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Journey to Hell and back...

This past year has been an incredible journey for my family and I.  But now that the trial is finally underway, I find myself thinking about what the verdict will be and how I'll react.  After a year of hoping the two kids (who were 16 and 18 at the time) will be convicted of felony murder and sentenced to a mandatory life in prison without parole, I find myself wondering if a guilty verdict will ease my pain and make me feel better.  Conversely, how will it feel if they are found not guilty of all the charges?

Have I placed unrealistic expectations on what a guilty verdict means to me and my family?  Everything is becoming real...the trial, testimonies, the emotions.  But will it bring relief to us, as I've been thinking for 13 months?  Things will not change for our family.  J is still gone.  Will knowing and witnessing justice being served change us and heal our wounds?  Is questioning my thoughts and feelings normal?  Everyday this week has been alternating between tears and anger, sometimes within a span of seconds.  The trial makes it all so real; I can't pretend it was a nightmare anymore.  And those around me don't understand what the violent loss of a family member does to a person.

I've had a boyfriend tell me to get over it and I was taking it too hard.  Needless to say, he's no longer in the picture.  I had a coworker laugh and tell me that I was joking and making it all up.  I've had teammates ask what the big deal was since people die all the time.  All of these interactions result in either tears or anger, and me trying to defend my emotions.  I've already been a victim once, why should I allow others to tell me how to feel and fall victim to their beliefs?  Instead of them projecting their ideals onto me, why can't they just offer condolences and buy me a coffee?  Or ask me how I'm holding up?  Or just offer a kind word (hey, your hair/shirt/shoes/skirt looks great!)?  Or offer a healthy way to let go of anger?  Instead, they tell me how I should be feeling.

But how do you explain all the emotions from within, especially when you begin to question them yourself?  How do you tell someone that after a year of hoping the suspects get life in prison that you are now wondering if a guilty verdict will make things better?  It's been like a magic bullet for the past year, thinking everything will get better; but as the trial progresses will a guilty verdict really make us feel better?  I suppose it's only natural to wonder about these things.  And I've been told it's part of the healing process.  My only wish is to end my family's pain and suffering...and I want the suspects to be held accountable for what they did.  Above all else, I want us to find peace with ourselves and the world around us.  But I'm not sure a single word will help us get there.  It's going to be a long road with no shortcuts.  The only things that will help are time and people who accept us and our grief without judgment.

Personal and Professional Development

Personal Development Plan

For my personal development, the following are items I would like to pursue:  seminars and workshops, a mentor relationship, a 360-degree review process, and participation in a community of practice.  Each of the items provide a different focus and can assist me in becoming a better employee.  In totality, each area can help provide balance and growth through the inter-connectivity of them.

Seminars, Workshops, and Conferences

Seminars and workshops can help provide additional views and methods to use in my position and future career path.  My position as a lean coach is not something that is offered in formal education classes, but professional development workshops typically provide information and real life experiences that help an individual grow and learn.  There are several seminars and workshops I am interested in attending, some sponsored by groups such as Lean Enterprise Institute, Lean Advancement Initiative, and MIT and U-Mich.  There is also a yearly workshop sponsored by my company that I would like to attend in the future.  I used to attend and present on a regular basis, but have been absent at the conference for the past 5 years.
Seminars, workshops, and conferences not only help attendees learn about new advances within the field, applications of principles and methods, how other industries are applying the concepts and lessons learned, it also helps build networks and connections with the field.  Interpersonal connections are extremely important, especially when looking for help or advice.  One of the best ways to learn is through elaboration, and networks established through workshops, seminars, and conferences can help reinforce learning.

Mentor

A mentor relationship would help by providing advice and guidance in not only my current position, but also for my career development.  They can also help point out areas for improvements and areas of strength that you should take advantage of.  By locating and working with someone who has had a similar career path as the one I would like to have, they can help motivate and encourage me through constructive criticism and help me identify development opportunities.  Also, the conversations will be beneficial and offer a learning and growth experience by sharing experiences and opinions.

