travel and accommodation, book learning is relatively cheap. There are probably already budgets in HR and other departments for publications but they are often forgotten, seldom managed or measured.
Reflectors and Theorists respond well to book learning. It is highly effective for the transfer of large amounts of complex information. It can also influence knowledge and attitudes, although it is less effective for transfer of skills. But you can make the learning more ‘sticky’ for Activists and Pragmatists by setting up regular (monthly or quarterly) Book Groups, where the readers are brought together for a meeting to discuss the book and its implications, and make action plans for the organisation. Books Groups also make sure that the books themselves are read: people don’t like to turn up to meetings when they haven’t done the preparation.
So: identify learning needs, choose and buy the appropriate books and set up the Book Groups (you’ll need champions and/or chairmen). Most of the monitoring and evaluation will happen through the reports of the Book Group champions but you can also set learners short tests or quizzes to reinforce and assess the learning.
Over the next few weeks this blog will look at the range of – often ignored – learning opportunities available in organisations. In this busy high-tech world we must not forget books: they’ve worked well for hundreds of years, and will probably continue to be an economical way of passing on large amounts of information for a long time yet.
So why not do that, anyway? Put together a list of appropriate and useful business books and buy them for your staff. In comparison with the price of training, especially training involving international travel and accommodation, book learning is relatively cheap. There are probably already budgets in HR and other departments for publications but they are often forgotten, seldom managed or measured.
Reflectors and Theorists respond well to book learning. It is highly effective for the transfer of large amounts of complex information. It can also influence knowledge and attitudes, although it is less effective for transfer of skills. But you can make the learning more ‘sticky’ for Activists and Pragmatists by setting up regular (monthly or quarterly) Book Groups, where the readers are brought together for a meeting to discuss the book and its implications, and make action plans for the organisation. Books Groups also make sure that the books themselves are read: people don’t like to turn up to meetings when they haven’t done the preparation.
So: identify learning needs, choose and buy the appropriate books and set up the Book Groups (you’ll need champions and/or chairmen). Most of the monitoring and evaluation will happen through the reports of the Book Group champions but you can also set learners short tests or quizzes to reinforce and assess the learning.
Over the next few weeks this blog will look at the range of – often ignored – learning opportunities available in organisations. In this busy high-tech world we must not forget books: they’ve worked well for hundreds of years, and will probably continue to be an economical way of passing on large amounts of information for a long time yet.
Monday, 15 November 2010
Blended learning
Blended Learning is a fancy name for something that is really just common sense. It means giving learners the opportunity to learn in a variety of ways, from a variety of media and situations. So as well as arranging a training course or coaching for your line managers, you can:
• Make sure they agree their learning objectives with their managers, and that their managers check progress at least every month or so.
• Set up a short regular meeting with them where you can all discuss the course, their coaching and their other learning.
• Give them each a copy of the appropriate business book on the learning area, such as The One Minute Manager or The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, and ask them to read them.
• Start up an in-company learning blog – a bit like this – and give them the link so that they can read and comment on it.
• Ask them to look for, read and watch good management resources on Google, BBC, Wikipedia, BusinessBalls, LinkedIn, Amazon, YouTube, etc. (and report back to the meeting).
• Encourage them to listen to short publicly-available learning podcasts at their pc or on their iPod.
• Lend them a DVD with appropriate content (such as purpose-made training videos or even some episodes of The Office – UK or US as both are excellent) and ask them to discuss the best examples of what NOT to do.
• Organise some successful local business people to visit and present what they do in return for lunch.
• Support the managers to do ‘management-like stuff’ outside of work: run sports clubs and societies, help organise their faith groups, do charity work in the community, join the TA or Special Constabulary (UK) or other volunteer services.
• Evaluate the learning with online tool like SurveyMonkey.
Blended learning like this adds little cost to that of a single learning event or programme, but increases the impact, relevance and ‘stickability’ of the learning enormously. Go on: try it!
• Make sure they agree their learning objectives with their managers, and that their managers check progress at least every month or so.
