Skin Infections in Kids: How to Make Impetigo go

Whether at home or at school, most children are exposed to less accidents while they work at play. They tend to have less bruising and scratches on their skin. These small cuts and abrasions, but can be serious skin infections, which in time and no real treatment administered.

A good example of a bacterial infection called impetigo. Impetigo is characterized by the presence of crusty lesions on the skin. This skin infection caused by the bacteria: Streptococcus and Staphylococcus aureus. These bacteria are most commonly found on human skin and cause infections when they get in through an open wound. Children infected with impetigo develop blisters, which tend to crack and ooze with liquid. These blisters eventually harden into a honey-colored crust.

Impetigo can affect the skin anywhere on the body but often attacks the area around the nose and mouth. It is more likely to appear on skin that is already irritated or raw sugar from eczema, poison ivy, bug bites or a skin allergy to soap or makeup.

Impetigo is contagious. The infection occurs in the fluid oozes from the blisters. When the patient is related to the infected skin, and then affects a different part of the body, bacterial infection can be transmitted to the ground. It may also spread from one person to another. Therefore schoolchildren easily spread of the infection from one kid to another. Impetigo is also in some adults who do not comply with hygiene.

Symptoms of impetigo caused by Streptococcus include the presence of small blisters that contain fluid. The skin over them is moist and red. A light brown or yellow-brown crust covers wetlands, making it look like they have been coated with honey or brown sugar. A staphylococcus infection can cause great blisters filled with clear liquid from the beginning but later becomes cloudy. These blisters usually remain whole without bursting longer than the blisters from streptococcus impetigo do. It may be difficult to tell if the skin infection caused by Streptococcus or Staph bacteria, but the treatment is just the same.

Antibiotic ointment may be prescribed, but if the skin infection has spread to other parts of the body, an antibiotic pill can be administered. Since impetigo can be spread from person to person by contact with the infected area, someone who does it ought to stay home from school while the disease is still contagious. Typically, impetigo is no longer contagious after about 24 to 48 hours after treatment and after 3 days of treatment, the wounds will begin to heal. But if the skin does not begin to heal after this time, or if fever develops, a doctor who may be needed. It is best to consult a doctor immediately if the skin around the impetigo becomes red, hot, swollen or tender.

Apart from taking or application of medication exactly as per advice of doctors, gently wash the infected areas twice a day with an unscented soap and water, with the help of a piece of clean gauze. If a place is Crusted, soak it in warm, soapy water for a while to remove built-up layers of the earth's crust. There is no reason to get rid of all of the crust, but it is important to keep it clean. Covering the contaminated areas with gauze and tape or a loose plastic bandages will keep impetigo to other parts of the body. Keep fingernails short until the infection clears up. Although impetigo May itch, try not to scratch because scratching can spread the infection or tear the skin and makes it worse. Bunny repeatedly can lead to scarring of the skin. The best way to prevent impetigo is to simply follow good hygiene habits.

Acne Fact and Fiction! Do Stress, Facials and Concealer's Help to Promote or Reduce Acne Breakouts?

What is Acne? People have differing opinions as to what acne really is. So, what exactly is acne? Do a couple of occasional but recurring zits qualify as a case of acne or do you have to have a lot of zits?

Believe it or not, the answer is that occasional pimples or zits do not constitute a true case of acne. Although zits do seem to have the ability to appear almost instantaneously and at the most inopportune times like picture day, prom night, spelling bees, sporting events, dates, and special award ceremonies, they are not a true acne outbreak.

The dictionary defines acne as "an inflammatory disease of the sebaceous glands, characterized by comedones and pimples, especially on the face, back, chest, and, in severe cases, by cysts and nodules resulting in scarring."

The anatomical definition of sebaceous glands is: "small subcutaneous glands usually connected with hair follicles. The follicles secrete an oily semi-fluid matter, composed in great part of fat, which softens and lubricates the hair and skin."

Real acne outbreaks are actually a disease of the skin. However, the great news is that acne is treatable. Although it can be very embarrassing, cause great emotional distress, and lower your personal self-esteem for a period of time, acne is not fatal.

There are new and effective treatments being sought by researchers and great advances have been made in the treatment of acne in the last few years. Years ago, when a person had acne, they were pretty much stuck with the problem. There were very few treatments available and the medical profession didn't even consider acne a disease.

It was long thought that acne was the direct result of a diet that was too high in fat and/or sweets. That is no longer the case. Acne is most often associated with puberty and the onset of pre-teen and teenage years but it can and does develop in adults as well. When acne does finally heal, there can be permanent scars left (from picking and popping) that are unsightly and cause patients to suffer long term emotional distress and low self- esteem.

New and very effective skin resurfacing treatments have been developed over the last several years that have, if not completely removed acne scars, at least diminished their appearance and severity.

Acne Fact or Fiction:
You can hear a lot of tall tales about acne today, so let's take a look at the fact or fiction of acne. It is always better to be well armed with factual information so that you don't get fooled by the fictional facts that surround acne.

Fictional Fact #1: Acne is caused by a lack of sexual activity.
Factual Fact: Acne and sexual activity are two entirely separate issues. One has no bearing on the other. Hormones secreted during puberty and young adulthood does have a bearing on acne. They also have a bearing on sexual arousal and activity. However, acne has no bearing on sexual activity nor does sexual activity have any bearing on acne.

Fictional Fact #2: People have acne because they are dirty.
Factual Fact: Dirt has no part in acne. Dirt is dirt. Acne is acne. One has nothing to do with the other. Acne is a build up of oil, dead skin cells, and bacteria. Dirt isn't involved. Keeping the face clean can and will help to prevent clogged pores but dirt does not cause acne.

Fictional Fact #3: Dermatologists can cure acne.
Factual Fact: Dermatologists can TREAT acne. They can help to alleviate the symptoms and help to clear up the pimples, black-heads, and white heads. They can prescribe antibiotics and topical ointments, lotions, and creams that will help but there is no cure at this time for acne.

Fictional Fact #4: Acne is simply a skin problem.
Factual Fact: It's true that acne affects the skin but it can also affect the way a person sees himself or herself. Acne and the scarring it can leave behind may cause a sufferer to become depressed and develop low self-esteem, both of which can lead to larger and more complex life socialization problems. Acne sufferers need the loving support and reassurance from their family and friends.

Acne and Stress:
Can stress actually cause acne? There is ample evidence available to suggest that stress can most assuredly cause an acne breakout or make an existing breakout worse. Our bodies are highly developed chemical laboratories that produce all sorts of stuff.

