To Start: Improving Performance Today

TIPS
to Start
Improving
Performance
Today
Human Capital Management
While it can sometimes feel this way, improving performance in your organization
doesn’t have to be a massive effort undertaken all at once. You can improve Managed Learning Services
performance in little ways, day after day, week after week.
Content Design
With over 50 years of experience working toward performance improvement and & Development
business excellence goals with our clients, GP Strategies has learned that performance
is a living, breathing entity that changes in all the ways people and businesses and Learning Technologies
technologies change on a daily basis. Once you reach a destination, a new destination
reveals itself. Your job is never done. But with each day you serve, you are moving the Organization &
world forward. Leadership Development
This eBook contains 50 tips and techniques to expand outcomes in every facet of
performance improvement expertise, from big-picture areas like Human Capital Risk, Regulatory
Management (HCM) and Operational Excellence to executional tactics like training & Compliance
and sales enablement. Each tip is accompanied by a link to a blog post, white paper,
magazine article, webinar or other source created by GP Strategies’ thought leaders. Sales Solutions
We hope you’ll use these tips to challenge your perspective, inform your choices and
help you construct more compelling initiatives starting today!
Technical & Engineering
Workforce &
Process Excellence
2 | MAIN MENU
HUMAN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT Managed Learning Services
No matter what size your organization is, developing an effective people strategy is Content Design
essential to creating the focus and momentum required to drive business success, & Development
both locally and globally. Whether you staff on-site, virtual or contingent employees,
consistency in employee development, leadership development, learning strategy, Learning Technologies
culture alignment and technology is key to keeping everyone moving toward your
desired outcomes in a strategic and efficient manner. Human Capital Management
Organization &
(HCM) is the big-picture strategy behind that effort, forming the foundation to use for
Leadership Development
the execution of your performance solutions.
Perhaps our greatest tip in this area is to analyze your organization’s top performers Risk, Regulatory
and capture their approaches and knowledge, and then use that information to build & Compliance
your strategy.
Sales Solutions
Workforce &
Process Excellence
3 | HUMAN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT | MAIN MENU

TIP #1
Help SMEs catch

LIGHTENING in a bottle
Equip your internal experts to

successfully train others.
LEARN MORE

TIP #2
BUILD an effective
PEOPLE STRATEGY
As the human resources field

continues to evolve, companies are
increasingly realizing the intrinsic
value of their employees and the
role they play in initiative success,
productivity and engagement.
WATCH V IDEO

TIP #3
SOURCE the best

LOCAL TALENT
The practice of hiring local

learning professionals
goes beyond achieving
cost savings, gaining local
knowledge and relieving
language and cultural
concerns.
READ MORE

MANAGED LEARNING SERVICES Managed Learning Services

In more than 50 years in the performance industry, we have never met a learning professional
who wasn’t asked to do more with less. Managed learning is increasingly becoming how that Content Design
happens. Organizations like ours are equipped with the resources and critical tools needed to & Development
manage certain parts of your operations for you, from content development and technology
resources to tuition programs and the overall administration of your learning organization. Learning Technologies
Managed learning is a scalable solution that leverages shared resources, such as servers and
tools. Therefore, it’s often more affordable than increasing staff, finding experts with niche Organization &
expertise and buying and maintaining the latest solutions. Leadership Development
Since training is a core competency of ours, you’ll see that many of our tips focus around
content design and delivery. Training outsourcing, in particular, can not only relieve the burden Risk, Regulatory
on a learning organization, but also can often bring new techniques and insights to the & Compliance
forefront. Our best tip in this area is to conduct a cost-benefit analysis of managed learning
and see just how much more you can accomplish within your time and budgetary constraints. Sales Solutions
Workforce &
Process Excellence
7 | MANAGED LEARNING SERVICES | MAIN MENU

TIP #4
One BITE at a time
Incorporate micro-learning into

your training strategy to help with
knowledge retention.
WATCH V IDEO

TIP #5
MINI-GAMES can
INCREASE retention
Replace standard assessments with

game-based assessments.
LEARN MORE

TIP #6
Content CURATION
is like BAKING a cake
You can bake a cake (training) from scratch

(traditional content gathering), or use a
pre-made box mix (curated content) to save
time, work and money. But, not all recipes
are the same.
READ MORE

TIP #7
The COMPLEXITY
of LEARNING
Implement science into your training with

a brain-based learning approach.
READ MORE

TIP #8
Not all MOOCs

are MASSIVE
As MOOCs move away from

“massive,” place more focus
on “meaningful.”
LEARN MORE

TIP #9
Leverage the
25th HOUR
Simplify global collaboration

with fringe meetings.
SEE HOW

TIP #10
INCORPORATE
a learning lifestyle
Learning isn’t an event.

