The Key
August 15, 2007

Entelechy's Newsletter for Trainers, Managers, 
HR Professionals and Others Responsible 
for the Performance of Others.

Letter from the Editor

Are we doing it again?

With the new iPhone and the proliferation of iPods, Blackberries, and other mobile devices, the training world is turning a hungry eye on the potential of the new mobile technologies. Yet, to me, this smells like – as Yogi Berra stated – déjà vu all over again!

The hype of CBT (and before that, videodisc and programmed instruction) failed to materialize; we built tons of boring stuff. The same can be argued with WBT – the hype didn’t live up to the reality. Turning a blind eye to instructional effectiveness; we hoisted the cost savings banner.

I think part of the problem is that little distinction is made between information and skills. People tend to lump them together and call it training, and we in training don’t do much to help educate the masses. 

• Information is the fuel that you need to do your work – facts, policies, procedures, product features, steps, descriptions, phone numbers, etc. Without information, the most skillful employee will be ineffective in doing his or her work.

• Skills comprise the engine that allows the fuel – information – to be converted into productivity. Skills are the abilities of a person to accomplish a task and are acquired through modeling, practice, reflection/evaluation, etc. Without skills, the most informed employee will be ineffective in doing his or her work.

As old as Benjamin Bloom’s taxonomy is, I think it has value in today’s world to help us make appropriate use of technology – or at least set realistic expectations for technology’s place in training.

Bloom and his cohorts came up with a system to classify learning objectives. They differentiated between various levels of cognition saying, in effect, “Just because you know about stuff doesn’t mean that you can do something.” His frustration – and research – stemmed from the realization that students were passing tests but didn’t know how to apply any of the information they knew about. (See the next article in this newsletter about Bloom’s taxonomy.)

While technology has enabled us to create great training at the knowledge and comprehension levels (making people aware of something and helping them understand it), it can be argued that technology has been less than effective at the higher levels of cognition. And it isn’t the fault of the technology; it’s the nature of learning. To learn to effectively position a product’s features to a wary customer requires more than simply knowing the features; to learn to conduct an effective coaching session with an employee requires more than simply knowing a coaching model.

Terry

Blooming IDiots

I’m a Blooming IDiot (the ID is for Instructional Designer) – and I hope I can convince you to be one as well.

Beginning in 1948, a group of educators led by psychologist Benjamin Bloom undertook the task of classifying education goals and objectives. The intent was to develop a classification system for three domains: the cognitive, the affective, and the psychomotor.

Of the three domains, Bloom and his team concentrated on the cognitive domain since the emphasis for their research was university teaching. Work on the cognitive domain was completed in 1956 and is commonly referred to as Bloom’s Taxonomy of the Cognitive Domain although the full title was Taxonomy of Educational Objectives: The Classification of Educational Goals. Handbook I: Cognitive Domain with the text having four other authors (M. Englehart, E. Furst, W. Hill, and D Krathwohl).

The major idea of the taxonomy is that what trainers want participants to know (encompassed in statements of educational objectives) can be arranged in a hierarchy from less to more complex. 

In his research, Bloom found that over 95% of the test questions students encounter require them to think only at the lowest possible level: the recall of information. This is in contrast to the research that shows that students remember more when they have learned to handle the topic at the higher levels of the taxonomy. This is because more elaboration is required, a principle of learning based on finding from the information processing approach to learning.

Bloom and his group identified six categories within the cognitive domain beginning with the most basic category of cognition: knowledge, and progressing to the most advanced category: evaluation. Each category defines a certain level of learning, which infers a certain type of instruction and assessment.

Here are examples of behaviors in each category (written backwards from the graphic – from simplest to most complex):

Well-designed, effective training does two things well:

• It teaches to the level that participants need to perform on the job.

• It tests to the same level to make sure participants can do what they need to do.

Technologies – at least current technologies – don’t have the sophistication required to adequately test much beyond the comprehension level. Current technology can easily test for right or wrong, but has difficulty with shades of gray or multiple correct answers. The upper levels of Bloom’s taxonomy are filled with shades of gray.

