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Building Business Values Through Online Knowledge

When your day starts with checking office e-mail and logging on to yourcompany intranet, you join other employees in business and government worldwidein collaborating to move their enterprises forward.

    Collaboration, however, means more than just e-mail in some organizations,where the term “communities of practice” is being used to describedetermined efforts to bring people together. William Bennett, of the FederalEnergy Regulatory Commission, views a community of practice as a “self-organizinggroup of people with expertise, experience, and interest in a particularpractice area who share valuable insights about the practice area. In essence,it is an informal learning vehicle.”


    Examples of these communities of practice include:


  • Ericsson Canada pooling the talent of geographically dispersed employees byusing a Web system to ask and get answers. Anders Hemre, the chief knowledgeofficer, is charged with improving the flow of internal information. He isexperimenting with six communities of practice—four in face-to-face meetingsand two online.


  • Schlumberger oilfield services engineers reaching out for answers byusing their “InTouch” system to quickly resolve field problems. Peter Day,InTouch program manager, credits the program with “$200 million in costsavings and revenue in 2001, along with a 95 percent reduction in the timerequired to solve difficult operational problems and a 75 percent decrease inthe time necessary to update engineering modifications.”


  •  Xerox giving 25,000 field-service engineers access to aknowledge-sharing system that contributes savings of nearly 10 percent on partsand labor, translating into $15 to $20 million per year. Dan Holtshouse,director of knowledge initiatives, talks about “the 50,000 solution tips thathave been entered into the knowledge base, all on a purely voluntary basis, inexchange for contributors’ being recognized. What we have learned is theimportance of creating a work environment with a culture and incentives that areconducive to sharing, and to support that environment with improved workprocesses and strong technology.”


    Enterprises everywhere are finding ways to share and create knowledge bybringing their employees together. In a check-printing company, employees useLotus Notes to capture questions and answers. A placement firm uses messageboards to connect nurses deployed to client hospitals across the country. And aglobal pharmaceutical company uses a new online tool to change the waymanufacturing problems are solved and documented.


Capturing what people talk about
    Dr. Etienne Wenger, the researcher and thinker often credited with coiningthe term “communities of practice,” predicts that “within a few years theywill be as natural to our concept of organization as teams have become. From ahuman resources standpoint it is the first serious chance HR has to bestrategic, creating communities of practice in areas strategic to the business.It takes seriously the idea that our best resources are our people.”


    Knowledge growth, sharing, and learning among people are at the heart of suchinitiatives, the understanding of which has fascinating roots. The Xerox fieldservice technicians’ knowledge network dates from Xerox PARC (Palo AltoResearch Center) research in 1991 (detailed in Dr. John Seely Brown’s book TheSocial Life of Information).


    Anthropologist Julian Orr spent six months in the field, which includedsocializing with the field technicians after hours. Rather than apparently idlegossip, what he found was, in fact, work talk. The same posing of questions,raising problems, finding solutions, knowledge gathering, and sharing went on asin most businesses, where the first call for help is over the cubicle to thelocal expert.


Capturing the 80 percent
    The growing interest in online knowledge sharing is no surprise to JonathanSpira, chief analyst and founder of the knowledge-management consultancy Basex.”We estimate that 20 percent of the knowledge in the average enterprise isexplicitly recorded, generally as structured or unstructured data on a computersystem. The other 80 percent exists tacitly in the heads of the employees–andsavvy knowledge management aims to capture this 80 percent, through the use oftools such as expertise software and communities of practice.”


    Researchers David Millen and Michael Fontaine at IBM’s Institute forKnowledge-Based Organizations (IKO) describe three groups that benefit fromwork-based communities:


  • First the individual, through skill enhancement, increased jobsatisfaction, sense of belonging, professional reputation, and personalproductivity.


  • Second the community, in greater trust, expertise sharing, knowledge,and problem solving.


  • Finally the organization, in areas such as improved sales, costsavings, speed-to-market of new products, customer satisfaction, productinnovation, operating efficiency, and decreased employee turnover.


Thinking takes time
    For IBM’s Mike Wing, vice president of worldwide Internet strategy andprograms, the big impact of community-building is in cultural change. “Inturning the company around, the toughest and most important issue was culturechange. That’s where the company’s intranet has played its most importantrole. We’ve used it to bring the marketplace inside, to unify the company(providing a view not dependent on geography or department), and to empowerevery employee with a broad range of knowledge-capturing, self-service tools.”


    Ericsson’s Anders Hemre focuses on the fact that “communities involvethinking together, and thinking takes time. An organization that does not allowitself time to think may turn into a thoughtless organization.”


Where to begin
    Gloria Gery, a respected business-learning and performance-support expert,says HR should look at the ways it relates to remote employees. She advisesexploring “how you can use some of the new collaboration technologies toexpand the rate of problem-solving and also the quality of the solutions.”


    If you are looking to grow the use of collaboration and communities ofpractice, here are some tips:


  • Start with a clear area of business need.
  • Start small.
  • Don’t just get management buy-in. Recruit their involvement
  • Define clear goals and metrics.
  • Ensure that the initiative ties in to existing projects.
  • Allocate a budget and support resources.
  • Understand and respect informal employee initiatives already under way.Offer support, but do not kill.
  • Build a team of the right people committed to success.
  • Celebrate contributions.
  • Build on small successes.
  • Be prepared to adjust the plan in response to what you learn.

Workforce Online, December 2002 — Register Now!

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Truth and Myths of Work-Life Balance

A full decade has passed since leading corporations first installed comprehensive work/life programs designed to draw more talent into the workplace and help employees focus on the tasks at hand. Despite the time and money poured into these programs, few claim unmitigated success, and on an aggregate level, little has changed.

Workplace surveys still register high levels of employee stress stemming from work/life conflicts. Large groups of women and minority workers remain unemployed or underemployed because of family responsibilities and bias in the workplace. And in too many cases, the programs have reached only the workers who need them least.

Workforce sat down with HR executives from leading corporations to take a closer look at work/life policies and benefits and their tangible results. The September roundtable discussion, sponsored by The New York Times Job Market,produced both solid responses and notable silences.

The participants, a group of nine HR executives and experts from top companies and consultancies, uniformly agree that their companies are committed to promoting work/life balance. Most offer flextime and extensive work/life benefits. Many acknowledge the difficulty, however, in creating a culture that supports these programs, extending flexibility to nonprofessional employees, and building solid tools to measure results.

Culture and communication
Jennifer Lacy, director of research for The New York Times Job Market, presented the findings of a survey of 300 job-seekers in the New York are conducted for the New York Times. Seventy-five percent of the respondents reported that workplace stress had an impact on their decision to look for a new job. However, “there is a general perception among employees that working long hours is important for career advancement,” Lacy says. This notion, and the pay and promotion policies that support it, often undermine attempts to promote work/life balance.

All of the roundtable participants say that corporate culture and the examples by top managers can make or break work/life programs. “A culture can be very subtle,” says Joseph Gibbons, a Brooklyn-based consultant in human capital management at FutureWork Institute, a workforce consultancy. “It might be a manager who is permitted to roar at others, but it can also be a feeling of subtle competition in the culture—that 28-year-old who is putting in 60 hours a week and got the promotion. Senior-level modeling of work/life balance may be a key issue here.”

Within a company, “culture may vary from department to department,” says Marcia Brumit Kropf, vice president for research and information services catalyst, a New York City-based nonprofit research and advisory organization.”In one department or location, employees may feel very comfortable using flexible hours, for example, while at another location in the same company with the same policy, no one would consider using flexible hours.”

At the New York Times, modeling work/life balance at the managerial level meets department boundaries. “We have a senior vice president who works four-day weeks, so we work with that and try to promote it, but it has limitations,” says Dennis Stern, vice president for human resources. “The vice president has a small department where there is flexibility in scheduling, but it doesn’t automatically translate to other parts of our business.”

Ana Mollinedo, vice president of diversity, communications, and community affairs at Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Inc., headquartered in WhitePlains, New York, says their work/life program has support from the top down. The hotel giant employs 110,000 people worldwide. “If you don’t have support from the top, you’re somewhere in the middle trying to push up and spinning your wheels.”

