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Attached is a link I used to help me understand middle managers. I found this article very interesting as it in a way used sports terms to describe the middle managers making it easier to understand the terms.

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Traditionally, the job of general manager has been equated with that of a company's chief executive. General manager and boss have been thought of synonymously. Yet, increasingly, corporate organizations are providing for general management positions at levels below the chief executive; and, as a result, the number of general managers at the middle level is rising.

A version of this article appeared in the September-October 1989 issue of Harvard Business Review.

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Traditionally, the job of general manager has been equated with that of a company's chief executive. General manager and boss have been thought of synonymously. Yet, increasingly, corporate organizations are providing for general management positions at levels below the chief executive; and, as a result, the number of general managers at the middle level is rising.

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This is a video I like that describes Globalization in about 1 minute, which is really good and instructing in my opinion to here from different perspectives in this summarized view.

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This picture I found very useful, as it shows how each level of management uses each type of skills. Each level uses all skills just a little differently.

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Attached is a short video, I used during our module 2, to help with understanding as to why employee diversity was so important and the advantages it would provide for a company.

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Diversity: 5 Reasons Why Workforce Diversity is Good for your Workplace

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I have attached an article in which I found interesting on ways to promote ethical conduct in small businesses, which went along with our module.

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It is important for staffers to focus on accomplishing key company goals and developing good working relationships in the office, but it is equally important to ensure ethical conduct among employees. Ethical conduct ensures that your business maintains a reputation for sound professional principles and values that are directly in line with the company mission. There are a few different ways that you can promote ethical conduct among your staff.

You can't expect your staff to act ethically in accordance with your company's code of ethics if they don't know what that code is or why it's important. Hold regular workshops on ethics and how to solve problems ethically. Use examples and role playing to give everyone a chance to choose between tough decisions and explain why one is more ethical than another. The more training and resources you provide, and the greater emphasis you place on being ethical and acting accordingly, the more your staff understands exactly what you expect in the office.

Far too often, companies simply expect ethical behavior; however, if you want to promote this as a prominent behavior among staff, then you need to show and prove, so to speak. Provide rewards for solid ethical behavior; for example, if you have an employee that goes above and beyond to put her personal interests aside to always do what is best for her clients, that is considered ethical behavior and she should be rewarded and held up as an example for others to strive to do the same. The more you reward employees for sound ethical decisions, the more likely the masses will follow suit.

Similarly, don't reward unethical behavior, writes Thomas G. Plante, Ph.D., AABPP, in Psychology Today (July 1, 2015). When staff sees management recognizing and rewarding ethical actions, whether they increased profits in the process or customer relationships, and ignoring or playing down accomplishments gained unethically, they'll get the message that ethical behavior is important to the company.

Expect more of your management team; employees generally follow company examples set forth for them by management employees. Hold your managers to a higher ethical standard so that they are credible when they communicate expectations to their staffers to do the same. Challenge management staff to hold regular discussions with employees to work through potential ethical issues that may come up and find ways to brainstorm through them as a team. If everyone is on the same page, it is more likely that the team as a whole will adopt the same types of ethical behaviors.

Think honestly about the current operating methods in your company. If management is talking about the importance of ethics at work but doesn't treat its own employees fairly, you're just giving ethics lip service. A trusting relationship between management and employees helps to encourage ethical behavior all around. Consider how the company makes decisions to hire, train, promote and pay employees. If these important actions aren't done objectively and fairly, take steps to correct the situation.

Consider, too, if what you're asking of employees is reasonable. If their goals or quotas are set too high for the time they're given to accomplish them, they may feel they have to take drastic measures to meet them, which may cross into unethical territory. Expecting employees to work unreasonable hours to meet their goals, tipping their work-life balance so much that they have little free time to enjoy family and friends, can be viewed as unethical, too. Show them the company wants to do the right thing by them, and by your customers, and they'll begin to understand that the company is setting an ethical standard for them to follow.

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Ways to Promote Ethical Conduct. It is important for staffers to focus on accomplishing key company goals and developing good working relationships in the office, but it is equally important to ensure ethical conduct among employees. Ethical conduct ensures that your business maintains a reputation for sound ...

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This article goes into great detail on the affects of cultural differences on global business.