At puberty, our body begins to produce an abundance of male hormones and this happens in both boys and girls. This overproduction of male hormones can happen at other times in life besides puberty; for example, when a girl or woman starting or stops taking birth control pills.

These male hormones cause the bodies sebaceous glands to shift into overdrive and begin producing sebum. The sebum then travels up hair follicles, clogs the pores and begins the acne development cycle. However, male hormones are not the only cause for the sebaceous glands to begin producing an overabundance of sebum. When we become extremely stressed or overly emotional, our bodies react by causing the adrenal glands to produce a substance known as Cortisol, which is released directly into the bloodstream. Then the chemical chain reaction continues as the sebaceous glands release sebum, the sebum travels up the same hair follicles, clogs the pores and acne develops.

The physical changes in the body can cause exactly the same chemical chain reaction as the emotional changes in the mind. The mind/body connection is very real. Maybe some of it really IS in your head. If that's the case, there is help available to help people deal with the acne that is caused by stress. Reducing stress will just naturally reduce sebum production by the sebaceous glands and reducing sebum production will help to alleviate an acne breakout. Therefore, when you learn to reduce and control you stress levels, this part of the chemical chain reaction is minimized.

It really it isn't any different than restoring a hormonal balance to your body that reduces sebum production. So, in the final analysis, both factors that cause excessive sebum production should be addressed. Solving one problem might help; however, solving both problems could eliminate acne altogether.

Acne Facials:
If you are part of the 95 of the population who suffer from acne, you have more than likely seen TV or print media advertisements for acne facials. Have you ever wondered if there is anything to the claims that their manufacturers make?

In general, the answer is yes! Most acne facials are very effective, pretty much worth the price, and can be used in conjunction with your usual acne fighting regime. They won't necessarily replace any part of what you are already doing; but, rather enhance the overall effects.

You can find acne facials in most health stores, at many cosmetic counters, and online. As a matter of fact, you can probably complete a better comparison of available products online than you can anywhere else.

Most of these acne facial products provide for a three-step program. The first step is a complete facial cleansing. The next step is a steam massage. The final step is a facial mask. The first two steps are designed to prepare the face. The steam massage softens the black heads and the white heads to remove toxins from your skin. The facial mask serves to remove the dead skin cells from the face and to moisturize it as well. The overall effect of the acne facial is a very relaxing, calming, and cleansing experience. It just plain feels good. Anything that helps to calm and sooth your stress can't be bad because we all know that acne is aggravated by high stress levels. Acne facial masks can be used in addition to other parts of your acne prevention and treatment regime or you may find that the facial can, in fact, actually replace some things that you are currently doing.

Acne Concealer's:
One of Newton's laws of physics laws says that, "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." That law of physics spills over into a lot of our life situations. For example: A young woman gets a zit and wants to cover it up. The cosmetics industry has a multitude of products designed to do just that. Okay, that's a little far out there but you get my point.

The acne pimples, whether they are white heads or black heads should never be picked at or popped. If they are popped or picked, it can and normally does result is a scar that is much harder to get rid of than the actual pimple, black head or white head. Popping a pimple is not going to make it go away. In fact, popping a pimple is only going to make the acne worse.

Still when you get a zit, you have to go out and face the world so you are looking for ways to make your skin look clear. You want to disguise the zit and make it as unnoticeable as possible. Here is where the cosmetic industry can help. There are a multitude of products designed to make a zit less noticeable. You don't want to use a product that just adds to the problem by adding additional oil to already oily skin. So, you do need to remember, that when you use a cover product to make the zit less noticeable, you need to totally clean the product from your skin immediately when you return home.

Some of the better known as well as more effective cosmetic concealer's on the market today are:

1. Dermablend Smooth Indulgence Concealer: This product produces a smooth matte appearance and was designed specifically for covering acne blemishes as well as for covering Rosacea and dark circles under the eyes.
2. Flawless Skin by Prescriptives: This product will not aggravate acne but will supply a medium to full coverage and it contains SPF 25 for protection from the sun.
3. Don't let acne control you; but rather, become smart and learn how to control the negative influences in your life that create a positive situation for acne to develop!

Difference between Ethanol and Trifluoroethanol

There are many differences between Ethanol and Trifluoroethanol. One of the main differences in the use of ethanol that has recently been used as an alternative fuel. Although Ethanol is used as a solvent and, Trifluoroethanol on the other side is the organic combination of which is used as a solvent in chemistry.

Chemistry make up ethanol and Trifluoroethanol

Ethanol is also known as drinking alcohol or grain alcohol, or ethyl alcohol. It is flammable and colorless chemical compound. The alcohol in the drinks with alcohol is also known as ethanol. Many times, Ethanol is referred to simply as "alcohol", but that difference is not always entirely correct. This is the molecular formula, EtOH, CH3CH2OH, C2H5OH, and is also known for its empirical formula for C2H6O. Ethanol is classified as one of alcohol. This means that the carbon, which is attached to their hydroxyl group is carbon that has at least two hydrogen atoms that are connected to the Internet. Ethanol is the hydroxyl protons, which is weak acidic, and even more than water.

Trifluoroethanol, on the other hand, is fluoro organic compound. It is a formula for CF3CH2OH. It is also known as TFE, and sometimes also called trifluoroethyl alcohol. It is also a colorless, but it is liquid compound that is water-miscible. It is often confused with Ethanol, for Trifluoroethanol smells like Ethanol. Trifluoroethanol is very acidic, much more acidic than ethanol. Therefore, it is able to form stable compounds with other heterocycles, through hydrogen connection.

The creation of ethanol and Trifluoroethanol

Ethanol is created by the fermentation of sugar. This is almost the earliest organic reaction that is known to man. In fact, this organic reactions, and the intoxicating effects of consuming Ethanol was on the body, known since ancient times. Ethanol is used in industry, and this type of ethanol is produced from crude oil improving. Trifluoroethanol, on the other hand, industrial products. It is formed by the process of hydrogenation - or the process of reducing hydride derivatives esters or acid chloride. These derivatives trifluoroacetic acid are what products Trifluoroethanol. Trifluoroethanol can also be produced by hydrogenolysis of certain compounds. These are compounds of the formulas genetic CF3-CHOH-or.

The use of ethanol and Trifluoroethanol

Ethanol is used for many years as a solvent for substances that are intended to come into contact with people. This includes a lot of different things, such as fragrances, flavorings, medicines, or colorings. It is also a solvent in chemistry. This is because he is extremely versatile - which means that it can be mixed with water and many other organic solvents. Some of these include acetic acide, benzene, acetone, chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, diethyl Ether, glycerol, ethylene glycol, Piridin, toluene, and nitromethane. It can also be mixed with aliphatic chlorides. This includes trichloroethane, and tetrachloroethylene.

