Corporate Training Simulations & Blogs

I recently received ASTD’s “The Buzz: Training News from around the World” and some interesting headlines and abstracts caught my attention in relation to this course. The first headline/article reviews the growing interest in using simulations for training among many corporations. A couple of the popular simulations are similar to ideas the class posted to the Moodle forum for Inform 7 and Second Life. The second headline/article explains how organizations can use blogs for their benefit, especially when they have made mistakes and need to publicly own up to them. I have included the headlines and abstracts that I originally read and links to the full articles.

"Business Simulations for Corporate Training
WebProNews (09/26/06) - Adams, Gabriel
Companies are increasingly using business simulators as training tools. These computer games recreate an aspect of the industry to help employees learn new skills or sharpen existing ones. Role playing simulators are suitable for customer service representatives and call center employees, as they mimic phone interactions. There are also leadership training simulators that enable employees to use leadership skills to make decisions and employment simulators that help those in charge of hiring assess recruits. Additionally, there are simulators for product development, legal compliance, and nearly all other aspects of a business."

Link to article: http://www.webpronews.com/expertarticles/expertarticles/wpn-62-20060926BusinessSimulationsforCorporateTraining.html

"Mistakes Were Made
Inc. Magazine (10/06) Vol. 28, P. 65; Freedman, David H.
Blogs are often used by companies to tout the latest innovations at their factories or as an internal communication device between managers and employees. However, experts note that these communications tools could be used to admit mistakes publicly in order to stave off scandal, fines, and reputational damage. Executives could also use the medium to foster open communication about mistakes throughout the company, fostering a more ethical culture. Mayo Clinic, for instance, has developed a blog system in which its residents issue complaints about errors and other problems at the facility, workers admit their mistakes, and logs are made of what changes were made as a result. The clinic claims that the blog has helped improve care at the facility, and many experts agree that logging mistakes can help the entire firm learn from them and become more efficient. The one downfall of these confessional blogs would be that executives or managers opt to bring down those that confess honest mistakes, rather than use those confessions as a learning tool to improve the firm overall."

Link to article:
http://www.inc.com/magazine/20061001/column-freedman.html