It’s an ongoing experience.
READ MORE

TIP #11
Create an AGILE
Project Charter
In just one page, an Agile

project charter can encapsulate
a roadmap for complex projects,
enabling team members to
respond organically to situations
as they arise.
SEE HOW

TIP #12
Build KNOWLEDGE
CHECKS into your
virtual training
Use knowledge checks to make

virtual instructor led training a real
learning experience that is different
from a recorded video or webinar
experience.
SEE HOW

TIP #13
DESIGN at the point

of PERFORMANCE
Change behavior by focusing

learning at the point of performance.
WATCH V IDEO

TIP #14
Test the EMOTIONAL

EXPERIENCE
Engage the head and heart

of the learner.
LEARN MORE

TIP #15
Pay ATTENTION to the

CHANGING workforce
Global and technological

advancements are truly driving
transformation in the training
industry and millennials may
be the best prepared to meet
those changes.
WATCH V IDEO

CONTENT DESIGN Managed Learning Services
& DEVELOPMENT Content Design

& Development
The challenge of developing and delivering learning content is more complex than ever. New
tools and techniques for knowledge transfer—such as mobile learning, short learning bursts,
social learning, coaching and gamification—are changing the landscape and giving learning Learning Technologies
leaders a much broader palette with which to paint performance. Each technique has its
own merits and discovering the right blend for each learning goal you want to achieve can Organization &
be tough. Leadership Development
One of the tips we recommend is to commission a third-party analysis of your current

learning solutions and approaches. Consulting with other experts can help freshen your Risk, Regulatory
approach, uncover new approaches and get the most from your efforts. & Compliance
Sales Solutions
Workforce &
Process Excellence
20 | CONTENT DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT | MAIN MENU

TIP #16
What is a
PICTURE worth?
Use visual learning as an innovative

solution to teach a challenging project.
READ MORE

TIP #17
ENGAGE learners
with VIDEO
Align video design and integration

with the learning objectives you’re
trying to achieve.
LEARN MORE

TIP #18
FOCUS on the
DESIRED outcomes
Keep learners engaged with

a blended learning approach.
WATCH V IDEO

TIP #19
Bring TRAINING to life

with STORYTELLING
Stories compel people to learn and

retain: They breathe life into flat data
and objectives, and link valuable
meaning to numbers and facts.
SEE HOW

TIP #20
Differentiate MYTH
from REALITY
Redefine your expectations

for agile training development.
LEARN MORE

TIP #21
Give old content

NEW LIFE
It’s OK to repurpose old

training content.
READ MORE

TIP #22
Map MEDIA
to CONTENT
There is a foundation of learning

methodology behind every piece
of madness called instructional design.
LEARN MORE

TIP #23
Use STORYTELLING for

performance improvement
Storytelling helps to build emotional

connections between the content
and the learner.
WATCH V IDEO

TIP #24
BUILD an effective
PEOPLE STRATEGY
Construct your training content

to deliver the greatest impact.
LEARN MORE

LEARNING TECHNOLOGIES Managed Learning Services

Technology continues to push the boundaries of learning. Today’s technologies are so
Content Design
diverse and have so many capabilities that’s it’s hard to know which solution to choose.
& Development
The right one can enhance capabilities and an insufficient one can limit them. So how
do you choose?
Learning Technologies
As always, you want to identify your needs, define goals and do your research. But
our pro tip here is to also fully research internal and external trends. External trends,
Organization &
such as social learning, gamification and analytics, can help drive your decision about
what functionality your solution needs. Likewise, internal trends, such as bring your
own device (BYOD) and needing a system that can deliver on any platform can help
narrow options down. Most LMSs have the same core capabilities, so once you know Risk, Regulatory
the specialized capabilities you’ll need, your options will be greatly reduced. & Compliance
Sales Solutions
Workforce &
Process Excellence
30 | LEARNING TECHNOLOGIES | MAIN MENU

