The Learning Cafe

August 2011

As managers, what do you need to do keep your staff? Keep them happy at work is the most simple answer.

A recent survey of 17,000 people in more than 80 countries by workplace provider Regus looked at what was most likely to create a happy work atmosphere. Some 64% of New Zealand workers said respect for colleagues was the key.

Here are a few steps you can take today to start to build a better workplace environment:

Show respect for all staff
Catch people doing things right – congratulate and celebrate good work
Help your staff to develop

And… have some fun!

Please take a few minutes and join us for this month's virtual coffee at The Learning Cafe to:

Indulge in double shots - new insights and ideas about business and learning
Dine on some fine food - to fill you with new thoughts and ways to get better value
People-watch - see what others are doing
Pass comment or gossip - on current topics of interest
Browse the magazines - and learn some new tricks of the trade
Be inspired - by the thoughts and actions of others

The Capability Compass How to deal with a "Stuck" person Stuck = Low Motivation - Low Skill This person: Doesn't know how to do the work and is lacking the confidence to have a go Doesn't seem capable or willing to learn Has no motivation Has few skills Appears to not want to improve their situation Response (Direct) Take a controlling role Tell them what to do Provide a working structure Do what it takes to get them to do the job Be the Boss and make your expectations very clear Focus on the job that has to be done, not the relationship Read more...	sdfsd	How do we make training stick? In this article Donald Taylor explores how formal classroom training (the 10%) can deliver more impact with on job support (70%). It provides a useful insight on how to apply the 10/20/70 model of learning. Read more… Top ten smart apps for learning and development professionals James McLuckie of Eden Tree provides a list of must-have smartphone apps for learning and development professionals. Read more… Questions to sharpen your business strategy Successful business strategy lies not in having all the right answers, but rather in asking the right questions, says Harvard Business School professor Robert Simons. In an excerpt from his new book, Seven Strategy Questions, Simons explains how posing these questions can help managers make smart choices. Key concepts include: Asking simple questions enables business teams to focus on key issues instead of on the distracting information that can obfuscate clear thinking. A successful business strategy requires an ongoing, face-to-face debate, which a manager can facilitate by posing the right questions to the team. Each of the key questions are the root of an "information imperative"—a particular topic or process that a manager must master in order to implement a strategy successfully. Read more... New Zealand's leading producer of chicken products, Tegel Foods Ltd, had recently acquired a competitor. The process of bedding in new staff prompted a review of the company's entire safety and production culture. Maintaining continuous production on two separate lines (raw and cooked) required constant vigilance to avoid breakdowns, errors and quality problems. It was recognised that the company's safety first and critical thinking culture was more reactive than proactive, leading to sub-optimal processes. The Learning Wave was tasked with designing a literacy skills programme to address the issues. Read more...

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