Conflict and Psychology

The Underlying Relationship Between Conflict Modes and Psychological Types

by Ralph Kilmann, CEO and Senior Consultant at Kilmann Diagnostics

The Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (also known as the TKI) assesses your tendency to use one or more of five modes of behavior—competing, collaborating, compromising, avoiding, and accommodating—in a conflict situation. After taking the TKI assessment, most people become aware they’ve been using, out of habit, one or more of the modes too much—choosing to use one they are comfortable with when another might have resulted in more satisfying outcomes. At the same time, people usually discover they’ve also been using one or more modes too little, not realizing that an underutilized mode could have saved the day.

Since people naturally wonder if they overuse and underuse certain conflict modes because of their personality, organizational trainers and consultants continue to ask me about the relationship between the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (which measures personality preferences in assimilating information and making decisions) and the TKI (which assesses modes of behavior in conflict situations). Here is a research-based answer to that enduring question:

Many years ago (1975), I published a research study with Ken Thomas, wherein we correlated the MBTI with the TKI. We found that people who are extraverted are more likely to use collaborating, while people who are introverted are more inclined to use avoiding (as a statistically significant correlation, not as a one-to-one relationship). It seems that collaborating requires a little extra energy in interacting with others (sharing ideas and discussing concerns), while avoiding naturally involves an element of shyness or aloofness in an interpersonal situation.

In addition, we found that the thinking preference is related to competing, while the feeling function is related to accommodating (again, as a statistically significant correlation). Perhaps the thinking preference allows a person to keep an emotional distance from the other person: to pursue his own needs at the expense of the other. Meanwhile, the feeling person's empathy for the other person might compel her to satisfy the other's needs more than her own.

For decades, I’ve been making use of both assessment tools in training and consulting projects, so people can become more aware of their proclivities for using certain conflict modes too much and others too little -- based on their MBTI preferences. With that awareness, people can then consciously compensate with their conflict-handling behavior: For example, an introvert can knowingly put out some extra effort in order to engage another in a collaborative discussion (when the necessary conditions for collaborating are evident). Similarly, a person who prefers feeling can knowingly assert her needs (when competing is called for), when her natural tendency would be to automatically accommodate the other person’s needs.

For the original article that reported the correlations between the MBTI and the TKI, including a figure that visually summarizes their relationships, see:
http://kilmanndiagnostics.com/interpersonal.html

Please note: If you or your clients are interested in receiving advanced training for the TKI and conflict management, Kilmann Diagnostics offers an eight-hour, live, online course to do just that. You can get more information about our online course by visiting http://kilmanndiagnostics.com

What makes you special?

When it comes to being innovative, there are many training companies out there who claim that their programmes are unique. And, I fully believe it! No other programme on the planet will have quite the same content, quite the same presenter, and certainly not the same audience.

So what is a genuine ‘unique selling point’ for a training programme, and how do you go about making this distinction?

This was a challenge I discussed recently with John Giblin, Director of a company called Reach Another Level. His team have spent the last 18 months developing performance improvement programmes based on years of training and development experience. They run residential leadership programmes, experiential team development days (such as Tall Ship sailing events), and open programmes based on accelerating performance improvement in the workplace. Two of these programmes, The Big Picture and The £100,000 Crunch Buster Challenge, seem pretty unique in content, delivery and concept.

I looked at the descriptions on the website, and then used some search terms to see if I could find anything similar. I failed after the first ten pages of Google results. But, if you searched very specifically for these programme titles, you’d only find Reach Another Level, a company whose name matches one of the programme descriptions, and many other inappropriate references.

Switch it round. Looking at the audience for these programmes, the market is the same as for more familiar training programmes, but the challenge is to educate the audience into knowing that these solutions are going to be something they will find genuinely beneficial. That may seem like the challenge everyone faces, but when you take a product such as the forerunner to MP3 players, the Sony Walkman, until they invented it, we didn’t know we needed it!

But to return to marketing, the key is in education. Identify the right target audience; inform and explain your key differences; highlight the benefits that make your product or service stand way ahead of the competition. There’s the challenge – communicating what may be a new concept to an audience who are tired of words like ‘innovative’, ‘unique’ and ‘creative’. Don’t get too clever, and don’t alienate your audience by baffling them with concepts that they just can’t grasp quickly enough.

In this highly competitive world - one which the learning and development industry may find particularly squeezed by the global economy – standing out from the crowd is more important than ever.

Just because you think you are special, does not mean the client will think so. Think like the client, and you stand a better chance of really selling your USP.

Please add your comments - I'd love to hear what you think makes YOU special (or your products, of course!)

Understanding Unconscious Bias

By Carolyn Sheppard

At a seminar I attended a short while ago (on the subject of Leadership During Challenging Times), all of the four speakers, from very different backgrounds, mentioned the issue of unconscious bias and the effects it has on leadership, followership and the organisation. Unconscious bias is the underlying, subconscious prejudices that every single person has, due to nature, nurture and experience.

As an illustration of this, one of the speakers (an eloquent and impressive French IT Director), recounted a particularly relevant story regarding her employment at a company in the US. She said that no matter how good her performance and results, she could never succeed because of the culture of the organisation. She struggled in the company for three years. The company talked a good ‘diversity and inclusion policy’, but the behaviour of the employees (right down to the woman who assumed that any other female in the organisation must also be a PA), set the culture based on their own unconscious biases. Changing the entire culture of a huge, Texas-based heavy industry company was not a task she desired to take on (and probably not an achievable one) so, with no sense of failure but a great deal more understanding, she moved on.

That’s the negative side of unconscious bias – acting out a bias that is discriminatory or prejudiced. But the positive side of unconscious bias is that it is a basic survival instinct. Our brains recognise situations or scenarios that get right down to the ‘flight or fight’ principle. However in these times, for most of us, there is much less need for these responses – there is not the physical danger that required us to develop these instincts. We can transfer them from physical to verbal or even intellectual responses – but your brain is still crying out for a reaction of some kind. Our biases are there for a reason, your brain has learned to react in a certain way because of an experience or learned behaviour (eg prejudice demonstrated by parents, culture or other external influences).