• Set up a short regular meeting with them where you can all discuss the course, their coaching and their other learning.
• Give them each a copy of the appropriate business book on the learning area, such as The One Minute Manager or The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, and ask them to read them.
• Start up an in-company learning blog – a bit like this – and give them the link so that they can read and comment on it.
• Ask them to look for, read and watch good management resources on Google, BBC, Wikipedia, BusinessBalls, LinkedIn, Amazon, YouTube, etc. (and report back to the meeting).
• Encourage them to listen to short publicly-available learning podcasts at their pc or on their iPod.
• Lend them a DVD with appropriate content (such as purpose-made training videos or even some episodes of The Office – UK or US as both are excellent) and ask them to discuss the best examples of what NOT to do.
• Organise some successful local business people to visit and present what they do in return for lunch.
• Support the managers to do ‘management-like stuff’ outside of work: run sports clubs and societies, help organise their faith groups, do charity work in the community, join the TA or Special Constabulary (UK) or other volunteer services.
• Evaluate the learning with online tool like SurveyMonkey.
Blended learning like this adds little cost to that of a single learning event or programme, but increases the impact, relevance and ‘stickability’ of the learning enormously. Go on: try it!
Monday, 8 November 2010
Biodata
Why don’t more large companies use biodata in their recruitment and selection processes? If you recruit large numbers of people who take on work with similar job descriptions and responsibilities, and if you run a decent performance management system, grading employees in terms of their competence and performance against objectives, you’ve got the basis for a very effective recruitment tool.
Biodata (derived from ‘biographical data’) can start with a statistical comparison of information found in your standard application form (such as number of school qualifications, academic institutions attended, etc.: basically any ways of distinguishing between people based on their résumés) with the measured performance at work of the people concerned. Or it can compare the answers to specially-designed biographical questionnaires with job performance. Either way, the statistics used for this are complex and require training to apply and interpret, so this work is usually undertaken by specialist Occupational Psychologists or Psychometricians.
The output of this comparison shows which parts of applicants’ biographies actually correlate with high work performance. This correlation does not perfectly equate to prediction, but with some common sense you can assume that you’ve found a few real distinguishing factors with mark out your best applicants from the also-rans.
Biodata needs large sample sizes (so small companies can’t benefit from it) and some up-front funding for the initial statistical research (so the HR team needs to have a strategic role and the respect and support of the CEO and board). But it can – in the long term – help you recruit more effectively, taking less time to judge each candidate, but doing so with far more effectiveness. Take some time to see whether it can help your organisation.
Biodata (derived from ‘biographical data’) can start with a statistical comparison of information found in your standard application form (such as number of school qualifications, academic institutions attended, etc.: basically any ways of distinguishing between people based on their résumés) with the measured performance at work of the people concerned. Or it can compare the answers to specially-designed biographical questionnaires with job performance. Either way, the statistics used for this are complex and require training to apply and interpret, so this work is usually undertaken by specialist Occupational Psychologists or Psychometricians.
The output of this comparison shows which parts of applicants’ biographies actually correlate with high work performance. This correlation does not perfectly equate to prediction, but with some common sense you can assume that you’ve found a few real distinguishing factors with mark out your best applicants from the also-rans.
Biodata needs large sample sizes (so small companies can’t benefit from it) and some up-front funding for the initial statistical research (so the HR team needs to have a strategic role and the respect and support of the CEO and board). But it can – in the long term – help you recruit more effectively, taking less time to judge each candidate, but doing so with far more effectiveness. Take some time to see whether it can help your organisation.
Tuesday, 2 November 2010
Learning objectives and the status of learners
What is it that trainers, learning designers and facilitators, coaches, mentors and all the other people responsible for designing, delivering, assessing and reporting on learning interventions really need to know? They are often told about the politics, problems and personalities in the teams, divisions and organisations they work with, or the desired content of the learning intervention… and that is all very interesting, but it is not vital.
It is vital that trainers etc. get to know:
1. the learning objectives of their learners, long enough in advance for them to plan interventions that actually deliver on those objectives.
2. who those learners are, in terms of their seniority and past work and learning experience.
