James A. Lee

Discusses trends related to the lack of emphasis given on the role of supervisors in both research and practice. Percentage of articles classified each year as being concerned with some aspect of training and development; Percentage of articles classified each year in operative training, supervisory training and executive/management development; Decrease in the amount of supervisory training conducted by industry.

The Deemphasis of Supervisory Training

If you are like most L+D professionals, you know you can make a much bigger contribution than you get asked to make. You know you can do so much more for your employer than design and deliver powerful training programs.If you can relate to the “you’re not a prophet in your own land” frustration, there might be an opportunity for you to break free of that.Here’s an idea that could be the key:“The biggest opportunity to increase employee productivity—both the quality and quantity of their output—and contribute to your company’s competitive advantage in today’s knowledge economy is through knowing how to improve the way knowledge work is designed and performed in your company.” Dr. James (Jim) PepitoneIn an upcoming webinar,  Increasing Knowledge Worker Productivity: A New Opportunity for L&D Professionals , Dr. Pepitone and I will share why this is so, and what you can do about this huge opportunity to make a difference.In the meantime, here are some thoughts to consider that shed light on why this is a huge opportunity.The greatest opportunity in business today for generating more economic value—whether through increasing productivity or capitalizing on profitable opportunities—lies not in squeezing more efficiency out of standardized, manual work. The biggest opportunity for creating more economic-value likes in knowing how to generate more economic value out of Knowledge Work.  (In the webinar, we’ll explain why).LEAN and other approaches that have led to increased efficiencies in standardized, manual work. Because of the tremendous success of these approaches, the rate of cost-savings realized by improving efficiencies in manual work has declined over the years. In other words, because of the success of this approach, it is now subject to the law of diminishing returns. On the other hand, the productivity of Knowledge Work has actually fallenStandardization, best practices, and tight quality control lead to efficiencies, minimum waste, and cost-savings. These practices, when applied to Knowledge Work, lead to employee disengagement, reduced productivity, and a lack of innovation.Most employers realize only a fraction of the true economic value-generating capability of their employees. There are three overriding reasons for this.Most of today’s jobs consist of increasingly greater percentages of knowledge work.Getting the best results out of knowledge work and knowledge workers requires very different job design and management practices than what works with manual work.Most employers use job designs and management practices that were created in the early 1900’s for optimizing repetitive, manual labor. Again, these approaches are not effective with knowledge work.Employers need to know how to identify high value knowledge work activities across the organization and within each job so they can capitalize on the opportunity presented by the untapped potential of knowledge work. They also need to know how to make it possible for employees to generate the most value from those opportunities.A final thought to considerYour employer has already paid for the performance potential inherent in the knowledge workers they hired. Training and Development professionals can easily learn how to help management realize far greater economic value from this potential. Doesn’t it make sense for you to know how to help management turn knowledge worker talent and potential into greater economic value?As you reflect on these points, think about the difference it would make in your organization if managers at all levels knew how to get more productivity from employees, not by squeezing more work out of already overworked people, but by creating the conditions that enable employees to use their talents and abilities fully, and by doing so, provide the greatest value to your organization. When that happens everybody wins.Your employer generates greater revenue.Your managers get to work with happier, easier to manage employees.Your employees get to make a difference, work in an environment that supports them being their best, and go to work feeling supported and championed.What’s not to love about that? Join us February 19 2:00 p.m. ET for the webinar, Increasing Knowledge Worker Productivity: A New Opportunity for L&D Professionals.  We will present how you can make this happen in your organization. In the meantime, if you have questions or comments, we would love to hear from you.

How LD Professionals Can Make a Big Impact on Their Organizations

October is one of my favorite months at ASTD. If you’ve had the opportunity to flip through this month’s T+D BEST issue, you got an up-close look at training as a true strategic partner in achieving critical business results—the kind of partner each BEST organization exemplifies. Congratulations to all 28 of this year’s winners, and it was an honor to meet many of them at this year’s Learn From the BEST conference.This month, I’d also like to focus on how to take a classroom activity beyond simply fun, to strategic and smart. Here are few top stories for October, plus some classic posts\* from the blog, on activities, games, and other facilitator techniques:Five Considerations for Selecting SMEs by Chuck HodellRadically Improved Action Planning by Will ThalheimerIt’s Delightful, It’s Delicious, It’s De-Lovely! by Bruno NealWhy Games Don't Teach by Ruth Clark\*The Long View: David Rock in T+D MagazineAre You Using Games to Engage? by Barbara Greenstein\*Boring to Brilliant: 5 Tips to Convert Your E-Learning to a Story-based Approach by Diane Senffner\* Where to Find Stories for Your Presentations and Programs by David Lee\*Five Tips for Success When Using Games in Training by Rachel Miller\*Last month, I mentioned that I would have an update on a new app for classroom facilitators. Those of you attending the ASTD Chapter Leaders Conference will get a first look at the Trainer’s Toolkit App, edited by Elaine Biech. This app contains 20 original classroom and online facilitation activities for engaging and energizing your classroom. (with more than 30 additional modules forthcoming)The really unique thing about this app is that it helps facilitators utilize activities as the valuable, strategic means to an end that they are. Those trainers who frequently use games or create their own classroom activities know that energizers, for example, are great for fighting off post-lunch malaise. But they can also stimulate short-term memory and help create a gentle transition between break time and active learning. By next month’s newsletter, I will be able to share the official website and more details.I also promised an update on the Leaving ADDIE for SAM Field Guide (coming in early 2014), and readers and SAM fans can look forward to over 20 templates and worksheets, plus dozens of brand new diagrams and charts with useful how-tos. We are getting closer and closer! Stay tuned to the newsletter for publication date and online availability.See you next month!JuanaCheck out the entire newsletter.

James A. Lee

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