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Are you looking to enter the global marketplace? Do you have an understanding of cultural differences in business and how they can affect your efforts? In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, our world and the way we do business have undergone some significant changes. Now, more than ever, organizations need to harness the power of global markets, but it is also vital for them to understand the essential role that culture plays.

Cultural differences can affect consumer behavior, ultimately placing a brand's opportunities at global success in the hands of their efforts to bridge cultural barriers between local and foreign markets.

Cross-Cultural Challenges

As you learn more about cultural differences in business, you will encounter several more concepts, such as low-context and high-context cultures. In low-context cultures like the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada, communication is explicit and clear. In contrast, in a high-context culture like Russia, communication is nuanced and implicit, and there is more shared content. However, the opposite happens when negative feedback is to be given. Russia becomes direct, while low-context cultures tend to be indirect when negative feedback is called for.

Building trust is another challenge for businesses. The concept may be relationship-based or task-based. When doing business in China , for example, one of the ways to build good relationships involves spending time together at the dining table (drinking and eating). It is akin to building a solid network where gaining trust opens a path to success as cultural differences are set aside. The Chinese call this type of relationship 'guanxi.' In the United States, however, people don't often socialize with potential business partners unless necessary to avoid embarrassing situations.

Another factor that affects trust-building is the comfort of silence. In some countries, a few seconds of silence make the conversation uncomfortable. This happens in countries where the comfort of silence is low, such as France, Italy, and the United States. In Asian countries like Korea, Indonesia, and Japan, however, the comfort of silence is high, which often results in Asians not speaking often during business meetings with people from Western countries. Asians are not likely to feel uncomfortable if the conversation stops for as long as 30 seconds.

Business executives should learn that cultural sensitivity is essential when engaging in cross-cultural business. Never look at cultural differences as weaknesses. Instead, respect cultural differences to gain success.

Understanding Cultural Differences in Business

Accepting cultural differences provides you with a wide range of business expertise and gives you novel business insights to overcome business-related problems. It's your way to cope with potential barriers regarding international business and culture.

A global company needs to understand that there is a difference in the definition of culture per se and culture in relation to international business. Culture is typically defined as a group of ordinary and accepted standards shared by a specific society. When you put it in a global business context, what one society considers professional may be different for another foreign society.

You must understand that cultural differences affect global business in three primary areas - organizational hierarchy, etiquette, and communication. Understanding them and recognizing their effects on your business will prevent you from creating misunderstandings with foreign clients and colleagues.

By implementing lean processes effectively in your workplace, you can better observe your staff and see any inefficiencies in their communication styles. From there, you can create a step-by-step process that explains to your team how to effectively and productively speak to each other based on cultural differences. This will help you reach your desired output faster, whether that's bridging cultural gaps or improving production tasks.

Communication

Effective communication is vital to business success, whether you are a start-up or a big corporation. Although it is common to hear that English is the language of business, it's never wise to assume that your global business partners will all understand English.

When you venture into the international business arena, one way of bridging cultural differences is through language. Understand the language your target market speaks and know how you use it to convey your message. In India, for example, business professionals typically communicate in nuanced and indirect ways. This is opposite to the Finns, who tend to be direct and brief in their communication.

Aside from verbal communication, it is essential to learn that non-verbal communication is also critical when dealing with international businesses.

Interactions

Gestures that are commonplace in your own country, like kissing people you meet on the cheek, making eye contact, and shaking hands firmly, may be taken as offensive or unusual by your foreign clients or business partners. As many business coaches will tell you, you must remember the proper professional interactions when dealing with different cultures. Researching accepted and proper business etiquette is essential. In some cases, you need to be extra observant of body language, and at times, it is better to ask than commit a cultural faux pas .

Workplace Etiquette

When you are working for a multinational company, you are likely to encounter many differences, which prompt you to learn international business etiquette.

Pay special attention to the formality of address when dealing with foreign business partners and multicultural teams. In some cultures, it is acceptable to address a person you've recently met by their first name, while in other countries, they would instead that you address them by their surname or their title. Canadians and Americans often use first names, even when dealing with new acquaintances. But in many Asian countries, such as Singapore, China, and South Korea, you should always address a person formally by adding Mr. or Ms. before their surname. If you are in doubt, use the formal way of address.

