tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5372675197938052402012-01-31T02:04:48.245ZBlog of Charles Jennings, Duntroon Associates, focused on all things related to learning, performance and organisational productivity.Charles Jenningshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10220891611333165590noreply@blogger.comBlogger291100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537267519793805240.post-18447865028546453142012-01-27T13:06:00.001Z2012-01-27T13:07:35.127Z

This is the third and final of three posts adapted from articles I’ve written for Inside Learning Technologies & Skills magazine. It was published and distributed in the magazine for the Learning Technologies Conference and Exhibition in London 25-26 January 2012. "It's a poor sort of memory that only works backwards,” says the White Queen to Alice. In the previous two

Charles Jenningshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10220891611333165590noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537267519793805240.post-76024719422029094712011-12-29T14:05:00.001Z2011-12-29T14:05:12.220Z

This is the second of three posts adapted from articles written for Inside Learning Technologies & Skills magazine. The original has been published here. The third article will be posted here a little while after it has been published in the magazine for the Learning Technologies Conference and Exhibition in London 26-27 January 2012. In the first

Charles Jenningshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10220891611333165590noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537267519793805240.post-2865087926964672792011-12-14T09:00:00.001Z2011-12-14T09:00:57.147Z

This is the first of three posts adapted from articles I have written for Inside Learning Technologies & Skills magazine. This article appeared in November 2011.  The second and third articles will be posted here a little while after they have been published in the magazine. I’ve taken Lewis Carroll’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’ as a theme for the series. The illustrations here are Sir John Tenniel’s

Charles Jenningshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10220891611333165590noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537267519793805240.post-65978100803898430432011-10-16T15:43:00.001+01:002011-10-16T19:07:54.580+01:00

The book ‘The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine’ is Michael Lewis’ marvellous account of the idiocy and greed that led to the sub-prime bubble and the resulting global financial crisis. Lewis’ book focuses on a few smart people who saw the simple truths beneath the complex world of financial jiggery-pokery that led to wealthy people becoming even wealthier on the backs of others who were

Charles Jenningshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10220891611333165590noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537267519793805240.post-3912516987062737822011-08-30T12:03:00.001+01:002011-08-30T12:03:11.606+01:00

This post was prompted by a webinar I gave on behalf of Citrix/GoToWebinar on 6th July 2011 and originally posted as a guest post on the Learning Pool blog. I’ve made a few changes to it here. Looking Back eLearning has been with us in one form or another for at least the past 50 years, maybe longer. Probably the first player on the enterprise eLearning block was the University of Illinois’

Charles Jenningshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10220891611333165590noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537267519793805240.post-14732140399373834792011-08-04T22:44:00.001+01:002011-08-06T00:09:37.277+01:00

  There have been millions of words written and spoken about ‘informal’ and social learning over the past few years.     In fact, if a Martian had just arrived on Earth and strayed into a meeting of Learning and Development professionals or into a learning conference, or even picked up a professional journal, he would logically assume that these were the only ways humans learned. The

Charles Jenningshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10220891611333165590noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537267519793805240.post-8407834224321680702011-06-22T14:03:00.001+01:002011-06-22T14:11:47.910+01:00

Last month I took part in the iVentiv Executive Knowledge Exchange event in New York. The two days of roundtable discussion were focused on ‘learning futures’. There were plenty of good conversations, some case studies, and lots of idea sharing and thoughts around innovation and the future of learning in organisations. The event was attended by Chief Learning Officers and executives

Charles Jenningshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10220891611333165590noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537267519793805240.post-76597350053041420142011-04-28T17:24:00.001+01:002011-05-03T19:28:41.630+01:00

Two weeks ago I ran a webinar under this title for Citrix. At the start I posed the question “when you think about one great learning experience you’ve had, can you remember where it occurred? Was it in a classroom or workshop, or did it occur while you were completing the task?” I’ve asked this question, or variations of it, many times over the past few years. The response from this group

Charles Jenningshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10220891611333165590noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537267519793805240.post-32561110247536535472011-03-22T09:17:00.001Z2011-03-22T09:17:26.025Z

“we tell ourselves stories in order to live” Haruki Murakami Jerome Bruner (1915- ) is one of the greatest educational psychologists the world has ever produced. He has spent his long lifetime studying learning and the human mind. Still active and in post as a Research Professor at New York University in his 95th year, Bruner has long realised the value of conversations and

Charles Jenningshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10220891611333165590noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537267519793805240.post-25071642586714549212011-01-08T01:35:00.014Z2011-01-08T02:13:00.105Z