Your experience may include, for example, knowing an extremely argumentative red headed person (whatever example I use, it will demonstrate a bias!). You automatically, therefore, are on your guard when you talk to any red head, no matter what their personality.

Unfortunately instinct is not discriminatory – and it takes a lot of training to overcome those gut reactions (take for example being a fire-fighter – deliberately moving towards a threat that you would naturally wish to flee).

Can you train the bias out of an individual? The answer is probably no, you can’t easily ‘undo’ the conditioning or personal preferences of an individual, but you can educate them to recognise unconscious bias in themselves and in others, and to consider the consequences of their actions and reactions in the context of their bias. By making individuals and teams aware of the biases that operate personally and in their culture or organisation, they can make a tangible difference in changing behaviour (if not beliefs) and increasing the opportunities for diversity and inclusion. As a result the organisation can tap into the broad range of talent that may be within their reach that they otherwise may have ignored.

A good example of this is the ‘selling more toothpaste’ story. Instead of just sitting in the boardroom wondering how they could sell more toothpaste, the MD asked everyone in the factory what ideas they had. One shop floor worker put his hand up and said ‘make the hole bigger’. There was the answer they needed – and it wasn’t in the marketing team or in product research. It was right there on the shop floor. This story is many years old, from a time when there were far more class distinctions in society and in the workplace. By disregarding their bias (which was perhaps not so unconscious then, admittedly), the owners of that toothpaste factory achieved a very positive result and sold more.

When you are next in a training room – look around at the people you are with. What unconscious biases have you already applied just in looking at those people? What assumptions have you made about the place you are in, the behaviour of others, the likely outcome of the day? Whether you are a delegate or a trainer – consider those unconscious biases you hold that will be positive or negative be aware how they could affect your behaviour and the results you will get.

Resources:

On-line Implicit Association Testing: https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/
Training on unconscious bias: www.angela-peacock.com/unconsciousbias.html

Coaching by accident

I had some new coaching cards arrive from Israel. I have to say that just by looking at the supplier's website I was 'taken' immediately, but once I'd spoken to my guy in Israel and got a real feel for them, I was hooked!

The Points of You cards arrived and within two days I'd had three sets taken by a training company who were delivering a series of 'coach the coach' programmes to a major UK insurer. All I'd done was show one pack to them, and they were instantly engaged!

Why do I like these so much? I don't really do my own product reviews, I like my customers to do that, but these cards have a lot going for them - not the least of which is the fantastic imagery they use.

What I learned, talking to Yaron, is that the cards themselves are made by prison inmates, and the packaging is made by workers in a factory employing the less abled. I didn't only like the product, but I liked the whole philosophy behind their creation and in the execution of their manufacture.

So why did I call this post 'accidental coaching'? Simple! I was showing them to a colleague. She chose three cards, laid them out on the cloth 'board', and we started talking. I asked the relevant questions, looked up the references in the book and... well, I very nearly gave an 'acciental coaching session'.

The cards are also promoted as a self-development tool and they are great for that too - I have sat with a set and looked through images and used them to help with creative thinking and also to lay out some personal issues and perceptions.

I have two sets of coaching cards on the site at the moment (and a third set coming soon) - I believe in offering choice and, of course, it's horses for courses (and cards for coaches!). Take a look at the cards, both sets, you'll find one or other appeals to you more.

I'd love some feedback, but everything I've heard so far about Points of You and the Kairology cards has been extremely positive. I'm meeting Ian, author of the Kairology cards and book in November - I'll post my thoughts on these cards then. I already bought his book for myself.

Telling Stories

I am a story teller! You may notice from my blog posts, articles or – if you know me personally – most certainly from my songs and my creative writing. I write about events and people (you can hear a snippet of my song about the infamous witch finder Matthew Hopkins on theMP3 page of www.shavethemonkey.co.uk/) , many of my articles feature on this blog and my story telling style comes through very strongly on my personal blog.

So why am I telling stories on The Complete Trainer? Because there is not a single training experience I have yet been on that does not, to some extent, rely on storytelling. No matter what slides or materials are presented, the trainer or facilitator can usually bring an example to life by adding a story of their own. Sometimes it’s a ‘stock’ tale, sometimes personal experience. But story telling in training, and in business, is important, for a very simple reason – it builds credibility.

In these days of information overload, with millions of messages hitting us every week from every direction, the brain does it’s favourite ‘delete, distort and generalise’. This applies not only to the many indirect messages we receive but also to the key messages we want to receive. So in order for us to really listen, we need to have belief in the information giver. Story telling is a great way of doing this.

Storytelling has been with us since humans could first speak – it is as natural to us as breathing. We are raised with the story, and stories are used to influence, inspire and persuade us. Advertisements for products don’t just extol their virtues any more (Irish Stout is Good for You, Mr ‘Shine’ Makes Umpteen Things Clean), they create stories around characters and we are involved in the mini tableaux we are presented with:

• Anthony Head visits his neighbour to borrow coffee, is there the prospect of romance?
• we know the whole gravy family
• we want to know what the ‘good news’ is that the man in the phone ad is telling his friends.

People LIKE stories.

Stories for business development are not just anecdotal – though the retelling of an incident that serves as an example is one great way. You can also use storytelling to teach lessons that only the listener can learn. By presenting a situation as a story, you can create discussion, evolve solutions and raise issues that engage us through the use of our own imaginations.

I’ve seen storytelling done by forum theatre actors (they leave the ‘action’ mid performance and ask for response from the audience), I’ve watched corporate videos that the group must then discuss and, of course, even the good old slide show can tell a story. But the use of audio – whether spoken by an individual or through recordings – allows even more freedom for the imagination because it presents no pre-set visual context.

I’ve been listening to the Telling Tales series and the pictures they create in my head are, undoubtedly, going to be different to the pictures they would create in your head. My interpretations of an accent or simply the sound of voice will have different associations for me than for others. This is amazing – it means that every single person can interpret and create their own meaning and learning from the sound of a voice as well as the content of the tale.

