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I am looking forward to the Conversation Cafe Ellia Ryan is facilitating on Wednesday evening at Hale's Pub. It will deal with a vital current question, prompted by Yahoo! CEO Marrisa Mayer's decision to curtail telecommuting in favor of promoting face-to-face interaction in the office. Mayer's explicit goal is to boost innovation at Yahoo!, one of the original internet search companies whose once lofty share prices have been brought down to earth by its failure to innovate as often and successfully as Google and other rivals.

For innovation is the issue of our time. It is increasingly evident we are rapidly moving beyond the industrial Era and entering a new Knowledge Economy, based on the need to constantly innovate. In this new era, companies that demonstrate the ability to constantly innovate will grow and prosper. Those that don't will fall further and further behind.

The stakes are huge. A recent survey by Accenture showed ninety-three percent of CEOs of large companies in the U.S., Britain, and France agree with the proposition that “the long-term success of their organization’s business strategy depends on their ability to innovate”. Yet “fewer than one in five chief executives believes his strategic investments in innovation are paying off, and that this poor track record is starting to discourage companies from taking risks".

Clearly, the folks in the C-suites are admitting they don't know how to innovate, even as they acknowledge innovation is crucial to their firms' future prospects. Give Ms. Mayer some credit here. At least she is willing to try something along the lines of a natural experiment to see if she can jumpstart innovation in her company.

National ASTD in its 2011 white paper, "Learning To Innovate", stated clearly that "The learning function can and should play a critical role in developing and sustaining the innovative culture that is the hallmark of successful organizations." Then National made the message even clearer by revising the CPLP standards by making innovation a foundational skill for WLP professionals.

Meanwhile here at home, Washington state has officially adopted innovation as its official economic development strategy. The first "pillar" of the strategy is "talent development".

Which takes us back to the Conversation Cafe and the very human dimensions of this important topic. Is telecommuting a product of the old industrial production culture, where productivity is measured in widgets per hour (such as lines of code produced)? Is face-to-face interaction truly necessary for innovation? How do we achieve work-life balance in this Brave New World of the Knowledge Economy?

There are a lot of straws in the wind telling WLP professionals it is time to gear up for the new world that is rushing at us. And I can't think of a more genial venue for a lively debate than Hale's Ales. It promises to be a great event and a good time. I hope to see you there.

Most ASTDps members have surely heard of Six-Sigma methodology, the set of tools and strategies for process improvement. Some of you may have been involved in a fashion -- as participants in process improvement teams or perhaps even as consultants -- with Six Sigma or its close cousin, the set of Lean methods. The methodology was put together at Motorola, and became standard for transnational corporations after GE's Jack Welch adopted Six Sigma in 1995 as the cornerstone of the company's highly successful business strategy. Six Sigma has helped large companies save billions of dollars over the years.

At the regular Chapter meeting this coming Wednesday (note the day change) you have the opportunity to hear from one of the co-creators of Six Sigma, Praveen Gupta. But he won't be talking much about Six Sigma. Because Praveen is not the kind of man who rests on his laurels.

Instead, Praveen is using his deep knowledge of process improvement, statistical analysis, and human psychology to tackle the central organizational learning challenge of our time, how to make innovation more predictable and routine. This is embodied in his TEDOC methodology (Target, Explore, Develop, Optimize, and Commercialize), which describes a repeatable process for significantly improving the odds of successful innovation. He will be describing the methodology at the Chapter meeting as a prelude to the full sixteen-hour course, where those who signup for the course will learn the process in depth, which is being offered as a co-venture by ASTDps and Invista Performance Solutions in a virtual format this summer.

The TEDOC course has become an increasingly popular and very quick-to-fill class when offered through the Illinois Institute of Technology, where Praveen founded and leads the Center for Innovation Science and Applications. The Institute charges $1995 for the TEDOC course. The pilot version of the virtual course is being offered to ASTDps members and Invista clients for only $595.