This usually means that learners and the people who manage them need to discuss, agree and record the learners’ objectives well ahead of the learning event, and pass them to HR and/or L&D who in turn need to pass them (with details such as job titles and brief business biographies) to the trainers. So HR and L&D play an essential policing role: setting deadlines for such discussions and checking both that they happen and that the output is passed on.
So what do learning objectives look like? Remember the acronym SMART helps us to remember the qualities that objectives need to have: they need to be Specific, Measurable, Agreed and Action-orientated, Realistic and Relevant, and Time-scaled. A simple structure is ‘By deadline date the learner will be able to demonstrate their learning through a defined behaviour’.
So an actual learning objective might look like:
By Monday 3 January 2011 Jasmine will be able to chair the monthly department meeting. In particular she will be able to:
• create and distribute the agenda (with timings and objectives for each item) and any supporting reports or other material to the correct recipients at least two working days ahead of the meeting
• manage the content of the meeting and the discussions of the participants in the time available
• ensure that the meeting makes the decisions and takes the actions necessary, allocating responsibility and setting deadlines where appropriate
• record accurate minutes and agree them with the meetings’ participants
• distribute minutes to participants and stakeholders no more than two working days after the meeting
• inform and update meeting participants and stakeholders about the actions arising from the meeting until all such actions are completed
Trainers and other learning professionals LOVE learning objectives like this. It focuses all their efforts in designing, delivering, assessing and reporting on the learning that learners actually need. All the other stuff – who said what to whom, why previous attempts at learning interventions haven’t worked, what the content could be – is great fun but nowhere near as useful.
Remember: learning objectives and learners’ status. That’s the best place to start.
It is vital that trainers etc. get to know:
1. the learning objectives of their learners, long enough in advance for them to plan interventions that actually deliver on those objectives.
2. who those learners are, in terms of their seniority and past work and learning experience.
This usually means that learners and the people who manage them need to discuss, agree and record the learners’ objectives well ahead of the learning event, and pass them to HR and/or L&D who in turn need to pass them (with details such as job titles and brief business biographies) to the trainers. So HR and L&D play an essential policing role: setting deadlines for such discussions and checking both that they happen and that the output is passed on.
So what do learning objectives look like? Remember the acronym SMART helps us to remember the qualities that objectives need to have: they need to be Specific, Measurable, Agreed and Action-orientated, Realistic and Relevant, and Time-scaled. A simple structure is ‘By deadline date the learner will be able to demonstrate their learning through a defined behaviour’.
So an actual learning objective might look like:
By Monday 3 January 2011 Jasmine will be able to chair the monthly department meeting. In particular she will be able to:
• create and distribute the agenda (with timings and objectives for each item) and any supporting reports or other material to the correct recipients at least two working days ahead of the meeting
• manage the content of the meeting and the discussions of the participants in the time available
• ensure that the meeting makes the decisions and takes the actions necessary, allocating responsibility and setting deadlines where appropriate
• record accurate minutes and agree them with the meetings’ participants
• distribute minutes to participants and stakeholders no more than two working days after the meeting
• inform and update meeting participants and stakeholders about the actions arising from the meeting until all such actions are completed
Trainers and other learning professionals LOVE learning objectives like this. It focuses all their efforts in designing, delivering, assessing and reporting on the learning that learners actually need. All the other stuff – who said what to whom, why previous attempts at learning interventions haven’t worked, what the content could be – is great fun but nowhere near as useful.
Remember: learning objectives and learners’ status. That’s the best place to start.
Wednesday, 27 October 2010
Managing the generations part 4: Generation Y
Generation Y (Gen Y or Generation Why) have been born since about 1980, which makes them 30 and under in 2010. They may just remember the Cold War, but probably feel at ease with all the new European countries and ‘Stans’ that fell out of the end of the USSR, Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia.
