Magazine Articles

By Bob Pike Will you be working for the same company a year from now? How about two? Will you make it five? Do you have a guarantee? And look back at your career up to now. How many companies have you worked for? More than one major business publication recently published articles about the passing of the era of company loyalty. The notion that people can have lifelong careers at the same company doesn’t seem to work in today’s economy.

By Roy Saunderson Are there really benefits to using rewards and recognition through games to help individuals learn more effectively? There is a lot of talk about gamification today and how we can use it in business—with consumers, as well as with our employees. But what about learning?

By Don Kirkpatrick Trainingmagazine graciously asked me to write the final Last Word column for 2011 in view of my 50-plus years as a training professional, my creation of the Four Levels of Evaluation, and my recent retirement. Much has happened through these last 50 years.

Global research performed by the HPO Center in The Netherlands shows that many organizations make the wrong choices when undergoing a reorganization. Cuts are made in the wrong projects, poorly performing employees stay in place, and the organization focuses mainly on internal cost savings. The HPO Center surveyed the most important qualities needed to be and remain successful at more than 1,400 organizations in 50 countries. Results showed that five success factors give organizations the right focus in a reorganization:

Last month, I regretfully had to have a 70-foot-tall, stately maple tree removed from my front lawn. Unfortunately, it had fallen victim to a condition called girdling roots, in which the roots grew around the base of the trunk and choked off vital nutrients and water. A few weeks later, I noticed a hint of green peeking out from the mound of mulch. I cleared away the dirt and found a small sprout growing in the spot.

By Jason W. Womack, MEd, MA Productivity often is measured by output. What project did you finish? What product did you ship? At this time of the year, measure differently. Much of what you completed this year was dependent on the people in your (extended) networks. Beyond Facebook friends and LinkedIn contacts, these are people who influence goals and priorities and help you get things done.

By Lorri Freifeld

We hear a lot about work/life balance, but it actually is a myth, says Jon Gordon, author of “The Seed: Finding Purpose and Happiness in Life and Work” (Wiley, 2011, www.JonGordon.com). “Rather,” he explains, “I’ve come to realize that the dance between work and life is more about rhythm than balance.” Some tips:

By Constance Melrose Wall Street may not be fashionable in some circles, but here’s one statement that’s tough to dispute: Wall Street professionals know how to negotiate a good deal. Last year, even in relatively lean times, 56 percent of Wall Street financial pros reported earning a higher bonus than they earned the year before.

SSI Investments II Ltd., a parent company of SkillSoft Ltd., a software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider of on-demand e-learning and performance support solutions, announced that its indirect subsidiaries, SkillSoft Corp. and SkillSoft Ireland Ltd., acquired Element K from NIIT Ventures Inc., a subsidiary of NIIT Ltd. Element K’s offerings include e-learning content, virtual labs, ILT print materials, and custom development services. Under the terms of the agreement, the Element K business was acquired for $110 million in cash, subject to adjustments.