Top L&D Tips for 2011

Maximillion Learning & Development is passionate about positive change within individuals, teams and organisations, We deploy innovative experiential approaches to support the development requirements of organisations in Edinburgh, Scotland, throughout the UK and abroad.

With an eye on the year ahead, Learning & Development Consultant Sandy Smith canvassed the expert opinions of some of our Lead Facilitators and Lead Consultants – and harvested some of their ‘top tips’ for the year ahead.

Peter Dunn

Top Tip:
Getting value for money – know your outcome and believe it is achievable
With budgets for people development continuing to be under pressure, the real question is not about finding the lowest price intervention but one that delivers the best value. What is value, how do you measure it? Without a great deal of expertise it can be very hard to do, but Maximillion has several experienced consultants on hand.

Mostly importantly it’s about knowing your outcome. Do you and your team really understand what you want to achieve from your team development intervention? Can each person picture how things will be different and each believe that what you are planning will deliver it? How much ownership will they take for delivering the outcome after the event – change never sticks after a few short hours only; it needs follow-up. Can the intervention be aligned with a specific business goal and what impact will it have on that goal? Focussing on the bang and not the buck with the right questions will pay dividends.

Mike Tierney

Top Tip:
Developing your team in 2011

The latest CMI research suggests 43% of managers expect their T&D budgets to be cut in 2011.  A focused approach to team development is the only way to ensure that you will get a return on your investment in team development. Get it wrong and these events can be a time wasting, embarrassing office jolly. Research* shows that focused development interventions are useful in three contexts:

• Accelerating process of new team formation
• Relieving tension and refocusing dysfunctional teams
• Re-alignment of existing teams to changing requirements

Get it right in 2011 by following these top tips:

• Do use the experience and insight of a skilled facilitator. Maximillion can assist you with this
• Do confront tensions and conflicts – they are often more easy to address than first assessment and will not go away on their own
• Do involve a range of activities that people will enjoy, but ensure that output and relevance are explicitly clear
• Do be prepared to follow through back at work

For further information on Maximillion’s approach to developing teams in Edinburgh, Scotland and beyond, please click here.

*(Woodcock, 1989; Hackman, 1990; Katzenbach and Smith, 1993a; Sandberg, 1995; Wickens, 1995.)

Gavin Speers

Top Tip:
Embracing Technology

For learning and development to be really relevant this year, I believe we must encourage businesses to embrace new ways of working with new digital and online technologies.  This might mean supporting people to not only develop their “tweeting” ability but also in developing associated personal competences.  During some recent work with a high-tech company, staff started to recognise that technical skills are only part of the solution and that:

• Social networking is ultimately about personal, as well as professional reputation and relationship management
• Cloud-commuting requires effective communication, personal accountability and trust
• Online collaboration demands that individuals appreciate differences and value diversity in order to foster creativity

Increasing numbers of workers are also more likely to want learning opportunities to be:

• When they want it – not when the organisation does
• In bite-size chunks – not day-long classroom-based workshops
• Compelling and engaging – not PowerPoint presentations

Learning and development must, therefore, work in partnership with technology experts in order to make more effective ways of working a reality.

Maximillion has already made steps in this direction with the incorporation of the Game Based Learning (GBL) technology product Infiniteams in its Team Development product portfolio.

So how will you make 2011 the best year yet in terms of your own or your team’s development?

For more information on the above or any related area of interest forLearning & Development in Edinburgh, Scotland and across the UK please contact Sandy Smith on 0131 333 0066 and sandy@maximillion.co.uk. Alternatively, make an enquiry.

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