What is an Organisational Appraisal? An Organisational Appraisal is a process which can look at an organisation and appraise it in a given context. Some tools appraise an organisation in preparation of an award (for example, EFQM, Business Excellence, Baldridge, Investors in People etc) others look at the performance of an organisation in preparation for a buy-out/ buy-in, raising venture capital etc.The Business Improvement Review is an Organisational Appraisal tool with the purpose of … [Read more...] about Organisational Appraisal – The short cut to effective business development
Humanification by Christian Kromme – book review
Humanification – Go Digital, Stay Human. It has been a while since I Last reviewed a book, but this one first grabbed my attention, if for no reason than it’s title. This was followed quickly by the description: Imagine being able to spot the next big trend, all being able to predict the next big wave of change. Imagine having encouraged that gives you the power to invent, predict all harness the next big technology. Humanification is going to help you unlock the DNA of innovation itself, your … [Read more...] about Humanification by Christian Kromme – book review
NGO organizational assessment diagnosis
Organizational Assessments in NGO organizations What is Organizational Assessment? An Organizational Assessment (OA) is an evaluation of an organization's capacity and performance.An Organizational Assessment covers the organization's internal performance, relations and image; its performance in achieving its objectives, as well as its internal functioning and resources, role and strategy. The organization's overall strengths, weaknesses and development needs can be identified through this … [Read more...] about NGO organizational assessment diagnosis
2020 leadership – 4 steps to sustainable success for organizations
We cannot ignore the need for 2020 Leadership in our organizations. I have seen many discussions on HR and training forums about the needs of leaders and managers. These talk about leadership development and talent. As a result of my research recently, I have noticed that practitioners often talk about the contents of training. The style of the delivery. And importantly how cheap and quick we do this.Ignoring the fact that you cannot have high quality training that is quick and cheap. (I … [Read more...] about 2020 leadership – 4 steps to sustainable success for organizations
Free business health check
Free Business Health Checks Jump straight to the free links belowWhat is a Business Vitality Check or business Health Check? All businesses have weaknesses as well as strengths. If you want to sustain and grow your business, it's vital to address these issues before they threaten your chances of long-term success. A business health check or business vitality check can be a key part of that process.A Business Health Check asks some key questions about your business, highlighting areas … [Read more...] about Free business health check
25 easy tips on employee engagement – morale boosters
25 easy and great tips on building employee engagement - morale boostersIn difficult and tough economic times we still need to engage with our employees. While the big budgets may not be available any more there are lots of things that we can do which are effective. Here we explore low cost 25 great tips on employee engagement.The strategy for boosting employee morale - fast, is based on Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of five basic human needs. He arranged these needs in the shape of a … [Read more...] about 25 easy tips on employee engagement – morale boosters
The Perfect Resume (CV) to get you through to interview
Writing the perfect resume or Curriculum Vitae (CV) At a time when vacancies are hard to come by and there is increasing pressure in us to secure that all important role. But how often do we get the 'dear john' letter and fail to get an interview?The 'perfect CV' is the one that gets you the interview.Never underestimate the power of a good resume or CV. Your resume is part of marketing yourself to the recruiter, so it needs to demonstrate who you are and what you stand for. It needs to … [Read more...] about The Perfect Resume (CV) to get you through to interview
The Project Management Triangle – Time, Quality, Cost – you can have any two
The project management triangle as it is sometimes known as a valuable tool for prioritizing and decision making. It is often used as a throwaway tool in training courses. But it is a powerful tool in the hands of a competent leader or professional.You can pick any two, but you can't have all three! An undervalued management tool Most people that have been on a management or project management course at some time have heard of "The Project Management Triangle”. This is sometimes known … [Read more...] about The Project Management Triangle – Time, Quality, Cost – you can have any two
Twitter as a training and learning tool – some examples
How to use Twitter as a training & learning tool In the last couple of weeks I have written a number of articles on the use of Twitter (micro-blogging platforms) which have proved of interest. Now is the time to take this further.Before we even look at how twitter can be used for learning, training and education, we need to understand the context before the content. While at a conference this week #iitt09 I was amazed at the number of 'trainers' that did not appear to understand the … [Read more...] about Twitter as a training and learning tool – some examples
Twitter as a learning aid – learning beyond university to informal learning
Learning beyond university to informal learning using micro-blogging Twitter can be used as a great aid to learning, but is it a replacement for traditional learning strategies?Following the publication of a recent post Why Twitter is good for learning we have received a significant amount of supportive feedback. However some academic based sites have criticised the piece without understanding some of the fundamentals of learning and what Twitter and other micro-blogging platforms are capable … [Read more...] about Twitter as a learning aid – learning beyond university to informal learning