TIP #25
Make LEARNING
a GAME
Leverage games to allow the

learner to become truly engaged
in the content.
SEE HOW

TIP #26
BUILD from our

EXPERIENCE
Analyze current data and future

needs before starting a new system
enterprise roll-out or upgrade.
READ MORE

TIP #27
PUSH the
BOUNDARIES of learning
New trends can help push the

boundaries of learning, but it’s
just as important to understand
the benefits and drawbacks of
implementing the new technologies
and approaches before diving in.
LEARN MORE

TIP #28
Bring training to LIFE
Enhance the learning environment

with emerging technologies such as
virtual or augmented reality.
SEE HOW

ORGANIZATION & Managed Learning Services
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT Content Design

& Development
There is a secret sauce to success. The degree to which you can successfully execute
business strategy is directly tied to how inspirational your leaders are and how Learning Technologies
engaged your employees are. The most successful organizations are those that deliver
on their business objectives through a synergy of smart strategy, employee engagement,
Organization &
inspired leadership and a healthy culture. It sounds like a big ask, but it’s perfectly
achievable through a mix of coaching, mentorship, leadership development and
employee engagement initiatives.
Risk, Regulatory
A good overall tip in this category is that leadership tools and strategies aren’t just for & Compliance
those at the managerial level. Employees who take responsibility for their own roles
and growth, regardless of their position, can’t help but benefit the organization.
Sales Solutions
Workforce &
Process Excellence
35 | ORGANIZATION & LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT | MAIN MENU

TIP #29
Enable
SELF-DIRECTED learning
Help employees take control

of their personal development.
READ MORE

TIP #30
RETHINK your
APPRAISAL process
Take a different approach

to performance management.
LEARN MORE

TIP #31
Cultivate
CURIOSITY
Help make learning a lifestyle.
READ MORE

TIP #32
BUILD a
COACHING culture
The role of “coach” isn’t something

that managers turn on or off. They
need to adopt coaching as a daily
leadership practice and focus on
creating a supportive, encouraging
and trusting environment for
their teams.
READ MORE

TIP #33
SUCCESSFUL
Personal Development
Successful development is about making

sure that you have the focus, support
and personal fuel to apply what you
learn in a way that will drive your own
interests and the organization’s forward.
SEE HOW

TIP #34
Create fully ENGAGED

EMPLOYEES
Align maximum job satisfaction with

maximum job contribution to create
fully engaged employees.
SEE HOW

RISK, REGULATORY & COMPLIANCE Managed Learning Services
There’s more to a risk management and compliance solution than just training Content Design
individuals around regulations and expectations. You want to build an entire culture & Development
around risk management and compliance, complete with governance and individuals
dedicated to staying on top of continually changing regulations. This is especially true Learning Technologies
in the environmental, emergency management, health, safety and process industries,
where regulations dominate the field.
Organization &
Our go-to tip in this arena is that the costs of ensuring compliance and risk Leadership Development
management are always lower than the human and financial costs of not quite
doing it well enough. This is one area in which you always want your ducks in a row. Risk, Regulatory
& Compliance
Sales Solutions
Workforce &
Process Excellence
42 | RISK, REGULATORY & COMPLIANCE | MAIN MENU

TIP #35
Why wait for

a REAL crisis?
Create an artificial crisis to

help hone workforce skills.
READ MORE

TIP #36
FOCUS on the
HUMAN element
Precision maintenance is key to

any organizations reliability and
ability to reduce the mean time
between failures.
LEARN MORE

TIP #37
Stay in
CONTROL
Minimize accidents by
performing a risk analysis.
LEARN MORE

SALES SOLUTIONS Managed Learning Services

Consumer expectations are changing the way sales works. Thanks to the Internet and
Content Design
other modern means, buyers have done their competitive and product research and
& Development
expect you to be even more knowledgeable. As a result, sales organizations need to
employ visionary strategies, compelling incentives and powerful support materials— Learning Technologies
in addition to the most sophisticated sales skills previously known to the industry.
Moreover, they need to exhibit an unshakable brand enthusiasm that magnetizes
Organization &
consumers and infuses them with brand loyalty. From sales enablement strategies and
customer engagement methodologies to channel development, your sales organization
needs to be better equipped than ever to maintain your competitive advantage.
Risk, Regulatory
Our pro-tip in this arena is not to look within your organization to define the value & Compliance
of your goods or services. Let the customer do that for you. Being good at listening
will impact your bottom line far more profoundly than any sales or traffic-building
Sales Solutions
tactic you employ.
Workforce &
Process Excellence
46 | SALES SOLUTIONS | MAIN MENU

