Monday, November 27, 2006

PHIR AYEGA INDIA

I have so far desisted from adding to the brouhaha over Team India's present and future, but the drubbing at Durban and capitulation at Cape town has forced me to break the silence.I am no cricket expert, just been an average player and die hard fan like the rest of India who has been put off by the team's performance on the pitch.I was thoroughly disgusted by the way Sourav Ganguly was and is being treated, but I didn't say anything lest it be construed as unwarranted criticism of Rahul Dravid's captaincy.The coach, I though, was behaving like a dictator, but in the initial sweep of the new broom everything was hunky-dory so I didn't say anything.But Wednesday's and Sunday’s drubbing makes me cry out in shame, enough is enough!Stop the bloody experimentations, the chopping and hacking of the batting order. A team that is confident of its status is the one that plays better. Insecurity doesn't revolve only around questions like if one will make it to the playing eleven, but also one's position in the playing order. Is Irfan Pathan going to come in as a pinch-hitter or lower down? Will Kaif come one-down or will he bat in the slog overs? Alas, matters such as this remain as confidential as the brahmanical rites of yore.Personally, it's been a case of the sublime to the ridiculous. Watching Brian Lara's mastery over Pakistan in Pakistan,was a primer in the magic of cricket. How old is he, 37? And still he shows that the fire burning in him has not been doused by the advance of age. There's a lesson in it for our younger players.Especially Sachin Tendulkar who, for a long time now, has belied his potential. It's with great sorrow that I say his reputation today is bigger than the man. Oh, how he has thrilled us with his exploits with the willow, and how one longs for a return to the Sachin of yore. Is it because he doesn't enjoy swatting the bowlers as he used to? Is the weight of one billion expectations pulling him down? Or, have the bowlers simply got the better of him?Experts can perhaps answer it better than a layman like me, but to me he still seems pivotal to the team's fortunes. Others may pitch in with the bat once in a while, but it is his consistency the Eleven banks on when he is playing. Maybe he should take a leaf out of Brian Lara's game

In the last 13 games it is the 10th defeats INDIA had to run against, more the defeats the manner in which it is been bestowed on them which is shocking and horrifying to say the least, I wasn’t expecting any magic to happen on this team right from the time they set out in their conquest of SWABHIMAN (good word to make us all ashamed of ourselves) and they are not proving me wrong by not creating any ripples there in SA

It was too much for me to digest to hear Pat Symox on air telling, SA and Aus tours are not for experimentation and they make men out of boys and he was only suggesting that Sourav, Laxman and Anil should have been playing, I wonder when the whole world knows what is good for us and only our five glorified JOKERS, Coach and Captain don’t think so, it is not mass hysteria or collective bargain against these players but a honest opinion of the fan.

I am sure even if INDIA wins one more match in this series, Sponsors and TV commercial will again shout back saying “PHIR AYEGA INDIA” (strangely this ad is conspicuous by its absence on the TV these days )

But I am not the one to loose hope on these guys as I am sure they can turn the things around as this is the team which won 16 matches on a trot, people don’t go bad all of a sudden, Just the mental state of our players,

SO GUYS BUCK UP, BLUE BILLION IS WATCHING, SHOW THE METAL OF INDIANS TO WORLD

Monday, October 30, 2006

Practical Tips for Effective Listening

While I was going thru all those write ups about Listening and after doing so many training programs on the same subject matter, thought I can add some value to all our readers with this piece of article.

The premise with which I am starting this is “WE LISTEN AT FAR GREATER PACE THAN WE CAN SPEAK”, so with the mind ready to accept so many things why not make full use of it.

It becomes really difficult to listen to someone else as our mind is so fast in thinking and acting according to it, at times this positive feeling can become pit fall for our listening, where we tend to form opinions without fully understanding the concepts and context.

Hence I would suggest the following simple technique for effective listening

Observe:
a. Sense Data: Before forming an opinion understand why something is been told to you and what is the real meaning behind the conversation, this will help to form a neutral opinion.
b. Interpret Statement: Once something is been said, try and analyze the talk for yourself as to why was it told to you in first place.
c. Feeling Statement: This is the difficult part but once mastered will real value add to individuals in their endeavor to be successful. Understanding the feeling of the person who is talking to us.

Acknowledge:
a. Body language: Once the initial step of sensing the meaning of the data, it is imperative to respond to the individual who is talking to you, the acknowledgement can be in the form of positive body language and gestures, this can be a simple nod of the head either in acceptance or refusal of what is being said, a smile on the face (only in case if the talk is a pleasant one)
b. Express: It is the general human tendency to express once feeling about the talk to the person who communicated, so please do express your opinion or feeling to the individual; this will show that you are sensitive to what is being said.