Why Twitter is good for learning
Twitter the real brain friendly approach to informal learning Can Twitter be used as a training tool?The traditional approach to learning is to identify end to end learning that is required to achieve a new task. While this works for structured learning it is not very effective for informal or personal learning.The human brain does not think in large logical 'articles', instead it thinks of information in small chunks, of which they form the whole picture. the process is not logical. indeed … [Read more...] about Why Twitter is good for learning
Learning Styles Questionnaire – AVK
'Lite' version of an AVK style learning instrument Learning Styles Questionnaire – AVK As human we have preferences for the way we prefer to communicate information. We use language based on our senses in varying ways. When we can understand our preferences and those of others around us we can be more effective communicators. Please tick the white box if the statement is usually true for you. Statements:VLVNALANKTWhen I make things for my studies, I remember what I … [Read more...] about Learning Styles Questionnaire – AVK
Attracting clients in a freelance market space – lessons from MLM
How do we attract and retain clients when we are working as a freelancer? As trainers or consultants we get a meeting booked, we have a successful meeting and we are asked to submit a proposal. Often after submission of a proposal we are disappointed when we are not successful, thinking that it was a 'done deal' when we left the initial meeting. But how do we get the initial meetings? the more meetings, the more proposals, the more proposals the greater opportunity of a contract being … [Read more...] about Attracting clients in a freelance market space – lessons from MLM
Developing entrepreneurial skills into business people
HAVE-DO-BE or DO-BE-HAVE?In business we often hear terms like ‘business person’ or ‘entrepreneur’, but what do they mean and can we train these skills. Let’s look at what these terms mean before we explore any route to development:Business person “a person engaged in commercial or industrial business (especially an owner or executive)”Entrepreneur “An individual who, rather than working as an employee, runs a small business and assumes all the risk and reward of a given business … [Read more...] about Developing entrepreneurial skills into business people
Job search a guide for professionals
A guide to job hunting and why you should never appear desperate for a job When you are under time pressure to secure a role its easy to accept the wrong one and give the wrong message to the 'right' role for you.Ever wondered how a person got a job that you didn't, even though you have more experience and skills?I have seen an increasing number of professionals asking for guidance as to what they should do to gain employment after redundancy. Whether you are looking for a job because of … [Read more...] about Job search a guide for professionals
Becoming an Innovative leader – the eight faces of innovation
Becoming an Innovative Leader When we take innovation away from the technologists and start to look at innovation as a set of behaviours that can drive change and culture, we start to look at innovation as a leadership model.Using the Creatrix from the Richard Byrd Co in MN USA, we can identify the eight faces of innovation. All have there place and strength in today’s organisation, however the balance and focus will need to adapt for each need the organisation faces.What type of … [Read more...] about Becoming an Innovative leader – the eight faces of innovation
Barriers and Profitability in business and organisations
Barriers and Profitability Every organization strives to capture a sound market share with their products or services. If we take into consideration the progress of market in the last decade, we will realize that all the niches now face stiff competition. The buyers are more aware and the sellers are more elaborate in terms of marketing campaigns, quality and reaching out to consumers. Some markets have perfect competition where all the products fall in that same category and there are no entry … [Read more...] about Barriers and Profitability in business and organisations
Scenario Analysis
Scenario Analysis IntroductionScenario analysis is a decision-making tool useful to assess how a situation can turn out and how different actions will affect its outcome. This method helps decision makers make informed choices and is widely used by leaders ranging from corporate managers to military leaders. It is especially handy in situations with high stakes and high uncertainty: scenario analysis can help establish the best-case and worst-case scenarios, and sometimes expose outcomes … [Read more...] about Scenario Analysis
Identifying levels of Training Needs Analysis (TNA) #hrblog
We need to understand the Levels of training needs analysis (TNA) in order to be able to design a learning or training solution.What is a Training Need? To carry out a Training Needs Analysis, we first need to understand what a 'Training Need' is.A training need is the gap between current and future knowledge or skills, that can be bridged by training or learning activities. We often refer to this as capability and learning requirements.There may be other gaps that need to be met … [Read more...] about Identifying levels of Training Needs Analysis (TNA) #hrblog
Starting change from the bottom – or without support from the top
Starting change from the bottom - or without support from the topOn a change management forum recently I come across this interesting post:Does anyone have any comments or experience about how it is possible to change the culture within a department without support from the top? In fact the very top may actually be part, in no way all of, the cultural problem. Cultural issues have been identified such as fear of top, lack of innovation, mistrust, low motivation, negativity … [Read more...] about Starting change from the bottom – or without support from the top
