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04.11

By Terrance Malkinson

The increasing number of part-time and just-in-time term employees, combined with increasing job complexity and an increasing supervisory workload, presents challenges for the effective delivery of job instructions. Supervisors who do not take the time to train their subordinates are frequently kept busy solving problems that would not have occurred had effective job instruction been delivered at the start. A simple but effective job instruction process that incorporates the essentials of effective learning is necessary.

1. Preparation: Recognize and analyze the need for training. Analyze the job and break it down into every task that needs to be accomplished from the point-of-view of the trainee. Record these tasks concisely, simply and in a readable written text. In particular do not fall into “its common sense” trap. What may be common sense to you may not be common sense to the trainee. Do not take any shortcuts – include everything. Create an instructional plan. This may need to be tailored to the experience of the trainee. Prepare the learner so that they are receptive and motivated to learn by emphasizing the benefits to them.
    

2. Presentation: Communicate an overview of the entire job and how it fits into the final product and the organization. Demonstrate the task explaining why it is done this way and the importance of not taking short-cuts. Emphasize safety. Discuss the benefits to the trainee.
    

3. Training: As the trainer, first demonstrate the task yourself. Show the trainee the desired result. Have the trainee then do the job by talking them through the task while following each step as written on the instruction sheet. Repetitive practice follows while the trainer provides constructive feedback. The trainee should be provided with a copy of the instruction sheet to keep.
    

4. Follow-up: Trainers should be available to answer questions and must check-back frequently in the days following instruction to satisfy themselves that the job is being completed properly. Only once the trainer is satisfied with the employee’s performance can the instructor/trainee relationship end.

Providing effective training at the start will provide long-term benefits to the organization, the supervisor and the trainee. For the organization, good instruction will result in fewer mistakes and increased profitability. For the supervisor, it will save time, avoiding problems created by poor performance of their subordinates. For the traineen good instruction increases self-confidence and satisfaction, and helps to foster a positive attitude toward the organization.

Other Bytes

Here are some of the things going on in and around the community:

• Strategies to get you on the right career advancement path to the top of the organization in today’s employment market are the focus of the spotlight feature of the March 2011 issue of Harvard Business Review [“Landing the Next Big Job,” 89(3), www.hbr.org]. The first article in the series of three articles is “The New Path to the C-Suite” by Boris Groysberg, L. Kevin Kelly and Bryan MacDonald. [pp. 60-68]. Today, organizations demand much from their top level corporate executives. Many unique leadership requirements emanate from the authors research and are discussed in the article. The second article “Developing Your Global Know-How” [pp. 70-75] comprises interviews with executives of four multinational companies about strategies for adapting global assignments to the demands of a changing world. In the third article, “Reinventing Your Personal Brand [pp. 78-81] Dorie Clark provides a five-step approach for persuading others to take your newly branded image seriously.

• Three articles related to health care are provided in the March-April 2011 issue of The Futurist [45(2), www.wfs.org ]. In “From Hospital to “Healthspital” a Better Paradigm for Health Care” [pp. 16-19], Frank Maletz discusses his belief that hospitals should not simply be places where people go to when they are sick; rather hospitals in the future may become wellness information centers and proactive partners in community well-being. Jay Herson and David Pearce Snyder provide a discussion in “Health Insurance in America after the Reform” [pp. 20-22] on how market forces will create a new source of competition for the health insurance market — nonprofit organizations. In the third article [“Could Medical Tourism Aid Health Care Delivery?” [pp. 23-24] Prema Nakra discusses medical tourism where patients seek more affordable or specialized treatment outside their home country.

• When considering public health, Kenneth Harris believes that bicycling could provide a solution [“Bike to the Future,” The Futurist, 45(2):25-28 March-April 2011]. Harris identifies ten trends that are encouraging more and more people to bike regularly as well as five obstacles that bicycling will need to overcome. Bicycles have been used as the primary mode of cost effective, ecological friendly, and convenient transportation in many countries for many years.