For senior management at Macy’s, a New York City retailer with 30,000employees, “work/life balance was a foreign concept and it was not embraced automatically,” says William Ives, group vice president for benefits, compensation, labor, and employee relations. “Now, as a company, we are beginning to believe that a satisfying personal life affects an employee’s job.”

Limited flexibility
Participants from companies with large numbers of professional employees, such as Cap Gemini Ernst & Young and Goldman, Sachs & Co., easily incorporate flextime and flexplace arrangements that help create balance. However, for employers with substantial numbers of administrative, maintenance,or customer-facing employees, flexibility is clearly more problematic.

Starwood offers flexibility for employees at corporate headquarters but often can not extend the same consideration to workers at the hotel properties, where shift work is common. Macy’s faces similar limitations on flexibility for employees at its stores, where the hours of work are customer-driven.

Arthur Brown, university director of human resources management services, City University of New York, sees the same limits on flextime opportunities forCUNY’s 30,000 employees. “Academia has the image of having a lot of free time, but there are many more administrative staff than faculty,” he says. “Weare also facing a shift to the idea that students are customers. We now often have someone at the registrar’s office and the bursar’s office at 7:00 a.m.because that’s when students want to go there. That makes it difficult to create work-life balance programs everyone can use.”

Diversity as the driver
What motivates companies to provide work/life programs, particularly when top management may not readily recognize the problems addressed? “We would like to say that we have a senior management team with an altruistic view of workforce needs, but we recognize, as many employers do, that there is a direct line of sight to our bottom line,” says Emmett Seaborn, principal at Towers Perrin in Stamford, Connecticut. “Towers Perrin sees work/life as an enabler ofdiversity, and diversity is critical to our existence. We have to have diversity of thought and diversity of connections with our clients, or we become irrelevant.”

Building a diverse workforce rests on an employer’s ability to attract and retain female and minority employees who may not be able to work without flexible scheduling or benefit programs designed to help them meet personal needs and family responsibilities.

At the New York Times, “diversity certainly motivates work/life programs,”Stern says. “We spent time defining diversity, and one of the important points is encouraging a diverse workforce by promoting work/life flexibility.” Goldman Sachs, work/life benefits are a recruitment tool. “For the company as a whole, work/life balance is a priority because it allows us to be competitive and attract a diverse slate of candidates,” says Michael DesMarais, vice president, of human capital management, for the New York City-based company, which has 20,500 employees worldwide.

Macy’s also associates work/life programs with the need to build diversity in the workforce. “When we speak of diversity, we speak of work/life, and it’s always in the same context,” Ives says. “We asked, ‘How do we promote the company as an inclusive work environment that respects different thoughts and needs, and then, how do we meet those needs?’ Diversity and work/life go hand-in-hand.”

At Starwood, where more than 50 percent of the U.S. workforce consists of people of color from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds, “a lot of work/life issues are tied to differences in culture,” Mollinedo says. “For example, for many Hispanics, parents are dependents. Starwood is sensitive to that. Different work/life issues arise with other cultures. If the internal culture of the company is not inclusive, you are less likely to have an understanding of the issues that show up in work/life.”

Measuring ROI
How do employers measure the return on their investment in work/life programs, and what metrics do they use to justify programs and budgets? Starwooduses an annual associate satisfaction survey with questions about all aspects of the workplace, including work/life issues. “The survey is detailed and extensive, and it’s successful because employees see that senior management take the results seriously,” Mollinedo says.

Macy’s also uses employee-satisfaction surveys that include work/life questions, but Ives believes that the experiences of individual employees provide additional evidence of the success of the programs. “We have vice presidents who work four-day workweeks because they want to be home with their children, and we know they would have left the company without that accommodation. So we have tangible evidence that these programs make a difference on an individual case basis, and we believe that’s enough,” Ives says.

Some companies also use exit interviews to monitor program effectiveness. Information requested from participants after the roundtable, however, revealed that few of the companies systematically collect and review data on employee participation in work/life programs and the impact of these benefits on unscheduled absences and turnover.

From his vantage point as a consultant in the field, Seaborn offers a more detailed approach to calculating ROI. “We look at the linkages between three components: the impact of programs on employee behaviors, how these behaviors drive customer intent to repurchase, and how the customer intent to repurchase drives financial results. To maximize ROI, we compare one portfolio of programs with another, including the more quantifiable items such as pay and benefits, as well as environmental factors such as work/life balance. Relevant questions are: If we increase our investment, what will be the impact on employee behavior in terms of turnover, engagement, and commitment to the organization? Then, if we enhance those factors, what will be the customer and bottom-line impact?”

Stalled out
Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics suggests slow or no growth in work/life programs in recent years, and the companies at the roundtable report few new programs. At Towers Perrin, sabbaticals are under consideration, “but we are struggling with the impact on our bottom line,” Seaborn says. Goldman Sachs has introduced emergency on-site daycare for people with children who learn that school has been canceled or whose regular daycare is not available.”We offer employees an allotted number of days that they can bring their children site to our licensed facility and staff,” DesMarais says. Goldman Sachs, Starwood, and Macy’s have installed programs for employees to do volunteer work.

When asked about work/life programs that employees have requested but companies have not been willing or able to provide, only two participants could recall such requests. In both cases, on-site daycare was the desired benefit. Mollinedo says that Starwood employees have asked for daycare and “we are talking this through to see if it is feasible given our location and space.”At Macy’s, “daycare has been a major request for many years, but it’s difficult to put in because of the liability and costs,” Ives says. Macy’s offers a daycare referral program and created an emergency daycare service five months ago.

The past decade has produced notable advances in work/life programs. Still, progress may be stalled. Until employers build a supportive corporate culture across all departments, the talent pool will remain underutilized, and diversity may be a fragile and tentative achievement. n

Workforce, December 2002, pp. 34-39 — Subscribe Now!

 

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Benefit Integration Boost Productivity and Profits

To Libby Child, it just made sense. If her company, Steelcase Inc., couldsave money and help its employees on workers’ compensation by bringing themback to work, then the same results would occur for employees on long-term andshort-term disability. Even better, says Child, the integrated disabilitymanager for the Michigan manufacturer of custom office furniture, the company’sdecision to change the way it administered benefits before the economydeteriorated has made a significant difference in raising productivity andcontrolling costs.

The Grand Rapids-based firm was enjoying the fruits of integrated benefits:higher productivity, improved morale, increased administrative efficiency, andfewer legal hassles. Then the economy faltered, and Steelcase laid off more than1,000 employees. Its benefit-integration program–which combines long- andshort-term disability, workers’ compensation, medical case management, andFamily and Medical Leave Act administration–helped keep the cost of layoffs incheck. The program has enabled employees, laid off or not, to receive propermedical treatment and benefits for the appropriate amount of time, whileensuring that they do not simultaneously dip into different benefit streams. Asother employers watch medical and disability costs skyrocket, costs at Steelcaseare increasing at a much slower pace, Child says.


So, what exactly is benefit integration? It coordinates any combination ofbenefits, including health, disability, time off, and workers’ compensation,to meet human resources objectives, says George R. Faulkner, a principal withNew York-based Mercer Human Resource Consulting. “All we are talking about isbeing smarter about how benefits are delivered,” notes William P. Molmen,general counsel of the San Francisco-based Integrated Benefits Institute (IBI).


At Steelcase, it works like this: a disabled employee calls a toll-free phonenumber and, after following the prompts, connects with a representative whofiles the claim, collects necessary FMLA information, and directs the worker toa medical case manager if necessary. Employees at the $3.1 billion company getthe same treatment regardless of whether the disability is work-related. Thanksto benefit integration, the combined cost of short-term disability, long-termdisability, and workers’ compensation has dropped 13 percent, from $1.63 per$100 of payroll in 1998 to $1.42 in 2001. Restricted workdays have plunged 73percent, from 63,000 in 1992 to 16,943 in 2000. Lost-time days have declined 70percent, from 4,313 in 1992 to 1,313 in 2000. And the number of litigateddisability-related cases fell from 15 in 1996 to 6 in 2000.