The reason blended training works so well is because it leverages the power of technology to handle what it handles best – sharing of information, and training at the knowledge and comprehension levels – and leverages other training methodologies – such as classroom training, mentoring, manager-led training – to address the more complex levels of cognition.

For more information on Bloom’s Taxonomy – as well as a ton of practical design and development tips – check out our eGuide, Entelechy’s Practical Design and Development Tips at http://unlockit.com/eGuide-Intro.htm.

Entelechy Speaks to Michael Useem about Decision Making

“In a moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing to do. The worst thing you can do is nothing.”
                                                                          
- Theodore Roosevelt

“Ninety-five percent of the decisions you make as a leader could be made by any reasonably intelligent high school junior; we pay you for the other 5%.”
                                                                                       - Anonymous

Leaders are often defined by the decisions they make. Recently, Entelechy had the opportunity to work with Dr. Michael Useem, director of the Center of Leadership and Change and a professor of Management at the Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Useem is the author of several books on leadership and decision-making including his latest best seller, The Go-Point: When It’s Time to Decide – Knowing What to Do and When to Do It.

According to Dr. Useem’s research, when there is increased pressure on managers to make the best choices for their organization many people will often over-analyze the decision making process and disregard their gut instinct. Effective leaders will solicit advice from their peers, draw upon previous experiences making similar choices, and listen to their inner feelings to determine when action is necessary. The most effective leader arrives at the most appropriate solution for any given situation, regardless of time constraints, limited resources, or outside pressures.

For his book, The Go Point, Dr. Useem interviewed over 100 decision-makers, the decisions they made, and their outcomes to identify patterns in effective decision-making under often challenging, always ambiguous situations. In his book, Dr. Useem highlights historical and present-day management challenges to show how and when decisions were made that changed people, relationships, businesses, and countries.

Dr. Useem states, “Where decision-making is concerned, … there are a few built-in bugs – design flaws of the mind – that can have big consequences. People are overly optimistic, for instance, assigning zero probability to events that are merely unlikely, such as a massive iceberg in the path of a really big ship, or the rupturing of a levee in the aftermath of a category four hurricane. We see ‘patterns’ in the random movements of stocks the way our ancestors saw bears and hunters in the scatterplot of the night sky. We make choices that justify our past choices and then look for data to support them. Not only do we make these errors, we make  them reliably.”

But, Dr. Useem believes, that is the good news. Predictable errors are preventable errors. To help illustrate the decision-making capabilities that effective managers possess, Useem provides examples of good and bad decisions and analyzes them, pointing out patterns that we can follow to increase our own decision-making abilities. In his book, we are shown how to think critically and arrive at a fitting decision, without succumbing to the very real pressures of offices, courtrooms, trading floors, and patrol routes.

Dr. Useem advocates that even the best decision makers need to continuously analyze their past decisions and revamp their decision making process based on that assessment. Even unskilled and inexperienced leaders can master the art and science of making effective decisions quickly by continuously and objectively evaluating past decisions and applying the lessons learned to future decisions.

In a national survey taken in 2000, four out of five respondents said decision making was very important in their current or most recent jobs. What’s more, the capacity to make choices – the willingness to jump into the decision game and play it well – is arguably one of the great discriminators and predictors of ultimate success or failure. (Michael Useem, The Go Point, p. 66)

Analyze YOUR Decisions

Consider decisions you’ve made where the outcome impacted others in fairly significant ways. Then ask and answer the following questions:

1. What is one of the best decisions you have made professionally? Why are you most proud of it?

2. How did you know when to make that particular decision? What were the factors that made that decision especially thorny?

3. What is one of the best decisions you have made personally? Why are you most proud of it?

4. How did you know when to make that particular decision? What were the factors that made that decision especially thorny?

Decision making is a key leadership skill; continually assess the decisions you’ve made and apply those lessons to decisions you’re about to make.

Entelechy supports Linkage’s Distance Learning Broadcasts by creating the training materials that are used to support the training. Our support gets us working side by side with today’s leading thought gurus on key leadership topics. For more information about these broadcasts, contact Entelechy at info@unlockit.com.