360-degree Review Process

The 360-degree review process should be used outside of the official evaluation and performance measurement plan.  The 360-degree reviews will help me identify strengths and opportunities for improvement that I may not see for myself.  It will also help enhance discussions with my manager and mentor who may not see the day-to-day activities and happenings. Because my position as a coach requires trust and personal relationships with others I interact with, a 360-degree review is  a good way to learn how others perceive me.  The review process may uncover strengths that I didn't recognize in myself and also opportunities I can improve upon to be more effective.  It will also serve as the basis for future training and development opportunities.

Community of Practice

Lastly, I would like to be more involved in communities of practice for my discipline.  Virtual meetings and websites for lean practitioners exist that help develop and elaborate on learnings and experience.  Involvement in communities of practice would help me learn about other topics within my field that I do not get the chance to practice on a regular basis, and also keep me informed of best practices, changes to terminology, and various situations and applications the principles are being applied in.  Similar to workshops, seminars, and conferences, the networking and information sharing that occurs in this setting would be a great benefit to both my current position and future growth within the field.

References

Laureate Education. (2011). Employee Development [Web media]. Retrieved on August 9, 2011 from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5364569&Survey=1&47=6323855&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=1&bhcp=1

Noe, R. A. (2010). Employee training and development (5th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.

Technology and Training

Technology and Training

As our world continues to make technological advances, training and teaching methods continue to evolve and take advantage of those advances.  Sometimes designers get caught up on the latest technological advance and haphazardly apply it to training with little benefit to the learner (Noe, 2010).  The following technologies have an impact on training and can be used successfully with proper thought and integration, although not all are suitable for every learning and training environment and application:  learning management systems, pod casts, groupware, computer /virtual conferencing (WebEx), and haptic displays such as virtual environments.

Learning Management Systems

Learning management systems (LMS) offer many advantages for organization and tracking of a curriculum and training resources.  One such LMS is GeoLearning, recently acquired by SumTotal.  Modern LMS have the ability to allow learners to self-register, book resources such as rooms for training events, track classes needed for certifications or yearly requirements, allow learner feedback and evaluations, and ensure learners have the necessary pre-requisites for a specific class.  Managers can review their department’s training records at a glance or enroll employees in specific classes or sections.  LMS are a great and easy way to track class and curriculum offerings and learner’s progress (Noe, 2010).  Many companies are already using LMS and those that aren’t will make the transition providing they have enough employees to make a sufficient business case. 

Pod Casts

Pod casts, video or audio on demand that can be viewed on computers, mp3 players, and smartphones, is another technological advance in training.  They can be used for self-directed learning and learners who choose to participate in a virtual learning environment.  Learners are able to review the material when it is convenient for them, at 3 a.m., on the train, or any other time of the day or night their schedule permits.  The usefulness of pod casts doesn't just extend to formal education and those seeking self-directed learning opportunities; businesses can also use pod casts as a prerequisite to classes or to deliver lecture material prior to group exercises (Noe, 2010).  When the decision is made to use pod casts, the ID must look at the intended application and audience needs.  Is the purpose information sharing or setting the stage for future activities?  Or are you expecting the learners to be able to perform a physical activity after reviewing the pod cast?  If physical steps are involved in the learning activity, a video pod cast is the best option, while information sharing benefits from an audio or limited graphical display.  An additional benefit to pod casts is the ability to replay and review the material after the class completion.  As time goes on, pod casts, will continue to gain popularity and be used until something better improves the current capabilities.

Groupware

Groupware, encompassing tools such as Microsoft's SharePoint, Wikis, or other external or internal company sites similar to Facebook or LinkedIn, assists self-directed learners (Noe, 2010).  Groupware can be considered as part of social networking, but isn't limited to typical social networking tools.  Many companies have developed their own tools similar to LinkedIn and Facebook, or use a Wiki-based platform to provide information and exchange ideas on a subject.  Groupware, regardless of the type of groupware, promotes on-line collaboration and learning from many types of self-directed learners.  Employees  who are curious about a topic have the ability to reach out and connect with those more experienced.  They are offered opportunities to discuss items in a non-threatening way and also learn about how others within the company have applied the concepts they are learning about.  Equally as important as learning about what worked, employees have a chance to learn what didn't work and adapt and modify their learnings as appropriate.  Groupware offers a chance to share experiences, learn about internal and external training opportunities, and connect with those more experienced who are able to offer advice or encouragement.

