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Chris Majer

February 2011 - TD Magazine

The Silent Killers of Productivity and Profit

Chris W. Chen is an organization effectiveness manager with Sempra Energy, a Fortune 500 company in San Diego. He also runs his own consulting business specializing in leadership training. Previously, Chen led Sempra's organization development function, where he was responsible for leadership development, organization development, training, and employee communications. His publications include New Supervisor Training (ASTD, 2002), Simply Spoken Leadership (David and Roe Press, 1998) and articles on a variety of human resource topics. He has spoken at several major conferences, including the Colby leadership conference.

Chris Chen

What is Demo Day?
This free, half-day event offers you the opportunity to see live demos from five leading learning tech solutions. Each 30-minute demo allows you to see the solution in action, ask questions, and request additional information. Selecting new technologies for your organization is a tough decision and a big investment. Let ATD Demo Day help you learn about the benefits of a variety of options at once.
Who is it for?
Anyone who wants to invest in new learning technologies for the first time, upgrade their learning technology ecosystem, or simply stay current on the latest learning technology suppliers and features.
 
Demo Day Agenda: (All times below are Eastern Standard Time)
11:55-12:00 pm   ATD Introduction & Welcome:
12:00-12:30 pm  The Unconstrained LMS (Bluewater)
12:45-1:15 pm    Worklife is complicated. Your talent and development tools shouldn’t be. (SkillCycle)
1:30-2:00 pm      Using Assessments To Improve Managerial Effectiveness (Cloverleaf)
2:15-2:45 pm  How AI and New Tech are Changing the Game in Course Design (CYPHER)
3:00-3:30 pm  Break the Mold with Tigerhall: AI, Microlearning, and Social Interaction Combined (TigerHall)
 
Session Descriptions:

12:00-12:30 pm

The Unconstrained LMS
Enhance your LMS and turn it into an L&D difference maker rather than just another frustrating application.
During this session we will cover the following:

No LMS platform can give you everything you need. But you can get more out of your existing platform through Bluewater's technology enhancements without buying into additional SaaS platforms.
Enable your LMS to support a variety of unique needs, such as, Onboarding, Skills Development, Compliance Tracking, Career Pathing, Extended Enterprise/Decentralized Management, etc.).
Bluewater's unique solutions solve your L&D and HR problems that an out-of-the-box LMS just doesn't.

Speakers:
Chris Bond, CEO & Founder; Curt Swayne, President; and Bennett Jensen, VP Strategic Solutions
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12:45-1:15 pm

Worklife is complicated. Your talent and development tools shouldn’t be.
We’ve taken all the disparate HR tech systems you’ve struggled to connect and brought them together into one platform. Our People Success Operating System empowers your organization with data and your people with the learning & development tools they need to prepare for the future of work. Take a look under the hood to see our unique fusion of a best-in-class coach network with a powerful performance management tool and see how SkillCycle delivers the results your people and organization need.
During this event you will learn:

How linking learning outcomes directly to performance management improves outcomes for both systems
Why SkillCycle’s platform is different and why that matters
The future of HR’s role in an organization

Speaker:
Justin Dile, VP, Sales
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1:30-2:00 pm

Using Assessments to Improve Managerial Effectiveness

For over 60 years, assessments and coaching have been done the same way, often falling short because of limited access to results and little proof of ROI. This interactive demo presents a fresh approach to people development. Discover why Cloverleaf is a one-stop-shop for scaling emotional intelligence across your organization, enabling your team to understand each other and perform more effectively.
In this session, you will learn how to:
• Cultivate an employee experience that encourages engagement, understanding, and value.
• Use on-demand coaching to enhance performance conversations and one-on-one meetings.
• Improve the effectiveness of new manager training and leadership development programs
 
Speakers:
Darrin Murriner, CEO/Co-Founder and Tim Flanigan, VP of Sales
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2:15-2:45 p.m.