I also pick up ideas from the radio– from the BBC programme ‘Word of Mouth’ (on the power of language) to The Archers (wonderful examples of how not to communicate between family members), I learn from these ‘stories’. Something goes in that I will access and retain for future reference, even if it means using the ‘listen again’ function.

We may well admire the raconteur at the network meeting (as long as they are not too pushy) and we are entertained, engaged and entranced by stories. The same goes for the gregarious friend who delights us with their tales at the dinner table. We will talk about their story, what we would have done in that situation or marvel in horror or delight at what happened. We are fully engaged – our brains are keen to receive this information. This, surely, is an amazing tool to use when developing yourself, your people and your organisation.

Behavioural Analysis

Trainingzone have published Carolyn's article on Behavioural profiling. Visit or you can read more here:

For the last four years I have regularly used DISC profiles which give you a snapshot of your ‘behaviours’ in a work environment. DISC is an acronym:

D = Dominance-Challenge: How you respond to problems or challenges.
I = Influence-Contacts – How you influence others to your point of view.
S = Steadiness-Consistency – How you respond to the pace of the environment.
C = Compliance-Constraints – How you respond to rules and procedures set by others.

The concept of DISC profiling is based on the work of Dr. William Moulton Marston who, in 1928, published ‘The Emotions of Normal People’. This book described the theory which is applied to nearly all the versions of DISC profiling available today. The profile is a behavioral assessment designed to accurately measure the four dimensions of normal behavior.

A few years back I completed a Level 3 ILM management qualification and I chose Communications as my main project. For this I mapped all the preferences for the office staff using their DISC profiles and created a ‘how best to communicate with xx’ chart. It was used for many years, indicating communication preferences and styles. It was a very simple and effective way to implement the results of our profiles and use them practically. Nothing more personal than communication preference was shared.

DISC profiles were used for recruitment and appraisal and with clients. The reports, which are created by answering very simple ‘most like’ and ‘least like’ questions, give a comprehensive summary of behavioural preferences. They are used by line managers, trainers, HR, recruitment and outplacement consultants.

The value of using these profiling tools is not just in ‘input and output’ – you put in your answers and get your report – but what happens next. Many people will be open minded enough to accept the validity of the report, feel happy to internally challenge areas which they do not feel accurately match their perceptions, and even perhaps accept the areas which may indicate a need for self-improvement.

I recently took a different profile from the one I’d done for the last four years – this one was from The Trusted Adviser and followed a similar DISC format so it was not unfamiliar. The resulting report, however, was superior to those I’d taken before. The depth of information was far greater – the profile included more aspects and gave a greater analysis of my behaviours and preferences. Though every assessment is affected by variables (hence taking them annually), this one was definitely the most accurate I had ever taken.

Most importantly the language it used was more accessible – though probably still generated by an American English language programme, the terms and language used were easier to understand and I found much less to challenge than in previous reports. My next stage, importantly, is to go through the report with my coach.

The real power and value of behavioural assessments is how they are used to develop individual performance. The ideal scenario is that the report is not just given directly to the respondent but is reviewed by an appropriately qualified coach or manager who can then spend time going through the report with the individual and build a positive action plan.

There are many ways in which assessments can be applied:

Recruitment: does the report reflect the right personality for the role they are being considered for?

Job hunting: the report may produce some excellent wording and highlight skills and strengths that the respondent can use in their CV or job applications

Appraisal: the line manager and respondent can work together (both may have their profiles completed) and improve working process and performance

Team building: pick members of a team who have the right mix of skills or who you know will work best together

In fact behaviour assessments can be used in many ways, for leadership development, trouble shooting, team development, sales skills, benchmarking; with the right training and understanding of the psychology behind how these reports are generated, they can become an extremely powerful tool for trainers, managers and the individual respondents.

Finally, the most important question - do they work? From personal experience, yes; impartially, one assessor I know performs over one million assessments per year – that’s just one provider! I think the proof is in the pudding, as they say.

Carolyn Sheppard is director of The Complete Trainer, a training resources ecommerce company. She has been in marketing for over 30 years and directly in learning and development for over five years.

On line learning

One of my favourite quotes is from Winston Churchill:

“I am always ready to learn although I do not always like being taught.”

We learn best by doing, and Churchill certainly ‘did’ a lot – from his career as an officer in the British Army, through his exploits as a historian, writer, and artist to being the only British Prime Minister ever to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature.

There was no on line learning in Churchill’s day, but I am sure he would have embraced it. You may think on line learning was not available during Churchill’s life time, but in fact on line learning pre-dates the internet. The first recorded system was the Programmed Logic for Automatic Teaching Operations, developed at the University of Illinois in 1960* (and remained in operation until the 1990’s). In 1994 the Open University in the UK developed a Virtual Summer School. Those are just some examples of how long on line learning has actually been around.

As computers became an everyday item in households throughout the Western World, so on line learning also grew. During the early 1980s (in the days of 8” floppy disks) I worked for a large international computer company. There was excitement as the concept of desk-top computers equally as powerful as machines which, at the time, occupied whole rooms, were a reality that we saw grow nearer every day.

On line learning is now part of everyday life. Children today are given homework assignments and assistance via the internet, you can gain business qualifications and learn new skills without leaving the comfort of you own home. You can study with fellow students at a University half way round the world, if you so choose.

However, if you want to train to be a chef, you can complete a training programme, check recipes, find out about new foods, techniques, purchase the best tools – all on line. On line learning is an excellent enhancement to classroom and practical learning, in this example. The practical side can be done without external tuition, but the results and the credibility of the training may be perceived as inferior.

