Rob Poell, Tilburg University

They compared research data from both Dutch and US perspectives from what the data are saying from two different angles.

He spoke about actors within an organization, and the theories of learning processes,policies, and programs that lead to content structures, organizational structures, and learning climate.

The four ideal types inlcude:

1. liberal-contractual
2. vertical-regulated
3. horizontal-organic
4. external-collegiate

This is also called the Actor Network Perspective

Critical-Pragmatist Perspective — four ways in which act action-learning projects can take place

Tacit School

Scientific School (people reflect in order to solve problems)

Experiential School (reflection on individual action)

Critical Reflection school (reflection on norms and values, such as double-loop learning)

They was a re-analysis study of previously-recorded research — four Dutch cases and four American cases that were compared.

I was a little confused as to why this comparison was done as a research project. I am not clear as to the “so what?” factor with this research. The discussion of the Findings were interesting, but I was not clear as to what to do with them.

Ahh, the Relevance slide — one really good point is about theory triangulation, where “using more lenses generates better insights in data.” This is a really good point.

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Darlene-Russ-Eft & Robin Yap

Darlene gave the background of their presentation, that was supported by ibstpi

Robin explained ibstpi. It has 15 directors and, while based in the US, it is international. It is a non-profit organization. they have developed four books of competencies:

1. Online training and teaching
2. Instructional design
3. Training  manager
4. Instructor

There are a number of organizations that have guidelines and they are often around evaluation programs that are around the large governmental agencies. ibstpi tried to look specifically at organizations and how these relate on that level.

Their call for these competencies are since executives are increasingly asked to evaluate their success, and teachers are asked, as well as funding agencies.

There is a little empirical base that is international in scope — thus, ibstpi’s work. The literature base does not necessarily reflect the work of those working in the field.

They then asked 11 international experts in evaluation, and 10 of them responded. They had 470 evaluator responses, and while most of them were from the US and Canada, this was the first time (as Darlene claimed) that a global evaluation survey and research was done.

QUESTION from me — what do you mean by an “Evaluator?”

The lowest rated results include a demonstration of the awareness of the politics of evaluation and the pilot test data. The most significant differences include collect data & analyze and interpret data. Thus, the people who are in evaluator roles are people who manage the evaluation function, and other people are doing the data analysis and evaluation itself.

A number of useful areas for future research (see the photo I took on Flickr).

What does this all mean? This could be used by evaluators for professional development. Also, can be used to enhance the quality of the ir own academic offerings.

Questions by the audience — do the specific competencies have different meaning in different domains? They were not interested in the government areas of policies evaluation.

Question from me — your use of the term “evaluator” seems to imply people who have that as their title, and does this perhaps affect the respondents?

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Jules Beck & Bobbie Biggs

This is the culmination of a 2-year qualitative study. They used Blackboard

Many states in the US are rural, and there is not an infrastructure that supports this work.

This is a hermeneutic / phenomenological study

Looking for 2 points to follow-up. They have information from cohorts that began 10 years ago.

Purposive sample. They used Van Manen’s bracketing method, with response followed by probing questions.

Preliminary Themes:

1. accessible
2. achievement
3. enlightenment
4. useful at work
5. useful personally
6. personal interaction
7. structured
8. educational
9. group support
10. technology
11. stressful

I found it interesting that this presentation had people with me being the only person with a laptop that is being used.

They then presented their other findings, in order.

They then had some quotes about the students, and their experiences and what they learned.

This research looks really interesting, and I am wondering how the initial findings can be useful for research as well as for practice? I will ask this question, knowing that this research project is still ongoing. Little research has been done that is blended, rather than just online. For practice, the immediacy and for those who do not have the immediacy, since the technology and support within a home community rather than just online. Also, this helps to bring smaller communities together across the state. This helps to develop the talent that is already out there.

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Joost Robben and Ida Wognum

Joost presented his working paper, with the initial results of his master’s thesis. The research came from a problem of practice, where the average age of the staff was over 50. They wanted to design a work and learning program.

He discussed the theories of Mark Krinsky (sp?) and the names of those who are now heavily users of digital media and web technology. They seems to have virtual social networks or multi-server virtual environments. Those who grew up and are growing up with these technologies and are labeled as N-gen. They designed research and asked what the actual use of digital media. Also, what is the effect of this N-gen for HRD. What are the differences between gender, educational level, and socio-economic status.

The outside door was open to let some air into the room, and the curtains were blowing and blocking my view of the presenter, Joost. He moved a chair there so he can see me, as he stated, and then I commented that it was fine, as I am doing exactly what they were talking about; I am liveblogging.