Ethanol and water mixed together to create a few unusual phenomena. She was able to reduce the surface tension of water. It also forms an azeotrope or constant-boiling mixture when it is mixed with water.

However, most notably Ethanol is used as fuel for internal combustion engines. It is used for motor fuel, as well as for the fuel additive. This is happening all over the world, but Brazil is the highest percentage of ethanol, which is located in the fuel. 20% of the fuel is ethanol. In the United States, a mixture of 85% Ethanol is introduced as a fuel for cars. Vehicles must be created with the possibility of using this fuel.

Trifluoroethanol, on the other hand, is used as a solvent in organic chemistry. Most Notably, Trifluoroethanol is used in oxidations sulfur compounds using hydrogen peroxide. Trifluoroethanol is also used in biology. It is a co-solvent in protein folding process that is used with NMR spectroscopy. This is because TFE can solubilize proteins and peptides. It is a very strong impact on the structure of proteins, three dimensional structure. This effect allows Trifluoroethanol that is used in such situations and that is used to create solutions with the protein. Trifluoroethanol is also used industrially. It is used in such situations as a solvent for nylon. This allows the nylon to be changed and molded. Trifluoroethanol is used in several applications in the pharmaceutical field.

Although Ethanol Trifluoroethanol and smell the same, and both are used as solvents, they are actually very different. Understanding this difference allows companies and researchers to use both of these compounds to their highest total resources.

Superior Leader - Warren Buffet

Superior Business Leader and American investor Warren Buffett is often called "Oracle of Omaha" or the "Sage of Omaha" and philanthropist. (Wikipedia, 2007) Buffett is the CEO, and the largest shareholder of the company Berkshire Hathaway. Buffett's has an estimated net current value of approximately $ 52 billion in U.S. funds. Forbes Magazine ranked Buffett the third richest person in the world in September 2007 after Carlos Slim and Bill Gates.

Warren Buffett is known for his economic and simple way of life. Buffett still lives in the same Omaha, Nebraska house, which he bought in 1958 for $ 31500 with a current value of $ 700000th In 1989, Buffett spent $ 9.7 million of Berkshire Fund in a corporate jet. He jokingly called it "untenable" because of his past criticism of such purchases by other CEOs. (Wikipedia, 2007)

Warren Buffett has decided to undertake a commitment to give his assets for charitable purposes back in June 2006. Buffett's charity donation is around $ 30 billion, which is the largest donation in the history of the United States. The donation was enough to more than double the size of the foundation with 83% of which will go to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Buffett believes that his family had enough money to get started in life as Buffett decided his assets for charitable purposes. Buffett's annual salary in 2006 was only $ 100000. In 2007, Buffett was among Time Magazine of the 100 most influential people in the world. (Wikipedia, 2007)

What does Warren Buffett a good business leader? This is what everyone wants to know, because Warren Buffet is so successful. Everything starts with leadership. Warren Buffet is a true leader, where his leadership makes a difference in the world. Leadership is very much related to changes and Warren Buffett, the skills of leadership change to fit the changing world. Warren Buffett has repeatedly demonstrated the ability to read card in the waters of irregular. Warren Buffett is a leading provider born? The authors of this paper do not believe. The experience and research has shown little evidence that an individual comes to power is a "born leader." Warren Buffett, is that all other leaders to meet. Warren Buffett learned from his mistakes and turned the error into a positive thing. Warren Buffett shares his organizational leadership at all levels and Buffett is authorized, shares leadership responsibilities. In the world of business, many titles related to leadership roles are active in business and Warren Buffett bears this title to make it more effective in several leadership positions in the economy. Distinction between good governance and good management is often made. Managers are organisational, controllers and budgeters. Warren Buffett has leadership in all three departments and must be these characteristics have proved to be good business leaders.

Another important feature in today's business world leadership is communication. Warren Buffet is a skilled communicator in all aspects of life. Communication is the real key to the leadership. Skilled communicators have an appreciation for the position in the business world. Warren Buffet is experienced in positioning itself in the right place at the right time. Warren Buffet has an understanding of the people he is trying to achieve and what it can and can not hear from people. The knowledge of the audience's needs and wishes of the speakers is the ability to listen. Warren Buffett is an excellent listener with the ability to convey his understanding.

When Warren Buffett talks, people listen. Warren Buffett can send a message through an open door and does not have to push the message through a wall.

Leadership is crucial for a successful business and good leadership is what Warren Buffett. The Warren Buffet makes a good business leader. Mr. Warren Buffett's investment strategies and, of course, the leadership are clear examples of characteristics shared by cognitive theorists. Cognitive theory is an approach to explain behaviour through perception, anticipation and reflection.

Mr. Buffett's approach to continuous analysis and possible selection of investment products, market trends and the ability to place management resources of the right calibre in the right position has been consistent in this capital comes to the fore among peers and the marketplace. At the core of every investor is sound, a creative innovator. Innovation requires creativity. Creativity in turn is based on our cognitive abilities of the full amplitude of emotion to reason. In the number-heavy world of global investment, innovative thinking is crucial.

Innovative investors decipher future trends, spot likely winner by the combination of computer science (finance) with the arts (visual acuity and perception) and continuously mitigate risk. They assess needs of users, product features, the proper use of money, professional organizational structures and risk management. (Kore Kalibre, 2006)

Mr. Buffett's instincts and the ability to interpret market trends is also in possession of close there. Despite more than 50 years of growth, Mr Buffett always adheres to one of the most elementary principles of entrepreneurs: "… only compete if you have a competitive advantage. Warren Buffett refers to stay in your circle of competence. Social psychologists tell us, however, that we are prone to overconfidence when it comes to assessing our options… "(Arthridge, 2006) A man of Warren Buffett's position and track record could easily be derailed to a feeling of confidence. The principle of competing only within your range of competitive advantage is a principle, in many other areas in life, and Mr. Buffett's ability to work and live on this idea has allowed him to continue with minimal bruising.

With the founding of the previous examples, the authors can reinforce the principles of cognitive theory that Mr Buffett patterns are clearly dictates of thought processes, including interpretation, analysis and perspective. "As experiences and events to gain meaning and value, the process is always from top to bottom as the spirit in (a) attempt an orderly process affects perception when convictions, objectives and external process" (Gardener, 2007)

Warren Buffett's is a leading provider empowered because he loyal, sets goals, plans, a strategy for success, and will remain committed until it fulfils its purpose. Up to date, it is the largest broker of all time. He is a very conservative investors who prefer to invest in companies that sell brand products, which he used. For example, Coca-Cola, Gillette razors, See's Candy, Gulfstream jet, and GEICO are the big companies he invests in. In the nineties, his assets quadrupled in less than five years. He is a smart investor, usually not with large investment risks. For example, it will not invest in Internet stock, because the return is not predictable. He likes to invest in companies that he is sure will be successful, 20 years later. He buys the company with the intentions they keep forever. Normally, the management team of each company is the same staff, Warren Buffett sold it from the beginning. He remains loyal to its partners, and the team workstheir best to keep him happy.