Computer/Virtual Conferencing

Tools such as WebEx assist employees through the use of shared desktop screens.  Virtual conferencing tools and software make it easy for virtually located learners or those in geographically dispersed organizations.  Virtual conferencing enables users to see the same desktop, whether it's viewing a presentation or stepping through a database or application.  Unlike pod casts, which are a one-way transmission of data, WebEx in particular, offers some interesting features; private and group chat for use during the presentation, sharing of presentations and desktops between participants, and on-screen annotations.  Users are able to communicate with one another and interact, thereby enhancing the learning experience.  One item to note is that the system you use may require a teleconferencing number for participants to call in to communicate and hear the audio.  Computer conferencing can be useful for applications similar to those used with pod casts.  They can also be helpful when specific steps must be taken, such as those used in computing, a presentation is to be shown to enhance the audio, or if dialog and learner interaction is expected.

Haptic Displays

Haptic displays can be a great a learning tool for areas where safety is concerned or for items that may rarely occur, but need training.  Haptic displays are used in virtual, 3-D environments and incorporate feel within the virtual environment (Ruspini and Khatib, 2001).  One way to think of haptic displays is the vibration you feel when a wrong move is made in the child's game Operation.  In the virtual training environment, tactile senses and forces are applied to the 3-D environment.  Doctors and military personnel could benefit from this type of training method since it uses sensors that apply pressure and force in response to the user's actions.  This type of training method is costly and is not suited for every type of training; specialized equipment and tools are needed like 3-D graphics, glasses, and gloves.  Due to the costs and equipment necessary, instructors and designers want to limit it's application to tasks that may pose safety risks or are hard to learn through traditional learning methods.

Summary

Overall, there are some great technologies that are enhancing learning environments and the way we teach.  Not each technology is well-suited to every type of training, but if thought is given when selecting from the multitude of technologies available, it can be used to enhanced learner training.  Cost and availability of the methods must also be considered when selecting which technologies should be incorporated into the training.

 References

Bersin website.  Retrieved from http://www.bersin.com/blog/post/2011/01/SumTotal-Acquires-GeoLearning--LMS-Market-Consolidation-Continues.aspx

Facebook website.  Retrieved from http://facebook.com

LinkedIn website.  Retrieved from http://linkedin.com

Microsoft Sharepoint.  Retrieved from http://sharepoint.microsoft.com/en-us/Pages/default.aspx

Noe, R. A. (2010). Employee training and development (5th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.

Ruspini, D. and Khatib, O. (2001), Haptic display for human interaction with virtual dynamic environments. Journal of Robotic Systems, 18: 769–783. doi: 10.1002/rob.8115

WebEx website.  Retrieved from http://webex.com

Wound Ripped Open

Grief is a tidal wave that over takes you,smashes down upon you with unimaginable force,sweeps you up into its darkness,where you tumble and crash against unidentifiable surfaces,only to be thrown out on an unknown beach, bruised, reshaped...Grief will make a new person out of you,if it doesn't kill you in the making.

- Stephanie Ericsson

Some things don’t get better over time, the hole in your heart still remains.  Having a trial that continues to get postponed is one of the hardest, most emotional rollercoasters I have been on.  This is the second time the trial has been postponed and the third time the process has been delayed.  Emotionally, this has been one of the hardest things to do, especially being so far from family.  The not knowing, uncertainty of what is going on takes it’s toll on you.  It’s hard to explain what someone goes through unless they’ve gone through it themselves.  I don't think my friends understand, although they want to.  It's not something I want them to be able to fully comprehend and understand in the way I do.  Having a family member taken from you at the hands of others is hard; there is no closure.  It's not natural death or an accident.  Death is hard to rationalize when it's at the hands of others.

