From my experience, traditional training courses can often result in a tick box exercise where some staff attend but do not absorb or apply the learning to the workplace. In a report by Towards Maturity (January 2018) research found that "individuals are considered 'recipients not contributors'." L&D have found that learners are passive when it comes to learning/training courses and are not inspired or "self-directed." This results in lack of productivity and could contribute towards lack of learner engagement. This why, I believe, bite-sized learning, e-learning/mobile learning and social and collaborative learning are three current practices/trends occurring within L&D at the moment. Further work by Owens and Kadakia (A new world of learning clusters, 2018) shows that the L&D profession is becoming increasingly less relevant for employees. This theory is further supported by a report accessed via the article (Degreed, How the workforce learn in 2016) where it stated that a staggering 85% of employees look to learn things for themselves, at work, by searching on the internet at least once a week. It went on to state that nearly 70% were learning from their colleagues or by reading articles each week and 53% were learning from videos. This shows that the traditional face to face aspect of training is not enough, especially for our more modern day learners in 2018 who have a tendency to 'google it' when they would like to know something. We need to start embracing that the way people learn has evolved and we need to keep up. In this same report (Owens, Kadakia – A new world of learning clusters, 2018) Owens and Kadakia are encouraging their participants in a workshop to think about using 'Learning Clusters', which is a more blended approach to 'fill in the gaps' and target on-the-job behaviour.
According to the CIPD L&D Survey Report (2015) the most used practices are in-house practices, such as coaching by managers, on the job training and e-learning. However, it also shows that the two most effective practices are on the job training and coaching by managers or peers. The report further supports this by going on to say that "larger organisations are particularly likely to favour internal over external activities, presumably due to economics of scale." I believe there are many other reasons why, such as lack of staff numbers and as mentioned above, the learning is not being applied. If we can offer a blended approach of training opportunities, like face to face, apps, bulletins, online tests or scenarios to be role-played out between two colleagues, we have more of a chance of appealing to an individual and their learning style.
In the coming years, more focus will need to be placed on areas such as Social and collaborative learning facilitation and Technology and infrastructure. As discussed above, Social and collaborative learning is one of the current trends occurring within L&D at the moment, so we need to adapt and support this style of learning by re-focussing the role to be able to facilitate this in the correct manner in order to achieve maximum impact. According to the Towards Maturity Learning Benchmark Report, The Transformation Curve (2018) only 23% of people within L&D are actively encouraging collaborative learning and that 24% of L&D professionals are reluctant to use technology due to lack of knowledge of what it can bring. As L&D professionals we tend to have little or no confidence in the individuals that we train and believe that only a handful of staff will take the learning back into the business and implement it or discuss it. This is supported by the same report in which it states 49% of L&D professionals believe their staff are reluctant to learn with new technologies and that only 4% of professionals are aware of how staff are already using social media outside of work to share ideas and discuss. What stood out to me was that in a research report by CIPD, L&D Evolving Roles, enhancing skills, it found that 86% of L&D professionals are using live/online learning tools yet only 34% admit to having the skills to actually deliver online. One of the main drivers of change that has been identified is the use of technology such as online learning and social media platforms, if we are aware that our current L&D professionals are lacking in this area, we need to create an infrastructure (CPD Plan if not in place already) or offer support/ideas of how we can increase their knowledge and expertise first. In a Focus report by Towards Maturity, Making an Impact (2017) it stated that fewer than half of L&D professionals currently measure the impact of social or informal learning and only 15% use social rating systems to gather feedback from learners online. In a constantly changing environment where the main drivers include Collaborative and social learning and technology and infrastructure, it is surprising to see how many have opted out of these changes. In the CIPD research report, Evolving roles, enhancing skills (2015) it highlights that over 50% of L&D professionals are not planning any changes and are relying solely on 'the course'. As the world around us changes and the demand in certain areas increases, we should be attempting to lead from the front and stay one step ahead when it comes to technology and different styles of learning.
