by Brian Clark | coaching, DOTS LMS, Performance
The flexibility of DOTS makes it easy to manage your coaching and mentoring activities. There are a few ways to do this and I will go through some of the elements you can use to support coaching and mentoring programs. You can then explore these and see if they suit your requirements. If you would like to have an online session to explore these with a consultant then fire an email to use at contact@dotstalent.com
The first tool we recommend using in preparation for a coaching program is eDisc. eDisc is a sophisticated online behavioural assessment tool that takes only minutes to complete and produces an extensive in-depth report. I have found that the increase of self- understanding for both the coach and the person being coached increases the effectiveness of the coaching program. This tool also serves as a cross check for any potential factors that will compromise the coaching and mentoring.
Inside DOTS LMS are the following tools I use in setting up coaching programs. These include:
- Courses and course sessions. Courses are a flexible tool in DOTS LMS that are perfect to set up a registration and tracking system that automates these processes. Courses also permits the assignment of a coach who can then use the trainer/coach tools to interact with others as well as capture notes and assessments relating to the coaching program. Course sessions include the option to permit persons to add sessions themselves so this is one option that will automate tracking if you wish to use it.
- Courses also provide a coach/mentor to create content to support their programs as well as include existing content and courseware to their programs as needed. This content may be as simple as a PowerPoint presentation or something more sophisticated.
- Development plans are perfect for maintaining and adding to a database of activities that may form part of the coaching program. The development plan tools will track actions by hours and therefore provide another way to automate the tracking of hours committed in direct coaching or actions relating to it.
- Libraries provide a knowledge repository that can be accessed by specific persons or groups of persons during a coaching program. It may be used to supply reference material of all types. Library access is permission based and linked to Reports so you can see who is accessing the Libraries and control access.
- 360 Profiling is one of the tools in the DOTS LMS that is growing in popularity. The DOTS LMS 360 permits the creation of any number of profiles question sets and the whole process is automated and secure. This is a great before and after tool for both peer and personal feedback.
- Competencies may be used to set up goals for the coaching program with the awarding of competencies being an outcome of a successful program. The competency tools in DOTS LMS permit the competencies used in a coaching program to co-exist with other competencies of any types.
- And last but not least there are Surveys. I like to use the survey tools to enable a person to report back on how they are applying new skills, knowledge or ideas that are generated from a coaching program. Surveys are fast to deploy and re-usable so you can standardise your coaching program measurement criteria.
There are other tools in DOTS LMS that help to support and manage coaching and mentoring programs. One of these is the interactive Performance Appraisal tools that automate and capture performance appraisals in a secure online environment.
If you are interested in a walk-through of some or all of these tools get in touch. We can show you some workflow processes that may help you design a solution suitable for your organisation.
by Brian Clark | DOTS LMS, learning management systems, LMS, Performance, performance management
In DOTS LMS you have the option to use the Performance Management module. This module has a number of features that help support performance with tight integration to learning. This integration includes the Position Management module that acts to link learning and performance for each and every person in your organisation. The position management module must be used in order to use the DOTS performance module. When building a position in DOTS you are creating the inputs necessary to activate and execute the automated online performance appraisal. Position management includes the position description and the elements including environment, decision making, relationships etc.
The primary linkages between learning and performance are established when the Key Result Areas are added including ratings for the various levels of performance. I recommend the Key Result Areas include learning objectives for the position. You can add any type of learning objective including those that are achieved in the LMS environment as well as external formal, informal, social and conference based learning activity. By adding these as Key Result Areas with performance indicators you are driving home the message that learning in all forms is important to the organisation and aligned with its culture and values. I also recommend you align these Key Result Areas to your strategic objectives and definitely include the learning areas in this alignment.
Behavioural performance may also be included in the Position Description and Performance Management module. You achieve this by adding your behavioural performance criteria in the DOTS Competencies module. You should consider how you group these competencies [as well as all the others] to ensure greater accuracy and efficiency using the LMS. You assign behavioural competencies to each position. These may be universally shared or specific to business units, departments, groups or individuals. These behavioural competencies will also be linked to a rating scale to permit the manager to provide feedback and comments to the employee. You align the behavioural competencies to your strategy, your values and other cultural and business initiatives that may be active in the organisation.
There is no hard and fast rule that you must do performance reviews annually. If you can convince your managers to retain a more interpersonal coaching style to performance you can set dates or time cycles in DOTS LMS to remind persons that they are due to have a meeting to review performance and progress. It is important that you not use the technology as a ‘crutch’ to simply tick the box for performance management. The DOTS LMS needs to be a support tool and not a replacement to effective interpersonal relationships between managers and employees.
by Brian Clark | DOTS LMS, Performance, performance management, strategy
As more and more organisations adopt technology solutions to support performance management there are also an increasing range of options available in how to structure your performance management processes.
There is one area that I find to be incredibly useful in aligning learning and development to performance. I would go further and say that this alignment will extend to the strategic level if you design it to do so. The majority of performance management processes I come across are still using Key Result Areas and Key Performance Indicators as the primary means of measuring a person’s performance. I also find a splash of behavioural indicators that are usually linked to a mission, vision and values document somewhere.
If you are not including competencies (skills) as a factor in measuring performance you are missing a vital piece to sustaining a learning organisation and one that has a broader scope in developing its people as opposed to simply measuring performance. It is input vs. output.
The measurement of a person’s development in your organisation is a measure of a valuable input. The measurement of key performance indicators is a measure of an output. You cannot ignore either one. In an era when we hear approximately 70% of workers in the United States Gallupare not engaged in their work, we may like to find ways to develop frameworks to encourage greater engagement and the benefits that accrue from it.