These people have no direct memories of how life was lived without new technologies. They are ‘digital natives’ and ‘media impartial’: they expect to work, communicate, shop and be entertained anywhere and everywhere, using cheap, replaceable technology that connects them to the internet. They don’t expect to work on company premises or during ‘office hours’ all the time, they don’t expect to have to remember facts (that’s what Google and Wikipedia are for), they don’t expect movies to be in cinemas or on DVDs or music to be on CDs. They don’t believe that intellectual property – when delivered by the internet – should need to be paid for.
This group grew up with the TV as ‘a friend in the corner of the room’: for them, it is natural for technology to be left on, even if they are not concentrating on it. Indeed, many Gen Ys can easily multi-task with technology: watching TV, surfing the net, talking on a mobile phone and playing a computer game simultaneously and in any combination. But the downside of this seems to be shorter attention spans and some difficulty in engaging with people face-to-face rather than by machine. Statements like ‘I prefer the adverts over the programmes, as they tell me what I can buy’ are common from Gen Ys. Many wear headphones as much as they can, so that their lives have a soundtrack like a movie.
In the UK, new designer drugs and ‘legal highs’ are popular among some Gen Ys. They are definitely the post-AIDS generation, where although condom use is understood, sexually-transmitted infections are on the increase. This generation were the recipients of a new National Curriculum in all state schools. They seemed to cover more subjects, in more depth, in shorter timescales then their predecessors. But they don’t always remember or carry forward much of this learning. More of this generation go to university than ever before. But they – or their Baby Boomer and Generation X parents – also pay more for that university education than previous generations. Meanwhile, employment prospects for Gen Ys – at least for the short term following the worldwide recession – are worse than for the people who have gone before them.
The Gen Ys in your organisation are probably more technologically savvy than their older colleagues. They can amaze previous generations with the speed and depth of their work. But they may flounder, and need additional support, if they are not given easy access to technology. They may surprise their colleagues as much with what they do not know as what they do know. They may find traditional structures, cultures, policies and practices (set working hours, uniforms, reporting lines etc.) both stifling and threatening. And they may have real difficulties in holding face to face detailed conversations.
It is likely that, for the moment, your Gen Ys are in junior positions, reporting to Baby Boomers and Gen Xs. These line managers are likely trying to remake them, through coaching and delegation, more like themselves. However, although this will work in places, rest assured that the Gen Y’s way of working looks like the model for the future.
These people have no direct memories of how life was lived without new technologies. They are ‘digital natives’ and ‘media impartial’: they expect to work, communicate, shop and be entertained anywhere and everywhere, using cheap, replaceable technology that connects them to the internet. They don’t expect to work on company premises or during ‘office hours’ all the time, they don’t expect to have to remember facts (that’s what Google and Wikipedia are for), they don’t expect movies to be in cinemas or on DVDs or music to be on CDs. They don’t believe that intellectual property – when delivered by the internet – should need to be paid for.
This group grew up with the TV as ‘a friend in the corner of the room’: for them, it is natural for technology to be left on, even if they are not concentrating on it. Indeed, many Gen Ys can easily multi-task with technology: watching TV, surfing the net, talking on a mobile phone and playing a computer game simultaneously and in any combination. But the downside of this seems to be shorter attention spans and some difficulty in engaging with people face-to-face rather than by machine. Statements like ‘I prefer the adverts over the programmes, as they tell me what I can buy’ are common from Gen Ys. Many wear headphones as much as they can, so that their lives have a soundtrack like a movie.
In the UK, new designer drugs and ‘legal highs’ are popular among some Gen Ys. They are definitely the post-AIDS generation, where although condom use is understood, sexually-transmitted infections are on the increase. This generation were the recipients of a new National Curriculum in all state schools. They seemed to cover more subjects, in more depth, in shorter timescales then their predecessors. But they don’t always remember or carry forward much of this learning. More of this generation go to university than ever before. But they – or their Baby Boomer and Generation X parents – also pay more for that university education than previous generations. Meanwhile, employment prospects for Gen Ys – at least for the short term following the worldwide recession – are worse than for the people who have gone before them.
