Accelerating Complex Problem Solving Skills

This book explains the importance to acquire complex problem-solving in today’s job environment. The book describes how to use five problem-centered methods to design training for real-world complex problem-solving skills. The book briefly describes the five methods in the context of the complex problem-solving skills - Problem-based learning (PBL), Project-based learning, Scenario-based learning (SBL), Case-based learning method (CBL), and Simulation-based learning. The book also specifies six research-based guidelines, and how training experts can design a training curriculum that ensures acquiring and accelerating complex problem-solving skills in any complex domain.

The book briefly describes the five methods in the context of the complex problem-solving skills - Problem-based learning (PBL), Project-based learning, Scenario-based learning (SBL), Case-based learning method (CBL), and Simulation-based learning.

Time is money and a reduction in time should be the first goal of any training program or any employee development initiative. The skills and knowledge acquired today become irrelevant or obsolete quickly. In that kind of dynamics, the organizations have shifted focus on how to shorten time to proficiency of employees and bring them up to speed to the required performance in a shorter time. This book intends to establish scholarly know-how on this construct of Accelerated Proficiency and provide practitioners and researchers with a condensed and coherent knowledge-base on this burning business concept. The book explores concepts, themes, nature, and challenges associated with the process of accelerating proficiency. This book discusses the business metrics of time to proficiency and speed to proficiency. This book is organized around reviews of studies on performance and proficiency from several different disciplines spanning over five decades. In particular, this book will enable you with the answers to some crucial questions - What is the nature of the proficiency in the organization? What is the meaning and goal of accelerating proficiency? Whether or not proficiency and performance of employees can be accelerated? What kind of methods has been researched and proven to accelerate proficiency?

This book presents a research thesis of a large-scale study conducted with over 50 large organizations in 7 countries with 80 business leaders to understand how businesses speed up the proficiency of their employees to meet business challenges. The book describes a start-to-end research study that explored the concept of 'accelerated proficiency' of employees in organizations. The book is organized into five chapters. The book introduces the concept of accelerated proficiency in a business context in light of reviews of four decades of classic studies. The research methodology to identify sources, recruit participants, and the mechanism to collect as well as analyze data have been explained in detail. The book reveals six business practices implemented by organizations across the board that seem to make a major impact in shortening the time to proficiency of employees. Important observations and findings have been discussed as implications in regards to how organizations orchestrated six business practices as an input-output-feedback system to reduce the time-to-proficiency of the workforce. The book briefly explains how these six practices were implemented through a set of twenty-four strategies in various contexts. The concepts and findings discussed in this book contribute significantly to the body of knowledge on accelerated proficiency. In particular, the conceptual model and the framework developed in this study can be implemented across a range of contexts, business sectors, job types, and settings to reduce the time-to-proficiency of the workforce.

In today’s fast-paced world, with a high degree of skill obsolesce, massive technological innovations, and rapid changes, it is important that global leaders develop the performance of their employees to be at par with the speed of businesses. This book aims to make “speed” as the priority to stay ahead in the competition. This book is a one-stop portal for futuristic leaders and managers to learn about the importance of shortening the time to proficiency of their workforce. This book is a distilled wisdom derived from an extensive research on 66 start-to-end project success stories spanning 28 industries, contributed by 85 best-in-class business leaders from 7 countries. This book is the first and the only one until now that has revealed some alarming figures on the time to proficiency metrics, which, you, as a futuristic leader, cannot afford to ignore. You will gain in-depth insights as to why and how the best-in-class global business leaders prioritize and institute time to proficiency metrics in their business dashboards. You will adopt data-based evidence to present compelling business cases to implement those metrics in your organization. In particular, this book will enable you to find the answers to some crucial questions: - How can you go about being a “speed-savvy” visionary leader? - Why should you focus on developing employee proficiency? - Why should the speed of employee development matter to you as a leader? - How are global organizations using the new time to proficiency metrics? - How alarming is the time to proficiency of workforce in your industry? - What drives the best-in-class leaders to prioritize time to proficiency metrics in their dashboards? - What tangible business gains can organizations derive from a shorter time to proficiency?

The book offers condensed summaries of twenty-three major skill acquisition and expertise development models presented by leading researchers during the last half a century of classic and new research. This book presents new researchers in learning, training, cognitive sciences, or education disciplines with a big picture starting point for their literature review journey. The book presents an easy-to-understand taxonomy of twenty-three models, giving new researchers a good bird’s eye view of existing models and theories. They can decide which direction to dig further. The reviews in this book are complemented with over 200 authentic sources, which a researcher read for a detailed and deeper dive and set the direction for further exploration. This book would also act as an essential reference for training & learning professionals and instructional designers to design research-based training curriculum to develop the skills of their staff. Chapter 1 of the book elaborates on how the processes of learning, skill acquisition, and expertise development are interwoven. Chapter 2 presents a classification system to categorize various models reviewed in the literature under five groups. Chapter 3 describes twelve models of skill and expertise acquisition which are represented in the form of stages used frequently in learning, training, and performance literature. The chapter also briefly discusses each model's implications toward developing the skills and expertise of a less proficient individual to a higher level of proficiency. Chapter 4 reviews practice-, time- or task-based models, which are theories or models suggesting that acquisition of knowledge & skills, development of expertise, and performance improvement is a function of nature of the practice, amount of time spent on the task and task type. Chapter 5 presents the factor-based models, suggesting the interplay of several factors that influence the acquisition of knowledge & skills, development of expertise, and performance improvement. Chapter 6 embarks on describing expert modeling-based models, suggesting modeling an expert through elicitation or guidance for the acquisition of knowledge & skills, development of expertise, and performance improvement. Chapter 7 covers some newer movements toward cognition-based models, which are theories or models focusing on mechanisms of cognitive learning for the acquisition of knowledge & skills, development of expertise, and performance improvement. Chapter 8 concludes the book by integrating views from various thought leaders to explain a famous staged skill acquisition model.

