Editorial

Citation

Gimson, A. (2009), "Editorial", Development and Learning in Organizations, Vol. 23 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/dlo.2009.08123aaa.001

Editorial

Article Type: Editorial From: Development and Learning in Organizations, Volume 23, Issue 1

Welcome to the first edition of the journal for 2009. A strong theme within this issue is language – from how we talk about and label things and events, through to how we engage with one another and ourselves.

Michael Bokeno gets us off to an exhilarating start exploring the world of coaching and mentoring – but not from the usual angle of arguing the differences and definitions of each. He outlines four kinds of learning goals and four categories of language patterns. Brought together, they provide a rich menu to match communication methods with the type of learning required. Application of his model would go a long way towards eliminating those failed relationships which, as he points out, are sometimes put down to vague notions such as “a personality clash”.

Through her mapping of Motivating Language Theory, Jacqueline Mayfield offers organizational leaders a way of recognizing the link between their communication patterns and many performance factors. She indicates how using the right words at the right time can have a substantial impact on key organizational outcomes. As people involved in developing leaders, we would do well to reflect on her words – as well as acknowledge the research statistics around improved performance.

Most of us have internal dialogue that can knock our confidence in particular situations. Paul Mills invites us to go inward and look beneath the surface to our own foundations – the memories and emotions that have been created by our life experiences. His proposal is that an organization would be better able to weather the storms of credit crunches and market turmoil if its individual members were operating from a more confident, well-grounded place. It deserves consideration.

We stay in this world of inner reflection with Mark Jordan and Anthony Gabriel. They put forward a case for leaders to take the time to develop their own individual “core leadership philosophy”. Would you be able to succinctly describe what is fundamentally important to you in your leadership role? They point to the need for leaders to be “intentional” about how they enact their leadership and provide practical guidance on how to do this. Their suggestions could be equally useful to individual leaders and those involved in leadership development.

Our final authored article by Eddie Kilkelly presents a well-reasoned case for taking a blended learning approach to developing sound project management capabilities. A case study is shared from a local government organization in the UK and useful tips provided on the questions to ask of any potential learning provider.

“Policemen’s arrested development: what happens when they can’t handle criticism?” as the first of our review pieces, loops us back in to the world of communication and language. This piece looks at the impact of well-intentioned feedback to officers during a “Development Assessment Center” and does a very effective job of indicating what can go wrong. In an indirect way, it points our attention to the possibility of focusing on what people do well, rather than their shortcomings.

Our next linguistic foray is to examine some differences in branding – management development or leadership development? “Leadership management: why educators should plan their courses carefully” sounds a warning bell for those programs that would like to sell themselves as the “in thing” – i.e. leadership development. It offers some interesting points on which to reflect – which I would personally sum up as “Buyers beware”.

“‘Jonny-no-stars’ is no more? McDonald’s uses new techniques to engage graduates” demands our respect. Transforming the largely derogatory term “Mcjobs”, this article lays out how McDonald’s are succeeding on the front line. They are one of the first employers to engage with the new generation of learners on the job market. Whether they be Generation X, Y, or D, how to engage the “net generation” is an opportunity all businesses need to grasp. We could do well to learn from McDonald’s’ experience.

We end in the arena where we began – in the world of mentoring and coaching. “Getting the right help: some pros and cons of mentoring” gives a good balance of the benefits that can be enjoyed through effective mentoring, as well as the pitfalls to watch out for.

With Michael’s words ringing in my ears and the questions raised in this last piece, one thing I am certain of – I am blessed to have met the people I consider as both mentors and friends. I am left wondering, however, whether I let them know just how much I appreciate them? How about you?

Later this year, we will be creating a special issue looking at the impact on the learning and development arena of emerging technologies. If you have anything to contribute, or know someone who does, please get in touch with me at: anne@stratdevint.com

Anne GimsonStrategic Developments Internationalanne@stratdevint.com