Pollak Learning Alliance eNewsletter - Winter 1

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Winter 1 2008			Video \| Website \| Training Schedule \| Contact us \| Unsubscribe
in this issue		Joining Forces: TACTICS and Pollak Learning Alliance You may have heard that in July 2008, Pollak Learning Alliance and TACTICS Consulting Pty Ltd agreed to join forces to form a dynamic new group. By coming together, Pollak Learning Alliance and TACTICS offer our clients a broader range of services and a wider pool of expertise. Both are better positioned to provide the best consulting and learning services in our industries. Heading up the leadership team is John Catlin, the new CEO of the Group and current CEO of TACTICS. John brings to the group many years of experience in the learning and development sector. Steve Lemlin remains the Managing Director at Pollak Learning Alliance. Who are TACTICS? TACTICS develops information and learning solutions that help achieve an organisation’s business outcomes. For 21 years, they have helped leading Australian commercial and Government organisations to improve performance, solve information-intensive business challenges and achieve sustainable results. They have completed over 6000 projects for corporate and Government clients. TACTICS' expertise covers a range of consulting services, including: Business information and process analysis Content structure and development Performance support, such as the design and creation of job aids and reference materials Training design, development and delivery, including eLearning development Web design and usability services TACTICS' solutions achieve a specific business outcome or meet a specific business need. As end user advocates, they are committed to the usability and accessibility of their solutions for the people who will use them day-to-day. Information Mapping® Since 1991, TACTICS has been the sole Australian provider of the leading information life-cycle solution Information Mapping®. With a strong foundation of research, Information Mapping® enables organisations to practically create effective, usable and logical documentation, reference material and business communications. Information Mapping® is the foundation methodology of the solutions TACTICS provide to clients. To find out more information about TACTICS and how they will be working with Pollak Learning Alliance, contact your Client Manager on 1300 658 388.. Julianne Johnson General Manager, Marketing Products & Services			V ideo Topic: What makes a great trainer?
Video: What makes a great trainer? Joining Forces: TACTICS and Pollak Learning Alliance “Pass the cheese please”: dealing with change Making SharePoint work for you Solving the problems of HR reporting					Trainers come in all shapes and sizes. But what does Pollak Learning Alliance do to make theirs stand out from the crowd? View our podcast to find out. Click here.
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“Pass the cheese please”: dealing with change
		Remaining optimistic during times of change can sometimes feel impossible. In the business world, as well as in our personal lives, change is one of the few factors we can absolutely depend upon: it’s going to happen at some point. How we deal with it can have a significant impact on our health and well being. Of course, change can be fantastic! In these situations, we can instantly see the benefits and how life will be more enjoyable, such as a promotion that brings more money and increased satisfaction, or new technology that saves hours of time. But what happens when the change is unexpected, unwanted or seemingly threatening? Everyone has a natural, instinctive response to change that creates our mindset and emotional state. Some people love change; they are the innovators, continually creating new situations to experience. Most people don’t mind change, but would rather ‘wait and see’ before plunging in. Others find change excruciating, preferring to stay inside their comfort zone and familiar territory. Some resist change, blame others or get angry about it. Whatever the response, there is a consequence to that reaction that can add or detract from your quality of life. What’s the secret of not only accepting change but ensuring it’s a positive experience? In the book “Who Moved my Cheese” (1998), Dr Spencer Johnson tells the wonderful story of four mice and their adventures with the desirable “cheese” of life. Each character has a particular response to having their cheese moved. These responses are a profound metaphorical description of the different human behaviours that emerge when dealing with change. Here are some rodent tips for dealing with change: Accept that change happens – they will keep moving the cheese Anticipate change – get ready for the cheese to move Monitor change – smell the cheese, so often you know when it’s getting old Adapt to change quickly – the sooner you let go of old cheese, the sooner you can enjoy the new cheese Change – move with the cheese, not against it Enjoy change – savour the adventure and enjoy the new cheese Be ready to change quickly and enjoy it again and again – yes, they will keep moving the cheese! If you would like to learn more about how to deal successfully with change in your life, check out our “Dealing with Change” or “Leading Change” courses online or by contacting your Client Manager. Lidia Calabrese Business Performance Solutions Manager
Making SharePoint work for you
