HRD Gateway

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Published by HRD Gateway  for the e-ASEAN Endorsed ATN Project
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June 2002, USD$3.00

 


CONTENTS

Editorial
Feature Article One: Write Your Own Goals

Feature Article Two: A Changing Attitude to the Way Working Adults Learn New Skills

Feature Article Three: Can Training ROI Be Measured?
HR Summit 2002 Singapore

Book Review: Global Innovation

Attitude Vitamins
Links of Interest
Organization News
Production Details 
    


Editorial  

Hi there!  Here's the June 2002 issue of HRD Gateway, with lots of great articles and other materials to help you grow as a HRD professional.

Many people go through life with their chalks in other people's hands--and these other people write their goals for them.  G K Lim, in his article "Write Your Own Goals," suggests wrenching back the chart that others have been holding, and start writing your own goals.  Of course, there are challenges.  The article discusses ways of overcoming these challenges.

According to Scott Whiteside, e-learning is an alternative to "classroom" teaching.  He discusses the advantages of e-learning in "A Changing Attitude To The Way Adults Learn New Skills."

Many companies consider training as costs.  Most training and HRD professionals, however, consider training as investment.  It is our job, therefore, to educate our clients or employers on the fact that training is a great investment in people and resources.  The challenge we face is to help them calculate the ROI (return of investment) on training activities.  The article on “Can Training ROI Be Measured?” discusses the challenges of measuring ROI.

When I was a young man, in the early 1970's, I tried to publish a magazine called "Mosaic."  It was to be a magazine of short stories.  It didn't get off the ground.  But I remember going to the office of an aging accountant to use his cyclostyling (mimeograph) machine.  I had to cyclostyle lots of promotional materials to attract writers, readers and advertisers.

This accountant, who was suffering from a congested heart failure (well, that's what he said), would keep on telling me, "I pity your generation. I'm an old man, and I'll die soon, but your generation, tsk, tsk, the world is coming to an end.  Look at the problems.  How can the world survive such problems?"

His negative view of the world didn't chill me a bit.  I was young, full of dreams, full of hopes, wanting to be the next Han Suyin or Lin Yutang, wanting to write that great novel that would make Ernest Hemmingway send me a letter of congratulations.  I didn't have his filter, his tainted view of the world.

Today, 30 years later, the world is still very vibrant, still very much alive, still having problems that might escalate into a nuclear war.  But it's also filled with millions of daring young men and women who don't have the filters of people aged 50 or 60, young people who have great dreams and hopes, young people who fall in love and want to start families, young people whose futures are ahead of them.

I guess what we are doing here at HRD Gateway is to help them prepare for the next 30 years--a far cry from that old accountant back in Alor Star, Kedah, Malaya, in 1971, who had congested heart failure.

Hey, ASEAN's future and the global communities beckon.  It's going to be great!  Let's work towards it.

Oh, and enjoy this issue of HRD Gateway.

Cheers,

G. K. Lim
Editor


Feature Article One: Write Your Own Goals

by G. K Lim

A child was born with an in inherent ability to chart his or her own destiny. Like a blank white board, the child can write whatever he or she wants using a chalk. However, this is not the case with John. 

At the age of thirty seconds, his parents took away his chalk and charted his destiny for him and never let go of it. From that moment on, until today, at the age of 42, John didn't have the chance to chart his own destiny.

His parents chose his environment, attitudes, prejudices, language, religion, education -- even his spouse. His relatives, classmates and teachers also shaped his younger days, relentlessly writing the blackboard with goals they thought he should have.

On college graduation day, a friend said, "This multinational company needs a maintenance engineer." And so he gave his chalk to the personnel manager of the multinational company.

Today at 42, John has a nice house, a nice car, a happy family -- but something is missing. The chalk is still not in his possession.

Okay, let's leave John for a while. Let's look at you. Who are the people holding your chalk right now? Your parents, teachers, lecturers, classmates, friends, people in your neighborhood, employers, the government, etc.