Encourage:
a. Ask questions: For better understanding of the talk it is always advisable to ask question and clarify your view point with the speaker, this will also reduce the ambiguity in understanding and at the same time will give better picture of the course of action.
b. Prompt if need be: At times if the speaker is not all that comfortable in talking, we will have to prompt by giving cues, this will increase his/her confidence and the information sharing will be easy (typically the interviewee will be like this)

Interpret:
a. Listen & repeat what is said: What is said will have to be understood, for the clarity of understanding, paraphrase what is being spoken to you, once the speaker completes his/her talk, this will add credibility and also will let you know what is that you are thinking of the person

Once we follow these simple yet powerful steps I am sure it will increase our listening ability and help us enormously as a professional.

In my experience thus far, I have noticed that people who are facing the front line customers and in the service functions often will have lot of things to do and listen from their clients (internal as well as external) but they struggle to come to terms with what is being said to them as they tend to forget one simple thing, I have noticed and interacted with best sales persons and service guys in the industry and most of them have this habit of carrying a book and pen when ever they are talking to people, this will help in remembering what we talk and accept

Taking notes is one of the best ways in which we can maximize our listening ability, and here is how we can do it.

Good Listeners Take Notes!

Good Notes
- Focus on what is important
- Exclude all trivia and irrelevancies
- Lend tangibility to what is said
- Gaps in the subject become apparent
- Aids in raising pertinent questions

Tips
- Note only important ideas
- Use private code to enable writing quickly

Lastly I would like to share this story of POWER OF EFFECTIVE LISTENING

Swami Vivekananda when he was a small kid of 9 years was a mischievous boy (who will not at that age), he was some one who was not interested in his studies, his parents were really worried about his lack of interest in studies, all efforts from his parents went in vain as they struggled to make him study, as the exams fast approached, Swami decided a way out to escape his parents scolding for not studying, he told them that he would go to his friends place for combined studies, his parents were happy as at least he is aware that he has to study, the real reason of his escape was, he could sleep at his friend’s place when others studied and his parents will not come to know it.

As this sleeping at friend’s place continued till exams started and all his friends were like this guy will not pass as he has not read anything and were laughing in their minds, but when the exams were over and the results were announced, to all their surprise, Vivekananda had scored more marks than all those friends of his who studied together when he slept,

They questioned him on the result and Swami had this to say “you know when guys were reading loud, I was just listening to you all and remembered them” this just goes to show the importance of listening and power of effective listening

I would signoff with a saying that “WE CAN CHOOSE TO HEAR SOMETHING WITHOUT CHOOSING TO LISTEN”

HAPPY LISTENING

Tuesday, October 03, 2006

The Art of Listening

Listening is an art that when done well delivers tremendous benefits. The goal of listening well is to achieve win-win communication.


Win-win communication not only fosters understanding, affirmation, validation and appreciation, but it also creates an atmosphere of trust, honor and respect. When someone truly listens to you, don't you feel special?


Listening well is a two-way street, and to be effective communicators, we must all listen well to each other. One-way listening can be equated to driving down a one-way street the wrong way. It's dangerous, it can get you into trouble and it can be expensive, as illustrated in the following example.


Sam, a dispatcher for a national moving company in Philadelphia, gave Mike, a new driver, an assignment to go to Portsmouth to make household goods delivery.


When Mike arrived in Portsmouth, he called Sam for further instructions. As Sam gave Mike the necessary information, Mike got a strange feeling that something wasn't quite right.


Mike asked Sam for the complete address, which was Maple Street in Portsmouth, Virginia. Well, Mike was in Portsmouth, but it was Portsmouth, Rhode Island. Mike was ten hours away from where he was supposed to be. He had traveled north in the wrong direction.


Not only did this cost the company time and money, but also the owner of the goods was not pleased.


What caused this expensive mistake? Ineffective listening by both parties. In his haste, Mike didn't listen to all the information that Sam gave him, and Sam neglected to get accurate acknowledgment from Mike stating that he understood the instructions.


Focus on the Caller


Listening well is a skill that requires practice.


1. Someone who listens well easily establishes rapport with others.
2. Good listeners attract others because they focus on the speaker completely.
3. They have a positive energy that makes you want to be in their company.
4. They are effective in their jobs because, by listening and asking the appropriate questions, they know exactly what needs to be done and how to do it.


To be effective when interacting over the telephone, hone your verbal skills and focus completely on what the speaker is saying.