The Gen Ys in your organisation are probably more technologically savvy than their older colleagues. They can amaze previous generations with the speed and depth of their work. But they may flounder, and need additional support, if they are not given easy access to technology. They may surprise their colleagues as much with what they do not know as what they do know. They may find traditional structures, cultures, policies and practices (set working hours, uniforms, reporting lines etc.) both stifling and threatening. And they may have real difficulties in holding face to face detailed conversations.
It is likely that, for the moment, your Gen Ys are in junior positions, reporting to Baby Boomers and Gen Xs. These line managers are likely trying to remake them, through coaching and delegation, more like themselves. However, although this will work in places, rest assured that the Gen Y’s way of working looks like the model for the future.
Wednesday, 20 October 2010
Managing the generations part 3: Generation X
Generation X (Gen X) were born between about 1965 and 1980, which means that in 2010 their ages range from 30 to 45. Unlike their parents, they were born into a world of stable financial growth accompanied by some background fear of the ongoing Cold War between the USA and the USSR, messy ‘local’ wars such as those in Vietnam and Korea, and nuclear weapons. They have adopted new technologies, while remembering what went before and what has been superseded. Some Gen Xs remember a world before email, the internet and mobile phones. They remember when television could not be recorded, when the only way to watch a new movie was to sit in a cinema, when music was only available on the radio, on black vinyl disks or on tape. But they have grown familiar with personal computers, handheld communication devices, hard-disks, cds and DVDs, and personal stereos – from Walkmans to iPods. They are the first generation to have played home computer games. They are sometimes labelled ‘digital adopters’.
In the UK, Baby Boomers talked about Gen X as ‘Thatcher’s Children’: people who grew up under the leadership of the implacable British Prime Minister. Like their parents, Gen X can be hardworking, but they are often seen as less creative, less confrontational and more conservative than the generation before them. Fewer Gen X people smoke than Baby Boomers, although drug taking may be a little more widespread. Their ethos seems to be ‘get your head down and don’t make a fuss’. Both partners work in many Gen X couples.
Gen X can be found throughout most organisations, from top to bottom. Women Gen Xs are often working mothers, and can be looking for non-traditional (often hi-tech) ways of working to improve their Work-life Balance: part-time, job sharing, teleworking, seasonal working etc. Male Gen Xs may be compensating for the lower salaries of their partners by pushing for more responsibility and higher rewards. Although family life leaves many Gen Xs sleep-deprived and wanting short commutes and flexibility at work, the experience they get running their homes and raising their families can make them effective managers.
In the UK, Baby Boomers talked about Gen X as ‘Thatcher’s Children’: people who grew up under the leadership of the implacable British Prime Minister. Like their parents, Gen X can be hardworking, but they are often seen as less creative, less confrontational and more conservative than the generation before them. Fewer Gen X people smoke than Baby Boomers, although drug taking may be a little more widespread. Their ethos seems to be ‘get your head down and don’t make a fuss’. Both partners work in many Gen X couples.
Gen X can be found throughout most organisations, from top to bottom. Women Gen Xs are often working mothers, and can be looking for non-traditional (often hi-tech) ways of working to improve their Work-life Balance: part-time, job sharing, teleworking, seasonal working etc. Male Gen Xs may be compensating for the lower salaries of their partners by pushing for more responsibility and higher rewards. Although family life leaves many Gen Xs sleep-deprived and wanting short commutes and flexibility at work, the experience they get running their homes and raising their families can make them effective managers.
Monday, 18 October 2010
Managing the generations part 2: Baby Boomers
Baby Boomers (BBs) were born roughly between 1945 and 1965, which means in 2010 they are between 45 and 65 years of age. Their label comes from how the birth rate increased after World War 2 in most of the countries involved in the war. These people have seen many changes in society and technology through their lives. In the West, the war initiated massive upheaval: the traditional roles of men and women were turned over (although, once peace resumed, the idea of the men working in organisations and women working as ‘homemakers’ was still the usual expectation in many couples); information technology was beginning to replace familiar older technologies, means of communicating and working; average personal wealth across these societies increased.
