By Linda Bush, Ph.D.

Roses are red,
Violets are blue;
LEARNING is optional,
But so are you.

LEARNING is our word for February.
Futurist Alvin Toffler has said, “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.” In today’s workplace the rate of change and the need for LEARNING cannot be overstated. Those who keep up are those who continue…to grow.

How do we keep up?
LEARNING does not occur by osmosis. It doesn’t jump into our minds from a computer or TV screen, and it doesn’t overtake our actions without our consent. LEARNING is a conscious act that requires deliberate thought and often, careful planning. For many, LEARNING increases when it involves others.

CIASTD can help.
Look at the unique and relevant LEARNING opportunities offered at this year’s monthly programs:

• February 27 - Blended LEARNING: What Really Works
• March 26 – Legal Trends for Trainers
• April 16 – Change Management
• May 21 – Saying Yes to the Future: Creative Problems-Solving
• June 25 – Workforce Development
• July 23 – Experiential LEARNING
• August 27 – Stories that Trainers Tell
• September 24 – Manufacturing Concept LEARNING Lab
• October 22 – Employee Loyalty and Engagement

CIASTD offers you great LEARNING opportunities right here in central Indiana! Plan to expand your LEARNING throughout 2004.

A final thought from W. Edwards Deming:

LEARNING is not compulsory…neither is survival.

Linda is president if CIASTD and is Director of Staff Development at ITT Educational Services, Inc.

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• Create an operational definition of blended learning
• Describe key criteria indicating the need for a blended learning strategy
• Identify key considerations in designing and developing a successful blended learning strategy
• Describe strategies for evaluating the success of a blended learning strategy
• Analyze an instructional case study and determine possible blended learning solutions

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Performance Consulting: Real People Facing Real Issues

Review by David J. Llewellyn, Facilitator Staff

If you’ve been in the training and development field for a while, you’ve undoubtedly been asked on more than one occasion to engage in an organizational form of “Mission Impossible.” You know the story: take this group of employees and turn them into top performers with a one-hour classroom experience and a relevant article or two, and, “Oh, by the way, do it by next Thursday.” This is what Marianne Whelchel, our lead presenter for the morning, refers to as the “Magic Show.” She explains, “Clients want us to pull a rabbit out of a hat . . . to quickly solve their problems, do a trainer tap dance with a session on _________ (you fill in the blank).”

To emphasize the importance of the magic we are all asked to perform, the presenters came equipped with top hats, magic wands (I really do want one of these), and a trick or two up their sleeves as those in attendance were witness to the “Not Ready for Reality TV Players,” a not so rag tag group of performance consultants and training professionals, who led us through a dramatic presentation that highlighted the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of the world of performance consulting. Starring as the “results now” leader of the fictitious company, Debt Be Gone, International was CIASTD’s very own past-president, the not so nefarious Dan Johnson. Heading up the supporting cast in the role of Project Lead of a hotshot performance consulting team was Sam Thompson. Sam was ably assisted by real life consultants Catherine Byers, Sandy Cropper, Christine Hood, Ondrea McAulay, Christina Moore, and Karen Zwick.

The request for training “magic,” as revealed through the vignettes, centered on the challenge and opportunities presented when Dan’s request for training to increase Debt Be Gone’s profits met up with the systematic and systemic results based approach of the performance consultants. The audience watched breathlessly (the ambient temperature outside that morning was in single digits) as Sam listened carefully to Dan’s request for time management training and convincingly led Dan to consider a performance improvement approach. As Sam relayed the request to the consulting team, Ondrea waved her wand over the crystal ball, a must for performance consultant teams, and the real work began. The team concluded that they needed to identify the root cause of the profit margin issue as they problem solved how to appeal to Dan’s “bottom line, quick results, this better not take too much time” mentality. (Yes, it does sound familiar.) The team identified specific key issues that would need to be addressed with Dan; the solution would be too costly, it would take too much time to analyze the problem, and it could give them a costly training without results. (Discordant chords from a pipe organ would have been fitting) In a moment of dazzling brilliance an answer appeared as to how to approach Dan: Take the Human Performance Improvement (HPI) model to the next meeting with him and walk him through the steps in order to clarify what outcome(s) he could expect depending upon the depth and type of approach taken.