After Warren Buffett's wife died, he decided to donate 85% of his money for charitable purposes. However, he wants his money used to be the same year, he donates. " (Harris, 2006) The requirement will accelerate the process, around the world. According to Fortune Magazine, five-sixths of his money goes to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. This foundation, which focuses on the search for cures for diseases that in poor countries. The rest of the money is split between four other charitable institutions, each run by his three children and, in his late wife's name.

Warren Buffett is not a big spender. In fact, he still lives in the same house he bought 40 years old. Warren, "said ABC News" Nightline "is born, that the creation of wealth is not entitled to his children" (Harris, 2006). In addition, he told that Fortune Magazine ", a very rich person would leave his children enough to do, but not enough to do nothing." (Harris, 2006) In other words, he wants his children to work to earn their money and value of hard work and intelligent decisions.

In 2006, Warren's first annual donation to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation was $ 1.5 billion and the rest was among the four charity organizations. He was the first person to a donation better than Bill Gates, the richest man in the world. It seems as if Bill Gates and Warren Buffett to lead by example and others will lead to more generous, because now the Barron Hilton has pledged to donate half of its assets for charitable purposes as well. Barron Hilton is the founder of the Hilton Hotels and is worth $ 2.3 billion. Hopefully, started a trend a

among the fortunate to give the less fortunate.

The personality of Warren Buffett ties to the social-cognitive level, because he tries to understand and make sense of other people. He noted the differences in social skills in dealing with people. Social Cognition refers to their sense of ourselves, others and how the information is used. In the sixties and seventies Albert Bandura and Walter Mischel were psychologists, study of personality development. They noted that the social and cognitive learning principles are skills for self-regulation and objectives. Warren investment decisions were successful, because his condition as he processed information, decisions and expectations.

HIGH PERFORMANCE TRAINING

Education and training of the workforce in the pulp and paper now requires the participation of the entire organization, not just a training department, if the training is to be effective to improve efficiency and profitability of our organizations. The effectiveness of the Panel uses a process of designing systems and functions as a high performance team working in partnership with the rest of the organization.

LEARNING ABOUT THE EDUCATION, TRAINING

Learning is a process of acquisition of knowledge, skills or attitudes through formal or informal means. Education is a process involving others as facilitators of learning. These May be other experts, designers, suppliers or teaching. Training is a learning process directly related to the specific situation of results. In the case of training, the emphasis is usually based on improving individual and group performance, and the results of the organization. From the end in mind, we will examine the results of training. Kirkpatrick (1) ranks its results into four categories: Reaction - assesses the training program itself (trainees are satisfied?). Learning - focuses on changes in participants as a result of training (have skills, knowledge, attitudes or changed as a result of training?). Behavior or performance - for the transfer of learning to employment or organization (the results of training applied?). Results or findings - is the impact of training on productivity and profitability of the organization. While education tends to focus on the first, training must be evaluated by the last two - on the transfer of learning for the success of the organization.

The design of the education system

To ensure that training is delivered effectively and efficiently, a process of designing education systems (ISD) is to be implemented as a planned process for the assessment, design, development, execution and evaluation of training. ISD begins with a needs assessment of the organization, which include the May survey, identification and prioritization of training needs, analyzes the causes of performance problems and opportunities, and identify possible solutions (2). It is imperative to determine if training is the appropriate solution, and if it is economically viable. Developing training programs should include analyses of the characteristics of learners, the framework within which the work will be done, and the tasks and functions that the trainees will be asked to perform. A comprehensive review of the subject (and experts) is also necessary. Goals and performance objectives must be established and a plan to evaluate the training should be developed. Teaching materials and strategies must be purchased, prepared and pre-tested. The implementation of the training includes the preparation of workers and others to be trainers and experts. The training process itself must be managed and evaluated.

The application of instructional design in the organization

There are two approaches to implement the training function. Most businesses and instructional designers use a reactive approach. DSI is used as an intervention to solve problems involving employees, with an emphasis on performance and organizational results. In this sense, training is often used as quality control, that corrections to problems. This type of training usually feature works a bit outside of the manufacturing organization, management and other processes. A proactive approach is in place in some pulp and paper where training and CIOs are part of a process of continuous improvement, not considered as intervention (3). It's more like TQM (Total Quality Management) and Quebec (quality control), insofar as the training function is fully integrated with the normal process of organizational improvement. The process of reactive and proactive training are very similar.

The differences are time-scale, the degree of duplication and distribution of the training function throughout the organization. Make assessments of needs and tasks / duty analyses have generally been triggered by new technologies, equipment or people. If these steps be continuous, ongoing functions?

High-performance work teams

We have heard a lot about the benefits (and problems) with the implementation team approaches to improve organizational effectiveness and to empower individuals and teams with information and authority to take decisions on the lines front. The success in business today mandates the use of these high-performance work teams throughout our organizations. But making the transition to teams is not easy. The training may be useful in many ways to help people work more effectively in team environments, including: Communication. People must learn to communicate effectively in teams and between teams throughout the organization. Employees must use communication to resolve and manage conflicts, and in the air and resolve grievances and complaints. Team management and operation. The management of projects, set goals, clarify roles, and problem-solving team are skills that must be developed. New organizational skills must be developed if the teams are to operate effectively and efficiently.

The leadership development.

Team leaders and senior management must learn to act as models of running the team, and the means to actively promote the construction, leadership and management teams. Personal development. Employees need help to overcome fears about the loss of job security and independence, and how to continue to make individual contributions within the team structures. Interpersonal skills must be developed, particularly in regard to problem-solving group.

Let's start with the training function

As we have seen, training must be more fully integrated with and respond to the activity of the organization. A recent survey also founded this new direction for the development of human resources directors (4).

Distributed Management Team and means for the organization to become more efficient. It is logical, then, that the training function itself is a good place to start implementing high-performance work teams. The transition from a reactive to a proactive implementation training will require a restructuring of the training function. (Please note that we do not say "Training Service", as training is everyone's job.) What better opportunity to put the team concept into practice in the organization? That would give teachers tools to be of value to the organization, to be directly connected to the company's success. The trainers are best able to understand, promote and teach what they have experienced themselves and the model. In the process of reorganizing the ISD cross-organizational teams to improve the company's success, trainers and designers will become valuable resources to transfer their experiences, knowledge and skills of high-performance work teams to others in the rest of the organization.