Listen closely to your intuition. The best example of this is to observe how blind people communicate. Since they do not have the gift of sight, they focus on their other gifts and develop them. Their hearing is acute, and they can people read by focusing on a person's voice attitude and the words that the person uses.


Those of us whose work depends on the telephone should do the same.


Good Listening Skills


A good listener, both on the telephone and in person, will:


1. Always be prepared to take notes when necessary. That means having writing tools readily available.
2. Repeat the information he or she heard by saying, I hear you saying ... Is that correct? If the speaker does not agree, repeat the process to ensure understanding.
3. Remain curious and ask questions to determine if he or she accurately understands the speaker.
4. Want to listen to the information being delivered.
5. Be physically and mentally present in the moment.
6. Listen by using the ears to hear the message, the eyes to read body language (when listening in person), the mind to visualize the person speaking (when on the telephone), and intuition to determine what the speaker is actually saying.
7. Establish rapport by following the leader.
8. Match the momentum, tone of voice, body language, and words used by the speaker.
9. Please use common sense when matching. If the speaker is yelling, don't do the same because it will make a bad situation worse.


Poor Listening Skills


A poor listener, both on the telephone and in person:


1. May be abrupt and/or give one-word answers such as no, yes, and maybe.
Will be easily distracted.
2. In person, the listener may look around the room as opposed to focusing on the speaker's face.
3. Over the telephone, the listener may be opening mail, reading e-mail, filing, playing with hair, a pencil or a tie — anything that preempts focusing on the caller.
4. Constantly interrupts, making the speaker feel that what he or she has to say is not important.
5. The listener finishes the other person's sentences, implying that the listener already knows what the speaker is about to say.
6. Changes the subject without even realizing it.
7. Looks at his watch, signaling that you are wasting his time.

Remember that effective listening can open many doors. If you listen with your eyes, your ears and your mind, you will always get the information you need.

Thursday, September 14, 2006

Helping people learn

Strategies for moving from training to learning

How can learning be supported, accelerated and directed towards an organisation's strategic needs? This has become a key business question for modern organisations, but the answer is not simple.
The researchers argue that the capacity to adapt is the greatest gift of learning. It allows the learner and the organisation to remain agile in the face of uncertain future conditions, whereas other outcomes of learning, like new knowledge and skills, tend to have specific applications and a shorter shelf life. The challenge for HRD professionals, therefore, is to move from a strategy based upon the delivery of training to one based upon support for learning.


Shifting from training to learning

Training is characterised as an instructor-led, content-based intervention, leading to desired changes in behaviour; and learning as a self-directed, work-based process, leading to increased adaptive capacity

Creating the right conditions

Many factors are influential in making this shift, ranging from broad features like the vision and values of the organisation, to specific features like the degree of support for learning provided by managers. A complementary two-pronged approach is proposed in the research:


1. Creating a positive climate for learning in the organisation, for managers to be predominantly responsible in generating commitment among employees.
2. Building up the learning capabilities of employees, groups and the organisation as a whole, for both managers and HR to take responsibility to translate the commitment into productive value for the organisation.


Creating the climate for learning

Learning can be cultivated by management practices that raise commitment among employees, creating what is described as an organisational 'growth medium'. The logic of the growth medium is simple: in the right climate, employees will commit their energies to the vision of the organisation, speeding up the process of improvement and innovation. The research identified three conditions that organisations need to meet in order to build an effective growth medium:


1. creating a sense of purpose in the workplace
2. giving employees the opportunity to act on their commitment
3. providing employees with a supportive learning environment.


But commitment alone doesn't guarantee that learning will be timely, productive or systematic. Neither can it guarantee that individuals will share their learning effectively in groups or apply it to the wider challenge of organisational change.


Many factors intervene between the commitment to learn and the impact of learning in practice. Organisations differ widely in their culture, objectives and operating reality. There is no quick fix or 'tips and tricks' that can be read across from elsewhere; it's a job for the competent HRD manager to work through in his or her own organisation. A proactive approach needs to be taken to create, implement and monitor a learning strategy.


Building learning capabilities or 'learning how to learn'

The conditions in which effective learning takes place at individual, group and organisational levels - ie the conditions in which employees find themselves working on a routine basis, not just when they attend training courses - are critical. The research suggests that learning capabilities bring insight and discipline to the process of learning, helping employees (and the groups in which they operate) to draw on their experience, work effectively with others and increase their strategic contribution. The presence of generic learning skills helps an organisation remain flexible in the face of unpredictable future conditions. But their importance is rarely recognised at present in organisations, even by HRD professionals. The HRD professional needs now to enable learning among employees, rather than just deliver or direct it.