Employee satisfaction also has improved under the integrated approach, Childsays–from 1.2 on a 4.0 scale in 1997 to 3.5 in 2000, according to an in-housesurvey. “The employee satisfaction kept going up and up,” she notes. Gettingemployees and managers to adapt to the new procedure was the biggest hurdle. Ittook six months to get them on board, despite a full-scale promotional campaign.”They weren’t sure who to call, when to call, and how to file a form,” shesays.


But once that initial period had passed, managers and employees took to theconvenience of calling just one number to report a lost-time injury or illness.Employees also appreciate the consistent return-to-work policy, whether they areon workers’ compensation or short-term or long-term disability.


Comerica is another company that is reaping the rewards of benefitintegration. The Detroit-based financial services provider saved millions ofdollars in lost wages in its first five years of integrated benefits, also known as absencemanagement, says David R. Groves, vice president of corporate health management.


The company, which has 308 branches and posted net income of $710 million in2001, saw the cost of disability-related lost wages drop from $8.7 million in1995 to $5.3 million in 2000–a decline of 39 percent. During the same period,average lost-time claims shrank 42 percent, from 52 to 30 days, and totaldisability days dropped 49 percent, from 65,000 per year to 33,000.


The savings can also be more immediate. Just 12 months after hiring athird-party administrator to manage and cover much of its integrated disabilityprogram, Owensboro Mercy Health System, in Owensboro, Kentucky, was able toconvert 3,096 lost-time days to restricted-duty days. This saved theorganization $282,815, says Pam Cox, manager of human resources development.


Lured by such promising results, more and more employers are pursuing benefitintegration.

Lured by such promising results, more and more employers are pursuing benefitintegration, according to the 2001 Employers’ Time-Off and Disability Programssurvey, released in May by Mercer Human Resource Consulting and Marsh Inc.


Of the companies surveyed, half of those with 1,000 or more employees havealready begun to integrate their short- and long-term disability plans with onecarrier or administrator. This compares with 40 percent of same-size employersin the previous year. Another 19 percent are planning or considering theapproach.


Some employers are grouping more benefits in their plans. Nine percent ofemployers with more than 1,000 employees are integrating short-term disability,long-term disability, and workers’ compensation, and another 22 percent areplanning or considering implementing such programs, according to the survey.


Impressive results
    Business results explain the trend toward benefit integration. Benefitcoordination provides cost control, increases employee satisfaction, and easesadministration, the survey reports. Employers that are integrating benefits citecost control as the top reason. “Employers are looking more long-term becausethey are frustrated with short-term fixes” such as negotiating insurancerates, hiring new carriers, and designing plan cutbacks, says Faulkner, whoco-authored the Mercer/Marsh report.


A labor shortage and rising disability costs motivated Owensboro Mercy HealthSystem to begin integrating benefits in 2001, Cox says. “We had experiencedrising workers’ compensation costs and increased long-term and short-termdisability premiums.”


Savings on benefits alone can amount to 40 or 50 percent, depending on thedegree to which disability programs were already managed, according to “ASurvey of Integrated Benefits Best Practices,” conducted by IBI and releasedin January. Most employers can benefit by integrating, says Phil Bruen, vicepresident of group market and product development for UnumProvident Corporation,a disability insurance company in Chattanooga, Tennessee. However, companieswith high turnover or few disability cases might not have the optimal culturefor benefit integration, he says. Companies or firms composed primarily ofself-motivated professionals, Faulkner adds, such as law firms, also may nothave a great need to integrate benefits.


Despite the advantages of benefit integration, it can still be tough for theHR professional to convince the CFO that this is a strategy to pursue.

Making the case
    Despite the advantages of benefit integration, it can still be tough for theHR professional to convince the CFO that this is a strategy to pursue. Sinceimplementation of an integrated benefits program will disrupt processes,culture, and departmental responsibilities, “you are going to have to prove itwill provide value,” Faulkner says. In fact, many respondents to the IBIsurvey said they would have put more effort into selling the program to topmanagement.


“CFOs want to know how better delivery of benefits will affect cash flowand the bottom line,” IBI’s Molmen adds. He recommends explaining the fullcost of lost productivity resulting from absence. IBI research of 60 employersshows that the full cost is generally twice the out-of-pocket benefit cost.Metrics to consider include the full cost of absence as a percentage of payroll,revenue, or income, he says.


The cost of unscheduled absence per $100 of payroll is an underusedbenchmark, Faulkner says. The 476 employers in the Mercer/ Marsh survey spent anaverage of 4.4 percent of payroll on benefits related to unscheduled absences in2000. That means for each employee earning $40,000 a year, companies spent about$1,760 on sick leave and time off for disability, according to survey data. Theindirect costs of unscheduled absence–including hiring temporary staffing,paying overtime, poor customer service, and additional training–could easilydouble that figure, the report says.


Human resources can sell integration to top management in different ways. AtComerica, good benchmarks helped get the CEO and executive management behind anintegrated return-to-work program, Groves says. To get top management support,he told them that on any given day, the number of employees off on disabilitywas equivalent to the number needed to work 16 to 18 branches. Also, Grovesdeliberately called the initiative a return-to-work program, as opposed to anintegrated program, making it easier for decision-makers to grasp the concept.


Vendor guarantees of a 10-to-1 return on investment really got executiveattention, Cox says. And in Owensboro’s case, the returns exceededprojections. At Steelcase, Child used the success of the already-in-placeworkers’ compensation return-to-work program and an experimental integratedreturn-to-work effort to get management interested. She also emphasized theemployee morale boost and the easier claim administration that integratedbenefits would bring. Without the non-occupational disability piece, “we werelosing opportunities,” Child adds.


Consensus-building is also critical, because operations and line managerswill want to see the benefits of any new process that will affect their jobs,Faulkner says, “so it isn’t just looked upon as an idea from HR because theyread it in an article.”


Groves assembled a committee of representatives from every business unit atComerica to get their buy-in on integration before approaching the CEO. “That’san absolutely necessary step,” he says. The committee developed a philosophystatement that the CEO adopted, setting the tone for implementation.


Incremental integration
    Integrated programs do not all look alike, Molmen says. Employers willapproach integration differently, depending on corporate culture, vendors, andbenefit design flexibility. Owensboro and its vendor, for example, havedifferent roles in the integrated program. The vendor covers short-term andlong-term disability and manages those programs along with the workers’compensation program, which is self-insured. The vendor medically managesnon-occupational claims, whereas an in-house nurse handles workers’compensation medical case management. Coordination of FMLA administration isalso handled in-house, Cox says.


Bruen recommends an incremental integration, starting with returning injuredemployees to work regardless of whether their injury or illness is work-related.Molmen notes, “You can do it incrementally and still have good results.”


At Owensboro, the vendor began by developing an effective return-to-workprogram for workers’ compensation cases in August 2001. Then in January 2002,it added the same program for non-occupational disabilities, which begins after15 lost workdays.


Comerica also built its program incrementally. In 1995 it began areturn-to-work program for non-occupational disabilities, Groves says. In 1997,the company formed the corporate health management department to oversee theworkers’ compensation, short- and long-term disability, wellness/health,employee assistance, and violence-in-the-workplace programs. The department alsooversees Family and Medical Leave Act administration and Americans withDisabilities Act compliance. In this way, he says, the continuum of employeehealth, from wellness to return-to-work, is better managed.


Then in 1998 its workers’ compensation and non-occupational third-partyadministrators began managing disability in tandem. In 2001, the company’snon-occupational disability vendor began fielding calls from employees andsupervisors to report disability–work-related or not–on a single toll-freenumber.


At Comerica, short-term disability begins after a worker has been off the jobfor five workdays and lasts for 180 days, after which long-term disability kicksin. Any occupationally related incidents must be reported.


Steelcase’s program is self-insured for the first six months of short-termdisability because that is when the company can have the biggest impact, Childsays. Long-term disability kicks in after six months and is fully insured. Atthe time of the program’s inception, all disability claims were managedin-house. Currently the company handles FMLA administration, workers’compensation, medical and disability case management, and return-to-work,whether or not the disability is work-related. A vendor manages any cases inwhich an employee is off work entirely.


Steelcase built its program from scratch in 1997. “There wasn’t anythingout there on the shelf that was of interest to us,” Child says. Few vendorswere offering programs that truly combined workers’ compensation withnon-occupational disability benefits. And it was difficult to get vendors towork in tandem.