THE RESULTS

State of the art equipment is purchased and used by more and more organizations in the pulp and paper. Today is preparing the workforce for optimal performance, which gives competitive advantage. A more relevant, companies focused on the training function - and integrated distributed accordingly in the organization - will not only be more in line with organizational performance and profitability, but will help the rest of the body and towards achieving the objective of efficient, effective and efficient teams. Let's get started.

ORGANIZATION DEVELOPMENT

WHAT IS OD?
Beckhard (1) defines Organization Development (OD) as "an effort, planned, organization-wide, and managed from the top, to increase organization effectiveness and health through planned interventions in the organization's processes, using behavioral-science knowledge." In essence, OD is a planned system of change.
Planned. OD takes a long-range approach to improving organizational performance and efficiency. It avoids the (usual) "quick-fix".
Organization-wide. OD focuses on the total system.

Managed from the top. To be effective, OD must have the support of top-management. They have to model it, not just espouse it. The OD process also needs the buy-in and ownership of workers throughout the organization.

Increase organization effectiveness and health. OD is tied to the bottom-line. Its goal is to improve the organization, to make it more efficient and more competitive by aligning the organization's systems with its people.

Planned interventions. After proper preparation, OD uses activities called interventions to make systemwide, permanent changes in the organization.
Using behavioral-science knowledge. OD is a discipline that combines research and experience to understanding people, business systems, and their interactions.
We usually think of OD only in terms of the interventions themselves. This article seeks to emphasize that these activities are only the most visible part of a complex process, and to put some perspective and unity into the myriad of OD tools that are used in business today. These activities include Total Quality Management (an evolutionary approach to improving an organization) and Reengineering (a more revolutionary approach). And there are dozens of other interventions, such as strategic planning and team building. It is critical to select the correct intervention(s), and this can only be done with proper preparation.

WHY DO OD?
Human resources -- our people -- may be a large fraction of our costs of doing business. They certainly can make the difference between organizational success and failure. We better know how to manage them.
Changing nature of the workplace. Our workers today want feedback on their performance, a sense of accomplishment, feelings of value and worth, and commitment to social responsibility. They need to be more efficient, to improve their time management. And, of course, if we are to continue doing more work with less people, we need to make our processes more efficient.
Global markets. Our environments are changing, and our organizations must also change to survive and prosper. We need to be more responsible to and develop closer partnerships with our customers. We must change to survive, and we argue that we should attack the problems, not the symptoms, in a systematic, planned, humane manner.
Accelerated rate of change. Taking an open-systems approach, we can easily identify the competitions on an international scale for people, capital, physical resources, and information.
WHO DOES OD?
To be successful, OD must have the buy-in, ownership, and involvement of all stakeholders, not just of the employees throughout the organization. OD is usually facilitated by change agents -- people or teams that have the responsibility for initiating and managing the change effort. These change agents may be either employees of the organization (internal consultants) or people from outside the organization (external consultants.)

Effective change requires leadership with knowledge, and experience in change management. We strongly recommend that external or internal consultants be used, preferably a combination of both. ("These people are professionals; don't try this at home.")
Bennis (2) notes that "external consultants can manage to affect ... the power structure in a way that most internal change agents cannot." Since experts from outside are less subject to the politics and motivations found within the organization, they can be more effective in facilitating significant and meaningful changes.

WHEN IS AN ORGANIZATION READY FOR OD?
There is a formula, attributed to David Gleicher (3, 4), which we can use to decide if an organization is ready for change:
Dissatisfaction x Vision x First Steps > Resistance to Change This means that three components must all be present to overcome the resistance to change in an organization: Dissatisfaction with the present situation, a vision of what is possible in the future, and achievable first steps towards reaching this vision. If any of the three is zero or near zero, the product will also be zero or near zero and the resistance to change will dominate.
We use this model as an easy, quick diagnostic aid to decide if change is possible. OD can bring approaches to the organization that will enable these three components to surface, so we can begin the process of change.

OD IS A PROCESS
Action Research is a process which serves as a model for most OD interventions. French and Bell (5) describe Action Research as a "process of systematically collecting research data about an ongoing system relative to some objective, goal, or need of that system; feeding these data back into the system; taking actions by altering selected variables within the system based both on the data and on hypotheses; and evaluating the results of actions by collecting more data." The steps in Action Research are (6, 7):

Entry. This phase consists of marketing, i.e. finding needs for change within an organization. It is also the time to quickly grasp the nature of the organization, identify the appropriate decision maker, and build a trusting relationship.

Start-up and contracting. In this step, we identify critical success factors and the real issues, link into the organization's culture and processes, and clarify roles for the consultant(s) and employees. This is also the time to deal with resistance within the organization. A formal or informal contract will define the change process.
Assessment and diagnosis. Here we collect data in order to find the opportunities and problems in the organization (refer to DxVxF>R above.) For suggestions about what to look for, see the previous article in this series, on needs assessment (8). This is also the time for the consultant to make a diagnosis, in order to recommend appropriate interventions.

Feedback. This two-way process serves to tell those what we found out, based on an analysis of the data. Everyone who contributed information should have an opportunity to learn about the findings of the assessment process (provided there is no apparent breach of anyone's confidentiality.) This provides an opportunity for the organization's people to become involved in the change process, to learn about how different parts of the organization affect each other, and to participate in selecting appropriate change interventions.

Action planning. In this step we will distill recommendations from the assessment and feedback, consider alternative actions and focus our intervention(s) on activities that have the most leverage to effect positive change in the organization. An implementation plan will be developed that is based on the assessment data, is logically organized, results- oriented, measurable and rewarded. We must plan for a participative decision-making process for the intervention.
Intervention. Now, and only now, do we actually carry out the change process. It is important to follow the action plan, yet remain flexible enough to modify the process as the organization changes and as new information emerges.

Evaluation. Successful OD must have made meaningful changes in the performance and efficiency of the people and their organization. We need to have an evaluation procedure to verify this success, identify needs for new or continuing OD activities, and improve the OD process itself to help make future interventions more successful.

Adoption. After steps have been made to change the organization and plans have been formulated, we follow-up by implementing processes to insure that this remains an ongoing activity within the organization, that commitments for action have been obtained, and that they will be carried out.

Separation. We must recognize when it is more productive for the client and consultant to undertake other activities, and when continued consultation is counterproductive. We also should plan for future contacts, to monitor the success of this change and possibly to plan for future change activities. It would be nice if real OD followed these steps sequentially. This rarely happens. Instead, the consultants must be flexible and be ready to change their strategy when necessary. Often they will have to move back and repeat previous steps in light of new information, new influences, or because of the changes that have already been made.

