Learning is a process of changing behavior to produce desired results. Many of the workshops and exhibitors focused on this concept during this year’s American Society for Training & Development (ASTD) international conference and exposition.

I came back from this conference with a greater understanding of the trends brewing in the world of learning.  I will share with you some of the ones that stood out most in my mind.

• There is a growing emphasis on “just-in-time” learning. The tools for creating and delivering learning via mobile devices and the cloud are now easier to use and less expensive than they have been previously. Several vendors now offer e-Learning development tools designed for the learning lay person rather than a technical person.

• The requirement to produce documented results from training programs remains strong and is growing. Many of the workshops centered on documenting learning application and results generated by training investments.

• A recent PricewaterhouseCoopers’ survey of over 1,200 CEO’s revealed:

1. Training and development is the most highly valued employee benefit for Millennials (median age 29, over half the world’s population). The number choosing training and development as their first choice of benefit was three times higher than those who chose cash bonuses. Further, 98 percent surveyed believe working with strong coaches and mentors is an important part of their development.
2. Over 66 percent of the CEOs surveyed said their top priority is to develop leadership and their talent pipeline.

• Mobile device proliferation and cloud computing are creating a reversal in the traditional classroom/homework mix. Increasingly the homework assigned is listening to lectures and the classroom time is dedicated to working on solving problems.
• In Jim Collin’s keynote he shared three attributes that the great Level 5 leaders share:

1. Fanatical discipline – A daily 20 mile march, no more, no less. Do not overextend.
2. Empirical creativity – Fire bullets then fire canon balls. Creativity is easy. Disciplined creativity is hard.
3. Productive paranoia – Prepare for the worst. The only mistakes you learn from are the ones you survive.

Another point that resonated with me was Jim’s comment that “The most important luck is people luck.”

• Bill Baker of BB&Co Strategic Storytelling shared Dr. Gardner’s quote in Changing Minds “The single most effective tool a leader has is story.”
  He went on to share the five elements of great stories
  1. Tap into emotion – people may not remember what you said but will remember how you made them feel
  2. Universal – the story must cross demographics. For example, 9/11 – everyone has a story.
  3. Relevant
  4. Entertain – include fables and fairytales
  5. Never completely told – the story keeps evolving and growing

• These are some of the quotes from John Kao’s keynote on Innovation.
  • What are the enablers of innovation – getting it done.
  • What is innovation? Creativity applied with a purpose to realize value – financial or societal. Innovation refers to capabilities that allow a continuous realization of a desired future.

• Communities of practice (CoPs) are groups of people who share a common concern or passion and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly. Wenger sees all learning as inherently social.

• Feedback when you are in vulnerable state is not useful – negative or positive.

• Mastery and competence. There is a difference. Once you get good it is time to step on the gas. Bill Evans was articulate on the subject of mastery saying it is better to be simple, authentic and true.

• In the world of mobile learning
  • Device proliferation
  • Cloud power
  • Learning on the job
  • Replacing face-to-face as preferred communication

• Other workshops offered worthwhile ideas including:
  • Claire Diaz Ortiz from Twitter stressed that the most effective use of Twitter is telling stories to establish relationships.
  • Tara Denton Holwegner from LCE lead a role playing activity on the value of establishing Partnership Agreements between learning professionals and subject matter experts.
  • Ger Driese’s workshop on what we can learn from Van Gogh included reference to Lynda Gratton’s observation that the future of work is about being specialized – introducing the idea of serial mastery.

These ideas stuck with me as they all support A3 Learning^SM, our approach to learning transfer.  I will share more detailed comments on some of these observations and how they relate to learning as a process of changing behavior to achieve desired results in the coming months.

Bill Wilder
Director, Life Cycle Institute

“Winning with Change Management in Vegas”

By Bill Wilder, Director of the Life Cycle Institute

The second annual Association of Change Management Professionals (ACMP) conference in Las Vegas was a winner. Now that I’m away from the bright lights of Vegas and have gotten the ringing of slot machines out of my head, I’ve been able to reflect on what I took away from the conference. I want to share those reflections with you in hopes that you will benefit from them as much as I do.

For me, the conference started with my preconference workshop on storytelling. The room was filled with about 50 people from all over the world with varying skill levels in change management. We shared the elements of effective stories and tips for impactful storytelling.

Effective stories include characters we care about who confront conflict (change) and reach a resolution. Good stories should include arresting details, relevant characters, and humor. The most effective storyteller tells a story from the heart with confidence, enthusiasm and clarity. The workshop was a success, with each person, including myself, leaving with a piece of new knowledge.

An aspect of the conference I thoroughly enjoyed was attending the session tracks and reading the conference papers. Several of the sessions and papers referenced the emotional side of change and the value of using effective storytelling to engage people emotionally.