If Steelcase were just now beginning to integrate benefits, Child says, thecompany would take a harder look at what vendors have to offer. Otherwise, shehas no regrets. Benefit integration enhances the company’s bottom line in goodtimes and bad, while helping out employees. And that works for her.


Workforce, December 2002, pp. 46-50 — Subscribe Now!

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Reader Feedback Traveling With a Gay Employee

Some ideas and opinions shared by readers who responded to recent advice onhow to handle employees who don’t want to sleep in the same room with anemployee who might be gay.

    “I believe the question and your answer missed a valid consideration. I amrequired to travel extensively in my profession. Perhaps I am fortunate comparedto others, but I have always maintained a travel persona that mirrors my homecity persona. That is to say, what I do and how I live when traveling is nodifferent that when at home. Thus, if I don’t share a room at home I certainlydo not — and will not — do so when traveling. It has nothing to do withhomophobia or anything else.
    Employees that travel, contrary to the mythical beliefs of others, areinconvenienced enough to be away from home on behalf of the company. To imposesuch ridiculous expectations under the guise of “cutting costs” ispenny-wise and dollar stupid. If the trip is of value to send an employee, it isof value to allow that employee the basic comforts of home. Any company thatexpects otherwise from its employees needs to take a long look at its policiesand expectations.”–Lou Mavredes, PHR, Vice President, Organizational Development, LandAmericaFinancial Group, Inc., Richmond, Virginia


    “What if the company gave a “room allowance” also for those thatreally didn’t want to share? People don’t have to be homophobic to not want toshare rooms. Those folks might be willing to foot a portion of the bill inexchange for privacy.”–Mary Sanders


    “Regarding your article about rooming up with a gay coworker, I believe youmiss the point entirely, as do many when addressing the diversity issue. I askyou this: Would you pair up men and women in a room together? The subject hereis not about acceptance of another’s lifestyle. What one person does behindclosed doors is completely up to themselves. However, consider the feelings ofthe ‘straight’ individual placed in this setting as you would a woman forced toroom with a man.
    Would you expect her to feel comfortable in this venue? I believe youwouldn’t and shouldn’t. The same applies in the scenario outlined in yourarticle. Unwanted attention is still unwanted attention, whether it be straightor gay. It creates unneeded attention and, ultimately a hostile environment. Iexperienced this firsthand as an insurance representative, when my roommate (agay man) made advances towards me of an aggressive nature while on the road. Ifit had been a male-female encounter, what would it have been called? Sexualharassment of course!
    Unacceptance of another’s lifestyle does NOT necessarily imply intolerance!Rather, tolerance is not a unilateral issue, and to respect one person’s sexualpreference also carries the responsibility to respect another’s moral or ethicaldecision regarding homosexuality. You can’t honor one at the expense of theother.
    In the workplace, some boundaries are necessary and this is such a case. Thisbeing a rather unique situation, farsighted individuals should have accountedfor the potential for difficulties and acted preemptively.”–MichaelYarnall, MBA, M.A. in Human Resources, Phoenix, Arizona


    “Here’s another option that companies may want to consider when faced withtrying to deal with employee concerns about having to share hotel rooms due to acompany’s need to cut costs.
    When I was working at IBM Canada we had a similar policy of having to sharerooms at conferences to allow more people to attend while keeping costs down.They did provide a time period for people to find their own roommates otherwiseas you suggested, they would be paired up randomly.
    Still we had some people who were uncomfortable sharing rooms no matter what.I proposed to management to give employees the option of paying for the otherhalf of the costs of the hotel room so that they can have their own private roomif they weren’t comfortable with sharing. This solution worked since it gaveemployees another option, the company was able to keep costs down and the otheremployees didn’t feel resentment since those who had private rooms paid theextra costs.”–Vicki Cal, Senior Manager, Analytics, Customer Relationship Management,Hudson’s Bay Company, Toronto, Ontario, Canada


    “I think that this is all wrong. Wouldn’t this be the same as asking awoman to share a room with a man to control costs? This is not the right way tocontrol costs. Personally, I would elect not to go to the conference.”—Mike O’Neal, Human Resource Manager


    “At our company, first we offer the option of choosing a roommate. Then weoffer people the option of paying the difference between the price of a singleroom and the price of a shared room. Some people are not comfortable withsharing a room with anyone, regardless of how they feel about sexualorientation.”–Susan Long, HR Consultant, Customer Works, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada


    “The obvious solution is for the company to be professional and give eachadult their own room. If the company can’t afford two rooms then a cheaper hotelor locale is warranted. Most adults gave up sleeping in rooms with strangerswhen they left college. It is absurd to require employees to room with’strangers’ of either sex or any sexual orientation (heterosexual, homosexual,bi-sexual etc).–Name withheld upon request, 18 years experience in human resources


    “Thanks for addressing the issue oftraveling with a Gay Co-Worker. I like the advice you gave. My concern is thatyou didn’t address the core of the issue. The writer seems to assume that thosewho don’t want to share a room with a Gay co-worker are homophobic. I takeexception to that. Not wanting to share a room with a gay co-worker is in asense, respecting that person’s sexual orientation. Would this company pair aheterosexual man and a woman in the same room? No. Because they respect the factthat the apparent differences make the pairing of the two inappropriate. Thesame is true for putting a gay coworker in the room with a straight coworker ofthe same gender. It is just as inappropriate as putting two people of oppositegenders in the room.” — Meloney J. Sallie-Dosunmu, Employee Relations& Development Manager, Just Born, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania


Workforce Online, December 2002 — Register Now!

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People, Performance, and Profits at MetLife

Life is pretty good at MetLife, the New York company whose profits got hithard after last year’s terrorist attacks. MetLife’s quarterly earnings,announced this month, more than doubled from a year ago. The company has avoidedlarge-scale layoffs. Turnover is low; as Senior Vice President of HR and ChiefLearning Officer Deb Capolarello puts it, employees right now would rather workfor “the devil they know, not the devil they don’t know.” MetLife fillsabout 39 percent of jobs from within.

    Meanwhile, MetLife is still doing the controversial practice of “forcedranking,” or “forced distribution,” as she calls it. MetLife is stickingwith the system because, she says, the company does a good job of explaining toemployees what they need to do to improve their performance. “As an employee,you want to know where you stand, how you did, and how you can improve,” shesays, adding that her system does just that. Employees are rated one, two,three, four, or five. A four or five employee can receive about 40 percent intotal compensation more than a three.


    MetLife’s HR team has about 400 HR professionals, or about one for everyhundred MetLife employees. The HR professionals are working on moving employeesto different jobs within their departments and around other departments, MetLifeis upgrading the company’s HRMS. They’re also hoping to improve the company’sbenefits, which include plenty of the popular and growing “flextime” benefitbut not a lot of eldercare assistance. Eldercare questions–more than any othersubject–are generating phone calls from MetLife employees to the company’sEAP.


    Capolarello says that HR executives that want to be influential cogs in thesenior management of a company can’t do it on their own. They need, more thananything, to find the right company and the right CEO to work for. “You’reonly as good as the company you sit in,” she says. “You need to find a placewhere (the CEO) believes in human capital and developing it, knows how importantthe policies you have are, and knows that employees are what makes your businessrun.”


Workforce Online, December 2002 — Register Now!

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The Problem With Know-It-Alls

Early in my career, I had a boss whose IQ seemed positively stratospheric. Heflew through college, acing courses like Advanced Statistics IV. He taughthimself how to play several musical instruments. He wrote computer programs as ahobby. He was the kind of person who had fun fiddling with Rubik’s Cube, andaccording to the office chatter, he could solve it.

He also was a teacher, though not in the formal sense. Watching Jim inaction, I learned that there’s a fine line between intelligence andintellectual arrogance.


My crash course began about six months into my job as a junior associate at amanagement consulting firm. “I’d like you to read this,” Jim said, handingme an article titled “Hunters vs. Farmers.” “I’m curious whether youthink we should be hunters or farmers.” Then he walked away.


I was a newbie in the work world, eager to please. So I read that articleagain and again and again. I studied it like a monk studying the Bible. I parsedphrases, searched for themes, struggled to comprehend. And I prayed that myanswer would be right.