Why Learning Professionals Need to Learn to Speak their Stakeholders’ Language The language we use is important. There’s no doubt about that. Human cultural development owes a great deal to our ability to communicate complex thoughts and be clearly understood by others so they can take actions. The problem is, like opinions, there are just so many languages to choose from at any one time. Not

Charles Jenningshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10220891611333165590noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537267519793805240.post-65534717779620394622010-12-28T12:41:00.005Z2010-12-28T13:33:51.830Z

At some point in time I am sure we’ve all found ourselves with an answer staring us in the face, but we just haven’t managed to see it yet. Spending money, time and effort providing face-to-face training or eLearning courses for workers in an attempt to equip them to use new processes and systems as they’re rolled out across our organisations is one of these cases. Most of us know there are

Charles Jenningshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10220891611333165590noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537267519793805240.post-88110591951154032262010-11-04T14:06:00.002Z2010-11-04T14:17:02.294Z

Arthur Koestler’s masterpiece ‘The Sleepwalkers: A History of Man’s Changing Vision of the Universe’ is a book that I have re-read every 10 years or so, and have regularly given to young people – usually for 18th or 21st birthdays – in the probably mistaken belief that it will help them understand their world a little better. Together with Joseph Conrad, Koestler is one of those rare people

Charles Jenningshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10220891611333165590noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537267519793805240.post-66154957452316627002010-08-08T20:44:00.006+01:002010-08-08T23:42:40.270+01:00

I was recently involved in a discussion about 21st Century learning skills in one of the LinkedIn Groups. It got me thinking about a piece I’d written for TrainingZone a few months ago titled “What does your ideal L&D team look like in 2010?”. I’ve posted that article here, with some changes and updates. If we're to believe the experts rather than the man-in the-street, the 21stCentury

Charles Jenningshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10220891611333165590noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537267519793805240.post-28178107060442947732010-07-15T15:21:00.007+01:002010-07-15T16:16:36.870+01:00

In the movies, the marshal steps out from behind the big rock, draws his Colt .45 and enforces the law by dispatching a few outlaws as they dive for cover 20 or 30 yards away. In real life it was not as simple as that. About 40 years ago I read a tremendous book by Earl Forrest about a feud that took place in Navajo County, Arizona in the 1880s. The feud was between two families. The

Charles Jenningshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10220891611333165590noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537267519793805240.post-44552517199928620732010-06-19T00:08:00.006+01:002010-06-19T00:16:50.510+01:00

I read a piece written by Kate Graham of e2train on Thursday and it started me thinking about the ‘real learning versus managed learning’ debate. I found I disagreed with Kate’s view on a number of points, and stand on the other side of the fence from her argument for a number of reasons. I don’t want anyone to get me wrong. I like Kate a lot. We’ve known each other for a number of years.

Charles Jenningshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10220891611333165590noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537267519793805240.post-85650790970107503412010-05-28T11:10:00.005+01:002010-05-28T13:34:58.100+01:00

Instructional design is not only seen as a core competency for learning and development/training specialists, but it’s a huge industry, too. Most learning vendors tout their ‘expertise in instructional design’ as a key reason as to why we should engage them to produce learning content. If we do so, then almost invariably their approach is around developing content in an ‘instructionally-sound

Charles Jenningshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10220891611333165590noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537267519793805240.post-79906105990528781292010-05-09T18:34:00.001+01:002010-05-09T18:35:31.742+01:00

  This post appeared on the TrainingZone.co.uk site last month.  I’ve re-posted it here for people who don’t choose to register on the TZ website. ------------------------------ Charles Jennings argues that the adage 'access to knowledge is power' is more fitting in today's information-swamped world. "In 2009, more data will be generated by individuals than in the entire history of mankind

Charles Jenningshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10220891611333165590noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537267519793805240.post-47628522533870747762010-04-07T13:46:00.002+01:002010-04-07T14:46:31.424+01:00

Very few of us would argue with the proposition that a lot of organisational learning and development activity is sub-optimal to the extent that it provides little value to participants and their organisations. Even in organisations where L&D priorities are closely aligned with business priorities there’s plenty of head-room for improvement. So, the question arises as to what barriers need to

Charles Jenningshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10220891611333165590noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537267519793805240.post-85408558417633014822009-12-30T16:31:00.004Z2009-12-30T16:50:36.187Z

There is an argument that we all need to learn less if we want to know more. The ‘learning’ referred to here is what we know as formal structured learning activities - classes, courses, programmes, and eLearning. The argument goes like this. Although formal learning only constitutes about 10-20% of the actual learning that occurs in organisations, it’s the visible part of the iceberg and the