Of course, you may say, "Hey, I cannot get rid of them, they are part of my life. Anyway, some of the goals they give me are useful, positive ones."

True. Nevertheless, you get lulled into a comfortable existence that you forget to take the chalk back from the others.

Which is why many people go to their graves with the songs still unsung, the books not yet written, adventures yet unattempted, and dreams unfulfilled.

Okay, so what should you do? Take back your chalk. Start writing your own goals, your own destiny.

Let's talk about goals. From the day we were born to the day we leave this earth, our lives are a series of goals, strung together through life-threads.

And of course, as I have said earlier, those goals, or at least the major ones, are set by people holding our chalk.

Even if we were to wrench the chalk back, we'll find that it's not easy rubbing off some old goals that we don't want.

Why? Let me explain. Realize that each of us has a conscious mind and a subconscious mind.

The conscious mind is the part you are aware of; it tells your fingers to move and they move; it says "Eat," and you eat. The conscious mind receives information from outside, through the five senses, and passes them to the subconscious.

Here's one important fact: the conscious mind can accept or reject any idea. Let's say you have a choice of studying for tomorrow's examination or going to the cinema. You decide to study, and reject the idea of going to the cinema. So, you study.

The subconscious mind, however, cannot reject any idea that it receives. It must accept what the conscious passes to it.

The subconscious mind is the most powerful part of your entire being. It houses millions upon millions of information that you have sent in, from the day you were born to today, through the conscious mind.

The subconscious mind controls you; it tells you what to do unconsciously. The results you get in life are directly because of the information that rests in your subconscious. You are what you are because of your subconscious mind.

Sales person Salina consistently brings in low sales. Only $50,000 a month. Others produce around $200,000. One month, her sales productivity shoots up to $250,000. Her sales manager is exhilarated; her colleagues are overjoyed. But her subconscious says, "Oh-oh, something's wrong here; you are a $50,000 a month person." Wham! Next month, it's back to $50,000 sales productivity.

Dr. Charles Garfield, speaker, author, and trainer to NASA space program personnel, says that our lives are like a rocket on automatic pilot mode. On the way to the moon, a rocket gets off course many times. But it always gets back on course. It has been programmed that way.

According to Bob Proctor, author of "You Were Born Rich," if you don't get the results you want, just reprogram your subconscious mind.

If you are not happy, you can reprogram your subconscious, and be happy. If you are earning only $1,000 a month and you don't like it, you can increase it to, say, $10,000 a month just by reprogramming your subconscious.

How do you reprogram the subconscious? Ensure that the conscious mind accepts the right information and rejects that which it doesn't want, and then sends the right information to the subconscious mind. Sounds simple, huh? However, many people find it difficult to send the right information to the subconscious mind.

A recent issue of a local newspaper carries a picture of three drug addicts who are brothers. They were rounded up by the authorities. At the police station they were told to get ready for transfer to a rehabilitation center. The eldest brother said, "Leave us be. We want to change but we can't. Let's us live and die the way we are."

Many people want to change. They know they should. But they cannot.

The reason is, something's happening to your conscious mind -- something's blocking or guarding the passageway from the conscious to the subconscious. It's as if a few gangsters or thugs or bullies are standing at the passageway and saying, "Let the bad, the destructive, the negative, come in. But stop the good, the positive, from entering."

Who are these "gangsters"?

The first is our subconscious itself. It's ridiculous, isn't it? The very thing that we want to reprogram, is resisting change vehemently. Why? Because, from day one, we have been feeding it with negative and destructive information that it is now filled to the brim with it. It's so used to the sludge and the grime that it's comfortable with the status quo. We have created a monster within us.

The second gangster is our negative environment. Society at large is basically negative.

The last gangster is that our mind can hold only one thought at a time. 

So, are we doomed to a vicious cycle of failing? No, not necessary; there's help. I'll show you how to get rid of these three gangsters.

