According to yesterday’s Significant Stat, 87% of organizations cite culture and engagement as one of their top challenges. How is culture enlivened at your organization? The Blog Post Quick Survey: Organizational Culture appeared first on The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

Clues included the line, "Never do anything out of hunger, not even eating."

The veteran actor will play the Three-Eyed Raven.

Do you ever get the sense that retail technology is overhyped? Personally, I love it. In my career, I have overseen technology roll-outs at thousands of high-touch retail stores nationwide. I have also consulted with major retailers and automakers on a raft of tech-related projects. But let’s take a moment to get real about the role of technology in retail. One of the biggest stumbling blocks I often see is the tendency to apply new technology to old techniques. We all feel comfortable sticking with known commodities — the approaches that have generally worked for years or even decades. All too often, the Web and ad agencies with which retailers have existing RFPs and retainers find it easier to rely on status-quo methods. This leads to shortcuts along the lines of, "We already paid $XX,XXX to create that message for the end cap, so let’s just make that show up on someone’s phone, too." Or, "Make sure to tweet about that new (brand/product/feature)." Tweeting might seem advanced, but if you think about it, it’s really a one-way communication — the equivalent of taking out a newspaper ad. Likewise, push text messages are hardly different from those pesky hawkers on the street who try to stuff random flyers in your hand. Some would even have retailers step into the role of an omniscient Big Brother by tracking customers’ always-on cellphone signals and automatically texting a coupon within a certain radius. Truth is, most people find this kind of thing irritating… and a little creepy. Retail technology is useful only insofar as it sparks meaningful conversations with and among consumers. If the technique in question won’t feel authentic and humanized on the receiving end, is it worth adopting? If it doesn’t involve listening and learning on both sides, is it really cutting edge? The real promise of retail technology is its ability to facilitate meaningful two-way interactions in a variety of channels, both digitally and in real life. So what does that look like? For starters, you don’t need to spend $1 billion on holograms and virtual-reality headsets. A simple tablet will do. What’s important is how you use the tools at your disposal. Let’s say you’re a retailer of high-end, modern furniture. A customer wants to know what that svelte sofa would look like in lime green. She also wants to see it in a living room that has pastel-yellow walls just like hers. The salesperson can now use the tablet to show the customer a digital mockup of exactly what she has imagined. In this scenario, the salesperson can offer to enhance the mockup with coffee tables, lamps, ottomans, etc., because the pitch is taking place as part of a two-way exchange that is willingly entered into by the customer. Neiman Marcus, for example, rolled out a shoe table that "listens" to customers in a novel way. When the customer picks up a shoe to examine it, a video rolls on the table showing a model striding down the runway in those flats or pumps. The customer thereby gains information both visually and, by holding the shoe, through touch. She has made a closer connection to the product, and the retailer learns about this connection because, upon activation, the sales staff learned precisely which shoe had piqued the shopper’s interest. The moment that video rolled, a legitimate reason for the salesperson to engage the customer in further conversation was presented. The two-way nature of this is important, because when people feel listened to, they want to extend the dialog rather than walk out of the store. This is why retailers such as Apple, Nordstrom and AT&T were smart to bring point-of-sale out from behind the counter and into the workspace. The conversation just flowed. At AT&T, the goal is to inject learning into these interactions. "You have a new Audi A3?" the salesperson says. "That’s cool. Did you know those cars have wireless-hotspot functionality? It can save your family a ton of data." Yes, the tablet has a quick video showing how AT&T’s hotspot plan works, but it’s only effective because customer interest was piqued by a personal conversation. So why not just rely on status-quo methods? Because attitudes are changing. Today, consumers want to be in charge of the buying process. They want to have conversations with brands and with each other. So forget about "pushing" content down a one-way street. Instead, let your customers take the wheel with you right by their side. Andy Austin is group director of experience technology at brand agency CBX. Related Posts: How to create a WOW customer experience Social loyalty programs pay off for retailers A "Moneyball" approach to restaurant real estate Obama, financial execs detail new vision for cybersecurity Meijer, Unilever execs: Capture today’s consumer with trust, evolved marketing What Neiman Marcus gets about retail technology originally published by SmartBlogs