Punctuality is relative. When you deal with business partners, clients, or colleagues from the United States, South Korea, Japan, and Russia, you are expected to be on time. In Germany, you are even expected to be at least 10 minutes early for your appointment. In Greece, they expect foreigners to arrive on time, but just like in Russia, you may expect your counterpart to arrive slightly late. Brazil is ambivalent. They could either be late by a few or several minutes unless you indicate that they should follow the English time, meaning they should arrive at the agreed time.

In Malaysia, expect to wait up to an hour if your counterpart stated that they would be about five minutes late. They are not required to explain either. In China, it is acceptable to be at least 10 minutes late, while in Mexico, it is pretty normal for people to be late by 30 minutes for a business meeting. When doing business in Nigeria or Ghana, the appointed hour for the meeting may be one hour late or within the day. In Morocco, personal meetings could be delayed by an hour and, in some cases, a day. When scheduling meetings in India, understand that being punctual is not one of their ways.

Organizational Hierarchy

Cultural norms dictate how attitudes towards management and organizational hierarchy are perceived. In some cultures, junior staff and middle management may or may not be allowed to speak up during meetings. In some countries, it is challenging to question decisions by senior officers or express opinions that are different from the rest.

Attitudes are dependent on social equality or the societal values of a country. In some countries such as Japan and South Korea, where respect for elders and people in positions of authority is deeply ingrained in the members of society, the concept is applied to the workplace as well. It helps define responsibilities and roles in the company, and those holding positions in senior management expect deference from junior staff and a higher level of formality and respect.

However, the situation is different in Scandinavian countries. In Norway, for example, societal equality is emphasized, so the organizational hierarchy tends to be flat. The workplace environment calls for cooperation across all departments, and informal communication is prevalent.

Differences in Negotiation Styles

Negotiation is a principal component of international business. Culture influences the way people behave, communicate, and think. These characteristics are reflected in the way they negotiate. Companies must understand cultural differences during business transactions and find ways to hurdle the barriers these differences present.

Spanish speakers view negotiation as the means to have a contract, while in some Asian countries, negotiations help build firmer business relationships. The Japanese regard negotiation as a win-win process while the Spanish look at it as a win-lose process.

The way one communicates during negotiations should be carefully considered. Israelis and Americas are very direct, so you immediately know if the transaction is approved or not. The Japanese, however, tend to be indirect. You have to read and carefully interpret vague signs to see if they rejected or accepted your proposal.

Even the way different cultures handle contracts varies. Americans like to have every detail included in the contract because they want to anticipate possible eventualities and circumstances. The deal equates to an agreement. Therefore everything that was discussed and accepted during the negotiation should be specified in the contract. The Chinese, on the other hand, prefer a contract to have the general principles only because, for them, sealing a deal means forming a relationship with the business partner.

Remain Competitive and Successful in the Global Marketplace

Cultural differences are sensitive issues, and those who take the time to address these differences will have a better chance of remaining competitive and thriving in the international business environment.

Businesses preparing to enter the global market have to diligently learn how cultural differences can affect their business conduct in different markets. Their performance depends on understanding cultural diversity and that different markets have their own set of priorities, preferences, and expectations. . can help you navigate the complexities of cultural differences through Day Translations, Inc localization.

Our translators live in-country; thus, they have insider knowledge of specific cultures. They are also native speakers, assuring you that every nuance of the language is appropriately incorporated in the localization process. We share our comprehensive experience and long-term expertise in translation and localization to ensure that your business can genuinely respond to the needs of your target markets. For your translation and localization requirements, you can or call us at 1-800-969-6853 anytime night or day. We are open 24 hours a day, every day of the year, to quickly respond to your linguistic needs.

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Why Cultural Differences in Business Matter Business

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Organizations entering the global market should understand that cultural differences in business matter. Here's how to adapt.

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This is the link to a article and video which I found very helpful and interesting that helped me better understand Status Quo Bias.

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What Is Status Quo Bias?

Status Quo Bias is defined as a person's innate preference for not doing something different from what they're doing today.

Over the years, a number of psychological studies have shown that when faced with a decision, the majority of people tend to stick with their status quo. And most of the time, you aren't even aware of how this bias affects your decisions.