My boss was the head of the small firm–and by “head,” I truly mean thebrains. He was a walking strategic plan, customer database, andperformance-management system all wrapped up in one. He was also a nice guy–notthe type to go around cracking jokes and giving high-fives, but a friendly sortwith a ready smile and kind word.


The day came for our conversation about the hunters vs. farmers article. Isat up straight and tried to look like the person with The Right Answer. Jim satback with assurance and cut to the chase: “So what do you think?”


“Well,” I began, “the article was very interesting. The examples werefascinating.”


“Yeah, but what do you think? Should we be hunters or farmers?”


The article had described two models for a consulting firm. The hunter firmwas made up of independent sorts who pursued clients and projects much like thehunters of the prehistoric age. Each was rewarded according to individualresults. The farmer firm was more collaborative, with the consultants workingtogether to plant seeds and slowly but steadily nurture the business. Rewardswere a collective proposition.


“Both sides have merit,” I said, sounding like someone giving testimonyto a grand jury. “It’s a tough call. But overall, I’d say that the farmermodel makes more sense.”


Jim wasted no time in responding. He sat up in his chair, smiled slightly,engaged his massive brain, and went on to tell me why the hunter model was theright answer. He talked and talked, citing the merits of healthy competition,extolling the virtues of personal initiative, droning on about self-sufficiency.


The more he talked, the less I absorbed. All I could hear was my own internal voice, and it was blaring like a car alarm: know-it-all, know-it-all, know-it-all!

The more he talked, the less I absorbed. All I could hear was my own internalvoice, and it was blaring like a car alarm: know-it-all, know-it-all,know-it-all! I waited for his lips to stop moving, then I agreed profusely witheverything he had said.


“Let’s have some more chats like this,” he said.


“Sounds good,” I responded. Yeah, uh-huh.


Returning to my cubicle, I resolved never to get suckered into anotherone-way conversation. I remained friendly with my boss, yet distant. I stoppedasking questions and playing the devil’s advocate. I did exactly as I wastold, to the point of turning off my brain.


And ever since, my ears have been extra-sensitive to know-it-alls. I’vecome to appreciate the sharp difference between taking a stand and closing yourmind. Between having an answer and believing that you have the answer.


Time and again I’ve seen how know-it-alls shut down dialogue. People feelthat if they take different points of view, their all-knowing colleague willjust refill the bellows and emit more verbal air. Good decisions requiregive-and-take. Know-it-alls just take.


If you’re dealing with your own know-it-all boss or coworker and feelinclined to hunker down as I did, don’t. There are better approaches. At therisk of sounding like a know-it-all myself, let me list a few:


  •  Don’t be too quick to dismiss the know-it-all’s ideas. Even thoughher single-minded approach can be grating and degrading, she just might have theknowledge or information you’re seeking. (Hey, who knows, maybe the huntermodel was the right answer!)


  • Make sure you have an ample supply of data when engaging one inconversation. Guesswork, assumptions, estimates, and hunches won’t be enoughto hold the know-it-all’s attention, let alone to convince him of anything.


  • If you’re seeking information, frame your questions carefully. Bespecific about what you’re asking. Otherwise, the person might go off ontangents-intelligent tangents, but tangents nonetheless-which are frustratingand counterproductive.


  • If you’re in a group setting with a know-it-all, and you want to getinput from participants, go round-robin, with each person given an equal amountof “airtime” to share his or her views.


  • Avoid directly challenging a know-it-all’s facts or interpretation ofthe facts. Instead, try posing a question that can open her thinking. Example ofwhat not to say: “Your data from last quarter can’t be right.” Better: “Whatare the sources of that data?” Better still: “What do you think we can do tomake sure our quarterly data is accurate and relevant?”


  • Don’t question or criticize the person’s credentials. Even though youmight have good reason to do so–and it might feel good in the short term–he’slikely to get angry, defensive, and even more difficult to work with in the longterm.


I could end this column right here, leaving you with a tidy list ofstrategies. But in the process of writing the above, I’ve started to ask sometough questions. Do I come across as a know-it-all? Am I encouraging dialogue orshutting it down? Are my ears and mind as open as my mouth? These are questionswe should all be asking ourselves.


Workforce, November 2002, pp. 24-26 — Subscribe Now!


Other columns by Tom:


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A Worksheet for Measuring Competencies

W orkplace learning competence is the ability to be effective in learning inreal time in workplace settings. Use this instrument to rate the competence of aworkplace learner who is known to you. There is not a scorecard – it is up toyou to use this as you best see fit.

For each competency listed, rate his or her level of perceived competence. Usethe following scale:


1 = Not applicable.


2 = I perceive him or her to be functioning at a less than effective level inhis or her present workplace on this workplace learning competency.


3 = I perceive him or her to be functioning at a somewhat effective level inhis or her present workplace on this workplace learningcompetency.


4 = I perceive him or her to be functioning at an effective level in his orher present workplace on this workplace learning competency.


5 = I perceive him or her to be functioning at a highly effective level inhis or her present workplace on this workplace learningcompetency.


Then, place a number from 1 to 7 to indicate how important you believe it tobe for this person to improve this workplace learning competency. A 1 indicatesthat taking action to build this workplace learning competency is of highestpriority. A 7 indicates that improvement on the competency is of lowestpriority.


FOUNDATIONAL COMPETENCIES

    Reading skill: Read to a level of proficiency appropriate for learning in aworkplace setting.


Not applicable: 1
Less than effective: 2
Somewhat effective: 3
Effective: 4
Highly Effective: 5


    How important do you believe it to be to improve this workplace learningcompetency? (Rate from 1 to 7, with 1 = Most important)


    Writing skill: Write to a level of proficiency appropriate for learning in aworkplace setting.


Not applicable: 1
Less than effective: 2
Somewhat effective: 3
Effective: 4
Highly Effective: 5


    How important do you believe it to be to improve this workplace learningcompetency? (Rate from 1 to 7, with 1 = Most important)


    Computation skill: Apply mathematics to a level of proficiency appropriatefor learning in a workplace setting.


Not applicable: 1
Less than effective: 2
Somewhat effective: 3
Effective: 4
Highly Effective: 5


    How important do you believe it to be to improve this workplace learningcompetency? (Rate from 1 to 7, with 1 = Most important)


    Listening skill: Listen effectively and to a level of proficiency appropriatefor learning in a workplace setting.


Not applicable: 1
Less than effective: 2
Somewhat effective: 3
Effective: 4
Highly Effective: 5


    How important do you believe it to be to improve this workplace learningcompetency? (Rate from 1 to 7, with 1 = Most important)


    Questioning skill: Pose appropriate questions to others and obtain meaningfuland unambiguous answers to those questions.


Not applicable: 1
Less than effective: 2
Somewhat effective: 3
Effective: 4
Highly Effective: 5


    How important do you believe it to be to improve this workplace learningcompetency? (Rate from 1 to 7, with 1 = Most important)


    Speaking skill: Speak to individuals or present to groups with a level ofproficiency appropriate for learning in a workplace setting.


Not applicable: 1
Less than effective: 2
Somewhat effective: 3
Effective: 4
Highly Effective: 5


    How important do you believe it to be to improve this workplace learningcompetency? (Rate from 1 to 7, with 1 = Most important)


    Cognitive skills: Think, draw conclusions, think creatively, make decisions,and solve problems.


Not applicable: 1
Less than effective: 2
Somewhat effective: 3
Effective: 4
Highly Effective: 5


    How important do you believe it to be to improve this workplace learningcompetency? (Rate from 1 to 7, with 1 = Most important)


    Individual skills: Demonstrate a willingness to accept responsibility anddisplay self-esteem.


Not applicable: 1
Less than effective: 2
Somewhat effective: 3
Effective: 4
Highly Effective: 5


    How important do you believe it to be to improve this workplace learningcompetency? (Rate from 1 to 7, with 1 = Most important)


    Resource skills: Allocate such resources as time, money, people, andinformation appropriately to learn in the workplace.


Not applicable: 1
Less than effective: 2
Somewhat effective: 3
Effective: 4
Highly Effective: 5


    How important do you believe it to be to improve this workplace learningcompetency? (Rate from 1 to 7, with 1 = Most important)


    Interpersonal skill: Work cooperatively with others, carry out formal orinformal training or mentoring of others, and maintain effective interpersonalrelations with customers.


