Improve Business Results by Learning From Experience in Proactive Reviews

This chapter aims to provide a theoretically based and proven educational design for lessons learned. Called a proactive review, this educational design is exemplified in a case study of a global information technology company classified as big business, where proactive reviews were developed and implemented in over 40 countries. This chapter explores how employees who solve a task together can learn from the experience and share this learning with relevant colleagues to improve work practices, services, and/or products. This chapter describes the format of proactive reviews, suggestions for starting points called PR triggers, and the four roles involved—the participant, sponsor, top management, and facilitator. The tangible and intangible results of proactive reviews are presented with their impacts on the participants, their teams, and the organization's products, services, and/or work practices. Finally, the chapter provides recommendations for implementing and maintaining proactive reviews in organizations.

Can Applied On-Job Training Yield Increased Productivity?

On-job training (OJT) and the zone of proximal learning (ZPL) remain some of the top innovative approaches to increasing the efficacies required in progressive enterprises. Available data indicate that there is a positive correlation between OJT and cumulated productivity. The ZPL is at the cutting-edge of improving cognitive and affective and sensory practices while OJT upsurge the skillfulness required to boost performance in the value creation system. OJT and ZPL can be juxtaposed to progress explicit knowledge difficult for the competition to mimic. A case study is drawn to illustrate how OJT and the ZPL can be applied in the divided labor to grow specialization and design and implement the technology required to upsurge productivity in a successful organization.

Supporting the Needs of the Independent Learner Within Higher Education

This chapter offers a case study in adaptive personalized learning for higher education learners. The chapter presents a postgraduate recommender system for educational pathway to aid with online support towards selecting suitable transferable skills depending on department and captures a current snapshot of the current trends that the university is facing.

Workforce Diversity

The growing acceptance of marrying across racial and ethnic lines (as reflected in US census statistics) together with the growth of demographic changes across workplaces is fueling fears among some who see their culture being threatened and react by engaging in overt discrimination. One concern regards employers having access to databases containing talented individuals who are ready to work. Their choices hinge on the abilities required to further their enterprise. Paradoxically, a business's culture's greatest strength could be its greatest weakness when not consistent with sound business strategies. Moreover, when such a culture prevents a firm from meeting competitive threats, this can lead to the firm's stagnation and ultimate demise. Diversity has never been thought of as a strategy until now. This chapter explores workforce diversity.

Strengthening the Significance of Data Analytics

Organizational design could be understood as a metaphor to appreciate customer needs through segmentation or cross-channel analysis and extrapolation in pervasive value creation environment. Corporations need to calculate moves based on available capacity to produce the products demanded in highly competitive markets. The workforce must possess the required skillsets and brashness critical in getting the job done correctly all the time. The knowledge drawn from data analytics can be applied to develop performance metrics essential in advancing productivity in ubiquitous value making systems. This chapter explores strengthening the significance of data analytics.

Applying Theory to Inform Capability Development

This chapter describes the deliberate making of a community of practice to advance specialization in divided labor and structuring a successful enterprise. A knowledge network is characterized by mutual engagement in a joint enterprise that gives rise to a shared repertoire of knowledge, skillsets, and practices. The division of labor is identified to enable the novice to develop the proficiencies required for specialty to happen. Bootstrapping and other techniques are applied to replicate the performance required in making effective specialists. A conclusion is drawn taking the position that the centricity of an epistemic community is the locus of control of the job, individual, and team; additionally, it is the only organization that can authenticate the practices necessary to boost productivity.

Modeling the Skunkworks Technology

Management view the skunkworks approach as an enriched environment composed of individuals possessing the required experience critical in the formulation of strategy to advance efficiency and effectiveness in the firm. It is a purpose-built forum where learning happens by sharing experiences to design and implement new products in at least four modalities. The first is its capability to ignite the company's mission by co-construction a shared vision. Organizations need to appreciate what the future may look like. The second is the collective experience of its membership where new ideas can lead to the design and implementation of the technology to progress the job. A company must do all it can to differentiate itself to compete successfully. The third is its ability to create diffuse and distribute knowledge to cognitive areas where it will be put into organizational context. The fourth is the need to sustain change by continuing to learn and improve. This chapter models the skunkworks technology.

Applying Social Media Intelligence for Successful Business Management

Marketing trends and competitive information is needed for clear decision making about what products to develop for what customers, at what cost, and through which distribution channels, reducing the uncertainty that a new product/service development always brings. There are several characteristics that describe the quality of information that will allow the analysis of the value of the information used. Information is an important aid in the decision-making process and must be of quality to improve its value. Social media intelligence allows the knowledge of competitors' moves and the analysis of trends from the communications exchanged in the networks of individual consumers, making it easy for companies to develop solutions according to their clients and prospects desires. Learning how to extract quality, unbiased, valuable information from these social tools is the aim of this chapter.