From the research population they found:

98% of respondants use MSN, which seems like an unusually high number. I wonder why so much with that IM client. Perhaps it supports the local language?

79% play (video) games — are these online or console games?

Weblogging — odd they found that 47% reads blogs, and 15% write blogs. I wonder what this number may mean, as it seems low.

They found a wide adoption of digital media and web technology, but no gender differences / none with educational tracks. Any results on socio-economic status?

Questions from the audience. One asked about the teachers, but that was not reviewed in the literature.

It seems clear that this paper presentation raised more questions than could have been answered in this short period of time that was given to this paper.

This was a very interesting paper presentation.

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Paul Tosey and Jane Mathison

Their topic is about the research behind NLP. He quoted Herodotus, and he spoke of the tension between something fabulous as being like a fable and beyond belief, as opposed to something remarkable.

They both work in the center of management learning and do some work on their website, NLPresearch.org. They are both trainers and consultants and educators.

Their overall interests are in tranformative learning. There are 3 main points for their work:

1. Developing research community
2. Using NLP to further understanding of TL
3. Developing a critical appraisal of NLP (especially for the book they are writing

They wanted to see practitioners who were very effective, especially with how people were behaving and enacting what they were doing. They discussed how those they studied followed the same theories that others were using, but some people were more effective then others.

They see NLP as being primarily phenomenological, and is not a stranger to HRD (and even seems to be widespread). There are many people who use NLP in their coaching sessions. It is very widespread in the practitioner community, but there is very little research done in NLP.

Gregory Batesan was an important reference for their research, but little formal work.

NLP can support everybody’s quest for achieving excellence and happiness.

There is a great need for reflectivity in the field,

Is there an underlying list of principles that are used by all people and can be gathered as foundational.

I am getting a bit drowsy. I wish he would have provided his definition for how he see NLP. Also, I wish the room were not so hot.

The voice of the user is missing from almost all the literature in the field right now.

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Nicholas Clarke – University of Southhampton

His paper won the prize for the best paper in HRDI.

He began engaging the audience with his slides that had some nice pictures and images (getting a few laughs in the process).

He discussed how the concept of emotional intelligence (EI) is not completely clearly agreed upon by all authors. He started a divergence of EI as competencies and traits (mixed models) and cognitive abilities. There was a useful slide that discussed the differences between the two models that are developing within the literature.

Wow, there is somebody else here in this presentation that is using a laptop. That makes 3 people, including me, who I have seen using in a presentation here.

EI — associated with leadership and building social capital, networks, and teamwork.There is some resaerch that is beginning to come up in the literature.

There is beginning to be a shift in the management literature to show that perhaps there is something that EI may be important.

But, the interesting question is CAN emotional intelligence be taught and if so, does it make a difference. What is the evidence that this can be done and is teachable?

He then discussed some of his previous study, and at this point I am getting confused as to what he is trying to do with this research. He then wrote about the research project he really used, where he wanted to investigate team diaries from MBA students. Those individuals that gave evidence of EI, it was when teams met more than once a week and had team conflict followed by conflict resolution.

Interesting that all the power outlets I have seen here in the hotel have their own on/off switches. I wonder if this is a British requirement or only happens here.

There were some interesting and most polite questions. I have noticed that many of the questions that are asked in an academic conference are polite and collegial. I wonder if this is to further develop knowledge or because this group of people often know one another.

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I wanted to attend this paper session, A Conceptual Expansion of Critical HRD: Towards a Progressive Agenda for Workplace Learning and Democracy by Allan Ramdhony, but the session was canceled since he did not attend the conference. I am interested in critical HRD, as I recently presented a paper on it at AERC.

The irony? Critical HRD and critical management studies began here in the UK and is slowly crossing the pond to the US; and this was the only critical HRD paper here at AHRD in Oxford. I wonder what this may be a sign of? Perhaps I should consider this as my topic for next year’s conference in Lille? 

Why did this session begin early? We had a break.

What session is this? It is not on the printed schedule.

Critical Reflective Practice

there is a wonderful set of knowledge

Organizational -based management development

This session was added on to the other presentation, and we were told there would be a coffee break, many of us left for it and, upon our return, there was this presentation that already began. I thus did not catch their names, not their presentation.

Will critical reflective practice give me an immediate result or ROI?

How threatening is critical reflective practice as an empowering experience if I come and use this while in front of my colleagues and done with a subject matter (me) where I may already be satisfied with how I am doing what I am doing?

How does a training program deal with critical relective practice, that does not clearly have objectives as it focuses on change.