How AI and New Tech is Changing the Game in Course Design
AI is nobody's natural enemy; in learning and training, it's a superb copilot. Wisely deployed to create personalized, relevant learning experiences, AI is positioning businesses for an explosive paradigm shift, with modern competency-based workplace training becoming a retention aid and value center; and students finding joy in self-paced instruction and connected communities. The productivity revolution is already in progress, and, in this session, we explore how trainers everywhere can benefit.
During this event, you will learn:

How new and emerging technologies like AI, VR/AR can facilitate modern and engaging learning environments
How to use modern LMS platforms to create personalized training experiences at scale
How to design and implement a competency-based learning strategy

Speaker:
Jennifer Geisler, CMO
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3:00-3:30 pm

Break the Mold with Tigerhall: AI, Microlearning, and Social Interaction Combined
Imagine a learning platform that’s as much about connection as it is about knowledge.
That’s Tigerhall.
Powered by AI and microlearning, you get the only platform that's fearlessly committed to true social learning. Here, insights from industry thought leaders are merged with your colleagues' experiences, fostering an ecosystem that encourages active knowledge exchange and collaboration.
During this session, you will learn:

How Tigerhall’s unique social learning approach converts in-house expertise into bite-sized learning modules.
How Tigerhall captures interest, encourages active participation, boosts skills, and contributes to better results through its interactive, shared learning approach.
How Tigerhall's platform is an effective tool for driving behavior change, fast-tracking skills acquisition, simplifying learning and development programs, and aligning organizational goals with employees' needs.

Speaker:
Nellie Wartoft, CEO and founder, Tigerhall

Demo Day - Emerging Technologies in L&D

Skill debt is plaguing the future of work. According to PEW research, 39.2% of Americans work in major service-industry sectors. While it may seem daunting, knowing that the majority of our workforce needs to re-skill or upskill in order to stay relevant, there are proven methods to set them up for success in ‘future workplace’ careers, which we’ve seen shift more than ever in the past year.
As more processes become automated, skill debt increases and so does the opportunity to train the workforce for new opportunities. While on average, companies invest over $20 billion on education initiatives, the emphasis of these programs doesn’t lend to long term success for employees or businesses.
Today, we’re going to chat with Chris Olson, Strategic Advisor at Class on 4 strategies for reskilling and upskilling the workforce for the hybrid future.

Be intentional about development programs.
Future proof your workforce from the bottom up.
Build a culture around talent mobility.
Train technical and “soft” skills needed for today and the future.


How to Upskill and Reskill Online 

As organizations look to quickly and effectively move their learning programs online, executives are questioning best practices on inclusivity. According to Shama Hyder in a Forbes 2021 article, a majority of workforce training will remain online or in a hybrid format moving forward. As we shift away from the physical, nine-to-five workplace model, we have the opportunity to increase inclusivity with the tools and technology being built to support our new frontier.
Representation and diversity within workspaces are crucial to recruitment, employee retention, company culture, and revenue. Diversity Wins, a 2019 McKnisey study, found that companies in the top quartile for gender diversity on executive teams were 25 percent more likely to have above-average profitability than companies in the fourth quartile.
Inclusive and diverse workspaces in the hybrid age involve strategy from the top down, investment in tools and training, and engaged employees with time to invest into online or hybrid training.
Join Eric Polite II, CDE, chief transformation officer at Eric Polite & Associates; Mayra Archilla-Barton, manager, inclusion practices at CDW; and Chris Olson, strategic advisor at Class, as they discuss the four must-haves for virtually supporting inclusive learning:

Executive-level buy-in
Investment in tools and resources that enable inclusive learning
Training for your organization’s leaders to coach inclusively
Accessible and equitable learning and development programs


How Tools Enable Inclusive Learning Within Remote Teams: 4 Must-Haves for Virtually Supporting Inclusive Learning

