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As Watershed’s Vice President of Strategy and Business Development, Bill Conran focuses on evangelizing the message of utilizing analytics to improve the workforce. He is known for making complex solutions easy to understand and showing how software can create safer, more enjoyable organizations.

Bill Conran

Its springtime and things are finally blooming again! Whether the early daffodils or the rogue tulips, new growth is always a fun and gratifying reminder of the hard work you put in when planting those bulbs.

Reap What You Sow: Into the Weeds of Content and Learning Analytics

July 2016 - TD Magazine

Organizations adapt to a fast environment by undergoing transformations, which requires change management.

Quick to Change

ASTD Honors Six Individuals for Contributions to the Learning and Development Profession

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become a focal point for many companies aiming to enhance business outcomes and drive efficiency. In the domain of learning and development, discussions are underway about the potential for AI to transform content creation, strategy, and personalization. However, the true impact of AI on learning and development remains unclear. Join Conrad Gottfredson and Leslie Farinella as they explore the changing landscape of AI and its influence on the future of learning.
Conrad Gottfredson, founder of the 5 Moments of Need, and Leslie Farinella, Content Innovation Strategist at Xyleme, will discuss the top questions they get asked about AI:

What practices should we keep, change, and adapt as we think about AI and learning content management?
What capabilities do we need to unlock AI’s potential to ensure employees have the skills and access to the knowledge they need to succeed?
Why should L&D partner with talent and knowledge management to elevate our learning designs?

Primary Capability Covered: Technology Application
Participation in this event, either live or recorded, can be reported for one (1) professional development point toward initial certification or recertification requirements for the APTD or CPTD credential.
 
 

Gain the AI Edge: Knowledge Management Is Your Competitive Advantage

To create a valuable and connected learning experience, it’s important to consider the range of learning styles and roles people play in an organization throughout the learning life cycle. Identifying different types of learning moments, learners, and learning facilitators enables us to take full advantage of our assets and own the learning process.Moments of Learning NeedWe should frequently consider the resources we make available to employees during a learning experience, but the process shouldn’t end there. We need to consider the moment of need learners are encountering.The concept of “moments of learning need,” developed by Conrad Gottfredson and Bob Mosher, is a powerful learning-centric perspective that focuses on when and under what conditions a performer needs to learn something to drive a desired outcome.The moments of learning need are:Learning for the first timeLearning moreApplying and refiningAdjusting to changeReacting to failureEach of these moments has different requirements. When someone learns a concept for the first time, they build a new foundation that they can apply to get better at a pursuit. In this context, learners need the most structure and scaffolding.If adjusting to change or reacting to failure, however, they will need more performance support in real time. If they’re trying to fix or address an issue, they don’t need the same level of history and context as when learning about that subject for the first time; they just need insight on how to fix or change current performance to achieve a desired outcome.There are two emerging moments of need outside of Gottfredson and Mosher’s work that are crucial to consider.The emerging moments of learning need are:InnovatingGrowing for the next roleThese moments of need are about driving toward something new, taking original approaches, gaining insight, and expanding.As we consider these moments, we should also think about how we organize resources for different learning situations. Transposing our concept of a learner onto one of several distinct types of learning roles is useful when supporting someone throughout an entire learning experience.Expanded Learner RolesWe no longer subscribe to the traditional mindset of simply providing content that a learner consumes and then regurgitates. When we move beyond the first two learning moments—learning for the first time and learning more—to adjusting, refining, reacting, innovating, and growing, it’s critical to understand the expanded learner roles at play during different moments of learning. For instance, at different points individuals may take on these expanded learner roles:ConsumerModeratorCuratorContributorCreatorCollaboratorWhen we treat people like active participants, we expand beyond the mindset of a consumer learning experience, and instead incorporate the roles of moderator, curator, contributor, and so on.We can use an understanding of expanded learner roles and their attendant needs to apply, refine, and amplify the learning experience in innovative ways. When we identify and nurture learning moments of need and learner roles, we witness organic response to change and conflict resolution.Connected Organizational Learning RolesAnother equally important, yet often overlooked, component of a connected learning organization rests in how an organization facilitates learning and provides support throughout the learning life cycle.We can think about the following list of organizational learning roles through the lens of Robert Cross’s work on organizational network analysis, a way of thinking about how organizations become productive.We have four primary organizational learning roles:Learning connectors: People inside a business who have access to resourcesLearning bridges: Individuals who make connections across an organization or team by bringing in insights and different perspectivesCoaches and mentors: Topic specialists with an area of expertise who can help facilitate and accelerate specific projectsInformation brokers: People with access to information in a very fluid state who enable us to learn and ultimately performAll of these roles are critical for a transforming organization. It’s important that we uncover who performs these roles, identify how to nurture them, and make sure we retain them.Once we identify how the broader organizational learning ecosystem operates and contributes resources and information, learning itself will flourish without much formal intervention. This approach allows us to pull full value from our communities and make real strides toward success.