I can't lie - this week has been extremely hard on me.  And knowing that I'll go through this in another 3 months is also hard.  In three months, it will be a year since he was killed.  As much as I want to be with family at trial, the uncertainty of it is going to actually happen is in the forefront.  While I plan on being there at sentencing, I can't guarantee my presence at the trial.  But during each time the trial is expected to happen, I become OCD in my pursuit of information:  checking every news outlet and texting every relative for the latest information.  Honestly, I'm surprised my work hasn't said anything about my constant checking of news sources.  I'm thankful they understand what I'm going through and appreciate that I still take care of my tasks and responsibilities.  But I'm not certain my friends and team mates understand the toll this takes on someone.  The headaches, the stress, the tiredness, the need to just zone out; are all results of the stress of uncertainty that are hard to explain or comprehend to someone that hasn't been there.  Even trying to put words to my emotions is difficult.  There is no one specific emotion or term to describe it.  

Every time the wound is showing progress and healing, there is something that sets it back.  After losing my father, and all my grandparents, this has been the most difficult loss to date.  Part of that is being forced to remember the circumstances it happened.  At age 19, no healthy, young person should die, especially in the manner in which occurred.  I worry about his sisters and his parents.  His younger sister is very effected by what happened and I miss the person she used to be.  I was with her the day she was brought home from the hospital and am concerned she's not doing what makes her happy because of her grief.  I worry about his father, who was my father's youngest brother and I have the closest bond with in my family.  I know he's affected, but don't always know the right words to say or questions to ask.  His older sister is a lot like me; she keeps it in and doesn't' share her emotions.  All my other relatives, whom have been effected, how have they been doing?  My cousins and I have grown closer throughout this ordeal, but we don't discuss how this has effected us. 

I wish I could make this better for everyone, myself included.  I also wish my friends, team mates, and co-workers could feel the emotions I am going through but at the same time do not want them to experience this.  It's something I wish no person to experience, but have an understanding and empathy towards.  I want closure on what happened and those responsible to be punished.  It's a huge dichotomy containing many mixed emotions.  Closure and time are the only remedies in sight.  The sooner this can me over, the more time we have to heal and get back to living our lives in the way he would have wanted us to.

Needs Assessment

Needs Assessment for Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines is known low cost airfare with excellent customer service.  They stress friendliness and individual pride in their mission statement, as well as providing employees with opportunities for learning and personal growth (Southwest Airlines website).  If training were to be offered to them, the first step is a needs analysis to understand the organizational culture, people targeted for training, and the tasks the training would cover.  Because training is such a broad area, the training focus has been narrowed to the goal of decreasing turn-around-time (TAT).  TAT is the time it takes from when an aircraft lands and docks at the gate to when it is pushed back from the gate and is ready to take off.  TAT a very important metric to airlines, since the more time an aircraft spends in the air, the more money it is making for the company.  Even within TAT, there are many factors to be considered in training:  luggage handling, people flow and movement, cabin readiness, maintenance issues, and flight connections to name a few (Leib, 2010).

Initially, the consultant would want to have conversations with key stakeholders and obtain their support for working with their teams in effort of reducing TAT.  The stakeholders would include:  the person who is championing (and paying for) the training and performance improvement activity and the directors of the respective departments baggage handling, gate representative, flight attendants, maintenance, and logistics.  Customers are also an important stakeholder and can provide information on improvements and the effects of training.  In the initial meeting, the consultant should review the charter and ask what each of the department’s goals and objectives are for the training and improvement activity to ensure the expectations are the same as yours.  The following questions should be asked so an understanding of the culture and each organization’s needs are met:

• What are the expectations for the organization?
• What regulatory policies and constraints exist?
• Are all policies the same between airports, gates, and unions?
• What competencies, skills, and constraints exist in hiring?
• Are there any upcoming changes to the organization or technology used?
• What are the workforce demographics?
• How should the training or performance improvements be conducted? 
• • Who should do the training – internal or external?
  • What should be included?
  • Where the intervention should be held?
  • How long is available for training?
  • What are the ultimate goals?
  • Is there job progression available to employees?

