T&D articles from September 2002

T&D archives from September 2002

T + D Online.
September 1, 2002... Community Years of shushing from grade-school teachers apparently haven't curbed people's desire to chat during seminars. Mark Ellwood, of ASTD's Training Basics community, asks, "What is everyone's favorite technique for getting the...

What goes around. (Front Page).(Editorial)
September 1, 2002... September is back-to-school month, so it seems appropriate that this issue would return to a study of some training fundamentals. In particular, "The Dark Side of 360-Degree Feedback" by Scott Wimer examines the negatives and ways to...

Expand your skills. (President's Page).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... During uncertain economic times, many people focus on broadening their skills or reevaluating their careers. Within the ASTD community, it's clear that during these challenging times our members are on the move--taking on new responsibilities,...

Mailbox.
September 1, 2002... RESPONSES sent to Mailbox are considered available for publication and may be edited for length and clarity. Please send comments to Email: mailbox@astd.org. Provide your name, organization, and location. Your email address will be...

Down with ethics! they're overrated, I say. (News You Can Use).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Yes, you read that correctly. I say ethics are overrated--despite their position as the corporate poster child in a post-Enron, post-WorldCom world. I propose a different standard. Mine is concerned less with not doing bad and more with...

Put your money where your mouth is. (News You Can Use).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... If your company is more concerned about doing well than doing good, don't worry. There's still plenty you can do on your own, using your wallet to make your voice heard. Socially responsible investing is a trend that's taking off. Not only...

Policy news. (News You Can Use).(Workforce Investment Act)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... A snapshot of U.S. federal legislation and policy affecting workforce development and the HRD profession. WIA Reauthorized Congress will reauthorize the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) in 2003. WIA was passed in 1998 to consolidate a...

Coming soon. (News You Can Use).(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
September 1, 2002... Evaluating and rewarding performance just got easier--says PeopleSoft. The Internet architecture company is introducing a new suite of products, termed Enterprise Incentive Management, which aim to standardize the process of motivating a...

Pen is mightier. (News You Can Use).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... If you want to know what kind of employee someone is, look no further than the top of his or her desk. So says a study by Pilot, one of the largest pen manufacturers in the world. Want a good employee? Pilot suggests you find a candidate...

Just breathe: taking in a bit of fresh air isn't as easy as you think. (Training 101).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... "Just take a deep breath." That's the well-intentioned advice a nervous presenter commonly receives from a supportive colleague. When done properly, a deep breath does wonderful things: It relaxes the neck, shoulders, and internal organs humans...

Killer app apt to be killed? (@ Work).
September 1, 2002... Is it the end of email as we know it? So thinks its inventor. Eric Allman, the creator of the first Internet mail program and current CTO of Sendmail * www.sendmail.com a company that builds secure email systems for enterprises, believes...

Wake-up call the real decision makers: e-learning suppliers are bypassing corporate training functions and selling directly to business units.
September 1, 2002... When the administration solutions division of management consulting firm Towers Perrin decided to improve its training efficiency, the business unit researched the field and then purchased a new learning management system to suit its needs. It...

Post-9/11 training.
September 1, 2002... Diversity training in particular has felt the impact. The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, have had a profound effect on diversity training in the United States. Managers were suddenly and dramatically made more aware of the impact...

Post-9/11: actions and reactions.(security training programs)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Who hasn't read or heard on TV about the proposed security measures for airports and airplanes? The solutions range from better training for baggage screeners and intensified screening of baggage to using sky marshals and arming pilots with...

The dark side of 360-degree feedback: the popular HR intervention has an ugly side.(Human Resources)(peer input into performance appraisals)
September 1, 2002... During the past decade, 360-degree feedback has become one of the most popular human resource interventions. The power behind this process is that it's a sometimes rare opportunity for employees to receive honest feedback about how they're...

The new strategic Six Sigma: the old standby quality approach, Six Sigma, can change your organization's culture to drive strategy deployment and business transformation.
September 1, 2002... "If you think about Six Sigma as another quality program, then it deserves as much intensity as all of the other initiatives that can go on in a big company. [But if] you sec Six Sigma as a culture changer--something that will profoundly affect...

