VR will soon transform training.

I have been involved with training individuals and groups for many years.  I think i know something about what works - and what doesn't.

My main lesson is that 'doing' works - getting trainers to undertake activity to reinforce any knowledge they might have gained.  The closer the activity is to a real-life work situation for which the trainees are being prepared, the better.

This is why I am really looking forward to the impact that VR and AI are going to have on training.

When we can put trainees in a near-to-real-life situation and observe how they get on , the more we can tune our training, mentoring, coaching and skills development processes to deliver maximum on-the-job impact.  VR is about to enter the mainstream - getting cheap enough to deploy practical -sized  training groups.  It will then take a while for we trainers to learn how to exploit it ... but the results could be amazing.

So, keep your eyres peeled for trainers that are using VR - and take a look at what they are doing. If you think they have got it right, think how it might benefit your organisation.  If not, you'll have to wait a little longer.

Becoming efficient is the start ...not the end!

Efficiency is not enough.

I have spent much of my life urging companies to become more efficient - and helping them to do do.

But, of course, I know that some do not go far enough.

Becoming more efficient should not be an end in itself.

Becoming efficient creates capacity - it will give your organisation the headroom to start thinking about doing different things, adding more value, innovating.

So, regard your journey to greater efficiency as a stepping stone. 

Refine how you do things to create that capacity to transform your business in the longer term.

Recruit well!

Recruitment is perhaps the most important function you ever undertake.

If you don't recruit talented, skilled, flexible staff, you can't expect your staff to exhibit talent, skill and flexibility.

But you also have to create an organisation in which that talent, skills and flexibility can thrive and grow.

You have to impose your will ,your way of thinking, your values ... but leave 'room' for your staff to demonstrate their own values, their own commitment, their own drive.

Then, think about what you are trying to achieve, communicate this strongly (and often) to  the team, set them goals and targets - and hold them accountable for their performance in achieving those goals and targets.

Your job is to identify barriers to high performance - and remove them; to engage and motivate the staff, to reward good performance - and deal appropriately with underperformance. Not forgetting the importance of recruiting the right staff in the first place, of course.

All of this is not easy ... but it is necessary.  

When you are away?

If you run an organisation - and run it well, how do you manage to keep it running well when you are not there.  This can certainly be a problem for small, startups and growing organisations that do not have an established management structure.

First of all, let's hope you have recruited well - employing trustworthy, conscientious staff.

Secondly, let's hope you have trained your staff well - in the basics and in the less common tasks that can emerge as difficulties.

Thirdly, let's hope that your staff show initiative and have problem-solving skills, so they can deal with the unexpected (back to a combination of recruitment and training - and an atmosphere in which they feel they have the freedom to exercise their discretion.

And finally, let's hope you have created an organisation  that has a culture based on shared, core values - which can be used to shape decisions and actions.

So as you can see, how the business runs in your absence depends entirely on you - and the way you have built the organisation, its structure and its culture.  if you are not sure all of these are in place, you'd better start thinking and acting now to ensure these basic building blocks of a high productivity organisation are in place.  If you don't get it done soon, it might be too late.

Productivity or Quality

Should you focus your improvement efforts on improving the quality of what you do ... or in improving the productivity?

It doesn't matter.

Productivity and Quality are inextricably linked. Improving quality adds value to goods or services which adds to the top line of the productivity ratio. 
Improving quality through systematic analysis and investigation of both product and process also throws up productivity improvements. 
Improving quality and productivity both require fresh thinking and innovation. 

An organisation that commits to quality, of necessity, commits to productivity.  One might even consider that one (a focus on improving quality) means improving the quality of what you do.  The other (a focus on improving productivity) means improving the quality of how you do things.

So, go ahead.  Do one or do both. You will end up improving your productivity.

Is your organisation race-ready?

When running a race, an athlete has to be in peak condition, with no injuries. They also have to be aware of the capabilities of their opponents and set their tactics accordingly (especially for long distance races).

Well, business competition is rather similar. 

A business organisation has to be in peak condition with no significant performance drawbacks. They then must be aware of what their competitors are doing and set out their strategy and tactics accordingly.

So, if the two situations have similarities can one learn from the other? Can the business organisation learn from how the athlete prepares for his/her racing?

The answer is ‘Yes’.

The athlete trains often, to a pre-determined training regime, takes care with diet, makes sure they warm up before activity and cools down after activity.

Now I’ve set the scene .. it’s up to you how you translate those tasks into actions your business could take to ‘train’ for improved competitiveness.

Are you ready to win some medals!

Does it fit>

Remember ergonomics?  Not many people seem to.

I often see products that look like the designer has no idea of the shape and size of a typical person.  They may have been designed for an average human being of the 1940s ...  but not thew 21st century.

Think seats on public transport, on aeroplanes, in cars.  You have to squeeze yourself into an impossibly small space - especially if the next seat is already occupied.

And control systems and and 'user interfaces' which are too often user-hostile rather than user-friendly.

And don't get me started on instruction manuals - translated from the original Japanese or Chinese into modern gobbledegook.

People change gradually from one size to another - or one frame of mind to another. There should be plenty of time for designers to 'catch up'.  This would involve a little more thought - but in addressing control systems, user comfort, user understanding, ease of use and so on could significantly improve productivity.

When you buy new products, new equipment, new machinery,. think about the ergonomics - and the well-being of your workers. You both benefit.