There are tremendous advantages to on line learning – but what are the barriers to learning? Access is important: you need a computer, probably internet access, and appropriate programmes for audio and video content. Learning styles are also highly individual and many people don’t like ‘reading’ what to do. There are also issues for those with reading disabilities (though audio and visual options are available for many systems). Some people just don’t like learning with a computer instead of a person. For example, I may find using the internet an excellent way to research a subject, but if I want to learn to identify birds, no matter how great the video, audio and catalogue resources on the internet – I actually want to be outside, listening, watching, and learning with a book or (even better), with an expert.

With management development, in a corporate environment, access is usually facilitated through the workplace. Individuals can work not only in the place of their choosing, but also at a time that is convenient for themselves and the business. Teams can work together in remote locations, company competency frameworks can be implemented globally and individuals can be given access to the tools they need to develop their skills.

Much has been, and continues to be, written about on line learning. What advantages does it hold over face to face, how flexible is it, do people really learn from electronic resources or is it just a cheap alternative to ‘proper’ training? I don’t need to go into a detailed breakdown of the pros and cons, because they are highly individual – the important thing is that this resource exists, in many forms from simple on line documents through interactive e-learning to simulations and live web and pod-casts.

On line learning is, above all else, a wonderful opportunity. For self development, business development, individual skill building or implementation of organisation wide knowledge sharing – on line learning is an extraordinary resource that, had he been alive today, Churchill would no doubt have welcomed with open arms and mind.

Stop press: The Complete Trainer launch their own on line academy - find out more on their main website: The Complete Trainer Academy

* Sir Winston Churchill died in 1965

Complete Trainer Academy is Launched

The Complete Trainer Academy is a brand new offering which features an incredible on-line resource. We first saw this product a while ago and knew we wanted it for the Complete Trainer portfolio. You have access to thousands of in depth articles, assessments, book reviews, a management newsletter and an on line coach.

The site is easy to use, the material well written and you can navigate the site quickly and easily. The Academy provides learning pathways which is a guided route through the site. It takes you through a selection of articles and learning exercises that are relevant to the topic you want to study and gives you a commentary and explanation. Pathways are a bit like programmes or courses and cover a wide range of subjects.

In the current economic climate, the pressure is on training budgets. This system is affordable, flexible and accessible. With an increasing number of employees in disparate locations and improved internet access, the ability to collaborate over the web is rapidly becoming a learning imperative. As well as being web-based, we believe that the engine that drives the Complete Trainer Academy is unique:

• Easily integrated into a blended learning solution
• You can create your own customised learning paths
• It is quick and easy to implement – all you need is a log in to the Academy
  
• The Academy tracks and measures activity, performance and even changes in behaviour
• It provides a flexible way to increase the learning of your people without the impact of taking them away from the workplace
• Very cost effective – at just £200 per year per log in, you could train as many as ten managers for less than £6 a day!

The Complete Trainer Academy launches on 1st July 2009 and we are delighted to give our site members a unique opportunity to ‘try before you buy’. Please contact us for a trial log in and we will give you full, unlimited access to the site including:

• Access to over 40 different learning topics
• More than 100 exercises and assessments
• Over 50 different ‘top ten tips’
• Articles from luminaries such as Edward de Bono
• Book reviews, case studies and much more

We are really excited about the Academy here at The Complete Trainer. Contact us now for your free trial log in*.

* Your log in will expire after two working days. Please bear this in mind when you ask for your log in so that you can make the most of this opportunity to explore our on line Academy.

A Tale of Two Pots

An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole that she carried across her neck. One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water. At the end of the long walk from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do.

After 2 years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream "I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house." The old woman smiled,
"Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them."

"For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house."

Each of us has our own unique flaw. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. You've just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good in them.

Story provided by Iain Wilson.

Save money on training

Use your brains and save money on training - by Stella Collins

Whether there’s a recession or not, companies always need to ensure their training budgets are being used properly and not wasted.

It’s estimated about 80% of what is ‘taught’ can be forgotten 24 hours later – so when you have to continue to invest in training people in the important stuff (health and safety, IT, finance, products etc) then it’s vital they remember what they’ve learnt.

By understanding a little about how brains work and applying a tried and tested process to training, you can challenge this natural tendency to forget. Instead people can consistently remember at least 50% and up to 100% of what they learn – and that means they can apply it back at work, and you can recoup your return on your investment.

This effective process has 6 steps:

Step 1: motivate people to want to learn the information, however technical.

Step 2: present information through different mediums so they absorb it in their preferred way

Step 3: encourage people to use multiple ways of exploring information to search for their own understanding

Step 4: generate strong memory triggers so that, when it matters, they can recall the information again

Step 5: ask people to test and exhibit their new learning

Step 6: create regular opportunities for people to review and reflect on their training to ensure it’s learnt for the long term.

You will find more ideas about how you can use your brain in business and save your training budget by reading more in these great books: Learning - the Creativity Myth and Learning - Begin with the Brain in Mind

Article kindly provided by Stella Collins of Stellar Learning www.stellarlearning.co.uk and author of Learning - the Creativity Myth and Learning - Begin with the Brain in Mind

Coaching and the Learning Process

by Sean McPheat

John Radshaw offers what I feel is an incredibly apt definition of what it means to be a coach. He says that coaching is:

“Systematically increasing the capability and work performance of someone by exposing him or her to work-based tasks or experiences that will provide the relevant learning opportunities, and giving feedback to help him or her learn from them”

He’s absolutely right.

The role of a coach is to get the coachee from A to B quicker than if they tried on their own. They are there to question, probe, push, align and provide a thought provoking sounding board.

A coach is a catalyst for change but the coachee has to want to change!

The coach does not have to know the answers either and they do not need to be the best in the field.

Don’t believe me? Well, what’s the name of Tiger Wood’s coach or Usain Bolt’s? Did their coach ever win major golf tournaments or win an Olympic gold? The answer is No!

But they know how to get the best out of their coachees and that’s what the role of a coach is all about.

As a coach you need to know how to get your coachee started - how do you jumpstart the learning process?