Credibility and Coaching

Coaching works because there’s an implicit trust between coach and coachee. The coachee trusts the intentions of the coach. 

However trust simply is the ticket to the show; it’s the price of admission.

What makes coaching work – REALLY work – is credibility. The coachee respects the credibility of the coach. That credibility comes in a number of flavors, but we’ll focus on the two primary areas where credibility can be built:

• Credibility as a player

• Credibility as a coach

Let’s say that you’re a new classroom trainer. Would you rather be coached by someone who’s never actually trained, or by someone who’s been there and done that? Most of us would prefer a coach with credibility in having done our job.

Now let’s say that you’re choosing between two coaches of equal experience and credibility in doing the job. Would you rather be coached by someone new to the activity of coaching, or by someone who’s coached many others to success before you? Most of us would prefer a coach with credibility as a coach.

So, how do you build credibility with your coachee?

1. Recognize that credibility begins with sharing. Having the greatest credentials in the world means nothing if others don’t know about them. What is your experience as a player? As a coach? 
   
   

2. Appropriately and judiciously reveal your experiences. Share your experiences in context. Here are some examples:
   
   

   • “That’s a great way to position the product. In my experiences as sales rep, I’ve found that when features are tied directly to customer needs….”

   • “I agree. I think one of the highlights of my training career was when I was able to build a relationship with one of my toughest students….”

   • “You’re at a breakthrough place with this skill. In my tenure as coach, I’ve seen a lot of folks get to this point….”
     
     

3. Use disclosure to build empathy AND credibility. Disclosure is revealing something – maybe a bit more personal than credentials – about yourself. The act of disclosure helps break down barriers. Here are some examples of the coach disclosing:
   
   

   • “I used to get really nervous before I did a presentation. Actually, I STILL get nervous, but I handle it differently now….”

   • “I remember the toughest customer I ever faced. He caused me to turn in my resignation letter. Fortunately, my boss….”

Note that disclosure should remain at a professional level and it should be helpful to the coachee. Sharing secrets about your family life or gossip about others in the office isn’t disclosure, it’s needy, pathetic, and/or destroys credibility.

Entelechy’s Coaching Model also helps the coach build credibility because the coach’s role throughout the coaching process is primarily to support and build. When the coachee accurately states, “I think if I had practiced the presentation more, I would have been less nervous and would have come across as more confident,” the coach may respond with, “I agree. I know that when I haven’t practiced enough, I feel less confident in what I’m saying. And sometimes, I know that’s cost me the sale….”

Do you agree? Do you disagree? Do you have ways in which YOU build credibility? Tell me what YOU think on the Coaching Blog at http://coachingforperformance.blogspot.com/. 

Please share with me your thoughts and specific examples and read what others have to say at http://coachingforperformance.blogspot.com/. (If you prefer, you can also email your ideas to me at ttraut@unlockit.com.) Stimulate. Be stimulated! Invite your colleagues and bosses to join the discussion by pasting the following into an email:

We’re talking about coaching – something that I know you have a passion about. Share it with the rest of us on BlogSpot at http://coachingforperformance.blogspot.com/. 

And Now, Something Completely Different

If you want to monkey around and send someone an animated email, try CareerBuilder’s Monk-e-mail. It’s hysterical! 

Go to http://careerbuilder.com/

Mailing and Privacy Information

You have received this email because you are in Entelechy's database of people that we've interacted with directly or indirectly or you've signed up for The Key. If you've received this email in error, please click on http://unlockit.com/newsletter.htm to be removed immediately from our mailing database with our apologies. (If you have trouble with the optout link, please reply to this email directly and I'll personally remove your name.)

Send this email to your friends and colleagues who may be involved in training and the performance of others and could benefit from FREE performance tips, tools, and techniques.

Entelechy will not sell, rent, or otherwise provide anyone else your membership information for any reason. Period.

Terence Traut, President of Entelechy "unlocking potential"
ttraut@unlockit.com   
phone: 603-424-1237
fax: 603-424-6361
http://www.unlockit.com