This book focuses on the shift from training to learning to collaborative learning in the modern socially networked age. It also covers how to accelerate talent engagement, development and organisational change for Breakthrough Results. It outlines key principles, processes and tools to accelerate learning in organisations, using the latest research in Neuroscience and practical case studies which bring learning to life. The book covers paradigm shifts in learning; whole brain, whole person approaches to learning; creating learning cultures; and designing Accelerated Learning programmes which are relevant to individuals, business leaders and learning specialists.Accelerated Learning for Breakthrough Results covers the following topics, and ends with two case studies that will show how all of the various aspects of accelerated learning can be pulled together to create real, high impact learning for breakthrough results. PART 1: Paradigm Shift for Accelerated LearningPART 2: Whole Brain, Whole Person Approach to LearningPART 3: Creating a Learning CulturePART 4: Designing Accelerated Learning ProgrammesPART 5: Making it Real - Case Studies of Accelerated LearningThe authors invite readers to engage with the topic, and accelerate their learning through various gamification mechanics and brain-break activities in the book and online. There is a rabbit warren of resources, tools and rewards available through opting in to an online process and ways of interacting with other readers and learners through social media.Contributing Authors: Natalie Cunningham, John Gatherer, Darryn van den Berg"e;In many ways this book reminded me of Peter Senge's The Fifth Discipline, which similarly inspired me a few years back. This book is very detailed, and discusses new approaches, techniques ... and methods to achieve liberating yet learning-centred breakthrough results at individual, team and organisational level. Chief Human Resource Officers as well as their peers, and Chief Learning Officers and their associated practitioners, will all benefit from not just reading this very compelling text but studying and applying all its valuable lessons in their quest both to accelerate learning and achieve tangible results."e;~ Johan Ludike, Head of Talent Management, Yum University, Yum Brands Africa"e;Congratulations to Debbie and Kerryn, who have captured the essence of accelerated learning, a process which, particularly in a dynamic markets context, is so important to change the status quo, where so many people have potential for greatness but have often lacked opportunities and mentorship."e;~ Shaun Rozyn, Executive Director: Corporate Education, Gordon Institute of Business Science "e;What an amazing read - it is truly a book that keeps on giving! It stimulates thinking about accelerated learning and is full of modern and practical content, presented in an easily accessible and understandable manner. The gamification throughout the book places the reader in the milieu of an active learner through the experience of reading the book and accelerating one's own learning."e; ~ Liza Govender, Executive Manager: Talent, Transnet"e;Both Kerryn and Debbie bring their valuable practical lessons learnt, their passion for this subject, and their deep expertise in this field to us in a practical and useful manner. I have had the [good] fortune of working in organisations and in consulting for organisations in this field for over 20 years, and I wish I had had this book 20 years ago already!"e;~ Lou-Anne Lubbe, previous MD, People & Organisation Talent, Accenture South Africa

In a knowledge-based society, people should not simply collect knowledge but should utilize and apply it to solve a problem. Action learning makes organizational members learn while solving real problems in the workplace. However, traditional action learning might not be effective for rapidly changing environments, because it is typically a process that requires substantial time. Therefore, this book provides a guideline on how to apply action learning quickly in workplaces—especially in virtual settings. Action learning allows the organization to develop people while, at the same time, getting work done. It is an alternative to classroom-based and online learning programs. In addition, it can also be an alternative to the instructional systems design (ISD) model or the successive approximation model (SAM) as a means of developing planned instruction if used for that purpose. Action learning can be an effective tool for Web 2.0 learning. Many organizations are now using self-directed teams and other team formats for work. It makes sense to revisit planned on-the-job training and learning with an emphasis on teams. Action learning is a process involving a small group with facilitators and action-learning process managers, so it is one of the best options for team-based problem-solving. This book provides real action learning cases. There are needs that have emerged in these post-pandemic times. There is a need to explain how action learning can be applied to various settings, issues, and challenges. Since COVID-19 occurred, many people must work in virtual or hybrid settings. This book gives trainers—who could be HR managers, operating managers, or learning and development professionals—guidelines that can be used in virtual settings to meet the new needs. Essentially, this book is written for team facilitators, supervisors, managers, or team members who wish to plan action-oriented, problem-based, and work-related learning experiences in real time. Because many action-learning books are written for an academic audience, it is not easy to put action learning into practice. Therefore, the goal of this book is to provide guidelines on how action learning starts, what basic principles should be considered, and what tools and techniques are needed for rapid action learning. The book is intended to be a primer on how to facilitate a planned learning project in a team or workgroup.