TIP #38
Give your CUSTOMERS

an EXPERIENCE
Create a brand-centric experiential

marketing program to educate consumers
about your product.
SEE HOW

TIP #39
Don’t let QUOTAS

trump TRUST
Develop empathy alongside

sales skills.
LEARN MORE

TIP #40
Give customers
an EXPERIENCE
A positive customer experience

creates value and drives
customer loyalty.
READ MORE

TIP #41
Leave customers
FEELING VALUED
To survive and thrive, businesses

must make creating extraordinary
customer experiences an integral
part of their business strategy.
LEARN MORE

TIP #42
Offer
INCENTIVES
Use communications to
encourage participation in
optional training initiatives.
SEE HOW

TIP #43
PROMOTE
brand ambassadorship
Rethink how retailers onboard,

develop, equip, and evaluate
their store associates and
management teams to adapt in
the age of Omni-retailing.
SEE HOW

TECHNICAL & ENGINEERING Managed Learning Services

Performance is about bringing together people, processes and technology in optimal
Content Design
ways. And in industries driven by heavy equipment and technology, such as manufacturing
& Development
and energy, GP Strategies goes beyond human development and learning systems to
offer engineering, construction, equipment performance monitoring, asset management Learning Technologies
and plant launch services. We’ve been doing it since our inception, and with such
breadth and depth of experience, it gives us insight we can use in every training, process
Organization &
and technology application we implement in other fields.
Having a holistic understanding of complex operations, from the way a facility is
designed to how to optimize equipment to imparting skills training, is of immense Risk, Regulatory
value in connecting to our clients, no matter what they do. So our pro-tip here is to & Compliance
learn as much as you can about how your organization works—beyond its culture and
the topics you train on. Get a sense of its inner kinetics and your efforts will click in
Sales Solutions
ways they haven’t before.
Workforce &
Process Excellence
53 | TECHNICAL & ENGINEERING | MAIN MENU

TIP #44
Ready your PEOPLE

for GROWTH
Ensure your people are prepared

for your capital expansion or
startup project.
LEARN MORE

TIP #45
Let CONTENT drive how

information is PRESENTED
Use flashcards to map desired

communication and outcomes to the
right learning modalities during the
Rapid Technical Design process.
WATCH V IDEO

TIP #46
Add MOBILE learning and

GAMES to your blended
learning approach
Build a training solution to meet the

needs of a diverse group of learners.
READ MORE

WORKFORCE & Managed Learning Services
PROCESS EXCELLENCE Content Design

& Development
Things change at an alarming rate in the business world. It’s a truism you’ve heard a
million times. But there is another truism in business that doesn’t change—your people Learning Technologies
are your greatest asset. Workforce and process excellence strategies are big-picture
strategies that help employees connect personally to their roles and prepare them
Organization &
with the knowledge and tools they need to deliver on organizational outcomes.
This combination of personal connection and organizational contribution leads to
high-performing individuals who are vested in organizational goals and are more Risk, Regulatory
adaptable to change. Tactics may include process redesign, organizational change & Compliance
management, technology adoption or operational excellence approaches that spark
sustainable improvements in key performance indicators. The pro-tip here is to shift
Sales Solutions
focus to a holistic view of organizational performance, and then target the specific
areas within your organization that will produce the most effective and responsive
changes in performance. Technical & Engineering
Workforce &
Process Excellence
57 | WORKFORCE & PROCESS EXCELLENCE | MAIN MENU

TIP #47
Embracing NEW
ways of WORKING
Ready your workforce to accept,

adopt and perform new ways of working.
WATCH V IDEO

TIP #48
Blended learning that

DELIVERS RESULTS
Optimize your workforce performance

and help your technical organization
achieve measurable results.
WATCH V IDEO

TIP #49
Invest in
YOUR PEOPLE
In the age of digital transformation,

don’t forget to place the right
focus on what is arguably the
most important variable.
LEARN MORE