SmartPulse — our weekly nonscientific reader poll in SmartBrief on Leadership — tracks feedback from more than 190,000 business leaders. We run the poll question each week in our e-newsletter. How well do reorganizations go in your organization? They’re great — smooth with no issues: 5% They’re OK — we get through them with one or two issues: 42% They’re bad — we really struggle with them: 33% They’re horrible — our reorgs are typically a disaster: 21% Change is Painful. 55% of you say your reorgs go much worse than planned. People dislike change. That’s a given. One of the biggest reasons reorgs fail is because we don’t think about the human component of them. We move a box on an org chart, change some responsibilities, and keep on truckin’. Unfortunately if you don’t account for the personalities, aspirations, and skills of your people, you could be precipitating a mass exodus from the organization. Spend some time thinking through the implications of the changes you’re making. It could make all the difference in the world. Mike Figliuolo is managing director of thoughtLEADERS, author of "Lead Inside the Box: How Smart Leaders Guide Their Teams to Exceptional Results" and "One Piece of Paper: The Simple Approach to Powerful, Personal Leadership." Related Posts: Would you rather be seen as being a fair leader or a just one? How do you handle someone who’s a "squeaky wheel"? How do you deal with "steamrollers" on your team? Leadership : Which is harder: improving a slacker’s performance or getting a high-performer promoted? How do you invest your time and energy in your team members? How well do reorganizations go in your organization? originally published by SmartBlogs

Hi! We are Monica Oliver and Krista Collins, evaluation practitioners in Atlanta, GA. Through our extensive work with the US Department of Education (e.g. Investing in Innovation (i3), Race to the Top-District), we have constructed implementation fidelity frameworks for several complex, multi-level education programs.   At the past two AEA annual conferences we, along with our colleagues, presented a step-by-step process for working with stakeholders to compute a fidelity index, or an overall summative score that assesses the extent to which the program in reality aligns to the program in theory. We demonstrated how to work with program staff in various contexts and stages of program development to identify the program’s core components, select quantifiable fidelity criteria and compute fidelity scores to provide program staff with concrete information to guide implementation decisions. We’ve expanded this conversation into an interactive half day workshop at this year’s conference. Our goal is for participants to walk away with the following information: How measuring implementation fidelity can foster thorough process evaluation and inform programmatic decision-making What a fidelity index is and how it can dovetail with an impact study How to construct a fidelity index, including engaging stakeholders in the process How to compute a fidelity index once it is constructed and data is collected How to interpret fidelity indices and utilize them for program improvement, and How fidelity indices need to be modified as programs develop and age. Cool Trick: Approach fidelity assessment by first identifying your program’s key direct service components. This is harder than it sounds: not every program activity is a direct service, and not every component is key. Naming the key service components of your program at the outset will give you a running start toward assembling a comprehensive fidelity index. Rad Resource: Look for our presentation materials in the AEA Public Library to get ready for the workshop. 2013: Computing a Fidelity Index on a Program with Multiple Components 2014: Assessing Program Fidelity across Multiple Contexts: The Fidelity Index, Part II Rad Resource: The David P. Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality conducted a Youth Program Quality Intervention Study to understand best practices in youth program implementation. They describe a detailed institutional process for assessing implementation fidelity within an after-school setting to validate an effective and sustainable intervention model. Rad Resource: Use this Tiered Fidelity Inventory developed by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs Technical Assistance Center developed to measure school-wide Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports. Want to learn more? Register for Creating an Index for Measuring Fidelity of Implementation at Evaluation 2015 in Chicago, IL. This week, we’re featuring posts by people who will be presenting Professional Development workshops at Evaluation 2015 in Chicago, IL. Click here for a complete listing of Professional Development workshops offered at Evaluation 2015. Do you have questions, concerns, kudos, or content to extend this aea365 contribution? Please add them in the comments section for this post on the aea365 webpage so that we may enrich our community of practice. Would you like to submit an aea365 Tip? Please send a note of interest to aea365@eval.org. aea365 is sponsored by the American Evaluation Association and provides a Tip-a-Day by and for evaluators.

