How should you measure your training investment? Our research shows that you may be asking the wrong question. Many organizations are finding it difficult to measure training in a way that provides useful information at an acceptable cost. Our experience and research tell us that most training initiatives consistently fall short for two reasons: 1. They are not fully implemented or executed. 2. They do not show measurable improvements in performance or in business results. These two factors have rightfully created ambiguity and cynicism around training as a strategic investment. After all, why would an organization want to invest in processes without clearly understanding how improvements will impact their business? There are clearly some disconnects between learning and results. While many companies philosophically believe in “investing in people” through skill building, most are content with allowing the results to “take care of themselves.” The probability of this approach having a tangible business impact is slim. We believe that every learning investment must be managed appropriately if you expect a benefit. Without managing the learning process to ensure that training translates into performance and results, there may be little or no benefit for either the individual or the company. For organizations and employees to realize the full value of training, they must connect two common “disconnects” that occur between learning and business results. Based on Kirkpatrick’s four level Summative Evaluation, the LSA Learning Maturity Continuum™ below shows five levels of measurement, and how, if learning and application are not effectively linked, true learning and business results can not be achieved nor measured. The Disconnects 1. Adoption Disconnect. The first disconnect is one of adoption. Adoption is the linchpin between Learning (level II) and Application (Level III) shown to the right. While many are improving their ability to ensure that participants can exhibit the specific skills in a training environment, few do what it takes to ensure that those skills will be transferred and applied on-the-job. This “Adoption Disconnect” inhibits learning from producing performance improvement. While improving key skills, knowledge, and abilities may provide some benefit to the individual, experience tells us that it is only truly valuable to a team or organization if those skills are transferred to on-the-job performance. This means that organizations must invest in and plan for what happens before, during and after their learning interventions in order to improve organizational performance. 2. Alignment Disconnect. The second disconnect is one of alignment. This is the key connection between Application (Level III) and Results (Level IV). Even if training participants are able to apply new skills and change their on-the-job performance, success is unsatisfactory if the new performance results are not aligned with what the business is trying to accomplish. While this may sound obvious, we continue to find organizations that press ahead with learning and development initiatives that have no clear link to business priorities. This usually occurs due to a lack of rigor in analyzing business priorities, performance objectives, and root causes as part of the design phase for a training initiative. This lack of alignment and adoption is exactly what causes training, and often Human Resources, to be out of step with the critical initiatives of a business. We believe this lack of alignment is also behind the recent trend toward increased learning analytics and the desire to more effectively measure the return on human capital. In our conversations with Executives, Human Resource Professionals, and Line Managers, they tell us that they need to measure learning initiatives to justify budgets, approaches, and opportunity costs. We believe, however, that most companies would be better served by focusing their resources not on measuring, but on managing and fully implementing their learning initiatives in alignment with their key strategic priorities. Two Steps to Connect the Disconnects™ of Alignment and Adoption In order to “Connect the Disconnects™” necessary to transform learning into improved on-the-job performance and real business results, we recommend two key steps – starting with alignment. 1. Alignment: Begin with the business objectives in mind We believe in a deep and fast analysis of business priorities and performance objectives to ensure that training initiatives target key results. While ”deep and fast” may seem contradictory, we know that in today’s competitive landscape an effective analysis needs to be: I. Timely enough to keep pace with the rate of change within an organization. II. Deep enough so that it identifies the few key levers needed to achieve the specific desired results. When training initiatives have a clear line of sight to guiding business objectives, teams are able to move fast, learn, and adapt their approaches to produce defined results. The more actions are aligned with critical business drivers, the greater the impact. This is especially true if the organization views “training” as just one of many arrows in their solution quiver. Unfortunately, many organizations either spend their time and money attempting to measure results of a process that has not been properly managed or executed in the first place or they “push out” training events linked to “competencies” that have minimum impact on job performance and business results. Alignment, the key connection between Application (Level III) and Results (Level IV), creates the foundation for skills to transfer to on-the-job performance and eventually manifest themselves in tangible business results. Without this alignment, organizations can only hope that their investments make sense. This feeling of “guessing” is what drives companies to decrease their investments in learning or to increase their attempts to measure ROI. Once you have clarity around the strategic priorities, success metrics, and alignment, it is time to fully manage and implement the learning solution in conjunction with other interventions – in other words “finish what you start.” That brings us to step #2 – Adoption. 2. Adoption: Support individuals and teams through the learning transformation To be successful, each learning initiative must employ internal and external levers that enable the successful application of learned skills to job- specific tasks. Once the appropriate success levers are selected and aligned with the learning development process, the adoption and mastery of new skills should be facilitated using the 5Ri™ Methodology. Through this methodology, skills are adopted, transferred, and successfully applied through the 5R™’s: I. Relevance: How does the skill development apply directly to an individual’s role and the group’s purpose? II. Resources: How are the necessary time, information, tools, technology, supporting processes, and structures being made available to produce the desired result? III. Reinforcement: How is your environment supporting (incentives, consequences, recognition, etc.) the application of the new skills? IV. Renewal: How is the organization ensuring continuous improvement through coaching, mentoring, follow-up, and refreshers? V. Review: How are you evaluating the efficacy of the intervention at individual and group levels? These five critical elements should be identified, managed, and adjusted before, during, and after each learning initiative to ensure adoption, transfer, and performance. This combination of clarity and systemic support helps to transform learning into improved on-the-job performance and real business results – the real ROI of learning initiatives. This approach places learning (as needed, just in time) within project teams, business initiatives, and projects instead of just inside a classroom or on a computer screen. Learning should be integrated as a part of your job – not outside of your job. When we ask executives why they are not fully managing or implementing their learning solutions, they provide three consistent answers. 1. First, it takes time and effort. 2. Second, they are not sure how to do it. 3. Third, even if they knew how to do it, they may not have the skills required to get it done. While we appreciate the obstacles, we know what it takes to create focus, clarity, and dedication to achieve a true competitive advantage through people. Conclusion In summary, because everyone has limited capital and resources, we believe that you will have the best return on investment if you focus on helping people achieve the critical few priorities of the business and on fully implementing solutions before you worry about complicated metrics that are usually based just upon people’s perceptions. There is little benefit to measuring a “flawed and shallow” implementation. We recommend that you focus, instead, on proper execution before investing in measuring something that has never quite lived up to expectations due to a lack of clear direction and strategic alignment. The far more valuable question becomes “How do you manage and fully execute your training investment to get the results required by your business plan?”