Not applicable: 1
Less than effective: 2
Somewhat effective: 3
Effective: 4
Highly Effective: 5


    How important do you believe it to be to improve this workplace learningcompetency? (Rate from 1 to 7, with 1 = Most important)


    Informational and technological skill: Acquire and analyze data from varioussources.


Not applicable: 1
Less than effective: 2
Somewhat effective: 3
Effective: 4
Highly Effective: 5


    How important do you believe it to be to improve this workplace learningcompetency? (Rate from 1 to 7, with 1 = Most important)


INTERMEDIATE COMPETENCIES

    Systems thinking: View organizations and work from a systems perspective.


Not applicable: 1
Less than effective: 2
Somewhat effective: 3
Effective: 4
Highly Effective: 5


    How important do you believe it to be to improve this workplace learningcompetency? (Rate from 1 to 7, with 1 = Most important)


    Personal mastery: Show willingness to learn and take pride in learning.


Not applicable: 1
Less than effective: 2
Somewhat effective: 3
Effective: 4
Highly Effective: 5


    How important do you believe it to be to improve this workplace learningcompetency? (Rate from 1 to 7, with 1 = Most important)


    Mental modeling: Create, communicate, and critique ingrained (and otherwisetaken-for granted) assumptions, beliefs, or values.


Not applicable: 1
Less than effective: 2
Somewhat effective: 3
Effective: 4
Highly Effective: 5


    How important do you believe it to be to improve this workplace learningcompetency? (Rate from 1 to 7, with 1 = Most important)


    Shared visioning: Formulate, communicate, and build enthusiasm about sharedviews of the future.


Not applicable: 1
Less than effective: 2
Somewhat effective: 3
Effective: 4
Highly Effective: 5


    How important do you believe it to be to improve this workplace learningcompetency? (Rate from 1 to 7, with 1 = Most important)


    Team learning skill: Participate effectively and actively in workplace groupsand use dialogue and other approaches to formulate, communicate, and test ideasgenerated by himself or herself or others.


Not applicable: 1
Less than effective: 2
Somewhat effective: 3
Effective: 4
Highly Effective: 5


    How important do you believe it to be to improve this workplace learningcompetency? (Rate from 1 to 7, with 1 = Most important)


    Self-knowledge: Demonstrate awareness and understanding of self aslearner.


Not applicable: 1
Less than effective: 2
Somewhat effective: 3
Effective: 4
Highly Effective: 5


    How important do you believe it to be to improve this workplace learningcompetency? (Rate from 1 to 7, with 1 = Most important)


    Short-term memory skill: Remember facts, people, and situations for shorttime spans, usually about 48 hours or less.


Not applicable: 1
Less than effective: 2
Somewhat effective: 3
Effective: 4
Highly Effective: 5


    How important do you believe it to be to improve this workplace learningcompetency? (Rate from 1 to 7, with 1 = Most important)


    Long-term memory skill: Remember facts, people, and situations for longertime spans, usually exceeding 48 hours.


Not applicable: 1
Less than effective: 2
Somewhat effective: 3
Effective: 4
Highly Effective: 5


    How important do you believe it to be to improve this workplace learningcompetency? (Rate from 1 to 7, with 1 = Most important)


    Subject matter knowledge: Possess a solid foundation of background knowledgeon the issue or subject that he or she sets out to learn about in theworkplace.


Not applicable: 1
Less than effective: 2
Somewhat effective: 3
Effective: 4
Highly Effective: 5


    How important do you believe it to be to improve this workplace learningcompetency? (Rate from 1 to 7, with 1 = Most important)


    Enjoyment of learning and work: Display joy in the learning process itselfand in the work that he or she performs.


Not applicable: 1
Less than effective: 2
Somewhat effective: 3
Effective: 4
Highly Effective: 5


    How important do you believe it to be to improve this workplace learningcompetency? (Rate from 1 to 7, with 1 = Most important)


    Flexibility: Show a willingness to apply what he or she knows in new ways asconditions warrant their application.


Not applicable: 1
Less than effective: 2
Somewhat effective: 3
Effective: 4
Highly Effective: 5


    How important do you believe it to be to improve this workplace learningcompetency? (Rate from 1 to 7, with 1 = Most important)


    Persistence and confidence: Show determination to pursue new knowledge orskill, even when finding it or mastering it proves more difficult than expected.


Not applicable: 1
Less than effective: 2
Somewhat effective: 3
Effective: 4
Highly Effective: 5


    How important do you believe it to be to improve this workplace learningcompetency? (Rate from 1 to 7, with 1 = Most important)


    Sense of urgency: Display sensitivity to the importance of time to self andothers.


Not applicable: 1
Less than effective: 2
Somewhat effective: 3
Effective: 4
Highly Effective: 5


    How important do you believe it to be to improve this workplace learningcompetency? (Rate from 1 to 7, with 1 = Most important)


    Honesty: Give information in a straightforward manner, free of deception, andelicit similar behavior from others.


Not applicable: 1
Less than effective: 2
Somewhat effective: 3
Effective: 4
Highly Effective: 5


    How important do you believe it to be to improve this workplace learningcompetency? (Rate from 1 to 7, with 1 = Most important)


    Giving respect to others: Defer to others with more experience or knowledge.


Not applicable: 1
Less than effective: 2
Somewhat effective: 3
Effective: 4
Highly Effective: 5


    How important do you believe it to be to improve this workplace learningcompetency? (Rate from 1 to 7, with 1 = Most important)


THE PERCEPTIVIST ROLE

    Work environment analytical skills: Examine work environments for issues orcharacteristics affecting human performance.


Not applicable: 1
Less than effective: 2
Somewhat effective: 3
Effective: 4
Highly Effective: 5


    How important do you believe it to be to improve this workplace learningcompetency? (Rate from 1 to 7, with 1 = Most important)


    Sensory awareness: Show sensitivity to stimuli received from the outsideworld based on the use of any one or all of the five senses.


Not applicable: 1
Less than effective: 2
Somewhat effective: 3
Effective: 4
Highly Effective: 5


    How important do you believe it to be to improve this workplace learningcompetency? (Rate from 1 to 7, with 1 = Most important)


    Open-mindedness: Demonstrate a willingness to see, to observe, and tointernalize what the world presents and reinterpret it afresh.


Not applicable: 1
Less than effective: 2
Somewhat effective: 3
Effective: 4
Highly Effective: 5


    How important do you believe it to be to improve this workplace learningcompetency? (Rate from 1 to 7, with 1 = Most important)


    Humility: Display modesty about what he or she does or does not know, awillingness to listen to fresh perspectives without pretending to know when heor she does not know.


Not applicable: 1
Less than effective: 2
Somewhat effective: 3
Effective: 4
Highly Effective: 5


    How important do you believe it to be to improve this workplace learningcompetency? (Rate from 1 to 7, with 1 = Most important)


    Analytical skill (synthesis): Break down the components of a larger whole andreassemble them to achieve improved human performance.


Not applicable: 1
Less than effective: 2
Somewhat effective: 3
Effective: 4
Highly Effective: 5


    How important do you believe it to be to improve this workplace learningcompetency? (Rate from 1 to 7, with 1 = Most important)


    Intuition: Show sensitivity to stimuli generated by him or her from memory orfrom the application of nonverbal logic.


Not applicable: 1
Less than effective: 2
Somewhat effective: 3
Effective: 4
Highly Effective: 5


    How important do you believe it to be to improve this workplace learningcompetency? (Rate from 1 to 7, with 1 = Most important)


THE INFORMATION-GATHERER ROLE

Information-sourcing skill: Identify the kind of information needed tosatisfy curiosity and show an ability to locate such information from crediblesources.


Not applicable: 1
Less than effective: 2
Somewhat effective: 3
Effective: 4
Highly Effective: 5


    How important do you believe it to be to improve this workplace learningcompetency? (Rate from 1 to 7, with 1 = Most important)


    Information-gathering skill: Collect information by talking to others, askingquestions of others, facilitating groups to answer questions, and findinginformation from other sources.