• The Bank of Canada announced on 10 March that it will begin circulating its first polymer bank notes in November 2011. [http://bankofcanada.ca/en/press/2011/currency_polymer.pdf ]. The release will begin with a new $100 bill followed by $50 next March and $20, $10, and $5 by the end of 2013. These new polymer bank notes will have innovative security features, as well as a lifespan 2.5 times that of the current cotton-paper bills. The Bank of Canada is working closely with organizations that process banknotes such as automated teller machines and vending machines as they will need to be adjusted. As the new bank notes are issued, older notes will be withdrawn from circulation. Any remaining will however retain their face value.

• In an interview by Adi Ignatius, John Donahoe CEO of eBay discusses the challenges of keeping eBay strong as consumer behavior changes [“How eBay Developed a Culture of Experimentation,” Harvard Business Review, 89(3):92-97, March 2011].

• Information overload is affecting all of us. Sharon Begley in her article “I Can’t Think” [Newsweek, 7 March 2011, pp. 28-33, http://www.newsweek.com/2011/02/27/i-can-t-think.print.html ] discusses her belief that “the ‘Twitterization’ of our culture has revolutionized our lives, but with an unintended consequence — our overloaded brains freeze when we have to make decisions.” Begley discusses current research on decision science and on how the brain processes information. Of particular concern is how the deluge of data interferes with unconscious processes and creativity. Writes Begley, “You need to pull back from the constant influx and take a break. That allows the brain to subconsciously integrate new information with existing knowledge and thereby make novel connections and see hidden patterns.” In the conclusion,  Begley provides strategies on how to protect yourself from having your decision compromised by excessive information.

• While considering information, Joel Stein in his article, “Data Mining: How Companies Now Know Everything about You” [Time Magazine, 10 March 2011, http://www.time.com/time/business/article/
  0,8599,2058114,00.html#ixzz1Gn5tYNRq], discusses the issue of the vast amount of detailed information that is being collected using technology on the activities that each of us engage in. Collecting information from an individual without their knowledge is a privacy concern, as is an organization profiting from that information. Information provided certainly sensitizes you to the importance of being careful what you communicate, particularly electronically. While on the topic of privacy, many potential employers and current employers will do electronic searches. Be careful, as inappropriate information can damage your ability to get a job or damage your current employment. Another privacy concern that has recently emerged is medical insurance companies receiving tracking information on what health information sites that you have been visiting.

• In a 15 March news release, IEEE proudly revealed that it has reached the 400,000 member mark for the first time in its history. This marks the seventh consecutive year the association had experienced membership growth. In 2010, student membership reached 100,000 for the first time. The growth in membership has occurred across the globe. As stated by Howard Michel, director and vice president, IEEE Member and Geographic Activities, “The consistent pattern of membership growth that IEEE has been experiencing is a testament to how valuable our publications, services and membership benefits are for advancing the careers of today’s current and future technical professionals.” http://www.ieee.org/about/news/2011/15march_2011.html?WT.mc_id=fm1_join_rnr

Terrance Malkinson is a communications specialist, business analyst and futurist. He is currently an international correspondent for IEEE-USA Today's Engineer, an associate editor for IEEE Canadian Review, and a member of the editorial advisory board of IEEE The Institute. He was Vice-Chair of the IEEE-USA Communications Committee (2004-2010), and editor-in-chief of IEEE-USA Today's Engineer Digest (2004-2008). He was an elected Senator of the University of Calgary and an elected Governor of the IEEE Engineering Management Society as well as an elected Administrative Committee member of the IEEE Professional Communication Society. He has been the editor of several IEEE conference proceedings, and past editor of IEEE Engineering Management. He is the author of more than 420 publications, and is an accomplished triathlete. His career path includes being an accomplished technical supervisor and medical researcher at the University of Calgary a business proposal manager for the General Electric Company, an associate for Sears Canada Inc. and research administrator with the School of Health and Public Safety/Applied Research and Innovation Services at SAIT Polytechnic in Calgary Canada.

The author is grateful to the professional support of the Haskayne School of Business Library at the University of Calgary. He can be reached at todaysengineer@ieee.org.