Closing the Skills Gap
By Dr. John Ebersole, President, Excelsior College
President Obama frequently reminds us that the U.S. is losing the competitive edge provided by our highly educated, post-World War II workforce. In fact, he notes that if present trends continue, the next generation of American workers will be the first in the history of our country to be less educated than the one before it.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, we currently have some 90 million adults in our workforce with no degree. Of these, 36 million have “some college” but no degree.
HR: Follow the Data, Not the Process
By Mike Cerniglia, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, MicroPact
A Classroom in the Cloud
By Thomas M. Koulopolous
One of my favorite YouTube videos is of a toddler with a magazine on her lap, looking perplexed as she tries to operate it by touch—to her a magazine is a defective iPad.
More Than a Generation: How to Connect in the Classroom
By Tim Toterhi
For the first time in history, four generations are represented in the workforce. This sociological anomaly has led management gurus to hyper-focus on intergenerational relationships and communication dynamics. In pursuit of the ever-elusive increase in organizational performance, we’ve seen a proliferation of group profiles, value summaries, and various assessments to help identify motivation triggers for each demographic. But does the generation factor warrant so much attention?
Do You Need a Book Proposal?
By Virginia McCullough, Co-Founder, The Book Catalysts
On the face of it, the answer to the question, “Who needs a book proposal?” seems obvious. A book proposal package is the primary tool nonfiction book authors use to market books to literary agents or publishers. However, if you’re self-publishing, you might assume a proposal isn’t necessary. Right? Well, yes and no.
Nationwide Fosters Continuous Improvement
Edited by Margery Weinstein
In February 2010, Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company launched On Your Side Continuous Improvement (OYS CI) to create a unified capability of continuous improvement at all levels of the organization while enabling its mutual strategy.
Taking the Family Out of Business
By Bruce Hodes, Founder, CMI
Consider this question: If you were chartering a private plane, would you rather it was flown by a competent pilot or by a member of the business owner’s family? In this scenario, who cares about family affiliations? You most likely want the best person for the job of getting you in one piece from Point A to Point B.
Showtime! Improv Tips for Training
By Tom Yorton, CEO, Second City Communications
Regardless of the role you play in developing and delivering training to your staff—from CLO to instructional designer to field trainer—the landscape is changing quickly, and your challenges are multiplying, including:
Brainwalking: In Search of Better Brainstorms
By Bryan Mattimore
Interpersonal Networking Skills Make Leaders More Effective
By Michael Leimbach, Ph.D., Vice President, Global Research and Development, Wilson Learning Worldwide
Managing and leading in today’s organizations is growing more difficult. More products are coming to market faster, partnerships among companies in different industries are increasing, global expansion has created huge multinational companies, and trends toward matrix management and cross-functional teams are accelerating.
