Magazine Articles

As London taxi drivers in training are learning how to navigate the city’s thousands of streets, the experience actually changes the structure of their brains, according to a report published online in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication. The findings add to evidence that learning changes the adult brain and should come as encouraging news for life-long learning, says Eleanor Maguire of University College London.

>> Whiteboard Products launched a suite of its environmentally friendly products that will help improve the way businesses in the U.S. and Canada train, present, learn, teach, and brainstorm. The supercharged whiteboard on a roll sticks with static to any flat surface. Users simply unroll the whiteboard, tear off a sheet along the perforation (or roll it out to make a 65-foot-long whiteboard), and place it on the wall. Additional products now available include the Magic Blackboard for colored displays and a Clearboard that can be written on with dry erase markers.

>> Management Concepts Inc., a provider of training to the federal government, announced its exclusive collaboration with the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) to develop and offer HR training curricula for federal agencies. Six courses initially will be offered and will focus on federal market HR, talent acquisition and development, HR as a strategic business partner, building credibility in HR, human capital effectiveness metrics and workforce planning.

Lack of senior-level support has emerged as the main obstacle to the implementation of global leadership development programs, according to an online survey of nearly 400 senior managers and executives conducted by AMA Enterprise, a specialized division of American Management Association that offers advisory services and tailored learning programs to organizations. What is the main obstacle you encounter in implementing global leadership programs? Time: 15% Cost/Budget: 26% Complexity ofthe program: 8%

The late Comedian George Carlin once said, “Do you hate your job? Sorry to hear that. There’s a support group for that. It’s called EVERYBODY, and they meet at the bar!” As a consultant on employee engagement to major health-care companies, Melissa Evans understands that feeling well. Her solution to it, however, is a little “uncorporate.”

By Jason W. Womack, MEd, MA Happy New Year... and “Welcome back to work!” Now, look around your desk and your office. Is there clutter? Are there stacks of papers or files? Do you feel the “stress of the undone?”

Want to have a wickedly successful 2012? Vickie Milazzo, RN, MSN, JD, owner of Vickie Milazzo Institute and author of The New York Times bestseller, “Wicked Success Is Inside Every Woman” (Wiley, 2011, www.WickedSuccess.com), has some ideas about where to start:

By Lorri Freifeld One may be the loneliest number, but Verizon isn’t complaining. After appearing five times in the Top 10 over the last six years, the telecommunications company captured the No. 1 spot on the Training Top 125 for the first time in 2012. Despite a relatively flat training budget and a work stoppage that resulted from the expiration of union collective bargaining agreements, Verizon remained steadfast in its commitment to effective training tied to corporate strategic goals—and had the results to show for it.

By Lorri Freifeld It’s not surprising an insurance company would have an insurance policy for the future. But Farmers Insurance takes that strategy one step further, setting its sights on 2020 with a far-reaching plan to foster growth, productivity, and leadership development through intensive training.

By Margery Weinstein With the health-care industry currently the largest employer in the United States and its labor market expected to achieve a 49 percent growth in the next five years, Miami Children’s Hospital (MCH) faced a steep challenge: a doubling of the demand for talented people in health care coupled with a labor supply that continues to dwindle. The hospital answered that challenge with initiatives that attract, train, and retain the kind of talented people the organization needs to lead it into the future.