November / December, 2001
Volume 40 / Number 10
Improving the performance level of expatriate managers working in different cultural environments is a daunting challenge. Using developmental tools available to facilitate the adjustment of these expatriates may help. Companies must determine what critical work values their expatriates need prior to their arrival in the host country. Embedding mechanisms that encourage feedback-seeking behaviors is also essential for success. Job barriers and inherited problems need to be identified and clarified for all new expatriates so they can understand the developmental challenges they are likely to encounter. Finally, expatriates need to acquire and develop strong perceptual skills as well as basic managerial skills. These perceptual skills are improved by developing language, demeanor, personal values, and reference schemas from which they can learn new concepts.
Sustaining Motivation and Productivity During Significant
Organizational Change
by Mary T. Pellak
Organizations increasingly experience periods of intense change. Much of the change is due to evolving technology, globalization, and reductions in work force. Intense change can have a negative impact on employee motivation and productivity. Decreased productivity often results in compromised organizational performance. An important influencing element can support both the employee and the organization through intense change: the manager. Empathetic managers can assist their people through difficult transitions by actively addressing their concerns. This article focuses on ways a manager can identify problems with employee motivation and productivity and address those issues in a supportive manner. During significant change, managers who set clear expectations, openly communicate what they know about the organizational change, and support and recognize employee efforts will facilitate the organizational transition.
Transferring the Soft-Skills Technology of Workplace Learning
and Performance to China
by Jenny Yan, William J. Rothwell, and Lois Webster
If your organization does business internationally, how do you hire professional local talent when no colleges in the country offer majors in the field we now call workplace learning and performance (WLP) and no local vendors conduct public train-the-trainer seminars? Answering this question led to a long-term strategic alliance between Motorola University China, The Pennsylvania State University, Beijing University, and Nankai University. After conducting a simple needs assessment of multinational corporations in China, this group began to transfer the soft-skills technology of WLP to China. The partnership culminated in the offering of 10 graduate-level courses at Beijing University and Nankai University.
Start at the Very Beginning: Performance-Centered Portals
by Gary Elsbernd
Portals are popping up everywhere, but most are not designed to create or support individual and organizational performance. Performance-centered portals differ from commercial, learning, and even traditional corporate portals in that they focus on supporting the goals and objectives of a company within an integrated work environment. By using performance-centered design attributes such as establishing and maintaining a work context, aiding in goal establishment, and structuring work processes, designers can develop portals that directly support superior performance at all levels. These portals can be designed in stages. Companies must start by collecting what they have. Next comes collecting new information and providing for continual maintenance of the knowledge. Then comes integrating internal tools and positioning the portal as a tool for collaboration. When the portal is used to provide focus for a company, that company has a tool that increases performance and productivity.
Interpersonal Skills Training: Online Versus Instructor-Led
Courses
by Erika R. Gilmore and Paula J. Fritsch
Managing conflict. Negotiating. Coaching. These are examples of highly desired and valued skills in today's corporate world. They share a common characteristic: people working together effectively with other people. Skills of this nature-interpersonal skills-are difficult to master and are thus the subject of many corporate training initiatives. This article compares the instructional methods used in a sample of interpersonal skills training courses delivered online to the methods used in a sample of similar courses delivered in a live, instructor-led classroom setting. Results indicate that different methods are used in each delivery mode, with a greater variety of methods being used in the instructor-led courses. The online courses appear to be geared more toward knowledge acquisition than skill application, while the instructor-led courses focus both on knowledge acquisition and skill application. This has important implications for performance improvement professionals who are responsible for selecting and designing interpersonal skill training interventions.
Measuring Corporate Readiness to Implement Distance Education
by Joan Friton Slick
Many corporations have a need to train thousands of people in different locations.
Distance education programs are attractive to corporations because they can
provide significant cost savings. Distance education can also provide a competitive
edge by offering customized training on site. Distance education can be very
effective, but the organization must be ready to support the program design
and implementation. Poor instructional design and lack of managerial support
can sabotage a distance education program. Development costs can be substantial,
and learners have rejected some expensive computer-based training programs.
Corporate readiness should be carefully evaluated before a corporation embarks
on an extensive distance education program. The article examines distance education
issues and offers a measurement tool to assess corporate readiness for distance
education.
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