quote:

Originally posted by Susan:
I wonder have you contacted the National Association of Manufacturers (www.nam.org)? They may have done research on this topic.

Have you contacted other manufacturers in your industry to see if/how they address this problem?

You may want to look at international research sources for studies.

Thanks, Susan! I will check that first resource.

I'm not sure about contacting competitors (which would, I assume, be the technical term for "other manufacturers in your industry"), but I'll pass along the suggestion.

Finally, do you have any specific international research sources? Names of journals or databases? A favorite website?

Again, thank you very much for the suggestions.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: MadelynB,

MadelynB,

Contacting a competitor is not always bad and it's likely that the situation you're facing is not unique.

Sorry, I don't have any specific international sources to recommend.

Best of luck,

Susan

The discussion had nothing whatsoever to do with a dislike or disregard of research. It had nothing to do with not understanding a request for an article. This is, yet again, like so many of the so-called "discussions" here, someone asking for something that is not going to do anything towards actually fixing the problem as described.

Here is my observation (paraphrasing here)...

Person A (Self-proclaimed novice):

I want an article that will demonstrate that re-training is an effective solution for our manufacturing problem.

Persons B, C, D, etc. (Experienced analysts, performance consultants, trainers):

You are trying to support an unfounded solution. You should figure out what's causing the problem, then identify possible solutions, and THEN find *additional* supporting evidence (if needed) for the solution(s) you prescribe. The only evidence you should need is the evidence of what was causing the problem in the first place.

Person A (plus anybody who wants to be demeaning to persons B, C, D...):

That's all well and good, but I want my article. Why can't I have my article? Give me my article. (Along with...Yes - her question was clear - just give her the article.)

Yeah. That's a real fruitful conversation.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: LoveLearning,

quote:

Originally posted by LoveLearning:
I want an article that will demonstrate that re-training is an effective solution for our manufacturing problem.

You apparently missed the part where I said I'd be just as happy with a study that shows it is NOT effective. I'd also be just (well, okay, almost) as happy to learn that, in fact, no study has been done.

I am NOT LOOKING for proof one way or the other. I am not looking to prove effectiveness (or lack thereof). I am looking ideally for percentages that show what the effectiveness (which could be positive or negative or non-existent) actually is.

I appreciate your trying to solve my presumed manufacturing problem, but that's is putting the cart ahead of the horse, as you put it. You think you know what I need, but you are wrong.

Showing such firm disdain is hardly fruitful, either. You confuse "novice in your field" with "uneducated idiot" at your peril, a notion I hope will carry forward with you in your future training life.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: MadelynB,

MadelynB...

This is a bit of a side-track from your original post...but you asked....

quote:

Ah-ha. On what do you base your statement that this solution is "probably not a useful one,"?

The short answer is this: Can you answer YES to all of the following?

1. Did the participant demonstrate in the class that he/she could do the task correctly?

2. Did the participant receive, reinforcement, coaching and feedback from supervisors when back in the workplace?

3. Has the work process itself been studied for complexity (meaning is it error prone, filled with steps that add no value?

4. Has the work process itself been studied for special and common cause variation (documenting what errors are expected and what errors are outside those expectation)?

5. Has the workplace itself been examined to insure the proper resources (tools, supplies....et al) are available, working, and appropriate to the task?

6. Does the participant want to do the job correctly?


If you cannot answer YES to all of them then you still have work to do before you can make the leap to training as a viable solution. It might well be...but a learning and development, OD, and/or performance improvement practitioner would want to sort out the alternatives first. Training is an expensive alternative...even more so when it doesn't resolve the performance disconnect.

If you don't agree on the problem you will never agree on the solution.