Start at the beginning. Each job title in your organisation has a purpose and to meet or exceed that purpose the person must have the competencies to undertake the work. Therefore we start at building competency frameworks at the Job Title level. People who join the organisation to assume a job title may not necessarily have all the needed competencies at the start. Having the framework in place provides a path to achieving them.
In the performance area, the competencies achieved that are directly part of the Job Title framework are usually considered essential. If there are gaps in achieving these essential competencies then these need to be picked up and addressed in a performance appraisal. With an LMS or talent solution this is made much easier with data capture and automated notifications.
If you take this further and permit people to explore other learning and development opportunities then you are creating the scenario whereby a person makes themselves more valuable to your organisation and this should be linked to performance appraisals. I like to include a large section of the Performance Appraisal that is capturing the learning undertaken by the individual [competencies achieved] and weight these results at least on par with other measures. You can increase or decrease weightings as needed to encourage learning outcomes.
The Performance Appraisal now has a forward looking perspective. We are acknowledging learning and development and hopefully gaining some insight from the person on how they applied their learning in their work. A manager should also be seeking feedback on learning activities and resources during the appraisal and ensure this information is captured. A new Development Plan can now be discussed and in most cases I encourage the employee to create their development plan first and then have it reviewed by their manager as necessary. This ensures individual stewardship and responsibility for their career development.
If you would like to see how this can be set and structured in the DOTS LMS you are welcome to make contact with me [Brian Clark] by calling our Brisbane office or submitting a form on this website.
by Brian Clark | Business Process, development, DOTS LMS, LMS, Performance, performance management, resource planning
The DOTS LMS has been designed to provide a comprehensive suite of tools and reports. Your organisation may be investigating an LMS option for delivering e-learning, compliance management and a host of other outcomes achievable with a solid LMS platform. The DOTS LMS has the capability to extend even further into enterprise management as an excellent support tool for human resource governance. HR governance is strategic and vital for organisations to remain stable, agile and competitive. What is HR Governance? Generally speaking governance includes elements that help to define communications, decision making and business objectives. Linked to these elements are the need to manage and control to manage risks and support business performance with engaged employees.
The DOTS LMS platform has the tools to not only capture vital information in real time, the reporting capability permits visibility to leadership and throughout the organisation. This visibility of key data contributes to risk mitigation in compliance but also provides greater decision making agility to support competitive advantages and control costs. For example, a company can quickly determine its workforce capabilities for current or future requirements and then deliver training to address gaps or allocate resources differently to alleviate any risks from competency/skill gaps.
Knowledge of policies and procedures may be delivered both in online courses as well as available in the online knowledge portal to ensure access and availability at any time. With online delivery you can ensure that the results of this training is tracked and repeated at necessary intervals. Delivery of online training supports more effective communications as well. Senior leadership use the LMS to deliver messages pertaining to company strategy, performance updates and celebrations of success. All of these uses contribute to a more engaged workforce.
Performance monitoring is a key ingredient to HR governance. In DOTS, clients are cascading their strategic plans deeper into the organisation by including key result areas for persons to have line of sight to the overall strategic objectives. The appraisal process is automated to ensure that the appraisals are done and actions are taken to address further development needs and deliver rewards for high performance and commitment.
These are just a few of the ways the DOTS LMS supports human resource governance in an organisation. There are other tools and business processes that contribute to governance success. If you are interested in learning more about using DOTS LMS to support HR governance or would like some ideas on formalising governance in your organisation, please make contact.
by Brian Clark | Business Process, learning management systems, networking, Performance, strategy
The difficulty facing many learning and development teams in organisations is the lack visibility in the executive team and board. There are a number of reasons for this and I have spoken with some who have resigned themselves to the ‘this is the way it has always been’ mindset. It is partially true but this should not prevent you from changing this situation if you and your team are working in such an environment.
The tactics to employ are pretty basic; there is no magical formula to change this reality other than coup d’état or your career taking you to the c-suite. Anyway here are some ideas that I have discussed with a few of our clients and the results have usually been positive if not transformative.
The most obvious way to gain some visibility is to approach members of the executive management team directly. Of course you may have met and mingled but have you taken an opportunity to schedule some time and really talked about your learning and development projects? This is not a meeting that is undertaken without preparation. You need to ensure that you link everything to what is important to the executive, for example;
- Reducing risk with better compliance tracking.
- Enhanced productivity.
- Training cost reductions [careful with this one but good if you have recently implemented an LMS!]
- If you have an LMS or similar, take this chance to show the person the types of information you are able to supply with your reporting capability. This one always causes raised eyebrows.
That all sounds ok but what do I do if there is a moat between me and the executive team? I do not know any of them and doubt the gatekeepers would grant a meeting. In this case you need to plan your approach using your network within the organisation. You need to find a person that supports your cause and is well connected. These people are not always obvious; strong connectors can be in any role.
Recently I heard an example of a IT support person with a husband who played tennis with a CFO. The IT person had no hesitation in saying a hello to the CFO and mentioning how impressed she was with the LMS implementation undertaken by the l & d team. Guess what? The CFO responded with, “What LMS?” The rest is happy history that depended on some synchronicity. People are more connected than ever and you will find it easier than you think to get an intro to a senior executive and gain some visibility.
One more tactic that has shown some success uses technology. If you have an LMS consider enrolling the executive management team in a course that demonstrates what you are doing. Corporate induction courses are always good for this as you can justify the enrolments in the interest of gaining valuable feedback and ensuring awareness of the content included in the induction programs. Surveys are also an excellent tool to gain better visibility for your learning and development team. One government agency we work with conducts regular surveys that are designed to communicate the learning and development strategy and gain input on planning future initiatives.