TIP #50
Let THEM
DRIVE
Create a personalized, learner-centered

approach for your employees.
SEE HOW

We hope you use some of these tips to improve your own initiatives. But beyond that, we hope you follow our lead and start capturing
your organization’s knowledge as we have—in our blog, white papers, articles and other informal ways. The more you can capture the
personal knowledge your experts hold in their heads and disseminate that knowledge among your enterprise or the public, the smarter
the industry becomes as a whole.
OUR SERVICES
GP Strategies works with leading global organizations in both the public • Human Capital Management
and private sectors to deliver high-impact training, consulting and • Managed Learning Services
performance improvement solutions. We partner closely with individuals • Content Design & Development
and teams across those organizations to deliver everything from leadership
• Learning Technologies
development programs and sales solutions to learning technologies and
• Organization & Leadership Development
performance-based engineering solutions.
• Risk, Regulatory & Compliance
While our services are diverse and comprehensive, all are built on a • Sales Solutions
foundation of human performance improvement with emphasis on time-
• Technical & Engineering
and money-saving benefits that last long after our work is done.
• Workforce & Process Excellence
You gain a lot of knowledge from 50 years of learning

Download free white papers, eBooks, and more at gpstrategies.com/resources
62 | MAIN MENU
0
GP Strategies World Headquarters
70 Corporate Center
11000 Broken Land Parkway, Suite 200
Columbia, MD 21044 USA
gpstrategies.com
1.888.843.4784
info@gpstrategies.com
© 2016 GP Strategies Corporation. All rights reserved. GP Strategies and

GP Strategies with logo design are registered trademarks of GP Strategies
Corporation. All other trademarks are trademarks or registered trademarks
of their respective owners.
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TIPS

HUMAN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT Managed Learning Services

Technical & Engineering

3 | HUMAN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT | MAIN MENU

Help SMEs catch

Equip your internal experts to

4 | HUMAN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT | MAIN MENU

As the human resources field

5 | HUMAN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT | MAIN MENU

SOURCE the best

The practice of hiring local

6 | HUMAN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT | MAIN MENU

MANAGED LEARNING SERVICES Managed Learning Services

Technical & Engineering

7 | MANAGED LEARNING SERVICES | MAIN MENU

One BITE at a time

Incorporate micro-learning into

8 | MANAGED LEARNING SERVICES | MAIN MENU

Replace standard assessments with

9 | MANAGED LEARNING SERVICES | MAIN MENU

You can bake a cake (training) from scratch

10 | MANAGED LEARNING SERVICES | MAIN MENU

Implement science into your training with

11 | MANAGED LEARNING SERVICES | MAIN MENU

Not all MOOCs

As MOOCs move away from

12 | MANAGED LEARNING SERVICES | MAIN MENU

Simplify global collaboration

13 | MANAGED LEARNING SERVICES | MAIN MENU

Learning isn’t an event.

14 | MANAGED LEARNING SERVICES | MAIN MENU

In just one page, an Agile

15 | MANAGED LEARNING SERVICES | MAIN MENU

Use knowledge checks to make

16 | MANAGED LEARNING SERVICES | MAIN MENU

DESIGN at the point

Change behavior by focusing

17 | MANAGED LEARNING SERVICES | MAIN MENU

Test the EMOTIONAL

Engage the head and heart

18 | MANAGED LEARNING SERVICES | MAIN MENU

Pay ATTENTION to the

Global and technological

19 | MANAGED LEARNING SERVICES | MAIN MENU

CONTENT DESIGN Managed Learning Services

& DEVELOPMENT Content Design

One of the tips we recommend is to commission a third-party analysis of your current

Technical & Engineering

20 | CONTENT DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT | MAIN MENU

Use visual learning as an innovative

21 | CONTENT DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT | MAIN MENU

Align video design and integration

22 | CONTENT DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT | MAIN MENU

Keep learners engaged with

23 | CONTENT DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT | MAIN MENU

Bring TRAINING to life

Stories compel people to learn and

24 | CONTENT DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT | MAIN MENU

Redefine your expectations

25 | CONTENT DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT | MAIN MENU

Give old content

It’s OK to repurpose old

26 | CONTENT DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT | MAIN MENU

& DEVELOPMENT Content Design

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT Content Design