I had the pleasure of attending several sessions, many of which consisted of people telling stories of their own change management journeys. I took away some very valuable lessons, which I will share with you here.

Charissa Jones from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation shared lessons learned that included:

• - Engage leadership early
• - Customize the methodology for the organization
• - Look for early adopters and centers of excellence
• - Establish a “transfer of learning” plan

Kim Gallagher Johnson shared what she has learned on Allstate’s change management journey, including:

• - Language is the key
• - People need to “see it to believe it”
• - Go where the energy is

Melanie Francis also made an impressive presentation on Symantec’s journey, including how they collect data to publicize the direct correlation of change management and realize project value.

One of the best workshops I witnessed was the Mary Boscacci & Geri Johnson “apples to oranges” presentation of two projects at Sallie Mae. They offered a detailed look at the project management and change management scorecards, as well as an analysis of a project that excelled at each. Their conclusion was that both projects achieved objectives, but the project with the stronger change management scorecard achieved the objective a year earlier.

When I attend conferences I’m always listening for emerging trends or changes in the marketplace. Following is a rundown of some of the trends I noticed from this year’s ACMP conference:

• - Continued significance of ERP and IT changes with half the papers and workshops centered on ERP or other enterprise-wide IT changes.
• - More organizations seeking to establish organization change competency and willing to share what they are learning on their journey.
• - Integrating project management and change management methodologies is a challenge many organizations are tackling.
• - There is growing interest in establishing best practices for centers of excellence or communities of practice.
• - Tracking the benefits or ROI of change management is evolving rapidly. Change management professionals are experimenting with ideas such as Phillips ROI model and Brinkerhoff’s Success Case Method.
• - Professional accreditation for change management professionals remains elusive. ACMP shared their latest thinking on this topic, including proposed certification levels and knowledge/skill areas to be included. It appears that this may still be a couple of years away. I hope we move faster.
• - I noticed that several change management professionals have moved from HR or IT into strategy deployment groups focused on applying change management for C-level strategic initiatives. Getting direct C-level buy in and support is an encouraging development.
• - I hope we will see more on building specific knowledge and skills competencies in 2013.

ACMP has excellent momentum. The international presence and workshop content value has grown. With membership now exceeding 1200, more documented success, and a new executive director, I am certain the 2013 conference in L.A. will be another winner. I hope to see you all there!

For more information on ACMP, visit www.acmp.info.

Charles Barkley is one of those polarizing public figures who tend to divide people into two groups – Fans and Detractors. Known as much for his off and on court antics as his basketball talent, there is a lot in his history to support either side. Nevertheless, whichever way you feel towards Sir Charles, two things are true – he is a very talented athlete and he also knows Change. When faced with the prospect of his daughters dating, our Round Mound of Rebound focused on a key change principle. Referring to the young gentlemen showing an interest in his maturing daughters, he proclaimed:

“I figure if I kill the first one, word will get out.”

Ok, so technically Mr. Barkley is more interested in avoiding change than managing it, but the principle is sound – that when there are consequences, people pay attention.

Change and leadership share a common goal – influencing behaviors in others. When an organization faces change, there are inevitably those in the organization who will resist the change. The real problem, however, is not resistance but how to handle sustained resistance, especially if the resistor is an influential individual in the organization. As change leaders we can communicate, coach, inspire and motivate, but change comes down to personal choice. W hen someone makes the choice to not change, it is our job to go “Charles Barkley” on them.

I don’t mean that we need to start spitting on an eight-year-old girl (March 1991) or picking a fight with Shaquille O’Neil (Nov 1999). What it does mean is that we send a clear message about what behaviors will and won’t be tolerated.

Too often, the primary sponsor for the change is not prepared for the possibility (or probability) that a senior member of her staff will fail to create the necessary sense of urgency to drive the change. When this lack of engagement occurs, the primary sponsor is neither mentally nor emotionally prepared to address the situation and the organization begins to believe that the change is optional.  Leaders should actively look for and surface legitimate questions and concerns regarding the change. However, once the strategy and direction have been decided, continued and sustained resistance – either active or passive – will not be tolerated. In some scenarios, Mr. Barkley is unfortunately correct and a ‘sacrificial lamb’ must be created. There will be times where an influential leader in the organization will continue to resist the change and must be removed and, as Charles so eloquently stated, “Word gets out.”

More importantly, though, the sooner that word gets out that there will be consequences, the less likely that severe consequences will be necessary. By announcing his philosophy publicly, Mr. Barkley undoubtedly created a healthy sense of caution in all potential suitors without the administrative overhead of hiding bodies and cleaning the carpets. Similarly, when leading change, ensure that through word and action the message is clear – this change is not optional. This can do wonders for your carpet cleaning bill.