Our team is involved with the project management of roughly 3-4 new model launches a year for BMW Middle East. We are responsible for the creation and development of the training material, the running logistics for the day, the agenda as well as the opening and closing of the event. This includes key messages of the day and feedback. The live training days vary from 4-5 days in a row and consist of 6 modules. Out of the 6 modules, 2 are usually driving modules. This gives our delegates an opportunity to experience the new models first hand, in different driving situations. These are managed by the driving team of the venue that we hire, however we outline, in detail what it is we want them to experience or compare. As BMW ME are one of our biggest markets in which we operate, we tend to offer help at every stage in order to assist/support the project manager. This varies from designing the training workshop rooms and their layout, what cars to have displayed and driven and what additional equipment is required to help create the right positioning atmosphere. Our main aim for the environment/venue set up is to reflect the profile selected for the vehicle that we are launching. For example; If we were launching a MINI Countryman the venue set-up would need to reflect an active lifestyle and new experiences. This is because the MINI Countryman is aimed at young actives, young families empty nesters and responsible hedonists. These people are expressive, active, adventurous yet social and responsible when it comes to the environment.
The Project Manager at BMW ME remains the same on each event. As a team we feel it is highly effective to have one person as Project Manager from our side who can be the main point of contact for BMW ME's Project Manager. We were just about to start planning for the MINI Clubman Product Launch Event and I had volunteered to be our teams Project Manager as a way of challenging myself but also making my mark within the team. I was reasonably new at the time and the youngest of our 7 person training team.
A Gantt Chart is created at the very start of planning for each event with various objectives and time frames in which they need to be achieved. This is created by the BMW ME Project Manager and sent to the project manager of our team of trainers (me) who then becomes the main point of contact. I had only ever used Gantt charts a handful of times before in a previous job. In this previous position I was only ever responsible for one or two tasks within the chart so found it relatively easy to follow the time frame presented to me. I felt that it would be vital for me to enhance my knowledge on Gantt Charts in order to fully understand and be able to execute it well. I used https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_03.htm in order to understand the basics and reasons for using this project management tool. Once researched I went through the chart sent to me from BMW ME and identified some key tasks (sequential) that needed to be actioned before the content planning could begin. One of these tasks was that we did not have enough trainers available at the time the event was due to run so we needed to outsource 2 members of the team.
One of the first things I actioned was to create a WhatsApp group for the trainers involved in the MINI Clubman event. I explained that this is where we could communicate ideas and solve any issues that may arise. I felt that this was essential as we were all working in different locations around the world and it would be the quickest and easiest way to communicate. I typed a message explaining that we were two trainers short and asked if anyone had any contacts that they might suggest we use. A few members within the group gave a few names of people that might be available. I asked my colleagues to make contact with the people they had volunteered and gave them a check list of actions to achieve. 1. Availability for our 'live training days' including one day before for set-up and rehearsals. 2. To request a profile that would act as a CV for selection. 3. Deadline. They were asked to do this by a certain date as we needed a decision before we could start the main bulk of planning. As a group we agreed a week would be enough time to do this. We reviewed the profiles with BMW ME and selected two people to join us on this event. They were then allocated a brief of the module that they would be delivering along with a PowerPoint that had been designed by one of our team members. They could change this slightly to fit their own personal style but the content needed to remain the same.
The first opportunity we all had to meet the two new trainers was on the set-up day, one day before we went live. We had planned a meeting between the training team and the venue driving team on this day so that we could agree on objectives for the driving activities.
During the discussion it became very clear to me that one of the new trainers, Tim, seemed eager to be involved and have his ideas heard. Every time I made a suggestion Tim would cut me off mid-sentence or talk over me until I stopped talking. I lead the discussion by briefly outlining the objectives of the driving activity and then prompted the team for ideas in how we could achieve them. An article by Victoria Bird, Belbin and Tuckman: Supporting your team at every stage (2017) explains that in the initial Forming stages trust hasn't been established yet and that the team rely on a leader for guidance and how to approach the task at hand. I felt that it was clear, as the team member who started the discussion and outlined objectives, that I was the lead on this event. As we started to brain storm activity ideas the discussion lead to personal stories and experiences of certain activities and began to get out of hand. In the same report, when reading about storming, it has become clear to me now that each team member was competing with the other and it led to low levels of motivation towards the task at hand. I tried to steer the conversation back by reinforcing our time constraint and other tasks that needed to be completed but Tim continued telling his story and asked me to 'wait a minute' whilst he finished. In an article by Gary A. Williams Robert B. Miller, Change the way you persuade (May 2002) it highlighted some key characteristics that stood out at the time about Tim and highlighting him as a controller. Any example he gave was very rich in detail and if someone gave a comparable story he would proceed to explain how his was better. As I was able to identify this at the time, I was then able to reason with him in a structured and logical way. I gave examples of when I was a Sales Consultant for the Brand and went on to explain what it was I expected from the events I attended as a delegate. I then went on to explain the resources we had available and suggested he tailor his idea to fit within those guidelines as they were not likely to change. We then moved into the Norming stage if following Tuckman's Theory. In an online article called Forming, Storming, Norming and Performing on the MindTools website it states that as you move into the norming stage the people in the team begin to respect the authority of the team leader, the communication quality becomes stronger and you are able to see results appear from the discussions. It is because of this, that I was able to then push the team in the direction of achieving the desired outcome. We agreed on the activity and established that a hand held brief would be needed for each delegate. I delegated this task to Tim as it was one of his ideas that we selected. From reading the same online article above, I was able to see that I moved the team into the performing stage by agreeing actions and delegating and further objectives that were agreed.