Why does it happen? The simple answer is that people naturally view change as costly, unsafe, and risky. If the perceived benefits of a new or alternative solution don't outweigh the perceived costs of changing their status quo, people tend to take no action to change. They prefer instead to continue on the path they're already on-even if the alternative is objectively better.

Decision Science research has shown that Status Quo Bias is closely related to another cognitive bias known as Loss Aversion-a concept that was popularized by Nobel Prize-winning researchers Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky.

Loss Aversion research found that the potential for loss stands out more in peoples' minds than the potential for gain. And people are twice as motivated to make a decision to avoid a loss than to achieve a gain.

At its core, Status Quo Bias is about safety. Whether you realize it or not, you are inherently biased to take the path of least resistance in your decision-making. It's much easier-and much safer-to stay with your current way of doing things than to take a risk on something new. And the same is true for your customers.

How Does Status Quo Bias Apply to Sales and Marketing?

In a sales and marketing context, Status Quo Bias is a powerful force that can either be your best friend or your worst enemy. If you understand how your buyers are framing their decision to change, versus staying with their status quo, you're more likely to persuade them to change, choose you, and stay with you when your competitors come knocking at their door.

But how you manage your buyer's Status Quo Bias changes with the situation at hand.

In customer acquisition scenario, you need to disrupt and defeat your buyer's status quo to convince prospects to change and choose you. But in a renewal or expansion scenario, research shows that a disruptive approach will backfire. You actually need to defend your position as your customers' status quo and reinforce the relationship.

With this in mind, it's important to understand the deeper causes of Status Quo Bias. Then, you'll know how it affects your buyer's purchasing decisions across the entire Customer Deciding Journey.

The Four Causes of Status Quo Bias

In his study " The Psychology of Doing Nothing," research psychologist Christopher Anderson details four causes of Status Quo Bias.

1. Preference Stability

When people form an opinion or preference about a situation, they don't like to change their mind. In fact, people filter out and discount information that runs counter to their opinion. If a customer's preferences change less often, or remain static, they're more likely to choose the status quo and stick with what they're doing today. Conversely, if you destabilize their preferences, you increase their openness to change.

2. Anticipated Regret/Blame

The possibility of regret brings up all sorts of negative emotions such as fear, dread, and anxiety. While the consequences of actual regret will play out in the future, the emotional experience of regret takes place in the present. Choosing the status quo may decrease the feelings of anticipated regret because there's less risk involved, and therefore less of a chance that the decision maker is blamed for the negative repercussions of that decision.

3. Cost of Action/Change

Changing the status quo often involves a cost of some kind-the transactional costs associated with the change, or the transitional resourcing costs of changing to something new. Change seems risky or costly, while sticking with the status quo registers as either neutral or even beneficial-even in the face of contrary evidence. Even when no explicit costs are associated with switching, uncertainty can stall the decision from moving forward.

4. Selection Difficulty

When prospects and customers are overwhelmed by too many options, they suffer from "choice overload." This amplifies their tendency to view change as complex and costly. Decisions may also seem more difficult if there isn't enough value associated with one choice versus another.

When you're the outsider challenging your prospect's status quo, your sales and marketing messages must show enough value to disrupt these four causes. But when you're the insider, defending your incumbent position to existing customers, you need to defend them.

How to Overcome Status Quo Bias

Differentiation is one of the most daunting challenges salespeople and marketers face. Unfortunately, many organizations rely on "best practices" that actually have the opposite effect-you end up sounding exactly like everyone else.

When you sound like everyone else, you play into your buyer's Selection Difficulty, which only reinforces their Status Quo Bias. Ironically, this lack of differentiation is quite common. In fact, 60 percent of deals in the pipeline are lost to "no decision" rather than to competitors.

If you truly want to differentiate your value, you need to tell a powerful, disruptive story that inverts your prospect's perceptions about staying the course versus changing. You need to show them how their current situation is actually unsafe and unsustainable, and that by not changing, they're putting themselves at greater risk of not achieving their objectives.

This Why Change story starts by introducing Unconsidered Needs-challenges, shortcomings, or missed opportunities your prospect doesn't yet know about, but are holding them back from their most important business goals. Then, in the Why You conversation, you can connect the Unconsidered Needs you've identified to your differentiated strengths, which are uniquely suited to resolve those risks.