Not applicable: 1
Less than effective: 2
Somewhat effective: 3
Effective: 4
Highly Effective: 5


    How important do you believe it to be to improve this workplace learningcompetency? (Rate from 1 to 7, with 1 = Most important)


    Information-organizing skill: Organize or structure information obtained fromone or many sources and categorize it into schemes that permit recall,comparison, or creative reexamination.


Not applicable: 1
Less than effective: 2
Somewhat effective: 3
Effective: 4
Highly Effective: 5


    How important do you believe it to be to improve this workplace learningcompetency? (Rate from 1 to 7, with 1 = Most important)


    Feedback solicitation skill: Display an ability to solicit feedback on whathe or she has learned from others.


Not applicable: 1
Less than effective: 2
Somewhat effective: 3
Effective: 4
Highly Effective: 5


    How important do you believe it to be to improve this workplace learningcompetency? (Rate from 1 to 7, with 1 = Most important)


THE ANALYST ROLE

    Willingness to experiment and gain experience: Show an openness to try outnew ideas or approaches, even when they are untested or their results areunknown.


Not applicable: 1
Less than effective: 2
Somewhat effective: 3
Effective: 4
Highly Effective: 5


    How important do you believe it to be to improve this workplace learningcompetency? (Rate from 1 to 7, with 1 = Most important)


    Internalization skill: Translate general knowledge or information intospecific information that can be immediately applied or tested.


Not applicable: 1
Less than effective: 2
Somewhat effective: 3
Effective: 4
Highly Effective: 5


    How important do you believe it to be to improve this workplace learningcompetency? (Rate from 1 to 7, with 1 = Most important)


    Application of new knowledge skill: Use new knowledge or skill in harmonywith the way it was described or characterized from the original source(s).


Not applicable: 1
Less than effective: 2
Somewhat effective: 3
Effective: 4
Highly Effective: 5


    How important do you believe it to be to improve this workplace learningcompetency? (Rate from 1 to 7, with 1 = Most important)


    Ability to adapt knowledge to new situations or events: Use new knowledge orskill in creative, unusual, or novel ways.


Not applicable: 1
Less than effective: 2
Somewhat effective: 3
Effective: 4
Highly Effective: 5


    How important do you believe it to be to improve this workplace learningcompetency? (Rate from 1 to 7, with 1 = Most important)


THE EVALUATOR ROLE

    Critical examination of information skill: Reflect on what was learnedcritically, offering follow-up questions or new ideas based on the information.


Not applicable: 1
Less than effective: 2
Somewhat effective: 3
Effective: 4
Highly Effective: 5


    How important do you believe it to be to improve this workplace learningcompetency? (Rate from 1 to 7, with 1 = Most important


    Learning how to learn skill: Reflect on how he or she acquired newinformation or knowledge and find ways to improve the acquisition andapplication of new knowledge or skill in the future.


Not applicable: 1
Less than effective: 2
Somewhat effective: 3
Effective: 4
Highly Effective: 5


    How important do you believe it to be to improve this workplace learningcompetency? (Rate from 1 to 7, with 1 = Most important)


Self-directedness skill: Display a willingness to be proactive about hisor her own learning, to take action without needing to be directed to learnor to act by other people.


Not applicable: 1
Less than effective: 2
Somewhat effective: 3
Effective: 4
Highly Effective: 5


    How important do you believe it to be to improve this workplace learningcompetency? (Rate from 1 to 7, with 1 = Most important)


Excerpted from The Workplace Learner by William J. Rothwell. Copyright @ 2002William J. Rothwell. Published by AMACOM Books, a division of AmericanManagement Association, New York, NY. Used with permission. All rights reserved.


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Table of Contents November 2002

Features

Who Are You Really Hiring?
Companies often don’t screen executive-level applicants. They should. High echelon crooks and cons can cost your company a fortune. But there are ways to safeguard a firm from liars and cheats at the top.
By Shari Caudron
Reining in Relocation Costs
Rising costs are prompting companies to institute home-sale programs, tiered relocation packages, and cafeteria plans.
By Fay Hansen
7 Steps Before Strategy
In the rush to get a seat at the corporate table, some HR professionals skip the basics. That ruins HR’s credibility and holds it back. Here’s what you must do before you can strategize.
By Bruce N. Pfau and Bonnie Bell Cundiff
Workforce Planning: Why to Start Now
Workforce planning lets HR manage talent shortages and surpluses. By understanding business cycles and tending to “talent pipelines” and current talent inventories, HR can act, instead of just react.
By John Sullivan
Take the Gamble Out of an LMS
Leaning management systems are used to automate the administration of online training programs. They can save a lot of money–if you know how to make a smart choice, and if there’s organizational support.
By Kevin Dobbs
Optimas Award Service: Health Partners
When there’s fast, effective training to be done, Health Partner’s Organizational Learning Center is on the job. It has saved the organization money, allayed fears of change, and made the transition to a new $3million date-processing system a success.
By Patick J. Kiger

Special Advertising Section
HR Technology 2003
HR technology focuses on streamlining and ROI: HR technologies continue to make processes faster, easier and more efficient. But with the economy in slow mode and budgets down, companies are refocusing their technology investments. The emphasis is on upgrading and integrating HRMS functions, automating recruiting tasks, including risk management, and using analytics for strategic planning.

Departments
Between the Lines
Playing the HR Game
Mailbox
Viva Barbie • The misuse of e-mail • How long does it take to recover from carpel tunnel surgery?
The Buzz
W-mail Reveals a Literacy Gap • Well Done: At Home at Fannie Mae • HR in Pop Culture: Consenting Adults at Work
On the Contrary
Why We Work: Is it the cash, the perks, the glory? Not entirely, Shari Caudron tells her niece. HR understands that people work because it fulfills them in innumerable ways.
What Works
The Problem with Know-It-Alls: Tom Terez has worked for the guy who has all the answers, and it left him questioning why anyone would bother listening to him.
Dear Workforce:
Giving disabled employees a chance • Making the case for adding staff • Bonuses in non-profit organizations.
Small, Medium, Large
Incentives and the Art of Changing Behavior: If you want people to take on new roles, or act differently, it helps if you reward the new behavior. Here’s how three companies rewarded the employers who made change work.
Legal Insight
Watch Out for Pregnancy Discrimination: Pregnancy-bias claims have jumped 25 percent in the last decade. Here’s what companies need to know about the law around expectant parenthood. Legal Posts: The employee is overpaid–literally.
Think Twice
It Their Debt, But It’s Your Problem: Your employees are up to their eyeballs in debt. And that makes your job tougher: they’re less productive and prone to job-jumping. Todd Raphael has some ideas for how you can help them. It will make your life easier.

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Chief Learning Officers

Earlier this year, the medical device company Guidant Corporation decided topromote a longtime employee to the title of vice president, employeedevelopment, the equivalent of a chief learning officer, or CLO. TheIndianapolis company’s executive staff thought that the time was right tobetter organize training and developmental opportunities and match them moreclosely with the business goals of the organization, as well as offer employeesa map for reaching their own career aspirations.

    “We felt we could be better at telling employees, when they start here, howthey can grow and develop professionally,” says Barbara Reindl, vice presidentof the St. Paul-based Cardiac Rhythm Management Group, Guidant’s largestdivision.


    “We get many employees who just got out of college and want to have an ideaof what kind of career they can have at Guidant,” she says. “We want to beable to say, ‘This is the curriculum if you want to be a manager.’ We’dreally love to create a feeling among new hires that they’re joining alearning organization, but it’s not as well marketed here as it is at Motorolaand other learning organizations.”


    Susan Norton, who became head of employee development in August, has beguntalking to divisional vice presidents about their training and development needsand how they should be strategically organized to meet business challenges.


    One of Norton’s discussions resulted in the creation of a three-dayworkshop where Guidant managers from around the world had an opportunity to hearsenior executives address leadership issues, network among themselves, and spendtheir evenings informally talking with other managers from all levels of thecompany. Guidant has held the workshops in Brussels, St. Paul, and California,and has received positive comments from managers about the program.


Building a learning environment
    The first goal of Norton and other CLOs is to encourage their employers toinvestigate what competencies will make them successful and then aligndevelopment programs with their strategic objectives. The next step is to createan environment in which that learning is readily available to employees and totry to determine what return on investment can be measured after learningoccurs.