There are three things that need to be in place before you can teach anyone anything. They are:

Desire - the person you are coaching must want to learn as opposed to finding himself in a situation where he is forced to adopt a coach

Opportunity - you must have the time to coach your employee, he must have the time to dedicate to the things you are teaching him/her, and you must have the support of your organisation (in both time and materials)

Competence - you must be an expert in your area of specialty. Otherwise you’ll only cause confusion to the person you are coaching. The person you are coaching must be competent as well - he needs to care about his work, have the skills necessary to do the job, and be willing to work with you to make his job even better.

If these three main points do not exist you will have a very difficult time facilitating the learning process. Of course there are people who just do not want to be coached, but we'll deal with that in a later session! Take the time to review your situation before you get started. Doing so will enable to you make the changes necessary to ensure you are successful.

Sean McPheat is the Managing Director of management development specialists MTD Training. http://www.m-t-d.co.uk/

Positioning learning initiatives during economic uncertainty

by Marlene Liontis
Principal Lion Global HR
http://www.lionglobalhr.co.uk/

As the economy tightens there will be an increasing trend across the board to reduce costs and overheads. This is an ideal opportunity to learn some of the world’s best practices used by the leanest organisations in the world.

Learn how to cut costs without decreasing the high quality of your services and products.
Some managers today have never been in a position of cutting costs. If you look at economic downturns over the past 100 years you will notice that the world is getting better at managing the downturns.

The duration of downturns continues to decrease, so make sure you fence off and retain your key employees.

Ideas for the learning industry over the next 12 months:

Whether we like it or not some learning initiatives will be considered as discretionary spending. Managers within the learning industry are being expected to reduce their learning budgets. Here are some ideas to help you provide the best possible learning services to your people at a lower cost. Otherwise you will be looking for these key people in the near future.

Reduce the length of training programs
Prioritise the content and you could organise half day programs instead of full day programs. You could run 60 -90 minute program instead of half day programs

Train your Trainers
Re-evaluate the type of training your internal trainers are conducting. Find out more about their passions and talents. Organise an advanced Train the Trainer program to boost internal delivery skills.

You could also look at developing the instructional design skills of your internal people. Sometimes internal trainers spend far too much designing the perfect workbook when they should be delivering learning programs.

Maximise your conference
Conferences are great opportunities to promote learning. Conferences can also bore the socks off participants. Why don’t you reduce the unnecessary content and bring in a professional speaker for 60 minutes to talk about something like:”5 ways to negotiate better deals without giving away unnecessary concessions

Marlene Liontis is the Principal of Lion Global HR, a global supplier of Legal Risk Management Visual Aids, Soft Skills & OHS Training and Instructional Design. For more information, go to http://www.lionglobalhr.co.uk/

Thought Pattern management

HOW TO PASS EXAMS USING TPM
By Graham Morris

TPM, Thought Pattern Management, started out as an educational intervention. Very many TPM techniques are as much about teaching the mind, especially the unconscious mind, new and different ways of doing things rather than as therapeutic techniques.

In our current diseducation system we enable pupils and students to concentrate on the dread NLP word:

FAILURE

We have a situation where the teacher goes through the pupils’ work, correcting all the errors and then encouraging the same pupils to practise those errors.

How familiar is this to you from your school/college days?

You are facing an exam.

Interesting word – ‘exam’. One of those words (semantically dense) that requires little or no processing ; a word packed with meaning and sometimes just the sight or the sound of the word ‘exam’ produces an immediate, and often unpleasant, state change.

So you walk into the exam room and sit there for 45 minutes – 180 minutes trying to remember all the information that you spent so much time revising.

Then the exam ends and a curious thing happens. As you walk out of the exam room you suddenly remember all the information you revised, but it’s too late! The exam is over.

Put simply, this is what happens. The learning, the revision tends to occupy the left brain. Walking into the exam room occupies the right brain. There tends to be a shift over a period of 90 minutes – which is why the 45 minute exams are most disrupted.

I worked with someone recently who was about to take his ‘AS’ Level exams (exams taken at the age of 17).

After explaining the above I implanted a posthypnotic suggestion that allowed the thumb and middle finger to slowly move down a pen held in a vertical position and that action would facilitate the switch from right to left to occur in 30 seconds.
The exam result was an ‘A’ grade.

Here is the full story of how to pass exams using TPM.

First of all a clear and well-formed outcome.

Do a memory cleanse of all earlier school testing. The easiest way to do this is via the TPM Brainwash technique (see INLPTA News Number 6 pp 41-44, December 2003).
Now all negative/unresourceful memories about school testing and exams has been reframed.

Take the pupil/student through The Circle of Excellence.

Make sure that the ‘circle state’ is in the form of a ring or a bracelet that the person can actually wear as they will need to take it into the exam room with them.
If you can find a Circle of Excellence experience that has a connection with previous exams/tests, so much the better.

When you get to future pace the experience get the pupil/student to imagine, while wearing the ring or bracelet, that they can scan the next test, going down the list of questions knowing the full and correct answer to every question.
Anchor this

Take your subject into the TPM Wide Awake Trance (for reference, see above) and:

“I would like to borrow your arm and I’m going to ask your unconscious mind (you are unconscious, mind/obey!) to keep it relaxed and comfortable.

I am going to talk to the Education Specialist (metaphoric part) and I’m going to ask the Education Specialist to take all the information that’s been (phonological ambiguity) studied and package it in such a way that it will be easily and fully accessible during the test/exam.

I’m going to ask you unconscious mind to allow your arm to lower only as rapidly as your unconscious mind completes the process.”

Tell your subject to walk into the exam room and put the Excellence bracelet or ring on the chair and then sit on it.

How to Pass an Exam with No Revision

Working with the same 17 year old mentioned above, we got to talking about revising his least favourite subject, which in this case was French (apologies to our French readers – it was the teaching not the language).

I was a bit surprised when he told me he was going to do no revision at all when it came to French.

He was unconcerned about maybe getting a low grade or not even a pass.

After using the Iceberg Metaphor for the mind – the bit that’s sticking out of the water is the conscious mind, the much, much bigger bit below the water is the unconscious mind – I explained that everything his French teacher had said to him, everything he had read and spoken in French was stored in his unconscious mind. All of that French information.

