Summarizes the results of the American Society for Training and Development Human Resource and Performance Management Survey of 1996 that examined the performance outcomes of downsizing and high performance work systems, explored the relationship between high performance work systems and downsizing, and asked whether some downsizing practices were…

Data from a sample of 60,000 trainees shows that school, formal company, informal, and other types of training increased between 1983 and 1991; formal company training showed the biggest gain. Those with more education tend to get more training, females received more training than males, and manufacturing was more training intensive than the…

Among current trends in business, technology, and training ranked by 90 human resource development executives, the highest were as follows: demands of the global economy, the migration of computer power away from mainframes, and experimentation with centralizing/decentralizing of training. (JOW)

A survey of 923 employee involvement programs (57%) yielded 10 themes: range of problem content, team staffing, team membership status, team resources, training practices, information access, financial rewards, performance management systems, goal-setting structures, and roles of job supervisors. (JOW)

Reports results of a "Training and Development" poll in which all but one respondent to the question "Do your workers need literacy training?" said "Yes." Training personnel discuss the literacy programs offered by their companies. (JOW)

Studies conducted at the Institute for Research on Learning demonstrate that, at work, people learn by doing things together. Communities of practice--groups that develop and share ways of doing things--are fundamental elements of learning organizations. (SK)

Cognitive science lessons that should be applied to workplace learning include the following: (1) learning is embedded in individual experiences; (2) learning is most effective in context; (3) collaboration enhances learning; (4) learners continuously create knowledge; and (5) learners need to recognize and question tacit assumptions. (SK)