There's no disputing that an effective, organized, and engaging onboarding program is a necessity for achieving organizational success. But are today's organizations doing a good job of rolling out the welcome mat for their new hires? Some 73 percent of responding organizations have an onboarding program in place, but only 51 percent of them feel…

In this article, "Training" editors recognize innovative and successful learning and development programs and practices. They share best practices from Automatic Data Processing, Inc., Farmers Insurance Group, FedEx Express, InterContinental Hotels Group, and Oakwood Temporary Housing. They also present the outstanding initiatives of EMD Serono,…

For flooring manufacturer Mohawk Industries, it is not enough to teach employees how to be great. The long-time Training Top 125 contender focused last year on helping employees to blaze their own learning paths while meeting organization imperatives. That meant improving the technology that supports employee performance, as well as creating new…

Rockport Company conducted a two-day meeting of its entire staff with no agenda. Anyone could announce a topic about which he or she felt strongly. After two days, a sense of camaraderie and purpose was almost palpable. The challenge is to keep the company on track and ensure that the spirit remains. (JOW)

Looks at the practice of using employees from other departments as short-term trainers. Advantages include getting fresh ideas and perspectives, having real-life experiences, providing credibility for the training department, and providing links with other departments. The problems are people who do not want or know how to train, lack of knowledge…

Mentoring programs are thriving at corporations, partly because of the downsizing that has occurred over the past decade. Mentoring offers a way to preserve intellectual capital and memory within a company. (JOW)

Discusses the evolution of communities of practice and explains why training professionals have a stake in their creation and success. Looks at how training professionals have developed online communities. Lists online community resources and myths. (JOW)

Discusses how organizations--not individuals--learn, new ways to learn, and how training fits into the picture. Suggests that training needs to be redefined to support the forces and methods that favor spontaneous learning. Describes how trainers can work with middle managers to reach their goals. (JOW)

A new breed of executive is emerging, the chief learning or knowledge officer who is in charge of organizing, capturing, and cataloging a company's collective knowledge. That the position exists is evidence of the growing recognition that intellectual capital is a company's most significant asset. (JOW)

Looks at similarities and differences between training and organizational development (OD) and suggests strategies for aligning them: developing high-level sponsorship, demonstrating the fit with existing initiatives, creating collaborations, encouraging trainers and OD specialists to work together, and analyze what hinders collaboration. (JOW)

Transition training helps people examine their responses to change, to develop productive responses, attitudes, values, emotions, perceptions, beliefs, and behaviors, and to relate to change. Cultural transition training is needed when the organization changes; personal transition training is needed when people change roles within an organization.…

Information technology is not enough without knowledge management. People who oversee and support knowledge management are essential. The move to knowledge management systems may eclipse training and development unless trainers help people learn about learning and about sharing their knowledge. (JOW)

Instead of training staff to deal with problems, organizations need to recognize the problems and change to solve them. Training departments are changing to include organizational development to facilitate teams, design work processes, and get out where the real work happens. (JOW)

As recently as the 1980s, most companies did not pay much attention to executive education. In the 1990s, many see executive education as a must for revamping competitive strategies, increasing productivity, improving quality, reducing cycle time, and revitalizing corporate culture. (Author/JOW)

Distinguishes between organizational development (OD) and therapy. OD is defined as a mechanism for problem solving in complex socio-technical systems. Describes possible drawbacks and advantages of the OD process. Provides examples of how OD has helped managers and non-managers work together. (CSS)