Gerard J. Puccio is Department Chair and Professor at the International Center for Studies in Creativity, Buffalo State; a unique academic department that has offered a Master of Science degree in creativity since 1975. Gerard has written more than 50 articles, chapters and books. His most recent book titled The Innovative Team, co-authored with Chris Grivas, is a fable about a team that was able to apply proven creative-thinking tools to turn around a dysfunctional and unproductive situation. In 2011 he and his colleagues published the second edition of their book Creative Leadership: Skills that Drive Change. In recognition of his outstanding work as a scholar, Dr. Puccio received the State University of New York Chancellor's Recognition Award for Research Excellence, as well as the President's Medal for Scholarship and Creativity. Dr. Puccio is an accomplished speaker and consultant; he has worked with major corporations, universities, and numerous school districts. Some of his recent clients include the BBC, Fisher-Price Brands, Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Kraft Foods, Rich Products, BNP Paribas, Rubbermaid, Coca-Cola, and the Fashion Institute of Technology. He has delivered creativity workshops and presentations across the United States and in more than 20 different countries. In 2013 Dr. Puccio was selected by the Teaching Company as one of America’s Great Lecturers and as such was invited to design and deliver a course comprised of twenty-four 30-minute video sessions. This “Great Course,” titled The Creative Thinker’s Toolkit, was released in January 2014. Dr. Puccio was also a featured speaker at a TEDx event held in New York City in December of 2012. Among many other responsibilities, Dr. Puccio also serves on the selection committee for the Toy Hall of Fame at the National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York. Gerard holds a Ph.D. in organizational psychology from the University of Manchester, England.

Gerard Puccio

A little over a year ago, LinkedIn launched its AI-powered coaching chatbot. You can ask it for advice on workplace issues, and it will help with suggestions on how to build skills, tackle issues, or move your career forward. Could this be the future for coaching at scale?The prospect of deploying an AI-powered virtual coach that could support thousands of employees simultaneously with their workplace challenges and aspirations is an attractive one. Imagine the savings on coaching and the benefits for employees of having access to a coach, round the clock, to respond to their every need almost instantly.Can AI replace a human coach?For incoming, younger employees, this may be just what they’re looking for: A recent survey found 66 percent of 25–34 year-olds would rather talk to AI about their problems than a loved one.And it’s easy to see why. With the power of generative AI, a chatbot can communicate with empathy. People report that the experience feels just like texting with an actual human, leading to concerns that we are rapidly becoming too attached to or dependent on these AI companions.The potential of providing this kind of support to employees is not without risk. While the interactions feel real, we must remember that the chatbot has been trained to mimic empathy. It knows what an empathic response to challenges and vulnerability sounds like and gives a seemingly appropriate reply. But it lacks genuine human empathy. It doesn’t actually care like a person may.Unlike a human coach, AI can’t think, feel, or relate to a person. No matter how sophisticated its language model, a coaching chatbot lacks the nuances of personal connection—and it cannot draw on a lifetime of emotional intelligence to offer support. Without that vital human connection, AI cannot effectively deliver workplace coaching.What are the benefits of AI in the coaching process?Where AI can significantly enhance coaching is by automating some logistical aspects, such as coaching provision and mechanics, making it easier and more efficient to build strong, effective coaching relationships. For example, AI can analyze hundreds of data points to match an employee with a suitable coach, increasing the likelihood that the two individuals will work well together, rather than leaving it to chance or asking an employee to choose from a list of coach bios.AI can then manage administrative tasks, such as scheduling calls, taking notes, and curating personalized content and learning materials from the vast quantity of resources organizations provide to their employees. This helps employees take post-coaching action and removes the administrative burden of managing the relationship, driving greater engagement and improving ROI.When deploying coaching at scale across all levels of the organization, AI platforms can minimize administrative overhead for learning and development (L&D) teams while delivering a seamless, engaging employee experience.AI also has the potential to analyze data from across an organization’s HRIS, recognizing patterns and identifying employees who could benefit most from coaching. For example, AI can detect factors that increase the probability that key employees could become flight risks, thereby creating an opportunity to intervene with career development resources before they decide to leave the organization. What’s next?It’s inevitable that AI will advance exponentially, potentially even creating life-like avatars that mimic human interaction. Until we have artificial general intelligence (where machines can truly think like humans), behind those lines of code, AI-powered coaching misses the spark of humanity that makes coaching so effective.Learn how you can offer scalable, personalized career coaching—that’s powered by people and technology—to employees at all levels of your business within your budget. 

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