But for successful OD to take place, all of these steps must be followed. It works best if they are taken in the order described. And, since learning is really an iterative, not a sequential process, we must be prepared to re-enter this process when and where appropriate.

MANAGING CHANGE WITH LARGE-SCALE, REAL-TIME INTERVENTIONS

Most of us have been involved in activities designed to bring change and strategic planning into our organizations. We've been to training courses, to numerous meetings, and sometimes taken time off for strategic planning retreats. We talked a lot, made some plans, went back to work. But we know that little was really accomplished; that these activities had no follow-up. We felt that it was a waste of our time. (It probably was.)

LARGE-SCALE, REAL-TIME STRATEGIC CHANGE
It can be different. Meaningful change can happen in organizations. Organization development -- the management of change in organizations -- was introduced in a previous article in this series , and is being applied in a new way to make these changes actually happen. Here are the major features of methods of large-scale, real-time change:

Large-scale -- The change involves the entire organization, meeting and working together in one place, at the same time.
Real-time -- What was formerly a slow "waterfall" process (i.e. originated at the top, flowing down through the organization) is now a fast, quick response which results in immediate action taking place.
Learning is no longer just for the individual or unit, but also applies to the entire organization.
Responsibility and accountability moves from senior management to a mixture of senior management plus the whole system.
The change process moves from incremental change to fundamental, organization-wide change.
Dissatisfaction is allowed and encouraged to emerge, to develop a common database of information and an open sharing of ideas.
Vision -- A common vision of the future is created with the buy-in and ownership by everyone throughout the organization.
Action planning -- First steps are taken to be sure that there is follow-up, commitment, and accountability -- that change really will happen.
Participation -- Everyone throughout the organization actively participates in designing the change event, and in the event itself.
Strategic -- This process makes permanent changes in the organization and addresses the real problems. It is NOT a quick fix. Paradigm shift -- For major changes to occur, it may be necessary to change the culture of the organization. This is especially true for major changes, as for example to bring about employee empowerment, to change to a team management approach, and for organizational redesign.
Systems approach -- Meaningful change must involve the entire organization and its environment.
Open-systems approach -- All stakeholders (that is, all individuals and groups having an interest in the changes) must be included in the planning and implementation. This especially includes the suppliers (inputs) and customers (outputs) of our production processes.
Open information -- Knowledge is power, so empowered employees need information. The organization's database, which formerly had limited availability, is now widely shared throughout the organization.
Highly-adaptive process -- The change event is specifically tailored and designed by the organization to fit their culture, employees, organizational norms, management style, vision, markets, and customers and other stakeholders.

LET ME TELL YOU A STORY
The large-scale change process is unique for every organization. It has been used and has worked very successfully for many Fortune 500 companies (including Ford, Boeing, Marriott), as well as for much smaller groups. Here's a typical case history of what it might look like for a paper mill or similarly-sized organization:

PREPARATION AND PLANNING
Senior management realized that, for the long-term survival and prosperity of the company, it would be necessary to have empowered workers who were capable of, and responsible for, making their own decisions. They also felt that some type of team environment would be desirable.
Knowing that effective change requires leadership with knowledge and experience in change management, they brought in external consultants with experience in designing and managing large-scale change events for organizations outside the paper industry. A Planning Team was created, which included management representatives, and internal and external consultants.

This Planning Team, in turn, created a Design Team where a representative sample of the entire organization would be involved in designing the organization development intervention meeting itself. This Design Team met several times before the event. It had representation vertically among all levels of the management and workers, and also had horizontal representation across the entire organization. They produced a plan for a meeting that was highly-adaptive and tailored specifically to fit their needs, their wants, and their situation. They did not use any one specific model or consultant's approach. The team created a list of specific outcomes that they wanted from the process, and circulated it for comment throughout the organization.

They created a highly structured design for a future off-site meeting of the entire organization. This was centered on the use of modern adult learning techniques with an emphasis on involvement and interaction -- not on information and visions presented from the top. The Design Team created detailed written instructions and worksheets, and appointed a Logistics Team to work out and manage the details for the change event.

It took almost a year from the initial decision to begin the process until the actual change event occurred. But when it did, it was held off-site over a consecutive 3-day period. To allow everyone to participate, they shut down production for three days!

THE CHANGE CONFERENCE
All of the 800 people (just about everyone) were assigned to specific tables, with 8 people at each of 100 total tables in one large room! There was a "max-mix" seating arrangement, to ensure a maximum-mixing of people both vertically and horizontally throughout the company. Nobody sat with anyone in their own functional group or at their own level of management. Vice presidents were mixed right in with production people, engineers, secretaries, sales and marketing personnel.

FIRST DAY -- DISSATISFACTION, DIALOGUE, DISCOVERY, DATA
The day was spent developing a common database of the current reality. Views were presented by customers, management, representative workers throughout the corporation, and outside companies that had successfully completed this process in their own industry.
A process of structured listening was imposed. Working at their tables, the participants proceeded to learn about each other -- about their environments, constraints, daily work routines, pressures, problems, successes, values, and outside activities.

Participants were required to discuss what they heard, how they felt about it, and what meaning it had for their own situation. It was important for everyone to see the information generated by themselves and by everyone else in the organization.

The entire company heard from their leaders, from their customers, from organizations outside the industry that have had successes with this large-scale change process, and from themselves.


SECOND DAY -- VISION

This day was devoted to defining and moving towards a preferred future for the organization by finding common ground among the diverse participants. The Design Team presented a working draft of a vision statement as a starting point for discussion. This was then subjected to open criticism and revision.
Reality was brought in by having the participants work to analyze their strengths and weaknesses, as well as opportunities and threats. They then proceeded to a process of organizational diagnosis -- of identifying the problems that are impeding change and progress.

A discussion and clarification of the mission identified what business the company was in, and what business they should be in, considering their stakeholders' needs, their resources, and their competitive environment. This reinforced some existing operational practices, and suggested some new ones to be added and others to be eliminated.

The "max-mix" seating arrangement was then reconfigured to group people together by functional groups (i.e. engineering, management, technical, production, marketing.) These groups each prepared and sent messages to the other groups, covering what they appreciate about each other, and what they need from the others to help them to do their own jobs in a more productive way.