Charles Jenningshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10220891611333165590noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537267519793805240.post-41276868243082486522009-12-01T16:53:00.003Z2009-12-01T16:59:53.850Z

Trust is very important in our lives. As children we put our trust in our parents. As we grew we learned to make decisions regarding when we should trust and when we should be more circumspect. When we start a new job or project we spend time figuring out who we can turn to for advice, who we can trust, and whose advice we need to double-check. With the rise of the networked society and the

Charles Jenningshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10220891611333165590noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537267519793805240.post-86175289582758425872009-10-07T11:10:00.007+01:002009-10-07T11:21:41.560+01:00

It’s generally accepted that most of the learning that occurs within our organisations takes place outside formal training and learning events.The majority of our learning comes from the new and different experiences we have in our daily work. Our learning also comes from practice and from conversations and from taking the opportunity to reflect on our experiences and on those of others. Smart

Charles Jenningshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10220891611333165590noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537267519793805240.post-40249636160900226682009-08-22T19:16:00.017+01:002009-08-22T20:30:31.533+01:00

These turbulent economic times have not been kind to two of the large publishers of catalogues and journals - Reader's Digest and Learning Tree International.Of course, Learning Tree International's business is selling face-to-face courses, but most of us will have had the Learning Tree catalogue 'brick' of courses dropping onto our desks on a regular basis for many years. Learning Tree has been

Charles Jenningshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10220891611333165590noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537267519793805240.post-82389060182940025522009-07-21T17:48:00.016+01:002009-07-22T12:56:29.083+01:00

Last month Tony Karrer wrote an very insightful piece on his eLearning Technology blog about the Business of Learning. The post and the discussion underneath it are well worth reading. Tony equated the challenges of the learning industry to those of the publishing industry. Publishers have been going through a very tough time over the past few years. Even before the current economic turmoil

Charles Jenningshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10220891611333165590noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537267519793805240.post-23506629392239741292009-06-19T08:48:00.021+01:002009-06-19T09:26:26.628+01:00

Many Learning & Development managers spend a lot of their time thinking about ways in which they can make their departments more effective and provide real value to the organisation. The question is usually ‘what can I do to ensure that the CEO or Director views L&D as a strategic business tool and not another also-ran support function’. It’s a good question to ask. There’s no silver

Charles Jenningshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10220891611333165590noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537267519793805240.post-45284836984432445382009-06-05T23:03:00.021+01:002009-06-06T10:16:00.807+01:00

The amount of time, effort and money wasted on formal ILT training prior to rollout or upgrade of enterprise platforms (particularly ERM and CRM) and other new software systems is really quite amazing. Some managers and L&D people just don’t seem to get it. It reminds me of the remarkable insight of the author Aldous Huxley when he said “I see the best, but it’s the worse that I pursue”The

Charles Jenningshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10220891611333165590noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537267519793805240.post-15511418917573795292009-05-29T11:38:00.010+01:002009-05-29T12:01:15.615+01:00

UK politicians have been in the spotlight over the past few weeks with their creative use of the parliamentary allowance scheme. “Flipping” was one common way that some found to maximise their allowance income. This involved declaring one of their homes - either in their constituency or in London closer to the House of Commons - as their main residence, then claiming all manner of expenses

Charles Jenningshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10220891611333165590noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537267519793805240.post-25728910450909619432009-05-18T10:56:00.010+01:002009-06-01T13:18:27.911+01:00

Last month I was asked to give my thoughts on the UK Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD) 2009 Annual Learning & Development Survey. One thing became clear when I examined the CIPD data. It was that many L&D professionals (in the UK at least) seem to lack the innovation necessary to push the profession forward to become a leader rather than a follower.Of course there are

Charles Jenningshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10220891611333165590noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537267519793805240.post-70455249467724728662009-05-11T22:34:00.003+01:002009-05-11T22:37:56.345+01:00

A month ago, on April 21, Jay Cross at learntrends co-ordinated a round-the-globe series of online conversations on how learning can impact performance in organisations. Starting on the US West Coast and ending somewhere east of New Zealand, these virtual conversations opened up a whole Pandora’s Box of issues around the challenges and opportunities that learning & development faces if it is

Charles Jenningshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10220891611333165590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537267519793805240.post-46387978544423460162009-05-06T17:37:00.001+01:002009-05-06T17:37:59.629+01:00

This first post is a long one. I certainly expect my regular jottings to be more succinct. But I thought it a good starting point for a new blog about performance, learning and productivity. In early 1939 McGraw-Hill published a profound little book that should be on the reading list of everyone involved in learning and training today. Copies can still be found in dusty bookstores and even

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