How to Reinforce Status Quo Bias

Your demand generation and customer acquisition messages should drive big changes and mentality shifts in your prospects. But "big changes" aren't always the objective when you're trying to persuade your existing customers to expand or renew with you.

In fact, using the same provocative approach that works so well in a customer acquisition scenario actually backfires in a customer renewal one. A B2B sales study conducted with an academic research partner found that:

A messaging approach that reinforces an existing customer's natural Status Quo Bias increased intention to renew by 13 percent relative to the provocative messages in the test.

The provocative messages increased the likelihood of a customer switching by 10 percent relative to the status quo reinforcement message.

Certain customer conversations require more finesse than others. For example, your expansion conversations need to walk a thin line between persuading your customer to buy more while convincing them to stay with your solution in the process.

Our research also found that during upsell conversations, reinforcing the emotional aspects of the customer partnership was most effective in making change seem safe to your customers, as long as they're changing with you, not away from you.

Buyers are naturally more inclined to remain with their status quo than change to a new solution. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't make every effort to defend your incumbent advantage. Your customers are constantly being pitched by outside vendors who are eager to win their business. Don't give them the opportunity.

Winning on Both Sides of the Status Quo

Nearly 60 percent of marketing and sales leaders believe the provocative messaging and content suited to new customer acquisition is still applicable in a renewal context. And they choose to use the same messaging approach, regardless of customer relationship.

These organizations are doing themselves a disservice. But you don't have to.

Think beyond the industry's so-called "best practices" and consider the deeper undercurrent of behavioral motivators that are driving your sales and marketing conversations. When you understand key concepts like Status Quo Bias, you can begin to create tailored messages and develop the situational skills needed to match your buyer's decision-making process on both the acquisition and expansion sides of the customer lifecycle.

Get our e-book, Winning the Four Value Conversations, to learn the research-backed messaging techniques and situational sales skills you need to master every stage of the Customer Deciding Journey.

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What Is Status Quo Bias in Sales and Marketing?

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Status Quo Bias is defined as a person's innate preference for not doing something different from what they're doing today. Over the years, a number of psychological studies have shown that when faced with a decision, the majority of people tend to stick with their status quo.

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I really like this cartoon for SMART goals, it lets you know what each letter means.

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This cartoon really shows how organizations have to form around a customer, in a customer based structure.

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This is a video about employee empowerment, which is also very important in an organization. I found this as a very interesting topic in Module 5.

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I found this article interesting about onboarding, especially as it differentiates, onboarding and orientations, and goes into detail that onboarding can last a lot longer.

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New employee onboarding is the process of integrating a new employee with a company and its culture, as well as getting a new hire the tools and information needed to become a productive member of the team.

Onboarding new hires at an organization should be a strategic process that lasts at least one year, staffing and HR experts say, because how employers handle the first few days and months of a new employee's experience is crucial to ensuring high retention.

Getting Started with the Onboarding Process

Finding the best candidates for positions in your organization is only part of building an effective team. The process of onboarding new employees can be one of the most critical factors in ensuring recently hired talent will be productive, contented workers.

However, in some organizations, onboarding is often confused with orientation. While orientation might be necessary-paperwork and other routine tasks must be completed-onboarding is a comprehensive process involving management and other employees that can last up to 12 months.

Before implementing a formal onboarding program, employers should answer some key questions to attain team and upper management buy-in, including:

When will onboarding start?

How long will it last?

What impression do you want new hires to walk away with at the end of the first day?

What do new employees need to know about the culture and work environment?

What role will HR play in the process? What about direct managers? Co-workers?

What kind of goals do you want to set for new employees?

How will you gather feedback on the program and measure its success?

Once these questions have been answered, HR professionals and upper management can devise a plan of action to help new employees quickly assimilate company policies and workflow while getting fully acquainted with the organization's culture.

New Employee Orientation & Onboarding
The SHRMStore provides books with best practices for employee orientation training and onboarding when you hire new employees.
· View all orientation and onboarding items

Creating an Onboarding Program

"If we don't worry about onboarding before the employee starts, then we're way behind," said Ben Peterson, CEO of BambooHR, an HR technology company. "Rather than having a stack of papers waiting for their signature, send them out to the employee beforehand, for electronic signature. Give them their benefits selection. Find the technology to help you automate the paper-pushing process."