I feel it is quite important to have a varied group of people working together when it comes down to group dynamics. A training journal, From the brain to the team by Talan Miller (1st June 2015) stated, and I quote, "From an evolutionary perspective, being part of a tribe has ensured our survival." Talan then goes on to say that in order to establish and secure our role within a team, we must add value. This is where Belbin's Team Roles comes in. In an article on www.mindtools.com, How understanding team roles can improve team performance, it highlights that when a team is performing at its best, it will be evident that each team member has clear responsibilities. When thinking about how to balance a group and ensure you have the right people working together to achieve the goal set, I think it is important to have a mix of the action/people/thought orientated roles in order to bounce off of each other. As an example, having someone who is people orientated and can encourage cooperation in a group will help the person who is action orientated put ideas into action. Someone who is thought orientated and suggests new ideas and approaches can be helped by the action orientated people in seeing those ideas/approaches through to completion.
From my experience political power, be it positive or negative, can be used to a person's advantage. In an article about the impact of power and politics in organisations on www.smallbusiness.chron.com it talks about positive and negative types of power. When I worked as a sales consultant in the automotive industry I was always quite successful when it came to hitting my monthly targets, but what also stood out was that I was able to get most customers to trade in their part exchange vehicles. My line manager at the time recognised this and began to observe me over the space of a few months (of which I was aware). He then sat me down and told me that I was being promoted to a senior sales consultant and would be given the responsibility of pricing customers part exchange vehicles in the absence of my manager. In the following weeks my manager started to lean on me a little more with regards to pricing. If a colleague needed a price on a vehicle and he was on a call on his mobile or having lunch he would tell them to get me to price it for them, which I did in the way he had shown me. Quite a few of the vehicles I had priced were not converted and our general manager had noticed. When he questioned my line manager about this he was told that it was down to me as I had been pricing the vehicles. It wasn't until I sat with my general manager and showed him how I was doing it that I realised my manager had shown me the incorrect way and had also not given me other websites to use for pricing comparison. I felt I had been used as a scape goat for our dealerships short falls. I now realise this to be a demonstration of positive power, him giving me the ability to make decisions and a demonstration of negative power because I was being used as a way out for our dealerships shortcomings. Reflecting back to the same job, I am now able to understand that my line manager being consistently negative about an under-performing area of the business was him creating negative work place politics. If he had called a team meeting and was able to pick out who in the team was a plant, a thought orientated person to come up with the ideas and who was a monitor-evaluator, someone that could help to analyse and evaluate the ideas given to improve the area, this would be a display of positive workplace politics and an understanding of his team and their dynamics.
The two areas I have selected after taking an assessment on My CPD Map are Organisation Design and Courage to Challenge. I have selected Organisation Design as I feel I should be more aware of the inner workings of what I do. It is difficult as I am subcontracted my work through Feisal which means it is not always possible to be present when some of the meetings happen. However, I can make more of an effort to ask about the meetings and encourage a discussion. I feel this will benefit me in the long run as it could help me progress in my position. It will also enable me to network more closely with the big decision makers and it will also help me to serve my clients better.
I chose the behaviour Courage to Challenge because this is something I had already highlighted for myself as an area of weakness. This is probably the most important development area I have established for myself. It is important because it will be the one behaviour trait that could hold me back. I must have confidence in what I suggest or produce as otherwise colleagues or potentially people I am leading in the future will notice this. If they see I am unsure or that I cannot support my suggestions confidently with data or evidence they will see this as uncertainty and therefore not trust or have confidence in me. I am currently trying to advance myself within my team therefore it is with the upmost importance that I try to build my own self confidence and learn to be more prepared and have evidence to support all suggestions that I make. Also as I am being given more responsibility it is crucial that I can show that I am confident in my convictions and I am able to make important business decisions that are supported with evidence.