In developing such a strategy the modern human resource development professional must consider a wide range of issues:


1. ensuring that learning is aligned with appropriate corporate objectives
2. developing awareness of the value of relevant learning to the organisation
3. promoting learner confidence and ability
4. creating processes so that the learner has the time and freedom to learn.


Conclusions

Dominance of the classroom-based training course in workplace learning is no longer appropriate for a global economy where change happens so quickly and with such regularity that classroom-based, fact-dominated learning soon becomes out of date.


Successful organisations are those that can persuade and encourage their people to learn to learn - actively to seek to acquire the skills necessary to enable constant learning and the accompanying desire to make use of these skills.
The challenge for the HR profession is to ensure the modern workforce has the skills and adaptive capacity to deal with the fast-moving global economy. What can and should be done must depend on the situation, culture and background of the organisation.

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

How do you set a favorable training condition

A pre requisite for effective learning to take place is the creation of proper climate that is helpful in learning. This can be broadly categorized as

1. Institutional Climate
2. Climate for Training sessions
Currently we are more concerned towards the Training Climate setting and let’s discuss them in detail

Mutual Respect:

One will be open to learning if they feel that individual is respected. If there is any negative feeling about them like being talked down or neglected then the conducive environment for it will not be there. This can be developed using various methods, most commonly used are name calling (trainer and the participants), I normally use the method where in during my introduction I tell them that it will be a interactive session and if they don’t ask questions we will not be able to learn, also I some time throw questions to people in order to make it a more interactive and also help them unleash their true knowledge, this helps in creating mutual respect among participants and trainer.

Collaborative ness:

This sharing of experience exercise helps the participants to start seeing themselves as mutual helpers rather than rivals. I feel the richest resources in the training hall are participants themselves and the trainers.

Supportiveness:

As a trainer one will have to help the people in learning rather than being judgmental of their activities, this makes them feel that the trainer is there to help them, hence the learning will be more effective.

Climate of fun:

learning should be one of the most joyful things we do and so as a trainer one has to make the experience enjoyable. One can make use of humor appropriately

Human Climate:

Learning is a human activity and training is for animals. So one should try and establish a climate in which people feel that they are being treated as human being and not objects.

Once we have done this then probably can move towards creating a mechanism for planning: if as a trainer one can involve participants to let him know what is that they are expecting in the program to be covered then there will sense of belonging, like when you take some decision or plan for an action, if you think you have opted for such action then the ownership or the responsibility is that much more than where it is some one else’s job. This helps in actually creating a sense of belonging for a training program.

Diagnosing the participant’s learning need: In a particular training event involving individuals, a learning need is not a need unless so perceived by the learner. A trainer’s responsibility is to make them understand the conditions and providing them with the tool to translate the need into training.

Translating learning needs into objectives: having diagnosed their need, it should get translated into learning objectives, positive statements of direction of growth

Designing and managing a pattern of learning experience: once the objective is set, then one will have to see how to meet them. This will include the identifying the resources most relevant to each objective and the most effective strategies.

Feedback:
once the programme is ready and then conducted then one will take the objective and subjective feedback in order to gauge the effectiveness of the training and also the meeting of objectives.

So with these one can actually set a right climate for the training program with adults

Attributes of a good trainer

Some attributes I think are must for an Effective Trainer are

1. A trainer should be a very personable individual who gets along well with others and can empathize with the experience of a variety of individuals.

2. He should like to learn. I heard once that you live longer if you stretch your mind both vertically and horizontally. If that is the case then a trainer may just live forever as he should continually drill deeper into his own field and constantly delving into projects that require other fields of expertise.

3. He should believe in the products that he uses. As working daily with the technologies that one writes and speaks about. He should always explore any areas that are unknown and practice with elements he uses less often.

4. Should be a very confident speaker. Should enjoy the work that he does and love to talk about it. Should freely share the knowledge he has attained with others. Should be always described as a passionate person by the people he works with. He should love to "work the audience" talking back and forth and creating a true dialogue in any presentation.

5. Should not be afraid of failing nor should be afraid to admit when he is wrong. Should believe that you only truly fail if you never try. Every failure is simply an opportunity in disguise.

6. Should be goal oriented.

7. Should be a very focused individual able to use extreme levels of concentration when working.

8. I feel that one of the best qualities that a trainer should bring to any table is diversity. He should be equally comfortable with doing the planning and budgeting for a project

9. Patience is a virtue. You have no doubt heard the expression before. The classroom seems to prepare you for having a family and vice-versa.

