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| DESCRIPTION | |
| When it's lacking: - Training is seen as an expense. - When outside training is permitted, it must fit within a narrow definition of the employee's current job. - Some employees have been doing the same work for years. - Jobs tend to offer little variety, with the same tasks being done over and over. - The organization is more interested in having people do what they're good at -- and less interested in having them pursue their deepest interests. |
When it's thriving: + The workplace allows people to reach their full potential. + Learning opportunities abound throughout the organization. + Variety (trying new equipment, building new relationships, varying your work, etc.) is encouraged because it fosters learning and development. + Internal job-changing is valued as a way for people to develop their skills and experience. |
| EXAMPLES |
| The job sounds fairly straightforward: fundraiser for the local branch of a national
nonprofit health agency. But Linda will tell you it's anything but straightforward,
and that's why she loves her work. One day she's planning a public event, the next
day she's meeting with a would-be donor, the next she's writing a press release.
"It's nonstop variety and nonstop learning," she says. "I wouldn't
want it any other way." "My success may have been my undoing." That's Kyle's take on a previous job with an automobile-parts distributor. As purchasing manager, he worked hard to turn the unit into a self-directed work team. "Every day was something new," he recalls. "We had good days and bad days, but all of them were learning days." After a while, though, the learning started to slow as the team truly became self-directed. Kyle switched to a classic coach's role, but he felt that his own development pace had slowed to a crawl. "I looked for other opportunities in the company, but they simply weren't there. And when I tried to enroll in a couple of outside workshops to learn the latest leading-edge stuff, the powers that be wouldn't sign off because of cost reasons." Determined to keep learning, Kyle switched into job-search mode and soon went to work for a different company. |
| ACTION IDEAS |
| Encourage people to take ownership of their learning journeys. They can start by
deciding what they need/want to learn...then matching this with available learning
opportunities. Feed this effort by giving people the chance to do things they've
never done before. Encourage employees to attend workshops outside the organization. Sure, there are plenty of sessions hardly worth the price of the training binder. Yet a discriminating eyes can spot the gems -- and there are gems. Take advantage of them. Look for ways in which employees can learn from each other. Every organization is rich with knowledge and expertise, yet most of it goes unseen. Who knows, the colleague who's next working to you each day may have something to teach you -- an idea, a skill, a piece of software, whatever. Uncover the hidden know-how, and make a plan for turning everyone into a coach. Orchestrate occasional job-swapping. Switch roles with one of your customers, for instance, and get ready for some eye-opening lessons. Or swap with a colleague from your work unit. If an all-day experiment is impossible, try a half day -- or at least get together and share stories about the joys, demands, and frustrations of various roles in the organization. Bring in outside speakers to open up minds and add to the collective corporate tool kit. For example, a monthly learning forum at lunchtime, when people are getting together anyway, can spark great conversations that lead to positive change. Hit the road. Visit a place that promises rich insights into issues you're currently facing. If conversations about purpose are weighing heavily on people's minds, spend a few hours at a place where mission is everything -- a local nonprofit community organization, for example. Looking to strengthen the sense of workplace unity? Arrange a get-together with the coach and several players of a local championship sports team. What they do may be worlds apart from your business, but so what? You want to learn the how. |
| Copyright 1998-2002 by Tom Terez and Tom Terez Workplace Solutions, Inc. P.O. Box 21444, Columbus, Ohio USA 43221-0444. Tel. 614-571-9529..mail@BetterWorkplace.com HOME | 10-Minute Briefing | Free Online Tools | Insight and Inspiration | Laugh and Learn | Buzzword Bingo | Kits, Books, and Tools | Keynotes and Services | Meet Tom Terez | Tell a Friend | Bronze Access |
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