Does this work, and what is the evidence that may support this?

What is the group and community and organizational experience? If there is no evidence, then does it really belong in the workplace?

What is the impact of this as a transformative element for change and how it may relate with critical hrd, especially as it is evidence-based.

They want to build a larger community of those who are working in the critical reflective practice, and they want to bring those researchers and practitioners together.

What is the notion of self-disclosure and how this emotional baggage can be addressed, which may be done within an academic context as opposed to within a work environment.

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Paul Turner (keynote presentation)

Introduction by somebody who did not introduce herself. SHe explained how some sessions were canceled or when some people did not come, so there is a revised list of sessions. Ask at the welcome table if there are any questions. This should end by 10:15. There will be more coffee that is added. Lunch will be in the Medio restaurant, past the bar in the afternoon (but don’t stop at the bar!).

The dinner tonight leaves at 7:15. It is pricey – 45 pounds (around US $100).

Paul was introduced by Jim Stewart, the Chair of UFHRD. Jim stated that Paul personifies the meaning of the term scholarly practitioner. He has Trotsky’s 3-volume history of the Russian Revolution. Paul has written 3 books that are used within the UK in teaching HR. Paul just returned from a conference in Thailand. Paul was the HR director of Lloyds and Convergis.

Paul seems to be a practitioner who conducts research and teaches in Nottingham Business School.

People really seem to be dressed up here. Lots of ties and jackets. How European proper. Needless to say, I am not that dressed up.

Paul spoke about the conference with the opening session. The person had those in attendance look at the person next to them, hug them, and tell them you love them. As a British fellow, it was a bit much for him, especially as he was going to speak about Change Management next.

Paul then spoke about Thomas Friedman’s The World Is Flat, with significant economic implications. Friedman spoke about glocalization as well, where some counrties are able to adapt global forces and cultures into their nations. He spoke quickly with a lot of interesting issues raised in Friedman’s book, but his slides did not really support what he was saying. It would have helped if there would have been the definitions that he was using. The text on his slides was too small, which was distracting especially for a global presenter.

Really interesting material, but I could not follow the point of his presentation.

He distinguished between globalized nations (which are fully integrated) vs. international or regional corporations. Global strategy is utopia, and glocalization is on the way to that utopia.

He then stopped to consider that this is a very messy situation, and instead to look at some cases rather than discuss his learned paper.

He tried to show a portion of a Convergys DVD, but the sound was not working. It seems the equipment was not tested prior to his presenting.

I REALLY wish he would have written the definitions of his terms on a slide, as I cannot remember how he used the two terms–globalization and glocalization. His presenting strategy did not meet the needs of all the learners (by which I mean my own style).

Global–can manage economies of scale.

When he was in the US company, Convergys, he brought his non-union team from Cincinnati (all staunch Republicans) to meet with some of the trade unionists from Germany (including one who was tattooed head to toe). I did not understand the point for this story.

His PowerPoint slides has a lot of text and bullets. One slide had seven bullets with on average 9 words per slides. I took a photo of it for an example.

Interesting how this liveblogging is an outlet, in narrative and visual form, for my experience in this conference.

He then told a story about another American company, about which the person sitting next to me commented how he had worked with that firm and knew the story first-hand. He named the firm as Avaya.

His second case study was about another company which he named as AB and Amro, which is a target of acqusition sby Royal Bank of Scotland / Barcley’s. I wonder why he named these companies as his case studies, and what the purpose of his case study research was all about.

He is speaking in tangents and pointing to parts of his slides that people in the back (me included) cannot see. I am not following his point at all, especially since I cannot remember his definitions. 

I found that he has been speaking and giving a lot of examples, but I have not been paying attention for the last ten minutes or so, since the slides were overwhelming and I was not able to follow his point (what was it again?).

Jim’s summary slide (which I took a photo of and will upload to Flickr) helped me to finally make sense of what he was discussing. I wish this slide and a definitions slide were included up-front.

He mentioned that his views have changed considerably since he was asked to do this presentation based on his research. This is the most refreshing thing he said, that this area is open to research (glocalisation), as this is a messy area of study that is not as simple as he initially thought. I really like the fact that he spoke about how what he initially perceived as being simple and able to be put in a box is certainly more complicated and messy.

There were then some questions. In the process, he stated that the challenge is how to get economies of scope with the need to understand local cultures and how they are implemented. Once  again, this is very helpful and would have been useful to have stated closure to the front of his presentation.

I wonder if he did state this but since there were not visuals to support this, then I just missed it?

It seems that HRD programs in Europe (or at least the UK) have HRD in business schools.

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