With over 20 years experience in organizational design, change management, and delivering sustainable improvements, Scott is a well-respected authority on organizational change, specializing in the leadership responsibilities of change management. Scott is a Prosci-certified change management professional and a certified trainer for Prosci’s change management programs. He brings specific expertise in the areas of creating a combined learning organization in parallel with a strengths-based organization, while simultaneously creating a culture of execution. You can reach Scott at changemgmt@LCE.com.

Does being a good leader require magical powers? Perhaps it is that great leaders make leadership skills seem like magic? In a guest post for the Eblin Group’s Next Levelblog, Jason Monaghan from the Notre Dame Online Executive Education program suggests 5 steps to help guide leadership development. Even if these steps aren’t necessarily ”magical” by nature, the ability to incorporate them into everyday behaviors and habits does not come automatically. Building leadership competencies takes time and deliberate practice. 

One thing frequently cited as a gap in organizations is leadership development and building leadership competencies throughout an organization. I appreciate what Monaghan and the Notre Dame Online folks attempt as they work to make expert guidance and instruction more accessible and available to developing leaders.

Check out this article: “Yikes, Training Spending up 9.5%”. So exciting! This post highlights the trend of organizations realizing their best competitive advantage is investing in and growing their intellectual capital — building skills and knowledge internally and taking advantage of informal learning. It has become increasingly evident that agile and innovative companies attract and retain talent able to learn, change, grow and engage in a continuous learning or continuous improvement environment. Aren’t they the same, or at the least, complimentary concepts?

This means that although investment in learning (informal and formal) has increased, there needs to be effective learning materials and coaches to provide that key learning transfer. So, folks out there with larger than usual learning and development budgets, consider wisely how it is spent. Take the time to discuss outcomes and links to organizational goals prior to determining a learning solution. Life Cycle Institute makes it a first priority to help the client determine the reasons for and outcomes of a learning investment. This is important, because the development need could be something other than training!

Contact us to find out more about how we can help you determine how to best develop your true assets — your people!

It is starting to feel a lot like Christmas. Put up the tree this weekend, stockings are hung over the fireplace and Christmas carols fill the airwaves. This is all good and cheery, but what really makes it feel like Christmas is trying to memorize 15 songs for our Singing Christmas Tree this year (including Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus – did I mention from memory???), scheduling travel to see family, and Christmas shopping for my wife and three girls, including a 15-year-old who thinks that “Any new car would be fine, I am easy to please” is helpful Christmas advice. Needing something to cheer me up, I turn on “The Grinch” and realize two things:1) deep down, part of me secretly empathizes with him; and 2) there is an important change message in the story.

As Christmas in Whoville approaches, our old buddy Mr. Grinch is exhibiting some resistant behavior – appearing supportive while engaging in active sabotage, co-opting others to resist (although I am not sure his dog was as helpful as expected) and numerous other nefarious activities. As we deal with resistance, it is important to remember that people change for their reasons, not yours. In this case, our herculean humbug finds his own reason to change in the combination of two powerful realizations – that what we do makes a difference and our contribution is important.

Change is often presented as a technical exercise – implementing a new process, changing roles, acquiring a company. While this is all well and good logically, it usually fails to create an emotional connection and makes the change seem like a lot of tedious work. Enlightened leaders know that there is a natural desire to be part of something larger than ourselves and will craft the message to reinforce a sense of purpose. Linking the change to a larger purpose, such as ‘saving lives’, ‘protecting our families’, ‘being good stewards of our world’, etc., makes the change seem less daunting. Making a positive impact takes work, but I’m up for the task! Ye Old Grinster became aware that the spirit of Christmas was more important than the trappings, hence the heart two sizes too small was transformed.

Next, our verdigris villain finds the other side of the change coin – that my contribution is important. Once we link ourselves to the bigger picture, we look for where we fit. When each person can see how their contribution fits into the larger context, engagement increases. The Big G realized that he could make a positive contribution to Whoville happiness and his personal desire to engage in the change was complete.

If you really want to engage your organization, make an effort to reinforce the sense of purpose and show people where they fit. (And, by the way, if one of your change sponsors is abnormally green and lives in a cave, don’t assume that public support is the same as commitment.)  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

With over 20 years experience in organizational design, change management, and delivering sustainable improvements, Scott is a well-respected authority on organizational change, specializing in the leadership responsibilities of change management. Scott is a Prosci-certified change management professional and a certified trainer for Prosci’s change management programs. He brings specific expertise in the areas of creating a combined learning organization in parallel with a strengths-based organization, while simultaneously creating a culture of execution. You can reach Scott at changemgmt@LCE.com.

I just read an interview by TED’s Ben Lillie with Rory Sutherland, the advertising genius who has an affinity for the new science of behavioral economics. The interview goes in a few different directions, with Sutherland’s strong opinions and striking insights throughout; however, what stood out to me were his thoughts around large-scale projects falling prey to valuing one perspective or channel of thought over another.