As soon as new employees receive a job offer, they can also receive access to the company's online onboarding portal, said Amber Hyatt, director of product marketing at SilkRoad, a talent management solutions firm.

"Here they discover content that's designed to engage them, like a friendly note from their manager, first-day information, welcome messages and photos from new teammates, a glossary of company acronyms, a virtual copy of your employee handbook as well as other details about the new hire's department and job responsibilities," she said.

New-hire portals also benefit HR through dashboards that can organize and track tasks that need to be completed and managed electronically, such as W-4 or I-9, benefits and payroll forms, Hyatt said.

In addition to having new employees fill out new-hire paperwork online, consider providing the answers to questions they may have, such as where to go on day one, who to ask for upon arrival and what to wear, she said.

Set up new hires' desk, phone, computer and password logins before they arrive, said Peterson.

"The worst thing for a new employee is being wooed through the recruiting process and then arriving on the job and the receptionist isn't even expecting you or your office isn't set up," he said.

Further Reading:

SHRM Foundation: Onboarding New Employees: Maximizing Success
Onboarding helps new hires adjust to the social and performance aspects of their jobs so they can quickly become productive, contributing members of the organization. This report, Onboarding New Employees: Maximizing Success, will provide the tools you need to create an effective onboarding process in your company.
Tips for Creating an Effective Onboarding Site

When employers consider building an online onboarding portal, they should first think about the core messages the website will impart to new hires and integrate those ideas into the design components.

5 Steps to Create an Onboarding Program for Managers
Setting up new managers for success positively impacts engagement, turnover and the bottom line.

The First Day

The two main goals on the first day should be setting expectations and introducing objectives. Employees need to have crystal clear ideas about what their job duties and responsibilities are on Day 1, Peterson said.

"New employees need to get to know the job and get to know their new co-workers. Social interaction is critical. You want them back on Day 2, right?" he asked.

New employees at BambooHR are taken out to lunch on the first day. "We cared enough to hire them, we want them to know we care enough to build rapport," Peterson said.

Aligning expectations is critical.

"Organizations that don't focus on acclimating new employees to their corporate culture are at a significant disadvantage," said Hyatt. "Employees who know what to expect from their company's culture and work environment make better decisions that are more aligned with the accepted practices of the company."

To keep existing team members from resenting a new employee, make sure roles and responsibilities are outlined for the entire team, Peterson advised.

"Sometimes existing team members could feel threatened that someone new could take over their responsibilities. So it's a good idea to clarify the position of the new hire as well as [the positions of] other team members whose work is closely related, how they'll interact with each other, and how projects will run," he said.

​Further Reading:

Onboarding Mistakes to Avoid And Some Creative Ideas to Adopt
To gather some practical ideas about effective employee onboarding, we asked the HR community to share stories on social media about onboarding wins and losses. Some are real game changers.

Recruiters Can Create 'Unboxing' Experience for New Hires
A commitment to brand keeps onboarding programs on message. Would your new hires be as excited about their first day on the job as they would be to open a new smartphone?

Executive Onboarding Lessons from Presidential Transitions
Imagine what would happen if your company's entire executive leadership and management teams up and left at the same time, handing over their badges and turning off the lights without leaving so much as a list of tips behind for the folks who would replace them. Thousands of vacancies would open up in an instant-and your HR team would have less than three months to recruit for those positions.

The First Few Months

It's important for HR to have a one-month check-in to make sure that that the new employee is comfortable, happy and engaged, said Peterson. "Reviewing and giving thoughtful feedback on your new hire's early contributions are also important during onboarding," he said.

According to a BambooHR survey, three-fourths of new hires said training during the first week on the job is most important to them. Meanwhile, 41 percent of HR professionals felt they needed to update training in onboarding.

"If you aren't communicating what new hires are supposed to be doing and arming them with the tools to do it properly, you're setting them up to fail," Peterson said.

You also don't want to inundate your new hires with too much information.

"While it's important to get your new hire ramped up and productive quickly, you also need to make sure you provide on-the-job training in a manageable flow," he said.

Hopefully, new hires have picked a mentor by the end of the first month, Peterson added. Fifty-six percent of respondents in the BambooHR study said that having a buddy or mentor at work was very important when getting started.

