Maximise your Training ROI

We humans can be lazy at times. We let projects slip and make unfulfilled promises. We get easily distracted, come up against obstacles and always manage to find more interesting things to do, rather than what we should be and have committed to doing, even though these things will take us toward our goals.

So, in order to reach one of your goals, you have recognised a need for training. You have found the right course, but how will you ensure that the learning from the course will be sustained? Many delegates will return back to the workplace, be thrown back into the routine and pressures of office life with the usual practices that they know and are comfortable with.

Train and retain: ensure you implement your knowledge

Should managers possess and encourage creativity and innovation?

In striving for results and measuring the degree to which objectives are achieved, managers often fixate on effectiveness  – doing the right thing  – and pay less attention to efficiency  – doing things right.

This may lead to a lack of attention to solving problems or introducing improvements and the tendency to think of that well worn adage – “If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it”

But managers are required to “fix it” –  to ensure operational and strategic problems are solved.  Generating solutions require creative problem solving and the encouragement of creativity in themselves and their teams –  to develop the ability to go beyond the obvious daily habit and routine.

Creative Problem Solving

In his book “Applied Imagination” Alex Osborn said:

 “Creative problem solving defers judgment on a right answer. Instead, the process evaluates many possible answers, seeking patterns and relationships that might suggest solutions we wouldn’t otherwise see”. 

Naturally not all solutions and suggestions require innovation or unique ideas. However, developing the capacity to extend the style of thinking and problem solving provides the opportunity for creative solution generation.

It’s crucial to understand – and help the team understand - that creativity is:

• An ability – creativity is often suppressed but everyone has the ability to imagine or invent something new and to generate solutions by combining, changing, or reapplying existing ideas
• An attitude – creativity is grown by overcoming socialised norms, accepting change and newness, being willing to play with ideas and possibilities and the habit of enjoying the good, while looking for ways to improve it
• A process – creativity requires hard work to suggest ideas and solutions. Creative people make gradual alterations and refinements – few works of creative excellence are produced with a single stroke of brilliance

It’s worth remembering that people tend to generate their creative resources in two environments:

• In stressful situations 
• When feeling uninhibited

The manager has massive impact on the emotional temperature of the team and the environment in which it works, and must ensure that this is free of inhibitions and:

• Eradicates the “What will people think?” mentality which encourages conformation (promoting the notion that to deviate from ‘norms’ is wrong) but increases the toying with the “What if?” 
• Eliminates limiting thinking about ability. People often defer to ‘experts’ to create solutions – “I can't do it”, or “There’s nothing I can do”. History, though, is replete with examples of solution generation from the unlikeliest of sources – and a good mind with a positive attitude will go far in producing creative solutions 
• Abolishes the “I might fail” syndrome – the reluctance to risk that is caused by the societal view of failure and results in people being afraid to experiment. Fear of failure is one of the major obstacles to creativity. The cure is to change attitudes. Controlled failures should be expected and accepted – they are simply learning tools that help focus the way toward success 
• Deals with overcertainty – the reaction of “It can't be done” gives the situation or problem power; giving up before starting is self fulfilling.  Prejudice caused by preconceived ideas often prevents clear sight beyond what is already known or believed to be possible. 

When this environment is in place, managers should develop creative methodology with the team – techniques that can help define situations or problems, explore their attributes, generate alternatives and evaluate and implement ideas. These tools include:

• Ishikawa (or Fishbone) – an analysis tool that provides a systematic way of looking at effects and the causes that create or contribute to those effects. This tool will assist the team identify and categorize the many potential root causes of problems or issues in an orderly way 
• “5 Whys” – a simple process of articulating the current situation and asking “Why the situation or problem happens”. If the answer provided doesn't identify the root cause of the problem, the question is repeated and there is a loop back to the previous step until the team is in agreement that the problem's root cause is identified
• De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats – this industry standard team discussion and individual thinking tool provides a means for teams to plan thinking processes in a detailed and cohesive way, and in doing so to think together more effectively. Looking at a situation with this technique helps to create solutions using all approaches. 

So, should managers be creative and innovative, encouraging the team to do likewise?

The harmony of effectiveness and efficiency requires it.

Find out more about Creative Problem Solving Training Courses Available in London.

Written by David Mathieson, a learning consultant at Capita Learning & Development.

Effective Internal Communication: But How?

Communication is a word we know all too well. But what does it really mean? Communication is: “the act or process of transmitting information (as about ideas, attitudes, emotions, or objective behaviour)”, Merriam-Webster.com, 2012 Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. Communication is a two way street - not only talking - but listening as well. Communication is a dialogue, not a monologue.

Internal Communication in the office refers to communication between employees and employers, employers and employees and between employees and employees.

But why is it important to communicate successfully internally in an organisation? 

Internal Communication is a critical success factor in any organisation and should feature on each company’s list of priorities. Over the years organisations have learned that employees will discuss work, projects and the culture in the office on a regular basis. It’s far better to set agendas and discussion points than to have uninformed employees discuss topics they know very little about.