In the UK for example, the number of universities and university places increased to cope with the BBs. Students were given grants that covered their fees and expenses. At the same time, the UK government established other national tax-funded projects, such as: the National Health Service, offering health care that was ‘free at the point of use’; and the BBC, a radio and television service with a remit to inform and entertain, that was broadcast without any advertisements.
Anything seemed possible and in response, BBs themselves initiated more change in business and beyond. Entrepreneurs flourished. The whole generation became richer – on average – than their ancestors. There’s some evidence that they may also be richer than their descendents will become. They made decisions about their preferred beliefs and ideologies, clothes, music and lifestyle which seemed shocking to their parents and grandparents: this generation included Hippies, Punks, Feminists and many other new groupings. They loved vinyl LPs and compact cassettes. Many smoked and some experimented with drugs. Their expectations and attitudes about romance, relationships and marriage changed with the increasing availability of contraception and risk of sexually transmitted infections.
The BBs in your organisations are now among the oldest employees. It is likely that they occupy Chief Officer, Director and Senior Management roles and there will be others in more specialised or junior roles too. Many are starting to think about retiring or ‘downshifting’, while some are at last free of commitments to their children – who have grown up – and are looking for new challenges.
You’ve probably got up to about another 20 years of dealing with BBs. In general, they are committed people who have learned that discipline, creativity and intelligence pays rewards. They won’t accept whatever you give them, without discussion and negotiation. They may not see the point in some new technology. But their loyalty and commitment are worth winning.
In the UK for example, the number of universities and university places increased to cope with the BBs. Students were given grants that covered their fees and expenses. At the same time, the UK government established other national tax-funded projects, such as: the National Health Service, offering health care that was ‘free at the point of use’; and the BBC, a radio and television service with a remit to inform and entertain, that was broadcast without any advertisements.
Anything seemed possible and in response, BBs themselves initiated more change in business and beyond. Entrepreneurs flourished. The whole generation became richer – on average – than their ancestors. There’s some evidence that they may also be richer than their descendents will become. They made decisions about their preferred beliefs and ideologies, clothes, music and lifestyle which seemed shocking to their parents and grandparents: this generation included Hippies, Punks, Feminists and many other new groupings. They loved vinyl LPs and compact cassettes. Many smoked and some experimented with drugs. Their expectations and attitudes about romance, relationships and marriage changed with the increasing availability of contraception and risk of sexually transmitted infections.
The BBs in your organisations are now among the oldest employees. It is likely that they occupy Chief Officer, Director and Senior Management roles and there will be others in more specialised or junior roles too. Many are starting to think about retiring or ‘downshifting’, while some are at last free of commitments to their children – who have grown up – and are looking for new challenges.
You’ve probably got up to about another 20 years of dealing with BBs. In general, they are committed people who have learned that discipline, creativity and intelligence pays rewards. They won’t accept whatever you give them, without discussion and negotiation. They may not see the point in some new technology. But their loyalty and commitment are worth winning.
Thursday, 14 October 2010
Managing the generations
Ageism – treating people differently just because of their age – is illegal in many countries and actively discouraged in others. Respect is due to all, and those who have done more and seen more, as a result of being around for longer, may also deserve more respect. But as HR professionals, we know that our ‘senior’ employees are not always the ones who demonstrate maturity or best practice, and that our ‘junior’ employees are not always the most energetic or dynamic. We know that specialist skills, common sense and a positive attitude come in a package without a ‘sell by’ date. All ages can contribute. And the easy assumptions – such as younger people being impatient or older people being less willing to learn or change – are not always supported by objective research.
But it can be useful to classify people broadly in terms of the ‘generation’ they belong to. The three generational labels in the news at the moment are Baby Boomers, Generation X and Generation Y. These generational distinctions overlap at the edges but seem to be real and meaningful, at least in the West. In the next few weeks we’ll put some definitions up on the blog for you to discuss. But it’s up to you to decide if they are useful to apply to your corporate or national culture.
(This is the third post to the Oakwood Club and Alumni Network blog. Please look at the first post for why we're doing it and how we intend to run it. Please leave your comments or questions. We're eager to know what you think. Thank you for reading and getting involved.)