The Aberdeen Group report found that high-performing organizations are nearly two-and-a-half times more likely than lower-performing employers to assign a mentor or coach during the onboarding process.

"Mentoring programs can be as simple as assigning a new employee a go-to person or having an elaborate team of mentors for any questions that might arise," Hyatt said.

The First Three to Six Months

Peterson advised HR to conduct another check-in between three and six months, depending on the employee and the role.

"Unfortunately, only 15 percent of companies continue onboarding after six months," he said. Remember, nearly 90 percent of employees decide whether to stay or go within that first six months. "You have a huge impact on that choice. Sometimes you just have to show that you sincerely care," he said.

SHRM Member Resources:

​ SHRM research report: Onboarding Practices
SHRM toolkit: Managing the Employee Onboarding and Assimilation Process
SHRM human resource vendor directory: Onboarding

The First Year

"An employee's performance at the end of the first year will prove if they're fully productive," said Peterson. "Now you can plan for future development. Show them what their career looks like at the company. Sadly, sometimes they don't belong there," he said.

The end of the first year is when traditional onboarding transitions into retention and employee satisfaction.

"Shift from on-the-job training to continuous development. It's also a great time to have the compensation conversation," Peterson said.

"Your new hires will thank you for setting them up on the path to success and your company will be well on its way to turning those new hires into seasoned employees."
Roy Maurer is an online editor/manager for SHRM.
Follow him @SHRMRoy

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New employee onboarding is the process of integrating a new employee with a company and its culture, as well as getting a new hire the tools and information needed to become a productive member of the team.

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This video goes over how HR departments have evolved over time. I find it interesting to see how different our workforces are today compared to years ago.

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The role of HR has evolved. Meet the 21st century HR Leader

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This article is short and to the point, it give simple examples of ways Managers are able to motivate their employees. I find this easy to help me understand and remember.

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The Manager's Actions Are Most Effective in Encouraging Motivation

The reality, when you talk about how to motivate employees, is that they're already motivated. As a manager, you're charged with figuring out how to tap into that motivation to accomplish work goals. Fortunately, you control the key environmental factors that are necessary to achieve this.

Environmental Factors Under the Manager's Control

The most significant factor under your control is your relationship with each employee. This is the most significant factor managers control. The second-most important factor is a work environment and organizational culture that fosters employee motivation and engagement.

Ideally, the work culture consists of an environment in which employees are trusted, treated like the adults they are, and not micromanaged. Employees are entrusted with the values, vision, mission, and strategic framework within which they're expected to do their jobs.

They receive frequent communication, are regarded with respect and treated with civility, and have input to every facet of the work they're hired to produce. They're also encouraged to speak up about what they believe when participating in solving a problem for a customer. And the organization trusts them with its most significant and critical financial information so they're not blindsided by business problems.

These are factors that help produce a work environment in which employees choose to be motivated to accomplish the requirements of their work. Nothing is more powerful than a group of contributing, motivated employees.

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How Great Managers Motivate Their Employees

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The reality, when you talk about how to motivate employees, is that they're already motivated. As a manager, you're charged with figuring out how to tap into that motivation to accomplish work goals. Fortunately, you control the key environmental factors that are necessary to achieve this.

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This a video that I used when we were learning about leaders and their traits. This has a nice beat as well as it explains very well the type of leaders briefly.

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Find out how good your leadership skills are by taking the quiz at www.mindtools.com/leadership-skills-quiz What do you think makes a good leader? And are leadership skills innate or can they be learned? It's true to say that successful leaders tend to have certain traits. But you can develop these traits too.

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This article goes into deep detail about the PDCA cycle, I find this as being an interesting tool in the management of an organization.

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Quality Glossary Definition: Plan-do-check-act (PDCA) cycle
Variations: plan-do-study-act (PDSA) cycle, Deming cycle, Shewhart cycle. Understand the evolution of these variations.