10. Ability to ask questions and frame answers for the questions asked and then get the things out of people is a virtue one will have to develop

11. Sense of humor is something one should have to be a good trainer.

12. Its not the content but the methodology which connects the audience and the trainer is most important

13. His role is a facilitator, meaning one who brings the best out of people, hence should know how to influence people in the room


14. Should have lot of conviction about the content/about self and above all the training in itself

15. Some times he will have to be a tough negotiator with the participants in order to make them learn and help them change

16. He is a change agent, so help them metamorphose the change than just being a tutor.

17. Should be friendly and approachable by participants.

Evaluation of the effectiveness of training programmes

Assessing training effectiveness often entails using the four-level model developed by Donald Kirkpatrick (1994). According to this model, evaluation should always begin with level one, and then, as time and budget allows, should move sequentially through levels two, three, and four. Information from each prior level serves as a base for the next level's evaluation. Thus, each successive level represents a more precise measure of the effectiveness of the training program, but at the same time requires a more rigorous and time-consuming analysis.


The Kirkpatrick Model for Summative Evaluation
In 1975, Donald Kirkpatrick first presented a four-level model of evaluation that has become a classic in the industry:

  • Level One: Reaction
  • Level Two: Learning
  • Level Three: Behavior
  • Level Four: Results


These levels can be applied to technology-based training as well as to more traditional forms of delivery. Modified labels and descriptions of these steps of summative evaluation follow.


Level One: Students' Reaction
In this first level or step, students are asked to evaluate the training after completing the program. These are sometimes called smile sheets or happy sheets because in their simplest form they measure how well students liked the training. However, this type of evaluation can reveal valuable data if the questions asked are more complex. For example, a survey similar to the one used in the formative evaluation also could be used with the full student population. This questionnaire moves beyond how well the students liked the training to questions about:


·The relevance of the objectives.
·The ability of the course to maintain interest.
·The amount and appropriateness of interactive exercises.
·The ease of navigation.
·The perceived value and transferability to the workplace.


With technology-based training, the survey can be delivered and completed online, and then printed or e-mailed to a training manager. Because this type of evaluation is so easy and cheap to administer, it usually is conducted in most organizations.

Level Two: Learning Results
Level Two in the Kirkpatrick model measures learning results. In other words, did the students actually learn the knowledge, skills, and attitudes the program was supposed to teach? To show achievement, have students complete a pre-test and post-test, making sure that test items or questions are truly written to the learning objectives. By summarizing the scores of all students, trainers can accurately see the impact that the training intervention had. This type of evaluation is not as widely conducted as Level One, but is still very common.


Level Three: Behavior in the Workplace
Students typically score well on post-tests, but the real question is whether or not any of the new knowledge and skills are retained and transferred back on the job. Level Three evaluations attempt to answer whether or not students' behaviors actually change as a result of new learning.
Ideally, this measurement is conducted three to six months after the training program. By allowing some time to pass, students have the opportunity to implement new skills and retention rates can be checked. Observation surveys are used, sometimes called behavioral scorecards. Surveys can be completed by the student, the student's supervisor, individuals who report directly to the student, and even the student's customers. For example, survey questions evaluating a sales training program might include:


·Did the representative open each customer dialogue with a product benefit statement, followed by a request to proceed?
·Was the representative able to analyze and describe to you the category of customers' objections as either valid, misinformation, or smokescreen?
·Did the representative use the appropriate model answer in response to each objection?
·Did the representative close each sales call with a request for purchase?
·If the prospect did not buy anything, did the representative end the call with specific future action steps?
·Did the representative complete call history records that include summaries of who, what, where, when, and why?


Level Four: Business Results
The fourth level in this model is to evaluate the business impact of the training program. The only scientific way to isolate training as a variable would be to isolate a representative control group within the larger student population, and then rollout the training program, complete the evaluation, and compare against a business evaluation of the non-trained group. Unfortunately, this is rarely done because of the difficulty of gathering the business data and the complexity of isolating the training intervention as a unique variable. However, even anecdotal data is worth capturing. Below are sample training programs and the type of business impact data that can be measured.


·Sales training. Measure change in sales volume, customer retention, length of sales cycle, profitability on each sale after the training program has been implemented.


·Technical training. Measure reduction in calls to the help desk; reduced time to complete reports, forms, or tasks; or improved use of software or systems.


·Quality training. Measure a reduction in number of defects.


·Safety training. Measure reduction in number or severity of accidents.


·Management training. Measure increase in engagement levels of direct-reports


A training effectiveness is measured on Level 1, hence if there is any short comings found from the reaction feedback it will be shared with the concerned trainer so that he/she can improve on the same in the next programs, this will also give a better insight into the training model/structure and effectiveness, hence chances for improvements are high,

Identifying the Training Needs of the Organisations

Training needs are identified at three critical and interrelated components as per McGehee and Thayer; they are Organisational Analysis, Operational Analysis and Person Analysis.