First, acknowledge there's too much rubbish in your subconscious. This makes reconstruction easier.

The second strategy is to consciously refuse to mix with wrong crowd. This is a tough one, you might say. Yes, it is. Sometimes we don't realize that we are mixing with people whose attitudes and prejudices suppress their development -- and affect others around them.

You might say, "But I can't move elsewhere. I live here, with these people." Well, you can "detach" yourself from these people, mentally. It's possible to be in a place and not being there as well.

The third, and perhaps the most powerful, strategy is to write down your goals and visualize them.

If you want to lose ten pounds, then draw a picture of a thin you, or get one of those old photos of yourself taken whey you were really thin. Paste copies of this picture on the walls of your bedroom, bathroom, toilet, living room, etc..

Or perhaps you want a car -- a particular model, or color. Go to the showroom, get posters of the model you desire, and paste them on walls.

In the course of the day, there will be many occasions when people or circumstances eject desired thoughts from your mind. Remember: our mind can hold only one thought at any one time. The moment you read your goals written on a card or pasted on the wall -- or see pictures of your goals -- the negative thought exits and your goals re-enter. It's an on-going battle between the positive and the negative, and your written goals and your pictures serve as bullets to help you win.

Those three strategies will effectively contain the three gangsters.

So how do you reprogram your subconscious? Three words: Affirmations. Repeatedly. Emotions. By saying, with conviction, to yourself over and over again the thoughts you want your subconscious to accept.

Repeating positive affirmations is mental conditioning. Sometimes, it's called repetitive involvement. Repetitive involvement affects the way we act, turns ideas into action, and action leads to goals.

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G. K. Lim  is a training consultant, specializing in the core area of persuasion psychology, which includes strategic / tactical selling skills, negotiation skills, customer service excellence, effective presentation skills, emotional intelligence enhancement, personal development, motivation, and mind development.


Feature Article Two: A Changing Attitude to the Way Working Adults Learn New Skills

by Scott Whiteside

The exponential growth of information that characterizes modern business makes the need for learning more important than ever.  But the sheer amount of information we have to learn and the speed at which we must learn it can be daunting.  So much so, that old models of learning acquisition are failing.  Meeting this challenge requires new thinking about how we acquire knowledge and skills, and how we deploy learning resources that can keep up with the knowledge economy.

Learning and training are often thought as synonymous- they are not.  Training is the way instruction is conveyed; it supports learning, which is our internal way of processing information into knowledge.  But since there are many ways we can learn, an effective learning strategy transcends training.

In business, learning is a means to an end.  Generally speaking, that end is enhanced workforce performance and greater productivity, which in turns reflects the company’s value – better products and services, lower costs, a more competitive position in the marketplace, greater innovation, greater creativity, improved productivity, increased market share, etc.

Most companies need its people to actively develop their existing skills and at the same time learn new ones.  Salespeople need to learn new sales techniques, a receptionist about customer service, an IT person about new software, etc.  In each case learning enables individuals and groups of individuals to work faster, better and smarter, so that they and their organisations reap business benefits.

Traditionally, companies in ASEAN have relied heavily on training organisations to facilitate and improve performance.

Training is usually delivered in a classroom environment with typically 20 to 30 ‘students’ to one trainer.  A variety of instructional approaches are used including lectures, case studies, simulations, drill and practise and small group work.

Whilst classroom training continues to be important, there is a growing body of evidence to suggest that changes in society, business and technology will limit the impact of traditional training.  To continue moving forward, we must transform our perceptions of learning.

E-learning is a well used word these days.  In fact “e-everything” is becoming a bit over-used.  However, a good definition of e-learning comes from International Data Corporation (IDC) who use e-learning to mean “educational content, learning services and delivery solutions that support and enable Internet-based learning”.  IDC predict that the Asia Pacific corporate e-learning market is forecast to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of 25%.  In 2005, the value of the regions markets will be worth almost US$233 million.  Australia and Singapore are expected to be the leaders in this industry and if other ASEAN countries truly want to become more competitive and move towards a knowledge-based economy, they must change their perceptions of learning and have the desire to learn and relearn new skills.