So he decided to do no revision whatsoever when it came to French.

Using the sliding thumb/finger/pen technique (see above) at the start of the French exam with the added instruction to access the Education Specialist, all went well.
He got an A in French.

© Graham Morris
Contact Graham at
Training Changes
7 Spenser Avenue
Cheltenham GL51 7DX
Tel: 01242 580640
Mble: 07711 370980
e-mail: mailto:graham@trainingchanges.co.uk
web: www.trainingchanges.co.uk

12 Learning Days of Christmas

From Peter Mayes, of Trainerbase:

THE TWELVE DAYS OF LEARNING


On the first day of learning my trainer said to me:

There is always One thing more that you could know.


On the second day of learning my trainer said to me:

There are Two McGregor Types.
And always One thing more that you could know.



On the third day of learning my trainer said to me:

There are Three Ego States.
Two McGregor Types.
And always One thing more that you could know.


On the forth day of learning my trainer said to me:

There are Four Learning Styles.
Three Ego States.
Two McGregor Types.
And always One thing more that you could know.

On the fifth day of learning my trainer said to me:

There are Five Leadership Levels.
Four Learning Styles.
Three Ego States.
Two McGregor Types.
And always One thing more that you could know.

On the sixth day of learning my trainer said to me:

There are Six Thinking Hats.
Five Leadership Levels.
Four Learning Styles.
Three Ego States.
Two McGregor Types.
And always One thing more that you could know.

On the seventh day of learning my trainer said to me:

There are Seven McKinsey S’s.
Six Thinking Hats.
Five Leadership Levels.
Four Learning Styles.
Three Ego States.
Two McGregor Types.
And always One thing more that you could know.

One the eighth day of learning my trainer said to me:

There are Eight Multiple Intelligences.
Seven McKinsey S’s.
Six Thinking Hats.
Five Leadership Levels.
Four Learning Styles.
Three Ego States.
Two McGregor Types.
And always One thing more that you could know.

On the ninth day of learning my trainer said to me:

There are Nine Team Roles.
Eight Multiple Intelligences.
Seven McKinsey S’s.
Six Thinking Hats.
Five Leadership Levels.
Four Learning Styles.
Three Ego States.
Two McGregor Types.
And always One thing more that you could know.

On the tenth day of learning my trainer said to me:

There are Ten Aspects of Culture.
Nine Team Roles.
Eight Multiple Intelligences.
Seven McKinsey S’s.
Six Thinking Hats.
Five Leadership Levels.
Four Learning Styles.
Three Ego States.
Two McGregor Types.
And always One thing more that you could know.

On the eleventh day of learning my trainer said to me:

There are Eleven Steps to Success.
Ten Aspects of Culture.
Nine Team Roles.
Eight Multiple Intelligences.
Seven McKinsey S’s.
Six Thinking Hats.
Five Leadership Levels.
Four Learning Styles.
Three Ego States.
Two McGregor Types.
And always One thing more that you could know.

On the twelfth day of learning my trainer said to me:

There are Twelve Performance Measures.
Eleven Steps to Success.
Ten Aspects of Culture.
Nine Team Roles.
Eight Multiple Intelligences.
Six Thinking Hats.
Five Leadership Levels.
Four Learning Styles.
Three Ego States.
Two McGregor Types.
And (as you know by now) always One thing more that you could know.

Thank you Peter! Season's Greetings to you all

Going Ape! Experiential team activities

I just finished a call with one of my suppliers; he wasn't in his office yesterday because he and the team had 'Gone Ape'. They'd been for a team day at the local Go Ape' activity centre.

Even though he is unhappy at heights (and he went up to 40 foot at one point), he'd spent a day up in the trees with his colleagues. And he enjoyed it! Trainer brain in gear, I asked if they'd rounded off the day with any learning outcomes or summary? "Oh no, we didn't do any of that stuff. People would only say what was wanted anyway." Cynical? Realistic?

Makes me wonder about experiential team development. I have done paintballing (shooting the sales team in a former life with a computer company), and laser shooting (with a training company) but I've never had to build a bridge or roast rats over an open fire... well, not for work, anyway.

This is what he said once I'd told him I was blogging this subject:

"I would say that having traversed these heights with colleagues I do not have that much contact with that this did help us to bond. Sharing fear can really drop barriers quickly. I enjoyed it immensely, not least because it was genuinely something I thought I would not manage."

I personally found the laser shooting demotivating, not just because I was on the losing team either. I am not motivated by other's failing through my actions (which is basically what the objective of this exercise was), I am motivated by helping others to succeed and in creating my own success. I think I would quite like to do the tree thing though.

These outdoor, experiential training days are still highly popular. Are they, in fact, a motivational 'gift' disguised as training so we don't have to declare them on the P11D?

I'd be interested to hear more views on these outdoor training activities. Do they put people outside their comfort zone? Are they actually destructive to teams or individuals any way? Do the benefits outweigh any negatives?

Of course a good trainer will know their delegates' comfort zones and just how far outside to put them. But how can an external trainer know the limits and abilities of everyone in a group?

I'd welcome an article from someone on this - someone who either delivers, or has experienced, or has studied how experiential learning activities like these really affect delegates and whether they add to learning.

Divided by common learning?

The CIPD annual survey report on Learning and Development, says on e-learning:

However, the expected use of e-learning has possibly been overanticipated, with less than half (47%) using more e-learning and a quarter (26%) saying they don’t use or no longer use e-learning. This is possibly because few feel it is the most effective learning and development practice (7%).

If you read the latest report from ASTD (US based organisation who say they are the 'leading association for workforce learning professionals') the results are very different:


"One of the significant findings from the 2008 State of the Industry report is the consistent upward trend of technology-based delivery methods. E-learning now accounts for nearly one-third of learning content made available."

