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The Role of Middle Managers in Learning
By Bob Mosher

Home is where the students live; the classroom is nothing more than a break from that. The more the teachers bring their world to the students' homes, and vice versa, the more effective the instruction becomes.

The learners within the organizations supported by chief learning officers are no different. Often these learners' visits to available learning offerings are viewed as breaks from a very busy and demanding world of "real work." CLOs and their teams typically aren't viewed as living there or carrying much influence. The "parent" equivalent of today's training world is the learner's manager. Managers dictate, control and reward the day-in and day-out activities of the students. They hold the ultimate motivation in their hands-the student's job. If we as a learning industry want to be effective, we have to better understand how to work with this highly influential group. We need to engage them, educate them, and support them. Let's explore the role this powerful resource can and should play in instructional programs. (LEARN MORE)



Beyond Succession Management: New Directions and Fresh Approaches
By William J. Rothwell

A client of mine recently remarked, "So, what's new in succession management? Frankly, I think that stuff has remained unchanged for years." I looked him in the eye and replied, "You are dead wrong. It is true that there is need for fresh thinking about the topic in some quarters. But there are exciting new ideas in this field to address what we are doing, how we should do it, and why we should do it." But, what are the challenges we face? What is needed for a succession program? Why is there the need for new approaches? And what are some new, fresh approaches to succession planning and management? (LEARN MORE)



The Buzz Surrounding Learning Analytics
By Jeffrey Berk

If you've been following the learning industry recently, you've probably heard the term learning analytics thrown around. Learning analytics is the new buzzword for the process by which learning professionals analyze critical indicators within their businesses to not only improve continuously but to demonstrate value to stakeholders and to optimize learning investments. It's not just about cool technology. It's also about gathering the right data and leveraging the right queries to ensure that senior management understands the value of learning investments. (LEARN MORE)



Best Practices for Employee Surveys
By Patrick Gilbert, David Slavney, and David Tong

Well-orchestrated surveys lead to higher return rates. Here's how to conduct the orchestra. Employee motivation is vital to business success. Increasingly, it distinguishes companies that thrive from those that fail to survive. A highly motivated workforce delivers superior products and services, and this in turn leads to greater customer satisfaction and improved sales performance. Given the implications for business success, the measurement of employee motivation and commitment through the use of employee surveys continues to increase. (LEARN MORE)



Why You Need Workforce Planning
By John Sullivan

Workforce planning is one of the most important issues that human resources professionals are talking about today. Still, many have not gone beyond the talking stage. The task of actually implementing workforce planning is daunting because it is so difficult to define. The following suggestions are designed to demystify what workforce planning is and to discuss the reasons why every HR department should implement such an effort. (LEARN MORE)



What's New?

VNU Learning has introduced "The Virtual Training & Online Learning Expo." It is the world's most comprehensive interactive resource for training and online learning. Buyers and sellers find information, news, products & services... and communicate with each other in REAL TIME.

TOP 100: CALL FOR ENTRIES
Is your company known for its training and development initiatives? Does it excel at  harnessing human capital? If so, you should apply for Training magazine's 2004 Training Top 100. To apply, visit  Training magazine and click the Top 100 logo in the right column or  click here for the link to the application form. Deadline is October 31, 2003.