Many people think that in order to do well in society, one must have a degree, a Masters or indeed a PhD.  Whilst these are necessary, it is more important to realise that when you graduate the learning does not stop.  If anything what Universities should be doing is training students ‘how to learn’ in preparation for their working life.  This is when the real learning begins!

As Alvin Toffler, one of the main advisors for the Malaysian MSC project, once said, “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn”.

In an effort to change this perception and provide the leadership required to create a “learning society” e-learning companies are moving quickly to develop educational content and learning services that dramatically improve the appropriateness of the learning experience.  In some cases, those improvements have resulted in equally dramatic improvements in business performance.  The key is to remember that it’s not the technology that’s important.  Although it helps ease the burden of delivering quality training content, technology should not be a distraction to the true goal.  The accent should be on the second syllable eLEARNing.

For ASEAN countries to provide the leadership in HR training and education, they must change their perceptions from a teacher-centred to a learner-centred approach which involves major changes in our assumptions and approach to teacher/learning interactions.

Teacher Centred

 

Learner Centred

Teacher-led/dependent

>

Learner-led, self-directed

Often rigid information

>

Active/discovery learning

Extrinsically motivated

>

Intrinsically motivated

Knowledge transfer

>

Learning to learn

Education as an end

>

Education as process

Synchronous

>

Asynchronous

Classroom-bound

>

‘Borderless’

Theoretical

>

Learning real-world integration

Certification by time on task

>

Competency-based assessment

Pressure to learn within time

>

Self paced learning

 Whilst traditional classroom environments are here to stay and a vital component to the learning mix, e-learning offers some advantages for certain types of organisations and their staff. 

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Recommended Reading: (books available at www.knowledgeonline.com.my)

Rosenberg, Marc. J. E-learning: building successful online learning in your organisation, McGraw-Hill, 2001

Hartley, Darin.  On-Demand Learning: Training in the New Millennium, 2000

Morgan, Ronald. Ponticell, Judith. Enhancing Learning in Training and adult Education.  Greenwood Publishing Group, 1998

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Scott Whiteside is the Chief Learning Officer for Knowledge Online Sdn Bhd, an e-learning provider based in Kuala Lumpur.  He has 10 years experience in the field of Higher education and corporate training. Further information about Knowledge Online can be seen at www.knowledgeonline.com.my. Contact: tel: 603 2615 0155

© KnowledgeOnline Sdn. Bhd.


Feature Article Three: Can Training ROI Be Measured?

by Colin Ong TS

Training investments on human capital development by companies, big and small have and are still being advocated in many ASEAN countries.

However, measuring the return on investments on training is still not a popular practice. Many reasons can be cited, including …..

Training evaluation from a professional point of view should commence from the TNA and/or LNA (learning needs analysis) stage (See Figure 1 & Figure 2).

Most practitioners find measurements difficult because at the upfront, the diagnosis is not properly done using appropriate diagnostic tools like Appreciative Inquiry, TNA/LNA tools & techniques or diagnostic process models (for example: The DAPAR model: Desired strategic change required are identified & documented; Analyzing the corporate culture to establish blocks; Communicating the intervention plan; Profiling and feedbacks; Action deployment of intervention plans; Review of intervention plans.);  which may not lead to measuring the strategic outcomes required so that ROI can be calculated.

If done correctly, all training programs & interventions would result in addressing not only individual learning & development needs, but also team and Organizational needs. Alignment would be achieved and this would make training strategic, and training ROI measurement quite possible.

A good example would result in a diagnosis culminating into modular programs or thematic interventions that address the individual, team and organization needs, all at the same time.