Distance coaching: out of sight, but not out of mind. (Your Career).(supervising teleworkers)
September 1, 2002... The International Telework Association and Council estimates that more than 28 million workers in the United States--that's more than 20 percent of all workers--work remotely from client sites, in satellite offices, or at home. By 2006, more...

Synching up with virtual classrooms. (E-Learning).
September 1, 2002... Whenever I see a benefits list for e-learning, it's common to see "time and place independent" as one of the primary value propositions. However, that description applies solely to asynchronous e-learning (stored content on a server or CD-ROM)....

LMS and e-learning content vendors: can't we all just get along? (Supplier Savvy).(learning management systems)
September 1, 2002... Without argument, e-learning holds enormous potential for learners, their companies, and those who sell learning content, technology, and tools. But there's a dirty little secret: Getting Webbased courses to work elegantly within learning...

Balance sheets will continue to be a differentiating factor. (E-Finance).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... As we mentioned last month, our channel checks and industry barometers are not indicating an improvement in the IT spending environment. For the most part, conditions have declined further since the May-June timeframe. We're finding that the...

Making it Personal. (Books).(Interview)
September 1, 2002... I first saw Bruce Kasanoff in February 2002. I was in Orlando, Florida, attending a learning conference for associations, and he was the keynote speaker. His topic: personalization. He spoke of the power personalization could have on...

On the night stand.(Work Naked, Weird Ideas That Work, Weird Idea Number 1 1/2, Conquering Organizational Change)
September 1, 2002... I try to read from the stack of books on my nightstand, but most of my reading takes place on airplanes. Here are four books that represent my major interests and challenges. Work Naked, by Cynthia C. Froggatt, introduces eight principles...

Little voice. (In Gear).
September 1, 2002... Transfer up to 330 minutes of digital audio to your PC or Mac with the Olympus DS-330. This pocket-sized recorder utilizes a USB docking station to quickly transfer voice files into one of five separate folders, where files can then be...

Where'd you get those Veepers? (In Gear).
September 1, 2002... Get the look and feel of streaming video with a standard 2D image. Pulse's Veepers technology allows anyone to create interactive characters at 1/50th the file size of traditional video. Veepers works by taking a single 2D photo or...

In the Studio. (In Gear).
September 1, 2002... Macromedia's release of Studio MX brings the latest versions of its popular Internet solution tools together in one package. Included are updates of Dreamweaver, Flash, Fireworks, FreeHand 10, and ColdFusion. All offer improved program...

Express route. (In Gear).
September 1, 2002... Ready to share your cable or DSL Internet connection at your home office? You'll need a router. D-Link's Express EtherNetwork DI-604 is loaded with technology typically found on more expensive units. Features include an integrated...

Media reviews.(Camtasia, TechSmith Corp.)
September 1, 2002... Camtasia Reviewed by Heidi J. Larson for Training Media Review Have you ever found yourself in one of these scenarios? * You're teaching clerical workers a new version of a software program and you know that they'll have forgotten...

Wake-up call: the real decision makers. (Executive Summaries).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Corporate training departments are increasingly left out of the loop when business units make e-learning purchases--a sign someone considers the training function irrelevant. Suppliers now call directly on business units or the executive suite,...

Post-9/11 training. (Executive Summaries).(multiculturalism and employee instruction United States)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, managers became more aware of the powerful effect of culture on their workforces and the potential for cultural misunderstandings to affect productivity and profitability adversely. In...

The dark side of 360-degree feedback. (Executive Summaries).(employee counselling)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... During the past decade, 360-degree feedback has taken off, with most organizations utilizing some version. It can be a powerful tool, with which people learn about themselves. Unfortunately, that kind of self-assessment isn't always positive....

The new strategic Six Sigma. (Executive Summaries).(Motorola Inc. employee training program)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Six Sigma is evolving. Born in the manufacturing bays of Motorola, this statistical quality improvement technique worked wonders at the operational level, cutting costs and reducing business cycle times. But, for top companies, the new...

Reality check: wake up and smell the latte. (Working Life).(various; Starbucks Corp. on customer expenditures and employee anecdotes)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
September 1, 2002... Star(big)bucks! Apparently, the coffee chain is aptly named. At the Starbucks I stop into nearly every morning, one of the baristas is conducting an informal poll. I typically--and in all seasons--get an iced decaf venti skim latte (and...