At the organisational level As all the organisations aims for achieving the excellence in their chosen field of business, an approach must be to develop individuals by way honing his attitude towards business goals, appraising and counselling him/her which can promote harmonious work culture. The management development programme like OD, MBO etc. are the common organisational needs.

At Operational level the need for fulfilling the competence gap to perform quality output, breaking the barriers of interpersonal group effectiveness, developing confidence to take up challenges and initiatives; generally clarifies the occupational need. Among these Team Development, Group Dynamism, OJT, JIT can be considered

At Individual level Skills, knowledge and attitude are the three dimensions of a performer which contributes towards his/her total effectiveness or the competence. One can have basic knowledge and skill to justify for the job description but the improvement in these dimensions with reference to the occupational and organisational needs can bring out better results. Amongst the individual needs supervisory skill development, managerial/executive development, decision making needs etc. are the important ones.

These things can achieved thru following mechanisms

Training Need Survey: which includes person’s “present needs”, “future needs”, “individual needs”, “organisational needs” and so on and so forth, this is an opinion based results hence the chances of skew ness is more and also depends on the nature and effectiveness of the survey.

Competence Analysis
: This can be explained in simple words like

Current Level of Performance GAP Desired Level of Performance

Any deficiency in skill, knowledge and attitudes are identified for next role is identified and then the person is trained on those skills to acquire the necessity competency

Performance Appraisal Approach: Under this approach each person is measured on his individual ability to perform a given work as specified in the measurement criteria, any short fall there will be identified as training inputs and then forms the part of TNI

Task Analysis: some times as individual works effectively so long as he is performing on his own but when on a task to accomplish which involves contributions of others his efficiency is reduced. Task Analysis therefore, exposes out his weakness in dealing with others and his attributes to make him capable of running a group or performing a task effectively. Tasks specifications and the competence desired to perform the task precisely identify the training needs. But this takes time and skill.

Feedback Approach: This is the most commonly used method for TNI, the feedback can come from various sources like (a) Annual Report (b) Production Report (c) Performance Report (d) Comments from Managers/supervisors, this is an inexpensive approach to TNI as these information are obligatory from sources

Management Decision Approach: In this approach management decides who to be trained and on what, as management will have future business and areas of interest in mind, this is most suitable for a smaller organisation, but though this is inexpensive method, but lack in evidential aspect.

Organisational Values

Values are defined as characteristics of individuals that clarify what is preferred, what is selected as being important and that then guides a person's life (Rokeach, 1973; Schwartz, 1992) In one of the best-known approaches in the study of values, Rokeach (1973) defined values as modes of conduct and end states - namely instrumental and terminal values. He divided instrumental values into two categories: moral values are focused on interpersonal (e.g., helpfulness), and competence values with interpersonal (e.g., logical) modes of conduct. Rokeach classifies values as personal and social: personal values include self-centered values and self-respect, and social values include socially centered values such as equality, and world-at-peace.

There are several definitions of value: Allport, Vernon and Lindzey (1952) defined values as emotional-mental judgment toward some phenomenon.

Allport and Vermon classifies Values as

Theoretical Values which is more of discovery of truth through reasoning and systematic thinking

Economic Values which is more of usefulness and practicality

Aesthetic Values which is interest in beauty and artistic harmony

Social Values which deals with people and human relationships

Political Values which is acquiring power and creating influence on others

Religious Values which is a unity and understanding of Cosmos

All individuals will have their own ranking systems for these values, according to their individual behavior, which helps us in understanding their behavior, the fact is that different occupational people have different value system has led to a progressive organizations to improve the values-job fit in order to increase the employees performance and satisfaction

Wednesday, May 31, 2006

advantages of e-learning

Advantages of E-Learning


There are many advantages of e-learning, including:

Greater productivity since staff will not have to spend time traveling to courses

Increased profitability. Staffs who are better trained in technical and personal development areas will be able to better identify and understand problems areas when they see them.

Enhanced employee loyalty. Studies have shown that professional development is one of the major reasons why staff stay or leave a firm.

Speed. You won’t have to wait for the course or multiple copies to be sent to your firm. Once ordered on line, it will be immediately available for review and use.

Convenience.
Training will be available 24/7. Staff and partners will be able to fit it into their schedule without sacrificing client time.

Information from a greater variety of sources. The Internet offers more possibilities and opportunities than can be imagined. These will only increase within the next few years.

Increased access for lifelong learners.

