Monday, April 6, 2009

This Week in the News

Time has come for close communication (South China Morning Post)
"Despite all the talk about companies being transparent, many employees still feel that their organisations fall short of the mark when it comes to effective communication. There may be e-mails flying between departments and meetings to fill up the week, but one of the most common complaints from employees is that the management team doesn't provide enough timely information about fundamental issues."

The global management challenge: China versus the world (Institute of Leadership & Management)
"The global balance of economic power is shifting. Chinese managers are setting the management agenda for China and are poised to do so for the rest of the world, and managers in Europe and North America would do well to pay attention, according to a report commissioned by The Institute of Leadership and Management."

10 ways to develop staff on a budget (Personnel Today)
"Number crunching training budgets: Training budgets under increasing pressure, but staff development should not be allowed to grind to a halt as a result. There is a wealth of low-cost and even free sources of learning on offer, as Alex Blyth reports."

2009 Training Forecast

Excelliance, a Shenzhen based corporate training consultancy, has released this THIS forecast for the training industry in 2009.

One of the key highlights from the report are the trends for the year.  Most of which I agree with: 

• Training projects will be much more results oriented and focused on specific work‐related demands
• Demand for tailor‐made training services will continue to increase
• Training buyers and providers will need to work closer together and improve communication and training/course management
• Poor quality training providers will get squeezed hardest, some even going out of business
• New ‘quick solution’ training programs may be offered in the market (ie: hardware intensive training such as self‐study programs, internet study, etc..)
• Training professionals, both buyers and providers, will need to invest more time into upgrading their knowledge and skills

What do you think?