A diagnosis as an example may results in the development of a training curriculum, for example: “Leading & Developing for Peak Performance”; which will further be broken down into modular programs:

You may notice that at all time, there is a deliberate attempt at trying to achieve alignment between the individual, the team and the Organization.


Figure 1

Each of these modular programs & interventions may have measurements designed based on……

The Kirkpatrick model:

The Phillips model:

The Holton model:

The Rutherford model and the similar Alignment Learning model:  

 
Figure 2

The mechanics and technologies of how the different models can assist in obtaining the ROI in training can be quite challenging, but not impossible. The best practice practitioners would quickly avail themselves with the tools and techniques (both soft & hard) to do so.

Using IT technology would definitely make the job easier. Alignment would be critical not only internally, but externally, especially in aligning with international benchmarks for example, the ISO, EFQM, etc.

It would not be possible to discuss the full process of ROI in training of all the models presented in this short article. However, as an example of Phillip’s Level 5 basic formula for calculating ROI, the following should be considered:

Determine the cost of the training program, collect Level 4 evaluation data, convert the results to monetary values, and then comparing the results with the cost of the training program.

An example of how ROI is done is:  

The gain is therefore the ROI on training.

Having discussed the various training evaluation models, is ROI on training measurable? To what extent is it subjective and quantitative? These are questions only practitioners can answer.

   
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Figure 3

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Colin Ong TS  provides services in training, publishing, editing and new technology strategy.
 


HR Summit 2002 Singapore

Date: 15-16 August 2002
Venue: Suntec, Singapore

The HR Summit 2002 Singapore is a two-day series of seminars and workshops that focus on all the latest HR practice management issues. Held at the Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre from 15-16 August 2002, the event, the topics and its leading speakers are set to attract HR directors, HR managers, HR consultants, training officers, corporate and employment lawyers, legal counsel and all those with an interest in people and people management, making it the biggest event in the HR calendar. 

A huge success in Sydney and Melbourne, HR Summit 2002 Singapore will discuss effective retention strategies with examples drawn from leading organisations. They will also examine the strengths and weaknesses of existing and proposed compensation plans and approaches. This event will provide platforms and avenues to learn about proven strategies and pitfalls that will help an organisation optimise their employees' performance and ensure ROI for their business.

In conclusion, the HR Summit 2002 Singapore will provide the latest techniques, tips and solutions to meet any organisation’s HR challenges. The summit is a great opportunity for the entire HR community to interact with global companies offering cutting edge solutions and is the largest such gathering of HR and related professionals Singapore has ever seen. 

To register for the conference, please go to www.hrsummit2002.com/reg_conference_singapore.asp. The registration fee is SGD$70. To attend the free expo, sign up here: www.hrsummit2002.com/reg_singapore.asp.  


Book Review: Global Innovation

This interesting book by Ned Hamson and Robert Holder is an attempt to link and condense much of the world's globalization events into a holistic format. Important principles and strategies are deduced from a variety of sources: UN collective bargaining, Japanese manufacturing technology, Internet, etc. To those who subscribe to the globalization principles mentioned in this book and elsewhere, this book glorifies them and provide justification for doing more. But for many businesses and HRD professionals who think or experience otherwise, much of the work reads like a literature. For many, their job function is to maintain or support the status quote in their organization or marketplace. Moreover, the principles and strategies are not necessarily universal to all cultures and systems. 

Published in UK, Global Innovation is available in both the paperback and digital formats. If you want to see things on a higher and broader level, order it from Amazon.com.