But it can be useful to classify people broadly in terms of the ‘generation’ they belong to. The three generational labels in the news at the moment are Baby Boomers, Generation X and Generation Y. These generational distinctions overlap at the edges but seem to be real and meaningful, at least in the West. In the next few weeks we’ll put some definitions up on the blog for you to discuss. But it’s up to you to decide if they are useful to apply to your corporate or national culture.
(This is the third post to the Oakwood Club and Alumni Network blog. Please look at the first post for why we're doing it and how we intend to run it. Please leave your comments or questions. We're eager to know what you think. Thank you for reading and getting involved.)
Tuesday, 12 October 2010
Work-life balance
In many parts of the world, people work long hours. Many say – and some complain – that they spend more time with their work-colleagues than with their family and friends. Some also say that the time and energy they put into work eats into other activities that they want – indeed need – to do, like sleeping, exercising, observing religious practices, reflecting and contemplating, etc.
It is best practice for organisations to support their employees seeking a healthy balance between work and life outside of work. But what is a healthy balance?
For many it seems to be about 35 to 45 hours work and no more than five hours commuting per week, combined with between seven and nine hours sleep in every 24, and time every day by themselves and with family and friends. It also means taking regular short breaks and longer holidays where work can be temporarily forgotten, or at least put aside.
But we need to remember that – just like people’s physical sense of balance – Work-life balance can vary a lot in the population. Driven people may seek and be happy with a balance that puts more resources and time into work; people with less family commitments maybe look for opportunities to work and travel more; people with close families may be happy to work longer hours for local organisations which give them short commutes.
And there are other possibilities than simply commuting each day to a place of work. Home-working and tele-working can increase individual productivity while eliminating the 'dead time' and wasted energy of a daily commute. Part-time working and job-sharing were originally introduced in many organisations to help their employees stay in work while raising a young family; they are now used by other workers who need a shorter working week but have skills to use. The benefits of retaining good people often outweigh the additional administration costs of running non-standard contracts.
The important thing is to enter into a discussion with the people in your organisation – individually and as a group – about what Work-life balance means to them. If you can give them what they want, while still meeting the organisation’s objectives, what’s stopping you?
(This is the second post to the Oakwood Club and Alumni Network blog. Please look at the first post for why we're doing it and how we intend to run it. Please leave your comments or questions. We're eager to know what you think. Thank you for reading and getting involved.)
It is best practice for organisations to support their employees seeking a healthy balance between work and life outside of work. But what is a healthy balance?
For many it seems to be about 35 to 45 hours work and no more than five hours commuting per week, combined with between seven and nine hours sleep in every 24, and time every day by themselves and with family and friends. It also means taking regular short breaks and longer holidays where work can be temporarily forgotten, or at least put aside.
But we need to remember that – just like people’s physical sense of balance – Work-life balance can vary a lot in the population. Driven people may seek and be happy with a balance that puts more resources and time into work; people with less family commitments maybe look for opportunities to work and travel more; people with close families may be happy to work longer hours for local organisations which give them short commutes.
And there are other possibilities than simply commuting each day to a place of work. Home-working and tele-working can increase individual productivity while eliminating the 'dead time' and wasted energy of a daily commute. Part-time working and job-sharing were originally introduced in many organisations to help their employees stay in work while raising a young family; they are now used by other workers who need a shorter working week but have skills to use. The benefits of retaining good people often outweigh the additional administration costs of running non-standard contracts.
The important thing is to enter into a discussion with the people in your organisation – individually and as a group – about what Work-life balance means to them. If you can give them what they want, while still meeting the organisation’s objectives, what’s stopping you?
(This is the second post to the Oakwood Club and Alumni Network blog. Please look at the first post for why we're doing it and how we intend to run it. Please leave your comments or questions. We're eager to know what you think. Thank you for reading and getting involved.)
Wednesday, 1 September 2010
Welcome
Welcome to the Oakwood Club and Alumni Network blog. We hope you find it enjoyable and stimulating, and that you come back and read it regularly.