New Roles for the Connected Learning Experience

Do you have a manager who gives everyone nicknames and loves to get everyone pumped up? One thinks the every idea is the best idea ever? This can be avoided. https://www.td.org/accel In late 2015, ATD Research conducted a short survey of nearly 300 talent development leaders (managers and above) to identify the top skills most associated with successful frontline managers. The ACCEL skills were selected for inclusion in the framework because they had the highest percentage of participants indicating that each contributed to success in managing others to a high or very high extent. In fact, 83 percent of participants said that communication is the skill most related to success as a manager, followed by engagement (76 percent), listening and assessing (71 percent), accountability (70 percent), and collaboration (69 percent). In early 2016, ATD Research surveyed 847 talent development professionals about the ACCEL skills of managers in their organization. This group was different from the group of talent development leaders that was surveyed to establish the ACCEL framework. All data in the rest of this report are based on this sample’s responses. Nearly half of the participants indicated that they had more than 15 years of experience in the talent development field. Moreover, 30 percent of respondents identified themselves as senior leaders within their organization (executives and directors), and 40 percent were managers, supervisors, and team leaders. The Definitions: Accountability skills refer to performance management and the delegation of responsibility to direct reports. Managers who are adept at creating a culture of accountability encourage team members to be accountable for self-development and meeting their own development goals. Collaboration is defined as creating an environment and culture of teamwork (in this case, the team comprises the manager and direct reports). Managers who excel in this skill foster trust and relationships between all team members, clarify team roles, and encourage cooperation toward achieving a common goal (OPM 1997). By encouraging trust and relationship building between team members, direct reports can share knowledge with and learn from one another. Communication is defined as the exchange of information and feedback between managers and their direct reports. Communication also involves a willingness to engage in three types of conversations with employees: disciplinary, coaching, and praise. Managers who are adept at communication foster a transparent, open, and honest team atmosphere. At the individual level, effective communication—including targeted, actionable feedback—can build awareness and action toward better employee performance. Engagement is defined as motivating, inspiring, and involving one’s direct reports. Engaged employees understand their specific role and its importance. By engaging team members, managers will have direct reports who are psychologically committed to their work and who make positive contributions to their own development and the company (Crabtree 2013). Listening and assessing involves the information-gathering, critical-thinking, and processing skills of a manager during interactions with direct reports. Listening and assessing also encompasses emotional intelligence, which entails recognizing one’s own and others’ emotions and using emotional information to guide one’s behavior and assessments. Managers who are skilled at listening and assessing use these abilities to identify areas of strength and improvement in direct reports. Bob Wiltfong as "The Bad Manager": Bob is an American actor and comedian best known for his work as a correspondent on The Daily Show on Comedy Central, as well as appearances on Chappelle's Show and Late Night with Conan O'Brien. Wiltfong was a true-life newscaster for 10 years, making him the first correspondent in Daily Show history to have worked as a traditional news reporter. Wiltfong has won 4 regional, individual Emmys for television performance and has been nominated for 14 others. He was part of The Daily Show's 2004 winning submission for the prestigious Peabody Award and was featured on the election year wrap up DVD put out by Comedy Central. He was a member of Neutrino, an improv comedy team in New York City. Additionally, Wiltfong has been featured in national commercials for AOL, Microsoft, Staples, Domino's Pizza and other corporate interests