Open communication between employers and employees leads to greater engagement on both sides and employees feeling valued and involved in the organisation’s future.  It can lead to increased staff morale and as previously mentioned staff engagement. Internal Communication also affects staff performance and thus the organisation’s ROI, reputation and brand. When staff understand what is required of them on a daily basis staff morale is high and this increases the organisation’s success. Happy employees lead to happy customers.

Internal Communication is also at the forefront when any changes occur in the organisation. Internal changes within the company will only be successful if the staff are involved and consulted during the change process.  Employees need to have a firm understanding of why change is necessary. 

In order to be effective Internal Communication needs to:

1. Communicate business objectives in a clear and precise manner
2. Should be written in easily understandable language
3. The communication’s results should be easily measured
4. Is delivered in a medium and at a time the receiver is happy with 

Benefits of Effective Internal Communication:

1. Greater staff morale, engagement and motivation
2. Better and more effective management
3. Successful external communication as internal communication complements external communication
4. Employees communicate and live the brand’s key priorities and vision, take Apple for example 
5. Staff will feel involved in any changes taking place in the organisation, thus are less likely to leave once these changes occur 
6. Happy and satisfied staff will lead to happy and satisfied customers 
7. Informed decision making

View our Postgraduate Diploma In Internal Communication Management. Or for more details please contact us on 0800 022 3410 or email us with your query: enquiries@capita-ld.co.uk

How To Successfully Lead A Team Through The Difficult Process Of Change

Managing and leading employees through any form of change in an organisation can be a challenging, difficult and even unpleasant task. What change entails might even be misunderstood, as the video clip below shows, but leading a team through the process of change can be mastered…

In our globalised and interconnected economy, organisations deal with continually shifting market conditions, customer demands, technologies, input costs and competition. Organisations must continually adapt and ask questions such as: ‘How can we improve our strategy, tactics and business plan? And what can be improved upon in order to reach our long terms business goals?’ 

The biggest problem relating to initiating change in organisations, whether it be changes to the organisation, employees moving to different departments or taking on different roles, new systems being introduced or just a different way of doing things, is people don’t like change. People have been used to doing things in a specific way for a certain period of time. People are in general adverse to change and don’t like being told you now have to do things differently to what you have been doing up until now.

But surely change can be managed successfully? As the leader who has to manage the change, you have a difficult task ahead, but ensure the following and it will ease the process and lead to the change being implemented successfully faster:

1. Communicate why the change is necessary. Talk to your team and make sure they have a very clear understanding of why things need to change, how they need to change and how the change will be implemented and followed through. 
2. Give your team the opportunity to contribute, make suggestions and allow them to get involved in the decision making process. 
3. Facilitate and encourage questions to eliminate any uncertainty which will in turn reinstate confidence in their work and in themselves. 
4. Celebrate any successes and goals accomplished during the change process. Employees need to feel valued and should be thanked for the work they’ve done and their willingness to adapt to the change. 
5. Reiterate why the change is necessary and how it will benefit the company. Always have an open and clear communication channel, when there is a communication vacuum employees wonder what is going on and will feel left out. They might even think their manager is plotting something. 
6. Be as transparent as possible. 

Remember: Change is less scary when you are leading the change, making the decisions and monitoring the progress. When you are in the driver’s seat you are in control. But always consider your passengers and try and make their journey as pleasant as possible.

What Makes An Effective Team Leader Or Manager?

Some managers inspire and motivate, but many fall short in their attempts to engage their employees. An "effective" manager takes responsibility for ensuring that each individual within his/her department succeeds and that the team or business unit achieves results. The good news is managerial skills can be developed through training, mentoring, and experience - it doesn't have to revolve around natural talent.

The top 5 most common traits in successful managers include communication, leadership, adaptability, relationships, development of others, and personal development.

As a new or established manager, what skills and behaviours should you be demonstrating in order to lead and manage successfully.

1. Communication - effective managers develop their ability to understand others' communication styles, as well as their own, and how they can be harnessed to create a positive impact on working relationships within a team and the wider organisation.

2. Leadership - Leadership is an essential quality for any manager but one that is sometimes overlooked during the process of promoting a new manager. As a new or established manager are you instilling trust, providing direction and delegating responsibilities effectively within your team? These are all characteristics, which can be developed.

3. Adaptability - The ability to adapt also contributes to a manager's effectiveness. When a manager is able to adjust quickly to unexpected circumstances, he is able to lead his team to adapt as well. Adaptability also means that a manager can think creatively and find new solutions to old problems.

4. Relationship building - Effective managers should strive to build personal relationships with individual team members, which helps build trust. When managers establish relationships with employees it builds trust and employees feel valued, which in turn leads to increased efficiency within the team.

5. Coaching others - Effective managers know when their employees need more development. Coaching skills drive performance within a team and help others achieve more of what they are striving for. Training is the first step to learning, coaching then accelerates that learning process to build skills and deliver real ROI.

If you are reading this blog post and you have experience of the positive effects of other qualities demonstrated by a successful leader or manager then please post your comments below.


In this training update from CAPITA Learning & Development we will look at these top areas that you, as a new or established manager, should be demonstrating in order to lead and manage successfully.

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Each year CAPITA Learning & Development develops hundreds of top leaders and managers through our Leadership and Management faculty. For more details please contact us on 0800 022 3410 or email us with your query: enquiries@capita-ld.co.uk