He used an example from two industries: advertising and transportation. When an ad pitch is made, it is normally “sold” to a group of highly rational thinkers before it is realized; however, when a plan for a high-speed railway is proposed, there are not too many people asking for the plan to be presented before a group of highly creative (a.k.a. crazy) stakeholders to see if it can be improved.

Sutherland’s examples made me think of a learning design and development project. When developing a learning product, designers often work with subject matter experts (SMEs) to ensure technical accuracy. The learning product must tie to a goal of the business (e.g. the “rational” thinkers) and must achieve results in the sponsor’s estimation. To have the most successful learning product, wouldn’t it seem important to listen to each perspective and try to find a balance between them? To listen to the creative, heed the engineer’s expertise and keep an eye on the financier’s targets and goals.

Interesting insight from an interview that had nothing outright to do with learning, but that is connected due to it’s focus on getting things done and on the “good application of human intelligence.”

The American Society for Training and Development’s (ASTD) annual international conference is one of the largest gatherings of learning and development professionals in the world.

ASTD’s 2012 conference will be held May 6-9th in Denver, Colorado, and the LCE’s Life Cycle Institute has been asked to present a conference workshop. The workshop is titled SMEs are from Mars, Instructional Designers are from Venus, and takes a closer look at how learning designers and content experts can work together more effectively and appreciate what each partner brings to the design and development table.

Session attendees will have an interactive session where they are given a chance to experiment with techniques to facilitate a productive SME/designer relationship and use practical tools that can be applied as soon as your next learning project arises.

Please join us at the conference, held May 6th-9th, 2012 in Denver, Colorado. More information on the session to come as the conference dates approach.

By Scott Franklin – Leading Change

You can be forgiven if you don’t recognize Arnold Vosloo’s name. In fact, you have to be a bit of a movie buff to have a chance at this one – and by movie buff, I mean you don’t leave the theater until the credits display Key Grip or you know what C.S.A. stands for. For the non-buffs, Arnold is the actor who played the character ‘Imhotep’ in the 1999 movie “The Mummy” (i.e., he played the mummy). In the category of “Best Portrayal of a Resurrected Supporting Actor or Actress” (not yet a category, but under consideration) Arnold is an Oscar shoe-in. He is also a brilliant change agent.

During the filming of “The Mummy”, Director Stephen Sommers was providing Arnold with a deeper understanding of his character. Mummified almost 5,000 years ago, Imhotep has been resurrected by accident, and a number of steps are required to allow him to fully rematerialize. During the re-materialization steps, Imhotep gains increasing control of his body. This control is achieved in discrete steps, based upon his acquiring the necessary elements for full resurrection – elements such as organs, a human sacrifice, skin, etc. As he acquires these elements, he becomes less zombie-like and more human. Director Sommers is providing this information as constructive coaching to Arnold in how these elements will affect his character’s motor skills and, therefore, Arnold’s on-screen portrayal of the character. As a director, Sommers understood what he meant and what he wanted. Arnold, however, was stumped. Finally, Arnold went for the change management jugular and simply stated:

“Just show me what you want me to do.”

In change, we often focus on the high-level, organizational aspects of the change such as the background, business drivers, financials, benefits or results – i.e., reduced cost, employee engagement, increased sales, etc. These results or benefits, however, are the end result of individuals doing things differently. What is surprising is how often a change is introduced to the organization without defining the specifics of the new behaviors. This is not to imply that change can be mandated – knowing what we want people to do and getting them to do it are not the same thing. It is important, however, to know what we want them to do.

This may seem like common sense, yet the majority of the change efforts I have been involved in tend to be surprisingly vague on specifics. I picture myself as the affected employee and ask the question “What do you want me to do?” Guidance such as “be more efficient” or “reduce costs” are not as helpful as you would think.  Direction to “perform root cause analysis on 100% of failures” or “record 100% of customer calls in the CRM system” or “talk weekly with five operators about machine-specific issues” is pretty direct and gets to the root of the change.

Arnold was lucky – Stephen Sommers adapted his style to Arnold’s needs and demonstrated what he was describing, and “The Mummy” was born. So in your change efforts, be prepared for the Arnolds of the world – know what you expect and be prepared to explain the specifics. As an additional perk, you will also be able to remain calm when a 5,000 year old skinless zombie asks for help.

With over 20 years experience in organizational design, change management, and delivering sustainable improvements, Scott is a well-respected authority on organizational change, specializing in the leadership responsibilities of change management. Scott is a Prosci-certified change management professional and a certified trainer for Prosci’s change management programs. He brings specific expertise in the areas of creating a combined learning organization in parallel with a strengths-based organization, while simultaneously creating a culture of execution. You can reach Scott at changemgmt@LCE.com.