We were then given a quick course in components of ASTD’s HPI Model as well as numerous other models (see the online copy of the power point slides for more detail). Dan stepped out of his character to share Wile’s Human Performance Model as well as others and shared the conclusion from his year’s of experience that, as was suggested in the scene, sharing models of improvement with clients can create buy-in. The real magic, Dan shared, is that “often the client will identify the issues and give credit to the consultant. Very Cool Stuff!”

We were also reminded at this point in the presentation of the undeniable presence of the Pareto Principle (the 80/20) rule as fuel for the need to determine actual cause.

• 80% of the time systems and processes are at the root of performance issues.
• 20% of the time it has to do with a gap of some sort, be it skill, poor fit with an individual, and the need to determine the cause.

The real magic so say our presenters is encapsulated in the HPI mindset:

• Begins with results in mind (systematic and systemic)
• Focuses on accomplishment vs. behavior
• Deals with organizations as systems

We were back to the action as Sam walked the political tight rope, sharing with Dan that his team could indeed do the training, however, he was able to acknowledge Dan’s discomfort with the analysis, and with a performance model literally in hand was able to show Dan how they could gather and analyze the data quickly, without great disruption to the operations. Indeed he spoke Dan’s language because he sold him on the value of time up front to save time and dollars in the long run. It was a bit of stretch, acknowledged by our presenters, that they could meet Dan’s requirement to accomplish this all in one week. (Where were Superman and Wonder Woman?)

So, the lesson in a box:

The participants were afforded the opportunity to get a taste of how to do a root cause analysis with varying results reported by table groups. Ideas ranged from process improvement to how to deal with difficult clients. Selection process as well was mentioned and the ever present need to quickly build trust and rapport.

We were also provided with an extensive overview of the HPI Certificate Program before heading into the stretch with the third and final scene: The Intervention. One of the highlights of this scene was the consultant’s ability to sell on price and specifically list those things that could be done immediately and efficiently.

We wrapped with a brief Q and A and pre-empted what had been billed as a “Stump the Chump” session with challenging questions.

A few of the gems

Success factors: Acknowledge the role of the client in creating an environment that was consultant friendly. A project alignment job aid can serve as a guide.

Q: How do you get a manager to take ownership in setting the environment?

Sell the benefit in your initial meeting. Provide incentives for the client. Praise the client, follow up with a message that they can be cut and pasted and sent on to proper parties.

Q: (Internal consultant) How do you stay on top of issues from a pro-active stance?

Tie your analysis to business goals and you will uncover opportunities that tie to the business goals. Approvals and cycle time - keep them focused on what is acceptable realistic performance and what is reveled in the numbers. Focus on the gap between current reality and the preferred reality. Ask if the goal is significant, realistic, and meaningful? Internal consultants need to prove worth by always looking for opportunities to reduce costs, wasted time, reinventing the wheel.

Q: (External consultants): How do you price projects?

Offer options: From Cadillac to Yugo. You can have a backyard swing set, park playground, King’s Island, or Disney World. Think about price related to long-term relationship with the client. Discount if you seek a long-term relationship with the client or to build clientele.

Q: How do you create performance consultants out of an entire department?

Educate the staff; secure buy in from upper management; find an internal client willing to engage and hopefully become a champion for the approach and technology. Don’t worry or focus on what you call yourself, the client will not care or can be turned off by the jargon. Good consultants benefit from being “multi-lingual.”

Good sources for newcomers to the concepts: Jim and Dana-Gaines Robinson’s work, Magers and Pipe Model of Performance Management.

Q: How do you facilitate performance?

Ask, “Is it clear what they are to accomplish and is it tied to their performance objectives and merit/reward process?

If you’re still reading at this point and interested in the exciting conclusion, or next steps to build your competency as a performance consultant, contact the following persons about the ASTD HPI program:

Ron Lindle, Associate Director, Continuing Studies, Non-Credit Division, IUPUI, 274-5045.

Marianne Whelchel at the Delta Learning Group, 317-865-9523.

Register online and save 10% of the total cost ($472.50)

1. Go to: www.cln.iupui.edu
2. Go to Continuing Studies and select Course Catalog
3. Click on the business link
4. Click on the Business-Human Resources Link
5. Click on the link to the desired HPI course title
6. Click on the Enroll button

NOTE: If you have not taken courses before through the IUPUI Community Learning Network, complete the Create New Profile page to receive an ID and Password Type your ID and Password and click Sign In. Complete the course payment and you are registered.

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