Editorial
Learning without context
Three of us from the office recently attended a one-day Dreamweaver course, hoping to learn the ins and outs of web design and arm ourselve with enough knowledge to maintain our respective websites. It was a novel experience for two reasons. Firstly, I attended as a complete neophyte who had not so much as launched the program prior to the course. And secondly, for the first time ever, I was putting the horse before the cart, so to speak, and doing the learning first before putting it into practice.
I once did a half-day course on Excel and PowerPoint, having previously dabbled with both progams. And along with the ubiquitous Word, I’ve used various page layout programs (such as InDesign) over many years of magazine work—all without any training.
It’s been a jump-in-boots-and-all approach where the learning has involved trial and error, and looking over someone else’s shoulder. Clearly this has some limitations, but it also has much going for it.
In hindsight, I should have had a ‘play’ with Dreamweaver and familiarised myself a little before the course. Instead, I left at the end of the day feeling overwhelmed by the amount of information we’d packed in and not at all sure of how I’d apply it.
The effectiveness of learning by doing is well documented. It seems when new data is simply told to us, we don’t know where, in our memory structures, to put it because we don’t really understand the use of that data. When we experience the data ourselves, it’s much more likely to be integrated into our memory system.
It’s certainly an approach that works well for the many Kiwi workers studying for MBAs, postgraduate diplomas in business, HR and the like. One of the great advantages for many of the students in these courses is the richness of workplace experience they and their classmates bring to class.
Whether it’s postgraduate study, industry training or initiatives like the Tools4Work programme which aims to build the relationship between schools and industry, workplace learning is, increasingly, part of the employment landscape today.
The message is clear—developing capability and improving the skills of our workforce are the keys to a more productive economy. But as Owen Harvey warns in his article Making skills count, “Simply supplying skills to the workplace is not enough!” He makes the point that skills can only make a substantive contribution to productivity if they are utilised effectively. That’s the challenge.
—Lyndsey Swan
Feature articles
Insurance policy
The popular opinion of the insurance industry is not one of innovation or creativity, but at IAG NZ the HR team is putting both those characteristics to good use—and showing that working in the insurance industry can be both fulfilling and fun, reports Miriam Bell.
Class action
After a busy day in the office, many Kiwi workers head to lectures and evening classes, or home to study. Steve Hart talks to some of those chasing higher qualifications and better job prospects.
Making skills count
Untangling the ‘black box’ of the workplace to understand its contribution to productivity is not easy, says Owen Harvey. He looks at how skills contribute to productivity performance, but warns that simply supplying skills to workplaces is not enough—they need to be put to full use.
On purpose: engaging Pasifika workers
Pasifika peoples are a key part of our workforce, yet a lack of transferable skills has left many vulnerable in a changing market. John Kotoisuva explains how an ITO programme for students is helping engage Pasifika apprentices and trainees.
Ready, willing and able
Is human capability development part of your business strategy? Dr Jane Bryson says it ought to be, if you want to get the best out of your people.
All work and no play is depressing
A recent New Zealand study shows that high-pressure jobs with lots of psychological stress can be a cause of clinical depression and anxiety. Karen Hartshorn examines the findings.
Step-by-step dismissal
Recent employment cases have highlighted the increasing importance of the process an employer takes when dismissing an employee. Katherine Burson and Phillipa Muir outline the steps a fair and reasonable employer would take to get it right.
In the right zone
Companies with a collaborative culture do a much better job of keeping key staff, Jim Tamm told the recent HRINZ conference. He talked to Patricia Thompson about transforming organisations from Red Zone ones to Green Zone cultures.
HR as innovator
In today’s workplace, HR has to be creative and innovative, Guo Xin told the recent HRINZ conference. He spoke to Patricia Thompson about encouraging a culture of constant change and improvement.
Taking on toxic colleagues
Toxic personalities can have a poisonous effect in the workplace, says Dr Mitch Kusy. He tells Miriam Bell how to identify the warning signs and outlines a strategy for dealing with such people.
Departments
Recruitment: Wooing passive candidates
The ‘spray and pray’ approach to advertising for job candidates will not deliver talent consistently, says Marlene Strawson. Instead, the answer is to recruit the passive candidate. She outlines a strategy for wooing key talent.
Case in point: To love and to lose
When one party in a workplace love triangle was later dismissed, the Employment Relations Authority found the disciplinary process had been dogged by bias and was not justified.
Carl Reaich and Bridget Fleming examine the decision—with a little help from Shakespeare.
Leadership: Are your leaders authentic?
Mark Bentley reports on a new study in which he and Dr Lester Levy examined New Zealand workers’ views of their leaders and found room for improvement. Our leaders, it seems, are more into being ‘right’ than being ‘real’.
Legal solutions: Saving face and saving funds
Rani Amaranathan checks out the implications of checking job candidates on social networking sites and examines the issue of sacrificing salary to make voluntary contributions to employees’ KiwiSaver accounts.
Learning & development: In the real world
Learning is most effective when learners are put in real-world situations. Terri Brian looks at scenario based learning as a teaching and learning tool.
Workplace wellness: The feel good factor
When relationships interfere with performance, companies suffer, UK psychologist Jo Maddocks told Sandra Peek.
Public sector: Life in balance
Despite mistakes in the way an intermediate school teacher was dealt with when she asked for time off to run her business, her claim of disadvantage against her employer was unsuccessful. Paul Robertson explains
|