What is the reason for this difference? That could warrant some research all of its own. ASTD say that "ASTD estimates that U.S. organizations spent $134.39 billion on employee learning and development in 2007." Going on today's rate, that's around £84 billion. So they obviously engage in L&D.

According to the LSC's National Employer Skills Survey:
"Employer training spend for 2007 was £38.6bn"

The CIPD also say:

"The smallest companies tend to have smaller budgets but spend more per employee (£375), while the larger companies (those employing more than 5,000 employees) spend the smallest amount per employee (£108)."

Whilst ASTD in the US say, for one major sector, "average direct expenditure per employee was $1,609 in 2007."

Maybe I'm comparing apples with pears and the comparison isn't fair, but is it their tech-savvy culture that has meant the easier adoption of e-learning? I found this little bon mot:

"75 percent of Americans use the Internet and spend an average three hours a day online."

Brad Stone, "Hi-Tech's New Day", Newsweek, April 11, 2005, p. 62

That was a few years back too. I wonder what the UK equivalent is? I could probably find it somewhere, but to be honest, I'm not sure that is the issue. Yes, the UK (home and business) have more than adequate access to the internet and to computers, so why is e-learning not 'working' in the UK like it purportedly does in the US?

Having tried blended, e-learning and face to face, my personal preferences lie with the latter. Learning styles notwithstanding (I think you'll find 'activist' pretty much covers my preferences), is it just that we are not as good at it as those in the US?

It's a cultural conundrum, one which could make a big difference to e-learning providers in the UK.

e-learning elearning e learning

People Make the Difference

PEOPLE make the difference!
Increasing your profits - the aim of every business!

In an age of ever-improving technology in which the worldwide web is king the need to get the best from your people is probably more important than it has ever been.

Why? I hear you ask:

Well, as running a business and the market place you can reach evens out due to technology and the power of the Internet YOUR PEOPLE and the SERVICE they give your customers truly is the point of difference.

HOW DO YOU DO IT?

Recruitment
Whatever the role you are recruiting for remember in some way it will impact on your customers. Therefore recruit the BEST that you can. Set your standards and stick to these rigidly as once you let them slip the impact will affect your customers and thus your PROFIT. Recruiting the right people is crucial so give it the time and focus it
deserves.

Make your recruitment process:

• Different (Do it at a football stadium!)
• Enjoyable (great welcome, refreshments, fun)
• Memorable (the difference factor, a gift to take away)
This will ensure your new employees feel good and that they are joining a different company where it’s important to make people feel special and unique.

Exactly the way you want your customers to feel. Even the unsuccessful will have had a good experience and the word will get around. Good PR!

Ensure the whole process runs well, professionally and to time. This will really give your new people a feel and will say loud and clearly what your company stands for and is all about.

I cannot emphasize enough the importance of getting this right. If you do - and you can -it will pay massive dividends.

A CLEAR COMPANY DEVELOPMENT/ CAREER STRUCTURE:
- THE KEY TO MOTIVATING & REWARDING SUCCESS

It is imperative you have a clear company career structure with how to progress linked to it and a transparent development process in place.

This covers two key areas:

1. It shows the avenues to progress in your company and what you need to do to achieve this.
2. It shows how can you can develop and enhance your skills (there is nothing worse than keeping this a mystery)

The number of times I have seen negative responses in employee surveys on promotions, training and development because the opposite is being done to points 1 & 2…...

It is essential for your people to know and trust in this process - and it really does increase performance and satisfaction of your people.

As with all the elements I will cover it addresses the highly important WIIFM factor (What’s in it for me?)

EMPOWERMENT
Create a culture where your PEOPLE have freedom to express themselves and have the space to make decisions about how they work and the environment they work in.

Examples of this are work times, rotas, holiday picks etc. Also décor, furniture, dress code. It is worth working up some type of code of practice so each person and each team know the parameters they work in and where their boundaries are.

It is also about creating a culture where there is always the opportunity for your people to give constructive feedback and where everyone is equal and approachable. The best way to do this in my view is No Demarcation! Examples of this are: make dress code the same for Managers and Colleagues; no grade perks what-so-ever e.g.
preferential parking; all staff take equal breaks……. the list is endless.

INVOLVEMENT
Set up working groups with representatives from all areas. The sole purpose of the groups should be to improve the areas they cover. Examples could be: Quality, Productivity, and Health & Safety.

Also it’s important that one group covers social activities and FUN! These forums must produce results so they can be seen as worthwhile and that they do make a difference.

Encourage participation and always recognise those involved. Publicise any great ideas and actions and improvements that are forthcoming and link these to performance service and profit.

COMMUNICATION
In every poor performing workplace that I have gone into over the years without exception communication has been either dire or completely missing.

In my experience people are crying out for good communication and need it to perform their roles. Think about it … If you don’t communicate to your PEOPLE how do you think they will act with your CUSTOMERS?

It is imperative that people know what is happening and to achieve this you need a structured communication process.

This is a formal agreement on how information is communicated within your company and should be clear and easy to follow.

It should be developed in consultation with your people to find the model that works best for your workplace.

And to show you mean business monitor the process, encourage robust feedback, and make improvements where needed.

Communication can take many forms but in my view the most important is Face to Face briefings.

These should be:

• Regular (at least monthly)
• Should cover all your people
• Given by the Leader of the workplace (shows how important it is)
• Must happen religiously.
• For those who can't attend (holidays etc) a version should be available on their return.
• For any of your people on long term absence a version should be sent to them. (Keeps them involved and up to date with key events and shows you care)

And briefings should cover the following:

• How you’re doing - with results against the key performance indicators.
• Customer service / News
• Success stories .... Good results, celebrate team / individual performance
• People News.... Training information, long service , promotions
• Rewards....... Bonus information, benefits, opportunities
• Areas to concentrate on......Actions that need to happen.
• Feedback session ....... Questions and answers (chance for all to hear from the horses mouth)

Make these sessions entertaining and something your people look forward to. Be creative and most importantly get feedback on what is good in the sessions and what is not good, then act on this feedback.

