By Shirley J. Caruso, M.A., Human Resource Development Constructivism is a branch of cognitive psychology that has greatly impacted the thinking of instructional designers (Dick, Carey & Carey, 2005). The fundamental point of constructivism is that the learner as an individual combines existing knowledge and experiences with new learning. Constructivism lies within rationalism, which … [Read more...]
What Is Human Resource Development?
Human Resource Development (HRD) is a practice that combines training, organization development, and career development efforts to encourage improvement of individual, group, and organizational performance. Its purpose is to enhance employee performance/productivity, which leads to employee and customer satisfaction and an increase in the profitability of the organization. The Four Basic Sections … [Read more...]
The Transformative Change Model
The Transformative Change Model Change management is a required capability for developing change competency. To build change competency, you must equip all levels of your organization with the understanding, perspectives and tools to make change seamless and effortless. Managing change means managing the conversation … [Read more...]
Why Change?
Change affects every aspect of life. Taking a proactive approach to change is the only way to take charge of the future, either as an individual or as an organization. Approaching change with an open mind allows positive learning to occur. For organizations, change is the way to stay competitive and to grow. For individuals, the opportunities created by change enrich careers and personal … [Read more...]
Teams and Conflict
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGONWQU4NHI Conflict Defined Conflict is defined as the belief that if you get what you want, I can’t get what I want. Conflict occurs primarily for one of two reasons: 1) different interests or 2) the same interests, which are in conflict. Conflict in Teams is Inevitable Work issues and personality differences guarantee that almost any team will experience at … [Read more...]
Today’s Teams
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0nDtdjftQ8 Team members today barely have time to complete their work, let alone spend extra time on things such as defining a group process. This makes it even more important for individual contributors to know how to participate fully on a team right from the start. Whether teams are officially put in place or not, groups will form. It is human nature. It … [Read more...]
Today’s Teams
By Shirley J. Caruso, M.A., Human Resource Development http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0nDtdjftQ8 There was a time when “team building” was all the rage. Each team spent a great deal of time, energy and effort clarifying goals, developing a team charter and establishing operating principles — that is, working on the process of being a team as much as any task itself. Frankly, there is … [Read more...]
Using Brainstorming as an Approach to Creative Problem Solving
Brainstorming was created by Alex Osborn of the advertising firm Batten, Barton, Durstine, and Osborn to increase the quantity and quality of advertising ideas. The process became known as brainstorming because the participants’ brains were used to “storm” a problem. Some people want to discount brainstorming because it is a simple process. Brainstorming is not to be … [Read more...]
The SCAMPER Approach to Problem Solving
SCAMPER is a tool used to generate ideas. This approach was first suggested by Alex Osborn, a pioneer in the field of creativity. Later, Bob Eberle created a mnemonic of the approach: S ubstitute C ombine A dapt M odify of magnify P ut to other uses E liminate or reduce R everse or rearrange How SCAMPER Works Here’s how it works. Suppose you are a designer of fine leather driving … [Read more...]
Laying the Groundwork for a Team Foundation
Shirley J. Caruso, Ed.D. Characteristics of effective teams include: well-defined goals and priorities Team goals override individual goals Cooperation, not competition Deal with conflict effectively Listen to varying points of view High level of morale Practice open and frequent communication Characteristics of ineffective teams include: Cliques or subgroups … [Read more...]