Talent & Skills
Joining the dots . . . on research reports
Content strategist and L&D pundit Martin Couzins considers insights and alignment – two watchwords for learning teams . . . The L&D industry generates useful research and in recent months we have seen the publication of the CIPD’s Learning at Work research, Mind Tools for Business’ Learning and Performance benchmark (part 1) and the Learning and Performance Institute’s L&D Dashboard. This is not impact data. It cannot tell you how useful and relevant resources were to an individual All three…
TJ Newsflash: 7 September
A round up of the latest news and research compiled by TJ’s editor, Debbie Carter Two-thirds of UK businesses face a digital skills gap Two-thirds of businesses are facing a digital skills gap in their workforce, according to new research. Yet nine in ten (89%) employees are motivated to acquire new digital skills, according to the new 2023 State of Digital Adoption report from technology company, Userlane. Some of the sought after digital skills include data analysis and interpretation (19%),…
Setting up learning for success
In the second of two articles on establishing successful learning, Paul Matthews examines collective responsibility In the first article in this series we looked at getting clarity on the wants and expectations of the various stakeholders involved in a staff development programme. If those wants and expectations involve employees changing the way they do their jobs, and that will usually be the case, a ‘team’ effort is needed for those objectives to be realised. This is one of the reasons…
Learning from life: what I learnt from cutting dogs hair
TJ’s resident dog lover and regular blogger, Michelle Parry-Slater reflects on what she learnt from learning a new skill Everyone needs a hobby, right? Some people play musical instruments. Others like to garden. Perhaps you’re more adventurous and spend your weekends hang gliding. For me, I love my dogs and my hobby is grooming their hair. I started out with my dog on the garden table and a ‘Groom your Cocker Spaniel’ DVD as my guide. There are no photos…
Setting up learning for success
In the first of two articles looking at how to analyse learning need to establish successful training programmes, Paul Matthews focusses on setting expectations So, you are running a training programme… Why? Somebody has asked for it. Perhaps many people have. Who are these stakeholders and what do they actually want? Or more importantly, what do they expect? What they want and what they expect may well be a little different. If you want your work to be considered a…
How to build social capital
Sally Tanski explores the importance of leaders’ emotional intelligence in growing social capital If you’re a leader, or work with leaders, this situation may be familiar to you… You find it’s difficult to motivate team members, who seem disengaged and distant – and you realise how little you really know about them as people. Or maybe you’ve been struggling with an issue that seems unsolvable until you talk to a colleague over a cup of coffee, for the first time,…
Is goal setting really necessary?
Are you an expert in goal setting or do you prefer to freestyle? Thom Dennis explores the pros and cons of both Goals can guide how we behave and influence a number of factors from performance level to degrees of conflict to the success of leaders. If goal setting helps us to identify what we want to accomplish, create a plan of action, and monitor our progress towards a desired outcome, is there really a downside? Almost certainly a more…
TJ Newsflash: 8 August
This latest roundup of news for those in the talent, skills, learning and development field has been selected by TJ’s editor, Debbie Carter McKinsey survey reveals increase in use of AI Surveys by McKinsey and others have shown an increase in the use if AI in certain organisational functions over the past few years, but their latest research reveals that the use of Generative AI is already widespread and set to accelerate even more. Marketing and sales, product and/or service…
The impact of positive workplace culture
Luke Smith looks at boosting productivity and customer experience by focussing on organisational culture A strong workplace culture is key to the long-term success of your business. A recent survey by McKinsey even found that businesses with strong, positive cultures yield 60% higher returns than their peers. The same report also found that companies with a positive workplace culture are more adaptable. This is particularly important today, as fast-paced markets are changing rapidly in the face of a global economic…
How managers can support workers with mental health problems
Spotting the early signs of mental health issues in employees is vital to ensure recovery and business success. Here Carl Jones looks at the problem and offers advice on helping people recover Society has changed rapidly in the last 20 years. Workplaces that once commanded people’s attention from 9 to 5, five days a week are now a distant memory. The pressure of modern-day living has increased due in no small part by instant access to information via the internet…
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