Bad Manager: The Energizer

Do you have a manager who forgets what you talked about 5 seconds after your conversation? One who reminds you to do something that you already did? This can be avoided. https://www.td.org/accel In late 2015, ATD Research conducted a short survey of nearly 300 talent development leaders (managers and above) to identify the top skills most associated with successful frontline managers. The ACCEL skills were selected for inclusion in the framework because they had the highest percentage of participants indicating that each contributed to success in managing others to a high or very high extent. In fact, 83 percent of participants said that communication is the skill most related to success as a manager, followed by engagement (76 percent), listening and assessing (71 percent), accountability (70 percent), and collaboration (69 percent). In early 2016, ATD Research surveyed 847 talent development professionals about the ACCEL skills of managers in their organization. This group was different from the group of talent development leaders that was surveyed to establish the ACCEL framework. All data in the rest of this report are based on this sample’s responses. Nearly half of the participants indicated that they had more than 15 years of experience in the talent development field. Moreover, 30 percent of respondents identified themselves as senior leaders within their organization (executives and directors), and 40 percent were managers, supervisors, and team leaders. The Definitions: Accountability skills refer to performance management and the delegation of responsibility to direct reports. Managers who are adept at creating a culture of accountability encourage team members to be accountable for self-development and meeting their own development goals. Collaboration is defined as creating an environment and culture of teamwork (in this case, the team comprises the manager and direct reports). Managers who excel in this skill foster trust and relationships between all team members, clarify team roles, and encourage cooperation toward achieving a common goal (OPM 1997). By encouraging trust and relationship building between team members, direct reports can share knowledge with and learn from one another. Communication is defined as the exchange of information and feedback between managers and their direct reports. Communication also involves a willingness to engage in three types of conversations with employees: disciplinary, coaching, and praise. Managers who are adept at communication foster a transparent, open, and honest team atmosphere. At the individual level, effective communication—including targeted, actionable feedback—can build awareness and action toward better employee performance. Engagement is defined as motivating, inspiring, and involving one’s direct reports. Engaged employees understand their specific role and its importance. By engaging team members, managers will have direct reports who are psychologically committed to their work and who make positive contributions to their own development and the company (Crabtree 2013). Listening and assessing involves the information-gathering, critical-thinking, and processing skills of a manager during interactions with direct reports. Listening and assessing also encompasses emotional intelligence, which entails recognizing one’s own and others’ emotions and using emotional information to guide one’s behavior and assessments. Managers who are skilled at listening and assessing use these abilities to identify areas of strength and improvement in direct reports. Bob Wiltfong as "The Bad Manager": Bob is an American actor and comedian best known for his work as a correspondent on The Daily Show on Comedy Central, as well as appearances on Chappelle's Show and Late Night with Conan O'Brien. Wiltfong was a true-life newscaster for 10 years, making him the first correspondent in Daily Show history to have worked as a traditional news reporter. Wiltfong has won 4 regional, individual Emmys for television performance and has been nominated for 14 others. He was part of The Daily Show's 2004 winning submission for the prestigious Peabody Award and was featured on the election year wrap up DVD put out by Comedy Central. He was a member of Neutrino, an improv comedy team in New York City. Additionally, Wiltfong has been featured in national commercials for AOL, Microsoft, Staples, Domino's Pizza and other corporate interests.

Bad Manager: The Amnesiac (Short Clip)

Do you have a manager who forgets what you talked about 5 seconds after your conversation? One who reminds you to do something that you already did? This can be avoided.https://www.td.org/accelIn late 2015, ATD Research conducted a short survey of nearly 300 talent development leaders (managers and above) to identify the top skills most associated with successful frontline managers. The ACCEL skills were selected for inclusion in the framework because they had the highest percentage of participants indicating that each contributed to success in managing others to a high or very high extent. In fact, 83 percent of participants said that communication is the skill most related to success as a manager, followed by engagement (76 percent), listening and assessing (71 percent), accountability (70 percent), and collaboration (69 percent). In early 2016, ATD Research surveyed 847 talent development professionals about the ACCEL skills of managers in their organization. This group was different from the group of talent development leaders that was surveyed to establish the ACCEL framework. All data in the rest of this report are based on this sample’s responses. Nearly half of the participants indicated that they had more than 15 years of experience in the talent development field. Moreover, 30 percent of respondents identified themselves as senior leaders within their organization (executives and directors), and 40 percent were managers, supervisors, and team leaders. The Definitions: Accountability skills refer to performance management and the delegation of responsibility to direct reports. Managers who are adept at creating a culture of accountability encourage team members to be accountable for self-development and meeting their own development goals. Collaboration is defined as creating an environment and culture of teamwork (in this case, the team comprises the manager and direct reports). Managers who excel in this skill foster trust and relationships between all team members, clarify team roles, and encourage cooperation toward achieving a common goal (OPM 1997). By encouraging trust and relationship building between team members, direct reports can share knowledge with and learn from one another. Communication is defined as the exchange of information and feedback between managers and their direct reports. Communication also involves a willingness to engage in three types of conversations with employees: disciplinary, coaching, and praise. Managers who are adept at communication foster a transparent, open, and honest team atmosphere. At the individual level, effective communication—including targeted, actionable feedback—can build awareness and action toward better employee performance. Engagement is defined as motivating, inspiring, and involving one’s direct reports. Engaged employees understand their specific role and its importance. By engaging team members, managers will have direct reports who are psychologically committed to their work and who make positive contributions to their own development and the company (Crabtree 2013). Listening and assessing involves the information-gathering, critical-thinking, and processing skills of a manager during interactions with direct reports. Listening and assessing also encompasses emotional intelligence, which entails recognizing one’s own and others’ emotions and using emotional information to guide one’s behavior and assessments. Managers who are skilled at listening and assessing use these abilities to identify areas of strength and improvement in direct reports.Bob Wiltfong as "The Bad Manager": Bob is an American actor and comedian best known for his work as a correspondent on The Daily Show on Comedy Central, as well as appearances on Chappelle's Show and Late Night with Conan O'Brien. Wiltfong was a true-life newscaster for 10 years, making him the first correspondent in Daily Show history to have worked as a traditional news reporter. Wiltfong has won 4 regional, individual Emmys for television performance and has been nominated for 14 others. He was part of The Daily Show's 2004 winning submission for the prestigious Peabody Award and was featured on the election year wrap up DVD put out by Comedy Central. He was a member of Neutrino, an improv comedy team in New York City. Additionally, Wiltfong has been featured in national commercials for AOL, Microsoft, Staples, Domino's Pizza and other corporate interests.

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