Attitude Vitamins

Compiled by G K Lim

Appreciation is a wonderful thing; it makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well. -- Voltaire

We think too small, like the frog at the bottom of the well.  The frog thinks the sky is only as big as the top of the well. If it surfaced, it would have an entirely different view. -- Mao Tse-tung

An error can never become true however many times you repeat it. The truth can never be wrong, even if no one hears it. -- Mahatma Gandhi

The only way in which one human being can properly attempt to influence another is by encouraging him to think for himself, instead of endeavoring to instill ready-made opinions into his head. -- Sir Leslie Stephen

When you take charge of your life, there is no longer a need to ask permission of other people or society at large. When you ask permission, you give someone veto power over your life. -- Geoffrey F. Abert

We are made wise not by the recollection of our past, but by the responsibility for our future. --George Bernard Shaw

Self-confidence is the result of a successfully survived risk. -- Jack Gibb

There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them. -- Denis Waitley

If you view all the things that happen to you, both good and bad, as opportunities, then you operate out of a higher level of consciousness. -- Les Brown

I could not, at any age, be content to take my place by the fireside and simply look on. Life was meant to be lived. Curiosity must be kept alive. One must never, for whatever reason, turn his back on life. -- Eleanor Roosevelt


Links of Interest

1. "HRVietnam" is now open for membership!
Moderated by Huong Ha, and assisted by our VP on Online Development, Major Teoh, "HRVietnam" is Vietnam's Premier National Forum for Human Resource Practitioners, Trainers, Facilitators and Management Consultants. It also acts as a great and effective platform for all who share these same interest to come together to meet, interact and share ideas, talents and skills and in doing so help each other to improve and develop further in the field of Human Resource, Research, Training and Development and Management.  If you are an HR professional from Vietnam, or have interests in Vietnam HR issues, join and participate in the discussions. Visit
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HRVietnam for information on how to subscribe to this list.

2.  List of Sample International HRD Web Sites on the Web
ASTD has put together an International Visitor page at:
www.astd.org/virtual_community/international/intl_visitors_links_listnew.html


Organization News

1. First ATN Conference
The conference was successful held in Sibu, Malaysia on 10-12 May 2002. About 100 local and international HRD professionals, business people, and college students attended the event. Among the guests were Dato Wong Soon Koh, the Minister of Infrastructure Development and Communications, Mr. Robert Lau of Sibu Municipal Council, and Dr. Idros Abdul Hamid, the Head of e-ASEAN / ICT of ASEAN Secretariat. A gallery of the conference photos is posted at www.hrdgateway.org/conferences. The conference papers are being compiled into an e-book, which will be posted in the Publications section of HRD Gateway Web site soon.

2. New Officers
A number of new officers signed up with us during the Projects Meeting on 12 May 2002. They include:
1. Ma. Concepcion Ureta of Philippines, VP of Clubs & Member Services
2. Sahala Harahap of Indonesia, VP of Clubs & Member Services
3. Nobert Aquende of Philippines, VP of Online Development 
4. Vivek Rao of India, VP of e-Learning
5. Michelle Lim of Philippines, VP of Public Relations
6. Cong Phan, Director and VP of Online Development (new director position)
7. Raymond Wong, Director and VP of Technology Integration (new VP position)

Detailed profiles of the new and current Officers and Advisors are posted at
www.hrdgateway.org/hub1/executive.htm

3. ATN and kAYNet Projects
We are actively working on these two projects, all members are welcome to participate either as a volunteer or as paid service provider. For basic information, please visit www.hrdgateway.org/atn and www.hrdgateway.org/kaynet
kAYNet project is designed for Asian youths from age 13 to 30, while the ATN project is for HRD professionals in all disciplines and age groups. Please sign up with the Projects Signup link in the Member Area if you are interested to learn know. There is no obligation of any kind. We only ask you to do what you want and can do. 

4. Meeting in Prague, Czech Republic

What a beautiful picture with two dedicated project team members of HRD Gateway! On a June trip to Europe, our Executive Advisor, Dr. James Lin, met with Dr. Ivo Vasiljev in his hometown, Prague. We want to take this opportunity to thank Dr. Vasiljev for his development work with the disabilities communities in Vietnam and Malaysia.


Production Details

G K Lim, and  Thomas Wong are the production team members for this issue.

Readers, please email comments, news items, and article contributions to HRD Gateway Publication TeamThe editors reserve the right to use them.

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