National ASTD recognizes that innovation is emerging as a critical issue for the WLP profession. In its 2011 white paper, "Learning To Innovate", National declared in no uncertain terms "The learning function can and should play a critical role in developing and sustaining the innovative culture that is the hallmark of successful organizations." Here is your opportunity to learn first-hand about the most effective innovation process methodology currently available and get in line for the TEDOC course at a bargain rate, never to be repeated.

I look forward to seeing you Wednesday.

Save the Date!

On Friday, May 17, the Adult Education and Training program will host a reception and presentation by Dr. Amy Rose,

William Allen Endowed Chair and Distinguished Professor for the 2012-2013 academic year at Seattle University.

 

Dr. Rose is a nationally recognized researcher who has contributed extensively to the field of Adult Education. Prior to her arrival at Seattle University, Dr. Rose was professor of Adult and Higher Education at Northern Illinois University since 1986. She is also co-editor of Adult Education Quarterly and past president of the American Association for Adult and Continuing Education (AAACE). In addition, she was a co-editor of the Handbook of Adult Continuing Education (2010 edition), one of the most widely used adult education textbooks in the country.

 

Dr. Rose will present findings from her recent research and discuss implications for practitioners from diverse areas of adult education, training, and human resource development. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn about Dr. Rose's work and connect with Seattle University faculty, alumni, and students, as well as adult education and training professionals and community members from across the region.

 

In the weeks ahead, please look for an official invitation and more information about the event.

 

A Presentation by Dr. Amy Rose

William Allen Endowed Chair and Distinguished Professor, Seattle University, 2012-13 academic year

 

Friday, May 17 from 6:00-8:00 PM

Seattle University Student Center, Room 160

 

Networking reception followed by presentation and discussion

 

Seating will be limited; reservations are required. Register Here.

For more information, please contact Julianna Chen

Our Chapter’s communications director, Nicole Forward, alerts us to a report (link here) issued two months ago by the Washington Roundtable, a non-profit public policy organization composed of senior executives from the Evergreen State’s major employers.  The report, prepared for the Roundtable by the Boston Consulting Group, is entitled “Great Jobs Within Our Reach: Solving the Problem of Washington State’s Growing Skills Gap”.

As the title indicates, these key executives, who oversee thousands of jobs in our state, are very concerned about the skills gap and its impact on their businesses and the state’s economy, current and future.  Here are some of the key findings from the report:

• ·      There are an estimated 25,000 unfilled jobs in Washington state due to the skills gap, a deficit that is forecast to grow to 50,000 jobs by 2017 unless corrective action is taken
• ·      If successful corrective action is taken and the skills gap is eliminated by 2017, then the forecast changes to a net increase of 160,000 new jobs being added to the state’s economy
• ·      The closing of the skills gap, if it occurs, would reduce the unemployment rate by as much as two percentage points, reducing state expenditures for unemployment payments by $350 million; it would also generate an added $270 million in badly needed state tax revenues and $80 million in local tax receipts

We are talking about real money here!

Here is the point I believe needs to be stressed for ASTDps.  We, as WLP professionals, frequently talk about the need “to have a seat at the table” with business executives to prove our mettle and demonstrate the value of learning to organizations.  Well, we are not going to get a much better invitation than this one.  Are we as an association of professionals and as concerned citizens going to step up and show the way to closing the skills gap?  The future is in our hands.

If you would like to get involved and make a difference, contact me at governmentaffairs@astdps.org.

William “Bud” Wurtz, PhD

ASTDps Manager of Public Resource Information

Michael Ferraro, National ASTD’s Public Policy Advisor, brings to our attention the PBS program “Need to Know”, aired earlier this month. (Find the link here.) The program focuses on efforts in Seattle, promoted by the National STEM Consortium, to target structural unemployment by improving the scientific, technical and mathematical (STEM) know-how of local workers. 

The segment highlights the struggles of one woman, well past the typical college years, to become retrained in composite materials, one of the advanced technologies reshaping the American economy and demanding more skills and knowledge of workers.  While the woman pursues her training under the stress of being homeless, high-paying jobs in the composite materials industry go begging in Washington state.