THIRD DAY -- ACTION PLANNING

If this is to be more than an informative exercise, the words must be converted into actions. The last day was devoted to setting strategy, gathering and processing feedback on this strategy, and especially on action planning to secure commitments to make the proposed strategy develop into reality.
Written commitments were made for the entire organization, for the functional groups, and by the individuals. A combination of individual, table-group, and plenary work was used to insure that the commitments were heard, relevant, and agreed on. These objectives were specific, measurable, realistic, and achievable.


OUTCOMES AND RESULTS
Understanding -- People left with a better understanding of the roles, responsibilities, and realities of others throughout the organization. Cooperation -- With this new understanding, the organization became a unified team. Much of the internal competition and complaining was reduced or eliminated.
Simultaneous change -- Everything moved forward at once, because of the coordination and implementation of changes throughout the organization. Groups no longer postponed their own changes while waiting for others to make the first moves.
Empowerment -- People now had knowledge of the complete organization which would allow them to make decisions on their own, reflecting their understanding of the big picture.
Implementation Team -- A team (again, "max-mix", representative of the entire organization) was created to continue the change process and motivate everyone to follow up on their commitments.
Actions -- Changes actually took place, because of the specific commitments which were prepared to include assignments of "who", "what", and "when".
Buy-in and ownership -- Everyone in the organization supported the change efforts, because they had been actively involved in the action planning and goal-setting, and because they felt that their viewpoints and ideas had been listened to. This would not have happened with change managed from the top of the organization. Creativity -- Individuals and teams now were able to apply their own original, creative ideas, with less interference from organizational politics and managerial restraints, and with less fear of reprisals for failure.
Spirit -- People now enjoyed their working environment more, with the feelings that they were important, that their ideas counted, and that they would be listened to.
Paradigm shift -- The organization was never the same again. A new spirit of cooperation and individual responsibility permeated the organization.
The above scenario is only one possible implementation of large-scale, real-time change management. An actual process would be designed by the organization to fit its staff, stakeholders, and situation.

CAREER DEVELOPMENT

Personal Career Management and Planning

There is an increasing need for individuals to take charge of the development of their own learning and careers for a variety of reasons: There is increasing rate of change of our organizations and in the knowledge and skills we need to perform our jobs. Career ladders are rapidly shrinking or disappearing as reorganizations lead to flatter structures. There is an ever-increasing need for us to keep learning to keep up with the rapid growth in knowledge and the rate of change of our workplace environments. And, involvement in one's own development fosters greater commitment to the process than other-directed activities.

LEARNING IS NOW OUR RESPONSIBILITY
Career development (CD) is now the primary responsibility of individuals in organizations. A recent survey of Human Resource Development Directors (1) indicates that they consider CD to be their least important function. This correlates with recent trends of disappearing corporate career paths and job security. Just as the responsibility for employee retirement planning is no longer a corporate function, the responsibility for learning and for the development of career paths has been downloaded to the individual employees.
Personal learning project management is a new skill for most people, one for which they have not been adequately prepared. The good news is that this responsibility also brings increased control over one's learning and career development, and the opportunity for a more stimulating and motivating work life.
The purpose of this article is to help you develop plans for individual career development for yourself and for other employees in your organizations. This process results in a document that has been referred to by such terms as an individual development plan, a learning contract, MBO (management-by-objectives) for personal learning, a personal "curriculum" for learning, and a plan for personal career advancement. The results may also be applied to the "development" section of most performance appraisal forms.

EXAMPLES OF PERSONAL LEARNING PROJECT MANAGEMENT
These methods have been used recently in a variety of university and industrial settings:
Industrial environments. At the Niagara Division of Consolidated Papers (2), employees draft individual development plans, both individually and in consultation with the Training Manager. This process occurs annually, much like a performance review. The individual development planning process is focused on personal development and career growth, and is kept separate from other HR management functions such as reviews for salary, promotion, and retention purposes. Individual development plans can, and often should, include formal training programs, but the focus is on the learning and the individual, not on the organization's curriculum and courses. If used correctly, a compilation of the learning needs from these individual learning plans (coupled with studies of organizational needs) can lead to more efficient planning of training efforts by the organization.
University teaching and learning. At leading universities that focus on quality learning, education and training, learning contracts are often used in courses to shift the responsibility for learning from the instructor to the students (3). Individuals design, develop and implement their own plans for learning in their courses, in a process similar to the use of the industrial individual development plans previously referred to. This works especially well with adult learners who bring a variety of skills, knowledge and experiences to their studies, and who also have a variety of needs for learning and development because of the diversity of their working environments. It also benefits more traditional students who learn "how to learn", and who need project management skills and experiences.
Pulp and paper education. This process has been used very successfully in a senior course in pulp and paper process operations at the University of Minnesota (4). The students felt that their learning was more interesting and exciting because they had the ability to choose (actually, to propose and contract-for) their learning projects. They also assigned themselves more work, and therefore learned more, than with traditional methods of instruction. As a bonus, they developed their skills in engineering project management as applied to projects of direct interest and importance to themselves.
Industrial and corporate internships. This works especially well for individualized learning experiences such as on-campus student research and development projects, and for off-campus learning such as for corporate internships.

STEPS TO DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT AN INDIVIDUAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN
We use standard forms to help the learners follow a systematic process to prepare their learning contracts, individual development plans, or learning project management strategies. Here is what should be included in a personal learning plan:
Assessment. First, identify your current skills, knowledge, abilities, and interests. A previous article in this series (5) describes the needs assessment process.
Goals. Identify the new skills, knowledge, and experiences you would like to acquire and have. Do these goals match your personal and career interests? Are your goals in agreement with your organization's goals, mission and vision?
Learning purpose. Identify the gap between the current situation and the desired outcome. This will produce a statement of purpose that should clarify why you want to learn something, and what specific skills, knowledge and abilities you wish to develop.
Learning objective(s). Identify what skills, knowledge, and abilities are to be acquired or enhanced. Remember that this is only a plan, not a rigid promise; your plan can and should be revised as your goals change and as learning occurs. For each objective, identify the following:
Target date. Identify when you plan to complete the work for this part of your learning plan.
Learning strategies. Describe how you plan to do it, and what process you plan to follow to accomplish your objective. For example, strategies could include: reading and study, interviews and discussions with appropriate people, mill trials, networking and communication, reflecting on your own experiences, classroom study, literature review, synthesizing and writing.
Learning resources. Identify what resources you plan to use to help you with this learning process. These resources might include, for example: literature, mentors, co- workers, other professionals for networking, vendors or suppliers, classes, technical conferences, professional association involvement, equipment manuals, laboratory trials, production workers, teachers and instructors, field experience, your supervisors, and a variety of learning technologies including computers, the Internet, and perhaps even your mill's DCS (digital control system).
Outcomes and products. List the evidence you will develop to show the accomplishment of your objectives. What deliverables will you have produced by this process? What objects can be used to validate your learning experience? This could include, for example, a log or journal of your studies or observations, a literature review and bibliography, written and oral reports, lists of questions, obtaining specific career objectives, and more.
Evaluation plan. Describe the method you will use to validate your deliverables and to evaluate the success of your learning project. In other words, what criteria and means will you use to determine if you were successful in reaching your learning goals?
Initial feedback and revision. Before starting to carry-out your individual development plan, confer with your supervisor (instructor, mentor, or HRD-manager if available) for feedback, for another view of your learning needs and strategies. This will help insure that your learning will not only be based on your personal needs but will also be relevant to your organization's goals, results, and profitability. The more independent sources you can use, the better -- seek additional feedback from your co-workers, colleagues, family and friends.
Summary of results. After completing the projects in your individual plan, you should evaluate the success of these activities. What insights have you gained? What new understandings do you have? What new skills, abilities and knowledge have you acquired? What experiences did you have, and what did you learn from them? How do you feel about this process?
Next steps. You should review the accomplishments and successes of this project with your supervisor (and others, as appropriate). Then update your learning plan for the next cycle. Remember that learning and growth are processes that may, and should, continue indefinitely.