When it comes to using technology in the classroom, teachers "have to be open-minded" and willing to take risks, said Moananui Blankenfeld, a senior at Kamehameha Schools Hawai’i during a conversation I had with her and her peers at their tabletop session at ISTE 2015. "Get out of your comfort zone," advised Blankenfeld. "Do something you haven’t done before." She was not alone in her thinking. I spoke with several other student presenters at the conference to get their take on the issue and see what advice they have for tech-wary educators. Their insight and advice was honest, practical and (surprisingly) fair. Here’s what they had to say: Turn to your students. Today’s students were "born in the digital age," and technology is "second nature" to them, said Keakealani Pacheco, a senior at Kamehameha. Take advantage of this, she recommended. They offer a wealth of knowledge and experience. "Don’t be afraid to ask," Pacheco emphasized. "If there’s something you need to know, there’s plenty of help available to you. Have some faith in your students." Be patient with the learning curve. Using technology tools can be a frustrating, intimidating process, conceded Kamehameha senior Kaluhikaua Kaapana. Nevertheless, she encouraged teachers to invest the time to learn, be patient with their progress and keep an eye on the bigger picture. "If you are open to learning new things," Kaapana said, "your students will be, too." Experiment. Knowing what technologies work and don’t work in the classroom "is all about trial and error," said Luke Taniguchi, a senior at Kamehameha. He suggested that teachers play with different tools and "test them out with your students" to determine which are best for collaboration as well as individual use. Take a class. Many teachers today didn’t grow up with technology, so they are not used to it, said Audrey Mullen, a sophomore at a private school in California, who spoke at a student panel discussion hosted by PR with Panache. She recommended teachers take classes to get trained on different tools and technologies. Mullen acknowledged that it "sounds so boring, going to a class on technology," but she encouraged teachers to take the plunge so they can get some "fresh, new ideas." Foster digital responsibility. Teachers worried about students’ misusing technology —especially social media — is fair, conceded Kamehameha senior Mikaila Braun. But that shouldn’t stop teachers from using digital tools, she argued. Instead, she recommended schools implement digital-citizenship programs that train students to use devices and applications properly. She cited as an example a program used at her school called Na’u e koho. Created by Kamehameha students — including Braun — and teacher Keali’i Akina, the program teaches digital literacy and responsibility. "It was built to help students with ‘digital tattoo’ and to have good Internet ethics and to use our computers properly," Braun explained. "What we put in the lesson teaches them how to use it properly." Apply yourself. Getting comfortable with technology means users have to learn how to use devices and applications, according to Pacheco. She cited instances where teachers, unfamiliar with a tool, asked her to "do the work for them instead of learning how to do it" on their own. That won’t work in the long term, she said. Using tech effectively in the classroom means teachers must apply the time and work needed to build a knowledge base for themselves. Today’s digital natives are growing up with more and more technologies, said Kaapana. She encouraged teachers to embrace the tools and the opportunities they present. "Don’t be afraid to utilize it," she said. "That’s what it’s there for." Related Posts: No Related Posts From the mouths of babes originally published by SmartBlogs

Eliminating restrictive governance within societies and associationsA not-for-profit’s bylaws guide its activities, outlining how it must be governed. They are not meant to provide a blow-by-blow policy and procedures manual, dictating how to execute on every turn an organization may take. Allowing for agility and innovation within an organization means ceding strict governance control, at least in good part, to those…

Technology is mainstream in education today. Students have a number of devices and applications available to them, at their fingertips, and engagement is up. But what about the work they’re doing? One way to boost engagement and make learning more relevant is to bring in an authentic audience for your students. Give them opportunity to share their work beyond their classroom walls. The Web is a great place to start. Help your students to create Web pages for their work. Weebly and Wix offer great platforms for students, plus they’re free and easy to use. Students can build pages, post their work and then share it with family, friends and - with parent permission - others around the world. Authentic audiences instill motivation in students to do their best work. When planning your next assignment, think about ways you can share your students’ work beyond your classroom walls. Brandi Leggett teaches fifth grade for the School District of Philadelphia. She has served in this role for three years and was a third grade teacher for the six years prior. She is a National Board Certified Teacher in Middle Childhood Generalist and will be an instructional coach in the Shawnee Mission School District in Kansas this coming school year. She was named the 2014 Kansas Regional Teacher of the Year. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Sports and Recreation Management from Temple University and a Master in Education from Arcadia University. ***** Tech Tips is a content collaboration between SmartBrief Education and GreyED Solutions. Have a tech tip to share? Contact us at techtips@greyedsolutions.com Miss a Tech Tip? Visit our Tech Tip archive. ***** Related Posts: No Related Posts Tech Tip: Share student work beyond the classroom walls originally published by SmartBlogs

Today’s business environment is more complex than ever. Global influences, technology disruptions, regulatory shifts, and other distractions are changing the landscape. To stay relevant and competitive, conventional approaches won’t cut it any longer. Leading companies are responding by changing their core mindset on learning and equipping their employees to produce only the outcomes that will drive real impact to their business. During a recent webinar I partnered with Butler Newman to discuss those challenges and how to overcome them. If you missed the webinar, a recording is now available. But if you’re looking for the Reader’s Digest version, I wanted to offer a quick look at some of the key takeaways we offered: The four essential strategies to improving performance are found in the acronym TOPS: Identify TOP performers delivering the desired results Uncover the OUTCOMES they focus on delivering Teach PEOPLE to produce those same outcomes Coach those people to deliver SUCCESS Every project has, at it’s heart, a Game Changer, someone who sees what is possible and fights through the barriers to bring it to fruition. Game Changers all exhibit: Recognition that the old model no longer works An active search for a ne approach to improving performance A willingness to take some personal risk as a Vanguard Leaders The perseverance to see it through to success. More information about one Game Changer and how she succeeded along with a detailed guide to the process can be found in our recent book Game Changers: Driving Performance by Focusing on What Matters. There is much more to discuss on this topic. I encourage you to continue the conversation with us at http://www.longandnewman.com/.