Interviews with local and national experts pose some challenging questions the American public, and WLP professionals in particular, on how we as a society meet the demands of helping people succeed in rapidly changing  economy that demands ever more knowledge and skill.

Do you want to become an ASTD Master Trainer? We are excited to announce the ASTD Master Trainer™ Program is coming to Seattle, WA!

Most offerings of this program sell out and seats are expected to fill up quickly. If you register, make sure to enter our chapter ChIP code, CH8020, at checkout.

About ASTD Master Trainer™ Program
April 22-25, Seattle (Kirkland), WA

This unique, assessment-based certificate program has expert facilitators working closely with you to help you master all aspects of training delivery. With this program, you will identify areas where you excel, and those where you have opportunities for growth. You will benefit from collaborative and concrete training, and then be invited to assess your skills and knowledge. Proving your ability will result in the ASTD Master Trainer™ certificate.

Participants have been most impressed by the:

• distinction of being recognized as an ASTD Master Trainer™
• individualized attention received throughout the program
• personalized feedback from both the expert facilitator and peers
• collaborative and social learning network created in the process
• tangible skills and resources applied immediately
• evidence of rapid professional growth.  

Click here to learn more about this program. 

Click here for frequently asked questions about this program.

Click here to register for the Seattle program. 

Jon Talton, the Seattle Times economics reporter, last week had a sobering column noting that, while our regional economy at the moment is doing well in comparison to the rest of the state and the nation, dark clouds are gathering on the horizon. (Here is a link to the article.)  Specifically he mentioned ten factors that should constitute a wake-up call to anyone who values working and living in our environmentally beautiful, culturally rich region and wants it to stay that way so they can continue living here.

Some of these issues have a direct link to our region’s ability to be innovative.  Near the top of the list is Microsoft’s need to recapture its innovation magic and regain leadership in the IT revolution. 

But just a bit of reflecting on the other nine items reveals the need for some real creative thinking leading to new innovative approaches.  Innovation is the answer.  A good place to start building your own innovative abilities along with the ability to help organizations be more innovative is with the ASTDps Innovation Initiative SIG event, “Understanding Innovation: The ‘Silicon Valley’ Case Study” this coming Tuesday evening. 

As I post this only four seats remain.  Go to the registration link elsewhere on this website.  In the event that online registration has ended, please contact me at governmentaffairs@astdps.org.  No promises, but I will make a reasonable effort to see if we can accommodate you for this exciting and important learning event.

Reminder: ASTD International Conference Discounted Rates for Chapter Teams
If at least five members from your chapter are attending the ASTD International Conference & Exposition, your chapter will qualify for discounted chapter team rates of $1,100 for national ASTD members and $1,400 for non-members. To set up your chapter team, contact Natasha Porter at nporter@astd.org or 703.683.8154. Chapter teams will be established when at least five registrations from the same chapter are received. 

Submissions for the 2013 International E-Learning Awards - Academic Division, presented by the International E-Learning Association (IELA), are currently being accepted! The Entry Submission Page is posted on the IELA site and the deadline for submission is June 15, 2013.  Entries for the Business division have closed for 2013 and will be accepted in March 2014 for the 2014 awards. We are currently accepting only entries in the Academic division.

Awards will be given for successful courses, sites, and products, in three categories: e-learning, blended learning, and mobile learning.  The winners will be announced in September 2013 at the ICL Conference in Kazan, Russia, though you do not need to come to the conference in order to win an award.

The International E-Learning Association is a leading international group that brings together researchers and practitioners in all forms of e-learning.  IELA's sponsorship of international conferences and journals, and its strong membership base, continue to advance the state of the art of the e-learning field worldwide in academic and business areas.

Submissions for the 2013 International E-Learning Awards - Academic Division are due on June 15, 2013.   For more details regarding the submission process, please check the IELA Awards Page.  We look forward to your submissions!