E-Learning encourages the development of an independent learning culture.

E-Learning enables more engaging materials to be created for a range of abilities and preferred learning styles.

Learners work collaboratively to identify solutions and test their conceptual understanding through peer-to-peer discussion.

Effective use of interactive functions in some technologies can engage and motivate learners, reducing disengagement with repetitive tasks. Learners can participate kinaesthetically to reinforce their learning.

Asynchronous interaction. Unlike face-to-face or telephone conversations, electronic mail does not require participants to respond immediately. As a result, interactions can be more succinct and to-the-point, discussion can stay more on-track, and people can get a chance to craft their responses. This can lead to more thoughtful and creative conversations.


Group collaboration. Electronic messaging creates new opportunities for groups to work together, creating shared electronic conversations that can be thoughtful and more permanent than voice conversations. Sometimes aided by on-line moderators, these net seminars can be powerful for learning and problem-solving.

New educational approaches. Many new options and learning strategies become economically feasible through online courses. For instance, the technology makes it feasible to utilize faculty anywhere in the world and to put together faculty teams that include master teachers, researchers, scientists, and experienced professional developers. Online courses also can provide unique opportunities for teachers to share innovations in their own work with the immediate support of electronic groups and expert faculty.

Integration of computers. The online learner has access to a computer, so computer applications can be used without excluding some participants. This means, for instance, that a mathematical model implemented in a spreadsheet can easily be incorporated into a lesson and downloaded so all participants can run, explore, and refine the model and then share their findings and improvements.

e-learning

E learning is overarching umbrella which covers learning, information, communication, knowledge Management and Performance Management and most importantly Training. It’s a web enabled medium which helps people to increase knowledge and education at the connivance of time and energy.

As opposed to the computer-based training of the 1980s, the term e-learning refers to computer-enhanced training. E-learning is usually delivered via a personal computer. It includes learning delivered by other communications technologies. Methods include online lectures, tutorials, performance support systems, simulations, job aids, games, and more. Effective e-learning is often a blend of methods.

E-learning, therefore, is an approach to facilitate and enhance learning through both computer and communications technology. Such devices can include personal computers, CD ROMs, Television, P.D.A.s, M3 Players, and Mobile Phones. Communications technology enables the use of the Internet, email, discussion forums, WIKIs, collaborative software, classroom management software and team learning systems

E-learning may also be used to suit distance learning through the use of WANs (Wide Area Networks), and may also be considered to be a form of flexible learning where just-in-time learning is possible. Courses can be tailored to specific needs and asynchronous learning is possible. Where learning occurs exclusively online, this is called online education. When learning is distributed to mobile devices such as cell phones or PDAs, it is called M-learning.

Supporting learning online

Some view e-learning as a means to effective or efficient etc. learning, due to its ease of access and the pace being determined by the learner. Others point out that e-learning software developers tend to limit their focus on course delivery and content, while online education institutions require a much wider range of educational services.
Others are critical of e-learning in the context of education, because the face-to-face human interaction with a teacher has been removed from the process, and thus, some argue, the process is no longer "educational" in the highest philosophical sense (for example, as defined by RS Peters, a philosopher of education). However, these human interactions can be encouraged through web-conferencing programs such as Macromedia Breeze.
Further, continual advances in technology allow a wider range of learning experiences such as educational animation to be made available to support online learning


Four main pedagogical perspectives that are often used when developing e-learning are:

Cognitive perspective - which focuses on the cognitive processes involved in learning as well as how the brain works.

Emotional perspective - which focuses on the emotional aspects of learning, like motivation, engagement, fun etc

Behavioral perspective - which focuses on the skills and behavioral outcomes of the learning process. Role-playing and application to on-the-job settings.

Social perspective - which focuses on the social aspects which can stimulate learning. Interaction with other people, collaborative discovery and the importance of peer support as well as pressure.

Wednesday, April 05, 2006

my dream team for world cup 2007

Well as all of us have the freedom of expression and freedom of press, I took this on me to select my 16 members squad for the Cricket WC to be held in West Indies in 2007.

The team goes like this..