FOUR STEPS TO CONDUCTING A NEEDS ASSESSMENT

Step 1. PERFORM A "GAP" ANALYSIS
The first step is to check the actual performance of our organizations and our people against existing standards, or to set new standards. There are two parts to this:
Current situation: We must determine the current state of skills, knowledge, and abilities of our current and/or future employees. This analysis also should examine our organizational goals, climate, and internal and external constraints.
Desired or necessary situation: We must identify the desired or necessary conditions for organizational and personal success. This analysis focuses on the necessary job tasks/standards, as well as the skills, knowledge, and abilities needed to accomplish these successfully. It is important that we identify the critical tasks necessary, and not just observe our current practices. We also must distinguish our actual needs from our perceived needs, our wants. The difference the "gap" between the current and the necessary will identify our needs, purposes, and objectives.
What are we looking for? Here are some questions to ask, to determine where HRD may be useful in providing solutions: (3)
Problems or deficits. Are there problems in the organization which might be solved by training or other HRD activities?
Impending change. Are there problems which do not currently exist but are foreseen due to changes, such as new processes and equipment, outside competition, and/or changes in staffing?
Opportunities. Could we gain a competitive edge by taking advantage of new technologies, training programs, consultants or suppliers?
Strengths. How can we take advantage of our organizational strengths, as opposed to reacting to our weaknesses? Are there opportunities to apply HRD to these areas?
New directions. Could we take a proactive approach, applying HRD to move our organizations to new levels of performance? For example, could team building and related activities help improve our productivity?
Mandated training. Are there internal or external forces dictating that training and/or organization development will take place? Are there policies or management decisions which might dictate the implementation of some program? Are there governmental mandates to which we must comply?

Step 2. IDENTIFY PRIORITIES AND IMPORTANCE
The first step should have produced a large list of needs for training and development, career development, organization development, and/or other interventions. Now we must examine these in view of their importance to our organizational goals, realities, and constraints. We must determine if the identified needs are real, if they are worth addressing, and specify their importance and urgency in view of our organizational needs and requirements (4). For example (5):
Cost-effectiveness: How does the cost of the problem compare to the cost of implementing a solution? In other words, we perform a cost-benefit analysis.
Legal mandates: Are there laws requiring a solution? (For example, safety or regulatory compliance.)
Executive pressure: Does top management expect a solution?
Population: Are many people or key people involved?
Customers: What influence is generated by customer specifications and expectations? If some of our needs are of relatively low importance, we would do better to devote our energies to addressing other human performance problems with greater impact and greater value.

Step 3. IDENTIFY CAUSES OF PERFORMANCE PROBLEMS AND/OR OPPORTUNITIES
Now that we have prioritized and focused on critical organizational and personal needs, we will next identify specific problem areas and opportunities in our organization. We must know what our performance requirements are, if appropriate solutions are to be applied. We should ask two questions for every identified need: (6)
Are our people doing their jobs effectively?
Do they know how to do their jobs? This will require detailed investigation and analysis of our people, their jobs, and our organizations -- both for the current situation and in preparation for the future.

Step 4. IDENTIFY POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS AND GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES
If people are doing their jobs effectively, perhaps we should leave well enough alone. ("If it ain't broke, don't fix it.") However, some training and/or other interventions might be called for if sufficient importance is attached to moving our people and their performance into new directions.
But if our people ARE NOT doing their jobs effectively:
Training may be the solution, IF there is a knowledge problem.
Organization development activities may provide solutions when the problem is not based on a lack of knowledge and is primarily associated with systematic change. These interventions might include strategic planning, organization restructuring, performance management and/or effective team building.

HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

The authors of this series of articles are part of a rapidly-growing profession called HRD. It's actually been around for some time under many different names. It's a broad field, encompassing many subject areas. But it's never been more important, more necessary.
A definition of HRD is "organized learning activities arranged within an organization in order to improve performance and/or personal growth for the purpose of improving the job, the individual, and/or the organization" (1). HRD includes the areas of training and development, career development, and organization development. This is related to Human Resource Management -- a field which includes HR research and information systems, union/labor relations, employee assistance, compensation/benefits, selection and staffing, performance management systems, HR planning, and organization/job design (2).

"THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANG'IN"
Are they ever! And our organizations and jobs will never be the same. Changes are based on the global economy, on changing technology, on our changing work force, on cultural and demographic changes, and on the changing nature of work itself. The changes are different this time. They are permanent, and will permanently affect the way our work and our lives are structured.
We need to learn new skills and develop new abilities, to respond to these changes in our lives, our careers, and our organizations. We can deal with these constructively, using change for our competitive advantage and as opportunities for personal and organizational growth, or we can be overwhelmed by them.
Who is affected by change -- you are! With all the downsizing, outsourcing and team building, responsibility and accountability are being downloaded to individuals. So everyone is now a manager. Everyone will need to acquire and/or increase their skills, knowledge and abilities to perform their jobs (and now, to perform other people's jobs too!)
The goal of HRD is to improve the performance of our organizations by maximizing the efficiency and performance of our people. We are going to develop our knowledge and skills, our actions and standards, our motivation, incentives, attitudes and work environment.
Is training the answer? Yes, partly, sometimes, but certainly not always. In the paper industry, training has been big with capital projects but often is not continued into operational improvement. We have often thought training was what was needed (or not needed). But there are other answers too -- the solution may lie with organization development, career development, or a combination of these or other strategies.