So why are we writing a blog? Two reasons, mainly:
1. We want to give our current and past students a chance to informally consider and discuss the many HR topics that are interesting and important but that are not included or assessed in the CIPD Certificate curriculum. This is a bit like all the ‘side conversations’ that happen in the breaks during the modules (and sometimes happen during the working time between breaks too!).
2. We want to give future and potential students, and anybody else interested in HR, the CIPD and Oakwood International, a chance to get involved too. We want the blog to be an informal ‘shop window’, showing something of what we do and the way we do it.
But don’t get us wrong: this blog and its supporting Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook feeds are not intended to replace the Oakwood International website, Oakwood Online Services or the email correspondence we already have with our students. Please continue to use these to discuss your work, the modules and assignments etc., exactly as you have done up until now.
We also don’t intend it to replace www.cipd.co.uk or all those other invaluable sources of HR information online.
Over the next months you can expect to see short articles on a variety of HR topics: we’ll try and post something new at least once a week. We’ll start by working through a list of areas we want to talk about, but please expect also to see short articles prompted by current HR news and by your suggestions: the blog will allow you to post your own comments to articles, and we hope to use these to trigger more articles.
In Twitter we’re registered as OakwoodClub, on LinkedIn as Oakwood Club and on Facebook as Oakwood Club and Alumni Network, so please follow us, connect with us or be our friend. In LinkedIn we’ve also set up a group called Oakwood Club and Alumni Network, so please join us. Through all these channels we’ll post regular updates about the blog, so that you don’t forget us! And you’ll be able to post comments too, so that there can be ongoing discussions between Oakwood International and students, and between students too.
We will, of course, read and moderate all these discussions, routing to Oakwood Online Services any material that would be better discussed there. We may also, as a last resort, edit or delete any inappropriate comments, although we intend to contact people who post such comments privately, for ‘off-line’ discussions too.
So, we hope you stick around and read the blog, connect with us through social media websites, post comments and take part in an ongoing debate about the wider world of HR. Thank you for reading and we look forward to your involvement.
So why are we writing a blog? Two reasons, mainly:
1. We want to give our current and past students a chance to informally consider and discuss the many HR topics that are interesting and important but that are not included or assessed in the CIPD Certificate curriculum. This is a bit like all the ‘side conversations’ that happen in the breaks during the modules (and sometimes happen during the working time between breaks too!).
2. We want to give future and potential students, and anybody else interested in HR, the CIPD and Oakwood International, a chance to get involved too. We want the blog to be an informal ‘shop window’, showing something of what we do and the way we do it.
But don’t get us wrong: this blog and its supporting Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook feeds are not intended to replace the Oakwood International website, Oakwood Online Services or the email correspondence we already have with our students. Please continue to use these to discuss your work, the modules and assignments etc., exactly as you have done up until now.
We also don’t intend it to replace www.cipd.co.uk or all those other invaluable sources of HR information online.
Over the next months you can expect to see short articles on a variety of HR topics: we’ll try and post something new at least once a week. We’ll start by working through a list of areas we want to talk about, but please expect also to see short articles prompted by current HR news and by your suggestions: the blog will allow you to post your own comments to articles, and we hope to use these to trigger more articles.
In Twitter we’re registered as OakwoodClub, on LinkedIn as Oakwood Club and on Facebook as Oakwood Club and Alumni Network, so please follow us, connect with us or be our friend. In LinkedIn we’ve also set up a group called Oakwood Club and Alumni Network, so please join us. Through all these channels we’ll post regular updates about the blog, so that you don’t forget us! And you’ll be able to post comments too, so that there can be ongoing discussions between Oakwood International and students, and between students too.
We will, of course, read and moderate all these discussions, routing to Oakwood Online Services any material that would be better discussed there. We may also, as a last resort, edit or delete any inappropriate comments, although we intend to contact people who post such comments privately, for ‘off-line’ discussions too.
So, we hope you stick around and read the blog, connect with us through social media websites, post comments and take part in an ongoing debate about the wider world of HR. Thank you for reading and we look forward to your involvement.
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