Don’t underestimate the power of great communication and how important it is to people. How do you feel if you think you’re being kept in the dark and no one is telling you anything?

Always use the 3 C’s:

COMMUNICATE * COMMUNICATE * COMMUNICATE

COMMUNICATE - Tell everyone everything!
COMMUNICATE - Tell everyone again!
COMMUNICATE - Once everyone knows everything tell them again!

COMMUNICATION - part 2
Communication is another area in which process can be as valuable to your business as end result. Not only WHAT we do but the STYLE in which we do it says a lot about our company and presents a message to our people and our customers.

Let’s make sure that message is one of quality, consistency and professionalism!

• Develop a house style - fonts, colours, logos, layout designs.
• Use what’s effective for your people (ask them) and your work environment.
• Get your people involved in the design process - seek ideas and offer them a choice between styles developed by professional designers.
• Develop style templates for all formats of written communication - stationery, reports, posters, slides and presentations - any and all media you use.

COMMUNICATION - part 3
Be aware of just how many ways there are to communicate effectively - and be imaginative in finding ways to do this.

Newsletters (written or electronic) * Letters * Briefing documents
Emails * Posters * Communication areas for displays
Suggestion box * Leaflets * DVD’s
Supervision * Team events * Team meetings
Feedback session * Training events…….

now add your own!

FUN
How long in time do we spend at work? A LONG TIME! Six times as long as time spent with a partner over any given period (Frightening isn’t it?)

So if we are spending that much time at work let me ask you the question. Why wouldn’t you want to make your workplace fun? Think about how you can make the work experience for your PEOPLE different and FUN!

Some ideas and things that I have seen work:

• Fun days for all your People and their families.
• Competitions. Eating. . Arm wrestling….. Table football etc.
• Teach your People how to juggle.
• Theme days
• Fancy Dress days

As with everything I’ve covered it’s worth finding out what your PEOPLE consider fun and adapt to whatever that is. This is where your FUN forum will come into it’s own.

REWARD
It is important to remember that MONEY is important and it enables all of us to live to a certain standard. With this in mind always aim to pay your PEOPLE in the top quartile for the jobs they’re doing. This along with all the other areas I cover should ensure a stable workforce.

Look to be different -what else can you offer that your competitors can’t? Examples could be free transport, flexible work patterns, use of company car / vehicles available, subsidised canteen.

Take time to work up a reward scheme outside of pay and benefits: to reward suggestions, for helping others, work in the community. This is a big subject but if you get it right it will make a massive difference.

RECOGNITION
How do you feel when your boss say’s thanks for what you’ve done? Or “well done you did a great job”? If you’re the same as me your answer will be “Great”! It makes you feel worthwhile, valued and that you are appreciated. “Thanks” and “well done” go a really long way and in most of the employee surveys I have seen PEOPLE report that they don’t get thanked and their contribution is not recognised.

How many times have you “caught someone doing something wrong”?
Try this next time you’re out and about - “catch one of your people doing something right” ………. Take the time to tell them and watch for their reaction and how they perform in the future. We are all the same: we like being valued and by recognising someone it will enthuse that person.

The Common Sense Factor - CSF!
These ideas, along with everything I’ve written are what I call the CSF (The common sense factor). It is just common sense to treat your PEOPLE the way you would want to be treated!


SUMMARY
I have taken you through proven areas that when consistently followed will enthuse your PEOPLE and transform your business. You will be rewarded with PEOPLE giving their best and results that speak for themselves. This is not pie in the sky for every company that has got this right has immensely improved its results and profits.

It works and you will know it’s working when your key performance indicators improve in every area, your retention of employees is above industry standard, people are asking to work with you, your customers are delighted and keep coming back.

Best of all -PROFITS ARE UP!

Darren Beaven DBH Consultancy

Playing about with Value Theory

Value theory encompasses a range of approaches to understanding how, why, and to what degree people should or do value things, whether the thing is a person, idea, object, or anything else.

The Stamford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy describes it as follows:

The term “value theory” is used in at least three different ways in philosophy. In its broadest sense, “value theory” is a catch-all label used to encompass all branches of moral philosophy, social and political philosophy, aesthetics, and sometimes feminist philosophy and the philosophy of religion. ...But in a more useful sense, “value theory” designates the area of moral philosophy that is concerned with theoretical questions about value and goodness of all varieties — the theory of value.

We refer to values often in training – corporate values, leadership values, and individual values. But what do they mean, how do they vary from individual and how do you approach the sometimes sensitive issue of personal values in a business context? Well, when I saw ‘Life Lines’ by Chilli Training, I realised how effective using values as the ‘leverage’ in training could be.
Each player journeys across a game board, visiting their personal set of pre-selected values. When a player lands on a value, they must explain their choice of value to the other players before moving on – a communication and ‘sharing’ opportunity in a safe context.

However, just as in life, tasks are never simple when external factors come in to play. Re-routing, discussions, dilemmas and other issues are all interspersed before the game concludes. Then, the team as a whole must prove that they can apply the learning to the workplace by carrying out a number of selected activities. The facilitator has the option to choose which activity they want to gain a specifically focused outcome, whether it is change, communication, conflict, creativity, diversity, leadership or project management.

Though there is a competitive element, the key to the success of the game, in my opinion, is that it gets the participants to talk and share their feelings and thoughts on values – from cascaded corporate values to their own most personal, and perhaps unrecognised, values.

A good facilitator will know what ‘turns on’ their learners – no doubt they will have a mix of preferred learning styles in their group, but using accelerated learning techniques such as board games, music and art – keeping the training interactive – has been proven to increase learning retention.

I really liked this game, and the way it literally plays with value theories. A great tool for trainers and facilitators. I'd like to learn more about value theory too, but I will need my dictionary to hand I think!

Further information:

Life Lines Training Game: http://www.completetrainer.co.uk/Training_Games/Life_Lines
International Alliance for Learning: www.ialearn.org/research.php
Institute for Accelerated Learning: www.mindbodyheart.com/
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: plato.stanford.edu/entries/value-theory/