After gaining a basic understanding of the culture, which should also be supplemented with research from articles, websites, and customer experiences, the following plan (with modifications as needed based on the previous conversation) could be proposed:

1.   Send surveys/questionnaires to the departments involved in the training and performance improvement activity.  This will be a quick and effective way to gather data from employees, especially if done electronically.  One of the downsides is a low rate of return and potentially only employees who are at one extreme or the other will return them (Noe, 2010).  Surveys should include the following topics with questions a mix of ranked, multiple choice, and short answer types (Morrison et al., 2007).

          a.  What issues exist with performing to expectations?
          b.  Do documented tasks exist and are they sufficient?
          c.  What motivates them to meet goals and expectations?

2.   Review the following data and records:
          a. TAT metrics and definition how it is measured
          b. Employee morale data
          c. Customer satisfaction metrics
          d. Lost luggage metrics
          e. Customer loading/unloading metrics
          f.  Value Stream Maps or past Process Maps
          g. Previous improvement activities
          h. Current training materials
          i.  Training records

3.  Perform interviews with limited people in each department.  The goal is to draw out answers through conversation and see if the employees offer additional insights, concerns, hypotheses or best practices throughout the conversation.  By allowing off-subject wandering, providing the original questions are answered, more data and information can be discovered that you wouldn’t have typically uncovered by sticking to a script or survey (Noe, 2010).

4.  If time is available, observation of people and tasks would be a great addition to understanding the organization, people, and tasks.  Observing the gate attendants, maintenance crews, customers, and watching the attendants ready the plane for the next trip could provide invaluable information.  The interactions between employees within the same department, working alongside other departments and with the customer provide information on the organizations culture and processes in addition to tasks.

Overall, the analysis phase of training and performance improvement is extremely important to the success of the intervention.  Without delving into the current and desired state analysis, the Instructional Designer (ID) will not have a clear roadmap of where the organization is and where it wants to get to.  The interventions, whether training, process re-engineering, ergonomics, or some other method, will not provides the turn-by-turn guidance or steps needed to move closer to the desired state.  Both Stolovitch (2002) and Noe (2010) stress the importance of understanding where you are and where you want to be.  Without analysis of people, culture, and process you won’t be able to select the correct intervention appropriate to the situation (Noe, 2010; Beach, 2005).  In training, there is no “one size fits all” solution.  Careful analysis is needed to obtain beneficial results.

References

Beach, L. (2005).  Leadership and the Art of Change:  A practical Guide to Organizational Transformation.  Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Leib, J.  (2010). “Southwest Airlines hustles to reduce turnaround times”.  The Denver Post.  Retrieved July 5, 2011 from http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_16175981

Morrison, G. R., Ross, S. M., & Kemp, J. E. (2007). Designing effective instruction (5th ed.). San Francisco, CA: John Wiley and Sons, Inc.

Noe, R. A. (2010). Employee training and development (5th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill. 

Southwest Airlines.  Website retrieved July 5, 2011 from www.iflyswa.com

 

Stolovitch, H. D., and Keeps, E. J. (2002). Telling ain’t training. Alexandria, VA: ASTD Press.

EIDT 6501 Training Speech

For EIDT 6501, training and Development, I was asked to come up with a speech that explained why training was important and complex and how it could help a business.  Click on the video below or follow this link to hear my speech on VoiceThread: voicethread.com/share/818118/ 

Training is a worthwhile investment when planned and executed properly.  An organization should train to their goals, strategies, and competencies desired in employees.  Training is more than instructing others to mimic the steps necessary to complete a task or process.  It provides skills necessary to think and react to anomalies that may occur throughout the process of completing the task.

With continuous training, employees can develop new skills, refine current skills, and adapt to changing environments.  This helps the company remain competitive and potentially reduce lay-offs in an ever-changing environment.

To execute training properly, a systematic approach using ADDIE or similar method should be used.  ADDIE is an acronym for Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, and Evaluate.  Special attention should be placed on the analyze phase to ensure both the learners and business' needs are met.  Another commonly overlooked phase is the evaluation of training.  In it, the questions of: are the learners able to apply the knowledge and lessons taught, is the training relevant to the current needs, and does the training support the business long-term and short-term needs should be asked.

As you can tell, training is a complex process that helps businesses remain competitive and obtain their goals.