    CLOs say that they identify needs through interviews with managers andexecutives, with the underlying premise that matching business objectives withdesired competencies among employees will lead to greater productivity. It’sless about having everyone take a PowerPoint class and more about leadingemployees to the right courseware or college course they can take locally oronline.


    Additionally, CLOs say they’re often assigned the task of remakingclassroom-oriented training departments–sometimes called “universities”–intoblended learning environments in which online courses take a front seat toclassroom instruction. Other objectives range from helping management withsuccession planning and team-building to creating opportunities for conferenceswhere internal business leaders can gain a deeper knowledge of what corporateheadquarters has in store for the company.


    Driving the CLO movement is one crucial business goal–saving money. At XeroxCorporation in Stamford, Connecticut, CLO Tim Conlon says that by simplycentralizing contracts with various educational vendors, especially in thee-learning market, he managed to save the company millions of dollars. Part ofthe company’s goal was to move away from classroom teaching at its fabled XeroxUniversity and into an e-learning environment. The company saved money byreducing classroom instruction and cutting down the number of contracts it had,often with the same vendors.


    As the speed of business grows ever faster, keeping employees in the learningloop will keep Xerox competitive, Conlon says, an attitude largely shared byother CLOs. “Companies are realizing they’re having to do more with less,and the only way they’re going to do that is by restructuring or retraining,or both,” says Tim Sosbe, editorial director of the just-launched ChiefLearning Officer magazine. “It’s all about education and workforcedevelopment.”


Long-term thinking
    A learning environment helps with retention, especially among younger employees accustomed to a lifestyle in which creativity and learning are valued, two traits they would like to see valued by their employers, too. “Employers have begun looking at employees who could have a lifetime career with them and thinking, ‘How do we keep them performing and growing and developing as the years march on?’ ” Sosbe says. “Companies are thinking more about having long-term employees because it’s expensive to hire and fire employees.”


    Although the head of learning at most companies operates as a part of humanresources, the concept of making human capital a “c-level” (CEO, CFO, COO)position certainly has appeal, says Allison Rossett, professor of educationaltechnology at San Diego State University and an e-learning expert.


    Just as the importance of information technology led to the creation of chiefinformation officers, or CIOs, so too would the proponents of learning like “tobe at the strategic table,” she says. CLOs still work within the HRdepartment, but giving it a special cachet elevates the title.


    Within the corporate structure, CLOs do not always get every piece of theeducational pie, says Conlon, who meets twice a year in a forum with othernationally regarded CLOs. Within Xerox, for example, he handles Web-basedlearning and executive development, but does not oversee the university.Individual departments have funds they can use to obtain specialized trainingoutside the company, if they so choose.


Turning novices into experts
    Most CLOs start their jobs with a large and challenging assignment before moving on to smaller tasks. When George Selix joined the real-estate franchiser Century 21 to serve as senior vice president and CLO more than two and a half years ago, he had the challenge of transforming the training operation by reducing costs and increasing per-agent commissions and retention. The retention part of it was a difficult roadblock to overcome in an industry where more than half of the first-year hires head for the exit after failing to earn much of a living.


    The first order of business was replacing an on-site lecture-based trainingprogram with a mix of live e-learning and classroom instruction, often receivedby agents through a conference feed transmitted on the Web. The training becamean intensive six-week course involving 120 hours of instruction, with 24 hoursin the live, online classroom, 40 hours of self-directed learning, and 50 hoursof income-producing homework. Students learn how to work with buyers andsellers, how to build client databases, which technologies work with differentclients, and what real estate knowledge they will need to work as agents.


    After a year under the new system of computer-based training and liveinstruction, attrition dropped to just 15 percent of new enrollees andcommissions closed by new agents jumped 16 percent. Selix continues to refinethe franchisee instructional program while also developing a competency-mappingprogram for Century 21 employees to determine and close enterprise-wideknowledge gaps. By 2004, he’d like to roll out a learning program directed atbuilding specific competencies throughout the supply chain, including consumers,who would have access to online material about the buying and selling process.


    “For a CLO, it all comes down to transferring knowledge and skills topeople who don’t have them,” he says. “There are experts and novices, andyou have to transfer knowledge in such a way that the novices get the knowledgeand skills they need to perform like an expert.”


Teaching business literacy
    Just a year before Selix joined Century 21, former General Electric executiveBill Kline became Delta’s CLO. Assigned to “develop a vision and strategyaround learning” for the company’s six distinct divisions–pilots,reservation representatives, flight attendants, and so forth–Kline first had tolearn about the training that already existed.


    First, he created a Global Learning Council, with representatives from eachdivision, and he asked those representatives to identify training needs. Usinginput from the council, he organized a training program for each division thatwould enhance employee performance. At the corporate level, he established a”learning services organization” to offer leadership development,succession planning, and talent-management programs.


    As part of Delta’s recovery efforts after 9/11, the Learning ServicesOrganization designed and developed a business literacy initiative. Kline thisyear unveiled the $2 million program, “Our Airline, Our Business,” inwhich employees role-play and make decisions based on Delta’s financial data.It’s become a huge hit. Since May 1, 1,300 employees a week have gone throughthe program, which has trained more than 28,000 employees (as of October 27) inthe fundamentals of business literacy.


    Now Delta’s managers routinely share the company’s financial reports withemployees, ensuring that the knowledge gained will not go unused.


    Unlike some other CLOs, Kline is less concerned about career mapping, sincemost of the airline’s hourly employees stay in the division they joinedinitially–flight attendants typically do not aspire to marketing positions, andmechanics generally don’t want an eventual career in HR. Rather, he’sensuring that the company has clear job descriptions and has spelled outtraining and development requirements for salaried and management positionsthrough competency models.


    Says Kline: “We’re developing a learning system where employees can learnand grow to continually improve individual, team, and operational-unitperformance and realize their career aspirations.”


A company “willing to invest”
    Figuring out whether training really does pay off is a perpetual struggle forHR departments, even though executives are demanding it. Jim L’Allier, CLO forNETg, a provider of blended e-learning solutions, says it is “a duty of a CLOto establish high-level metrics to determine whether or not a knowledge gap isclosed” after putting employees through a training program. Looking at thecost of training and determining the results in monetary terms will helpcompanies see which educational efforts pay off.


    Not every CLO can describe precisely how each training effort paid off. Yet L’Allierhas examples of how NETg arrives at ROI through a rigorous formula. Recently, anairline wanted to downsize training for its already reduced informationtechnology workforce, but L’Allier convinced it that a better-trainedworkforce could increase productivity and reduce costs during a cash-crunchtime. He showed how the training on specific IT tools would save employeesseveral hours a week and therefore save the company money.


    The estimated $778,000 in savings against a cost of $321,000 for the trainingprogram revealed a 142 percent ROI that could be paid back in 2.6 months, says L’Allier.”It allowed that department head to defend his budget and not cut trainingbecause of the loss of people,” he says. “When you lose people, you need todo more with less. You need to invest more in training to make up for the lossof individuals you had to sever from the organization.”


    Still, ROI is an ongoing process. When Xerox’s Conlon unveiled a Web-basedlearning system with more than 2,000 courses this year, he wanted to see atleast 35 to 40 percent of the company’s employees participate in a course. “That’sa terrible goal because it doesn’t really tell you anything,” he concedes.”But three years out, when I see that employees are getting to the tools, thenI can begin to put services in place where I can test if the quality of thecontent is good and if it is getting to the right people.”


    Though some CLOs are being chosen now to navigate their companies through atime of cutbacks in employees and training, Guidant’s move comes at a time ofgreat growth for the company and for the medical technology industry, among thefew bright lights in the economy. As Norton pushes forward, the company’seducational programs build skills and assist employees and managers withunderstanding corporate goals. Two recent programs help employees learn moreabout Guidant’s complex products and teach managers the finer points ofleadership, communicating with groups, and performance management.


    They’re not about doing more with less. They’re about educating employeesto do their jobs better.


    “This is a company that I see is willing to invest in employees, personallyand professionally,” Norton says. “The last thing you want to see in acompany is a status quo mode, where people aren’t developing. Those companieswon’t attract talent in the future.”


Workforce Online, November 2002 — Register Now!

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