1. Sachin Tendulkar (oh boy!!! is there any better player than him in this world, GOD OF CRICKET, I would have placed him even more high on the list, but given to understand that Numero Uno is the only number which is high......... sigh ........... hmmm ........ alas)

2. Virender Sehwag (not withstanding his current form, I would like this "Nawab of Najafarghar" to be partnering "THE GOD" at the top of the order, coz he brings the arrogance to the cultured shots of Cricket, the very fact that it is Viru, bowlers are going to have sleepless nights)

3. Mohammed Kaif (one more on the list of non starters at the moment, but he is the right candidate for No 3 position given the fact that he runs like there is a mad dog chasing him, and is an accumalator of runs and my candidate for Future Captain)

4. Yurvaj Singh (well well, who said spoilt brats dont make it big, here is he, the big bad boy who touches any thing, it will become gold these days)

5. Rahul Dravid (ever since he started playing League Cricket in Bangalore, I have been his biggest fan, for I have seen the rise "WALL" brick by brick, and would be ideal for closing stages of the game)

6. Suresh Raina (this young turk is making waves for all the right reasons and I have been particularly impressed by his sound knowledge of the game, looks little suseptable on the off side, but can be rectified)

7. Mahendra Singh Dhoni (to tell frankly, I had never imagined that one day "Mahi" will make it this big, when I saw first time in a representative cricket during KSCA diamond jubliee in the year 2001, when he played for IA, hmm that's life for you, throws open different doors and you need to take a jump there, oh common I am not philosophical, well getting back to what I want to write, he is a best suited man for finishing stages of the game)

8. Irfan Khan Pathan (can some one tell this bloke that he is no Kapil or Imran or his Idol Wasim, let the guy concentrate on throwing ball at 135kmph consistantly and not to worry about conserving energy to bat, for me he is best suited at No 8 and if need be then can be floated as the need comes)

9. Ajit Balchander Agarkar (well well, lots of my frens will be fainting away to see this name making my dream team list, well folks we have a war to be won, I care a damn if the person is in my good books or not as long as he is able to serve me in my endevor and this guy does it for me as he has the ugly knack of picking wickets and makes you belive that he can bat as well, and I feel he is one of the best out fielders I have seen since Dean Jones and Vivin the King Richards)

10. Harbhajan Singh(he is some one who just keeps bringing lot more every time he comes on to bowl and a character to be in your always)

11. Munaf Musa Patel (who says Indians cannot hurl the cherry at 140+kmph, tell this man the same and he will make you hear chin music, I feel with his raw pace and ability to reverse swing the ball at the speed, he makes ideal choice for my no 11, and folks he has scored few hundreds in junior cricket, so it means he knows how to hold the bat)

12. Sreesanth S (Good team man and a great fighter and has belly for big cricket, he will be in my 16 as a support cast for the seamers)

13. Rudra Prathap Singh (he is a guy who should be persisted for pretty long run as he is a long race horse, more the matches better the player he is, will form my 5 pace attack for WI)

14. Romesh Powar (support cast to "Sardar from Jalandhar", the stocky man has a great memory of hitters and will make sure he gets them next time, "yours truly" being the casulty on 2 occasions when playing for Karnataka Junior Teams, I have seen him closely and formed an opinion that he is our "Javed Miandad" very very street smart cricketer, and a good batsman as well and has the knack of bowling in depth)

15. Venugopal Rao (I know I know, guys would be pouncing on me as I have been a big fan and advocate of Venu for some time now, I have seen him again in Junior Crickets and know his appetite for huge scores and sense of big matches and plays well for it, he will be our Ideal No4/5 batsman for the future, groom him from now on, a worth an invest)

16. Aiyudda Robin Uttappa (my junior in college team, good bat/keeper and also handy bowler, been bumping to him in KSCA league and seen in college matches, pretty much in the mould of Viru, can be a good keeper cast for Mahi, have him in and groom him)

Thursday, March 23, 2006

Rant!

Rant!

Ok enough reminiscing and enough statistics related anguish for now. I need to rant, about myself to myself because I just don’t get myself at times. I really don’t know what the hell it is that draws me into scenarios like this.

More drama, more lies, more deceit, more everything and more so truly international with a cast and story plot drawn across the nations. And what’s worse, is I am drawn to it like a moth to a flame. Ugh...

I mean I honestly had enough of this, I keep passing up on nice women, veiled women, and all kinds from Columbia to wherever but the moment I get a whiff of something that’s a chase, I throw my hat in the ring and I'm all about the game. I got my game face on and I’m analyzing things, reading the finer nuances in body language and making moves like it’s a game of chess. I walk different, my eyes gleam and the voice has a new tone in it... like I am someone else.

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Curtain Raiser

Well, well, at last I am here, with god's grace and fingers pace, I created my "world's first" personal blog space, not sure how I would use, coz if I am left strandred in an island where its only me and my type writer (Not mentioning it as comp as I can use it for other purposes), the last thing I would do is "TYPE" (did some one say typing is a boring job) SOS and send it.

Hmmmmm sounds strange, but here I am to change my attitude towards TYPING (as some one did really say "CHANGE IS THE ONLY CONSTANT")