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Performance Metrics to Force Training Accountability
| Previously we have looked at trends listed in a SHRM report, and here is another one that will have interesting ramifications for your future projects: “Increased awareness of organization development through evaluation of human performance metrics and the corresponding impact on business outcomes.”
That’s a mouthful, but the interesting ramification is that the use of metrics will allow training to show a financial return – or not. If training programs do not improve organizational development, then metrics will not improve, and then training that is badly designed or badly delivered (or even unnecessary) will be identified and dealt with. It is high time this finally happens, because too much training has been suffering from these three characteristics for too long. Bad training has wasted way more time on your projects than you realize. |
Posted on: July 08, 2008 10:53 PM
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Unbelievably Shrewd Workforce Strategy for Downturn
| This recent news story has a lesson for all leaders, but it may not be immediately obvious because you are overwhelmed by the shrewdness of the management tactic. The company just instituted new rules that require workers to “clock out” for bathroom breaks.
Perhaps you don’t see why this action is shrewd. Clearly, your are not cut out to be a leader of this stripe. These company leaders have now ensured that they will be able to reduce their current workforce without effort and, as a bonus, ensure no one will put in an application in the future. Perfect tactic for the current economic downturn. Genius!
The message you send out to potential job candidates is important. If you want the best talent to apply - a relatively important step in getting them on your project - your recruiters must use a different message to attract younger workers (a.k.a. Millennials, Generation Y). They want a job they can sink their teeth into. If you’re with the government, it may be too late. One commentator says younger workers believe government work is too soul-sucking (I’m paraphrasing a little). If you are a private company you have a chance to market your company to potential employees in a better light. Make sure that is happening long before you start to hire, or your project may end up in the toilet. |
Posted on: July 01, 2008 10:29 PM
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A Cause of Slow Workforce Performance Degradation
| In my last post I posed a question. What was going on in the scenario where the workforce performance began breaking down?
You may not be able to put your finger on exactly what is going on in your project when this happens. It might not be until later when you realize that there has been a gradual degradation of workforce performance for years. This degradation has been caused by a reduction or obsolescence of skills. And where did these skills go? Your workforce has not been tended adequately - tended like a garden.
Inadequate talent management is the root of the problem. Over time your organization has reduced effort anywhere from recruiting to training to promoting, probably due to cost cutting tactics. The performance problems your project workforce exhibited have thus been quietly growing during this time.
To get the performance you want, you’ll at least have to train everyone for many hours and then have weeks of practice and coaching on the job during a transition period. Doesn’t sound all that realistic, does it? And here’s some bad news: If your company is affected adversely by this current economic downturn, talent management costs will be cut, leaving you with a less able workforce down the road. |
Posted on: June 27, 2008 07:36 AM
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A Reason You Cannot Get Good Workers for Your Projects
| The Society for Human Resource Management is reporting (in a pdf) another workforce trend – actually a realization – that “organizational performance is tied to talent management and an evaluation of their knowledge, skills and abilities.” Exactly right.
Here’s a scenario: You obtain internal resources for your project as usual, but you can’t get the performance you have come to expect. Some workers seem to take a long time to submit intermediate deliverables. Others submit them on time, but the documents are not adequately completed. Teams seem to take long time to become productive. Team leads can’t fix team problems. Interaction between teams often leads to friction. Managers become defensive. It’s not like you’ve ever experienced.
What’s going on? Think about it. It’s a subtle change over time. I’ll post again tomorrow with an explanation and what you can do as a project manager. |
Posted on: June 25, 2008 11:12 PM
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Email Bankruptcy In A Wealth of Distraction
| Many recent articles have mentioned the problem with too many emails. It appears to be so bad that a name has been given to the situation where workers are giving up and deleting whole inboxes: email bankruptcy. This proliferation is evidently making the problem with e-mail addiction worse. Many people are not able to stop peeking at their inbox, whether it is on their laptop, “crackberry”, or other device.
Distractions are a major problem with productivity, keeping workers from focusing on high-priority tasks for more than a few minutes. Studies show that it takes much longer than you think to refocus on a task after a distraction.
Companies are trying things like “no email Fridays” or using new software to help prioritize or clean workforce inboxes. Every option will have mixed results, unfortunately, until workers themselves are taught to manage their time and tasks in an environment where distractions are everywhere. This should be a basic skill for modern workers. |
Posted on: June 23, 2008 09:49 PM
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