		SharePoint was recently described by Microsoft as their fastest selling server product of all time. However, the release of Windows SharePoint Services a few years ago took some time to gain traction. The much improved 2007 release of Microsoft Office SharePoint Server is steadily gaining momentum and is expected to become the most popular document and content management solution this year. What is SharePoint and what will it mean to you? If you are one of the millions of office workers who use Microsoft Office, there’s a very good chance that you are already using SharePoint or will encounter it some time soon. SharePoint is not a single application or program but rather a collection of components that work together or independently to add value to the way an organisation manages its documents, information and communication processes. The way you use SharePoint will largely depend upon how it has been implemented in your organisation. Many organisations use SharePoint to simply share files and create collaborative virtual workspaces, while others use it as a platform to integrate highly complex document workflows and approvals into a seamless process. SharePoint provides: A platform for collaboration The ability to design, deploy, and manage enterprise portals A simple way of searching for people and information A forum for enterprise content management The ability to streamline forms-driven business processes Business intelligence (BI) tools for every employee to make better decisions Whether your organisation is using or considering SharePoint, one thing is certain: SharePoint enables people to work better together. Encouraging people to use SharePoint Despite the many benefits of SharePoint, there is evidence of low take-up of the application by end users in organisations who have deployed it. One common reason seems to be the lack of end user training in support of SharePoint’s implementation. People can be reluctant to change their work habits, which can be particularly frustrating when SharePoint is used for collaboration and content management and users persist in sending e-mail attachments to their teams. Because SharePoint is all about people, getting real value from SharePoint takes planning and careful consideration of the needs of your people. As with many IT investments, without the right end user training, even the best managed SharePoint deployments can fall at the last hurdle. For more information on our SharePoint training solutions see your Client Manager or email info@pollak.com.auu Kiril Grasevski Desktop Solutions Manager
Solving the problems of HR reporting
		Everyone agrees that reporting can be a handful when HR has to frantically cut and paste between Excel, webpages and PowerPoint for hours or days. Even when the monthly reports are completed, management often come back with further queries or requirements to understand the numbers better and the whole process starts again! In the current labour market, where qualified employees are at a premium, the role of HR within organisations is becoming more important. There is more to the HR unit than recruiting, keeping leave liabilities low and reporting on retention ratios. The development of an attractive work culture and organisational change as staff retention strategies require creative HR staff with capacity to start initiatives and also to follow them through, staff who shouldn’t be spending their time on cutting and pasting! The ability to rapidly generate high-quality, timely HR management reports using data from multiple systems is a strategic issue that should concern not just HR or IT but also senior management. The platforms that are being used to provide the reporting and analysis may be under-utilised or inadequate. Bringing HR reporting and analysis to a simple, responsive platform should be viewed as a critical business improvement in the current climate. But the business case is much stronger than saving time by not having to cut and paste. By having less cumbersome HR reporting systems, HR has a greater opportunity to identify and address trends and issues as they arise, not after the event. This means that the organisation can put measures in place before problems escalate. The good news is that improving HR management processes doesn’t always require a prohibitively expensive outlay on technology. Many organisations will find that they already have a framework that they can use to streamline their management processes. The business case for an automated reporting system needs to demonstrate how a better flow of information creates value and contributes to profitability. There are many examples of how a strategic decision to use a more mature technology can affect the bottom line, including: Reducing costs by lowering or removing the amount of cut-and-paste and re-keying Efficiency gains caused by freeing up the HR team to focus on higher level tasks Improved access to information - for example a self service environment can encourage accountability and responsibility for HR issues at the functional and individual employee levels Information consolidation (i.e. the ability to analyse and compare data from different HR systems) can create valuable measures for the business, extending the use beyond people measures while also relieving the HR reporting pains. Now may be the right time for your HR team to move from being a supplier of reports to be recognised as creative partners that improve the business’ culture, retention and bottom line. Mikkel Vous Kristiansen Research and Development Manager, Pollak Software Solutions Pollak Software Solutions develop solutions to improve the visibility of HR and other business measures from multiple systems.

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