Most organizational development professionals know that evaluation of any program can lead to changes. And most of us know that change can be good and also that change can be rather difficult. When it comes to your coaching or mentoring program, you must move forward with the changes you’ve discovered in your evaluation, regardless of whether they are great changes or rather difficult changes. The best way to maintain a good perception, or build one, within the organization is to show that the program can be tailored to fit the current situation. Now is the time to take a close look at your evaluation and determine the changes that need to be made. Continue reading this post…

You’ve spent time and effort on creating and designing your mentoring or coaching program. You’ve also got the “buy-in” of key stakeholders within the organization. Although these are important steps, it is equally important to ensure that the program is effective - and that it maintains its effectiveness. As we will discuss in the future, your ultimate goal with a coaching or mentoring program is to make it a permanent part of the organization’s culture. To make that happen, you must take a few major steps beyond the implementation of the program. The next step, then, is to measure effectiveness. Let’s look at some great ways to do this.

First, it’s important to remember that measuring effectiveness is not a one-time thing. You must continue to measure the effectiveness of your program on a regular basis, just as you would a regular training and development program. Whether your program is formal or informal, the first thing to do in preparation for measurement is to revisit your original goals, objectives, and mission. From these items, you can formulate an evaluation. If your program is informal, take the goals of the program to formulate interview questions to be posed to both coaches and mentors and protŽgŽs. Continue reading this post…

Your coaching or mentoring program is now well designed. You’ve spent time on the details and the program has taken shape. Don’t jeopardize your success by forgetting to carefully plan the implementation of the program. In this step, you’ll need to look at marketing, selection, training, and scheduling. You may have planned some of this in your design stage, but let’s discuss some general tips in each of these areas to ensure a smooth rollout.

One of the most important pieces of implementation is the marketing of a program. Just as your organization markets its products and services to its clients, you must market your coaching program to your clients. And, as with other developmental programs, the sell is not always easy. First, determine who your target audience will be for both coaches and protŽgŽs. If the entire organization makes the cut, focus your marketing on the benefits for the organization, the coaches, and the protŽgŽs. Consider a training program rollout as a comparison. Continue reading this post…

A coaching or mentoring program is an important way for an organization to take an interest in its associates, train them, and let them know that there is someone out there to help them. In our first discussion about creating a program, you learned that you have to define whether the program will be coaching or mentoring, as well as define the goals of the program.

The next step is the design of the program, so let’s discuss a couple of general tips about program design before we go to the details. Treat your coaching and mentoring program as you would a training or leadership development program, that is, give it the same “loving care” and attention to detail as you would a new flagship educational program. The second tip is to spend adequate time in this design phase in order to create the best program possible. Don’t sacrifice quality for a few extra days or weeks. Let’s discuss design steps. You may be surprised - some of these steps are exactly like designing a training program. Continue reading this post…

In today’s tough economy, training budgets have been cut and formal training programs are probably reduced. One way to maximize the budget, train and mentor people on the job, and to create leadership is through the implementation of a coaching or mentor program. The first step in the creation and implementation of a coaching program is to determine your goals. But before taking that step, it’s a good idea to understand the subtle differences between coaching and mentoring.

A mentoring relationship focuses on the person being mentored, as well as his or her career and goals. The mentor may give advice on how to approach certain situations, but that advice is generally in favor of the person being mentored, sometimes referred to as a protŽgŽ. Coaching, on the other hand, focuses on a specific result or goal, such as job performance. The coach may also give advice on how to reach that goal, but the ultimate result is the goal itself. In this sense, coaching is rather impartial, that is, not biased toward an individual. Either coaching or mentoring can be formal or informal, so the decision on which program you want to use is based on the organization and its culture. Continue reading this post…

Now that your e-learning program is up and running, you’ve evaluated it, made changes, and the organization loves it. Can you sit back and relax? Absolutely not. Your e-learning program requires a constant eye on various areas to ensure that nothing goes off track. One tiny flaw can create large problems, and with large problems comes a loss of users. Organizations have made the mistake of letting the e-learning program “ride”, only to find that one day no one is using it. Let’s discuss how you can monitor your program at all times.

First, continue to monitor user data. This data includes the evaluations that you’ve taken the time to create and integrate. But remember to monitor at a deeper level than the evaluations. Are your user numbers up or down? Are the evaluations themselves changing in trend or tone? For example, a course evaluation that was consistently a 5 on a 5-point scale that moves to a consistent 4 is not exactly failing - but is it as good as it once was? You can also see from this type of data if your audience is growing and becoming more Continue reading this post…

Your e-learning program has rolled out and has come under constant evaluation. What are you doing with the evaluation data? If you’re filing it away, that’s not quite enough. Every piece of data you receive, whether it seems small or not, can help you modify your e-learning program, keep it fresh, and move it into prominence with your organization. When you consider modifying your program, look at three common areas: system, course design and delivery, and marketing.

Remember that during evaluation you are looking at user data, evaluation data, and even survey data. When you look at modifications to your system, think about that data in system terms. Are users reporting problems with accessibility? If so, you may need to look at the number of users, the organization’s bandwidth, or its overall technical architecture. Any of these characteristics can show you specific and overall problems with the program. In specific areas, you may find that accessibility problems are caused by a slow running system, malfunctions in video streaming or interactivity, or overall system preparedness. If you determine that there are issues with your system, make a list of the problems. But don’t stop there. Make a list of the solution you’d like to see. For example, if the system is functioning slowly, know what the optimum time should be. Once you have a list of requirements and optimum functions, go back to the vendor or in-house IT department and present it. Continue reading this post…