The Plan-do-check-act cycle (Figure 1) is a four-step model for carrying out change. Just as a circle has no end, the PDCA cycle should be repeated again and again for continuous improvement. The PDCA cycle is considered a project planning tool.
Figure 1: Plan-do-check-act cycle
Use the PDCA cycle when:

Starting a new improvement project

Developing a new or improved design of a process, product, or service

Defining a repetitive work process

Planning data collection and analysis in order to verify and prioritize problems or root causes

Implementing any change

Working toward continuous improvement

The Plan-do-check-act Procedure

1. Plan: Recognize an opportunity and plan a change.

2. Do: Test the change. Carry out a small-scale study.

3. Check: Review the test, analyze the results, and identify what you've learned.

4. Act: Take action based on what you learned in the study step. If the change did not work, go through the cycle again with a different plan. If you were successful, incorporate what you learned from the test into wider changes. Use what you learned to plan new improvements, beginning the cycle again.

The Pearl River, NY School District, a 2001 recipient of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, used the PDCA cycle as a model for defining most of their work processes, from the boardroom to the classroom.

The PDCA model was the basic structure for the district's:

Overall strategic planning

Needs analysis

Curriculum design and delivery

Staff goal-setting and evaluation

Provision of student services and support services

Classroom instruction

Figure 2 shows their "A+ Approach to Classroom Success." This is a continuous cycle of designing curriculum and delivering classroom instruction. Improvement is not a separate activity-it is built into the work process.

Figure 2: Plan-do-check-act example

Plan

The A+ Approach begins with a "plan" step, which the school district calls "analyze." In this step, students' needs are analyzed by examining a range of data available in Pearl River's electronic data "warehouse." The data reviewed includes everything from grades to performance on standardized tests. Data can be analyzed for individual students or stratified by grade, gender, or any other subgroup. Because PDCA does not specify how to analyze data, a separate data analysis process (Figure 3) is used here as well as in other processes throughout the organization.

Figure 3: Pearl River Analysis Process

Do

The A+ Approach continues with two "do" steps:

1. The "align" step asks what the national and state standards require and how they will be assessed. Teaching staff also plans curricula by looking at what is taught at earlier and later grade levels and in other disciplines to ensure a clear continuity of instruction throughout the student's schooling. Teachers develop individual goals to improve their instruction where the "analyze" step showed any gaps.

2. The "act" step is where instruction is provided, following the curriculum and teaching goals. Within set parameters, teachers vary the delivery of instruction based on each student's learning rates and styles.

Check

Formal and informal assessments take place continually, from daily teacher assessments to six-week progress reports to annual standardized tests. Teachers also can access comparative data on the electronic database to identify trends. High-need students are monitored by a special child study team.

Throughout the school year, if assessments show students are not learning as expected, mid-course corrections are made (such as re-instruction, changing teaching methods, and more direct teacher mentoring). Assessment data become input for the next step in the cycle.

Act

In this example, the "act" step is "standardization." When goals are met, the curriculum design and teaching methods are considered standardized. Teachers share best practices in formal and informal settings. Results from this cycle become input for the "analyze" phase of the next A+ Approach cycle.

You can also search articles, case studies, and publications for PDCA resources.

Articles

Case Studies

Message Received ( Six Sigma Forum Magazine) The science of experimental design allows you to project the impact of many factors by testing a few of them. If the project follows the DMAIC process, you can make some adjustments to the PDCA outline, which is the approach taken by Deemsys Inc., a training organization that wanted to better understand the response rate of its email marketing efforts.

Courses
Applied Lean ASQ's Quality 101 Lean Foundations
Webcasts

"An Introduction to the PDCA Cycle," a three-part webcast series by Jack ReVelle:

Part 1: This introduction walks through the PDCA cycle's origins in the scientific method, as well as its connection to the Deming-Shewhart cycles.

Part 2: This webcast compares and connects PDCA to other methodologies, including DMAIC, lean, and ISO 9001.

Part 3: The final webcast provides an example application of PDCA and explores the benefits of using PDCA.

Adapted from The Quality Toolbox, Second Edition, ASQ Quality Press.

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PDCA Cycle - What is the Plan-Do-Check-Act Cycle? | ASQ

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Quality Glossary Definition: Plan-do-check-act (PDCA) cycle Variations: plan-do-study-act (PDSA) cycle, Deming cycle, Shewhart cycle. Understand the evolution of these variations. The Plan-do-check-act cycle (Figure 1) is a four-step model for carrying out change. Just as a circle has no end, the PDCA cycle should be repeated again and again for continuous improvement.

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I found this video really interesting as it puts the cost benefits analysis in use.