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Learn more about Transfer of Training Visit us at: www.lsaglobal.com Copyright © 2008 Learning Alliance Corporation DBA LSA Global All Rights Reserved.

Many people recognize a monogram as initials or a set of letters combined to make one sign of identity.What many people do not know is how the monogram came to be used and the proper way to create or read one.

Historically, a monogram was used as a royal signature.Romans and Greeks used them on coins to identify their rulers. Then, in the Middle Ages, artisans began to use them to sign their work.Victorian-period high-class persons adapted the monogram for personal use as a symbol of their place in society.Now, monograms can be seen on just about anything:bags, shoes, purses, clothes, personal stationary, and, of course, towels.Towels are perhaps the most popular of these examples.Newlyweds will often choose new towels and the monogram to be embroidered.

One can look almost anywhere and find a monogram.Luxury car companies sometimes monogram the leather seats of their vehicles, monograms are sometimes used as company logos, and people walk around with monogrammed jewelry and bags all the time.

In the Victorian era, rules for monograms were quite simple and few.Female monograms had the first initial on the left, middle initial on the right, and last initial embroidered larger in the middle.But the rules are hardly simple anymore.A monogram can be playful, whimsical, flamboyant, traditional, elegant, or understated;the number of choices today is almost infinite.Many still choose to use the traditional Victorian female model, but now there is a traditional male model of first, middle, last, all in the same size, and there are numerous styles to choose from.

A monogram can be a whole name or just initials.Rules are now flexible, but for the purist, there are a few standards.First of all, monograms with three initials are generally in the Victorian format of first initial, large last initial, middle initial.Then there is the male monogram of same-size letters first, middle, last initials.Married monograms usually consist of the bride’s first initial on the left, the groom’s first initial on the right, and the joint last name initial larger in the center, similar to the Victorian female version.A married woman would use her first name initial on the left, maiden initial on the right, then new last initial larger in the center.

About 10 percent to 30 percent of people with psoriasis also develop psoriatic [pronounced sore-ee-AA-tic] arthritis, which causes pain, stiffness and swelling in and around the joints.

Early recognition, diagnosis and treatment of psoriatic arthritis can relieve pain and inflammation and possibly help prevent progressive joint involvement and damage. Without treatment, psoriatic arthritis can potentially be disabling and crippling.

Psoriatic arthritis is a less common form of arthritis. It affects both men and women in equal numbers, and usually between the ages of 20 and 50. Up to 30% of people with psoriasis will also get psoriatic arthritis. Although psoriasis may start at any age (commonly in the late teens), the arthritis component usually makes its appearance later - in the 20s, 30s and 40s. Commonly, psoriasis shows first, but in a small percentage of people (approximately 15%), arthritis may show first.

Psoriatic Arthritis Causes

A particular combination of genes makes some people more likely to get psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Current research suggests that something (perhaps an infection) acts as a trigger in people who are susceptible to this type of arthritis because of their genetic make-up. No specific infection has been found and it may be that a variety of infections (including bacteria that live in patches of psoriasis) can trigger the disease.

Psoriatic Arthritis Symptoms

Symptoms associated with psoriatic arthritis vary in how they occur (i.e. symmetrical or asymmetrical) and what joints are affected. Any joint in the body can be affected. When psoriasis causes pitting and thickened or discolored fingernails, the joints nearest the fingertips are likely to become arthritic.

In most patients, the psoriasis precedes the arthritis by months to years. The arthritis frequently involve the knees, ankles, and joints in the feet. Usually, only a few joints are inflamed at a time. The inflamed joints become painful, swollen, hot, and red. Sometimes, joint inflammation in the fingers or toes can cause swelling of the entire digit, giving them the appearance of a "sausage." Joint stiffness is common and is typically worse early in the morning.

Other Symptoms include:

·    Silver or grey scaly spots on the scalp, elbows, knees and/or lower end of the spine.
·    Pitting of fingernails/toenails


Psoriatic Arthritis  Diagnosis

Skin and nail changes characteristic of psoriasis with accompanying arthritic symptoms are the hallmarks of psoriatic arthritis. A blood test for rheumatoid factor, antibodies that suggest the presence of rheumatoid arthritis, is negative in nearly all patients with psoriatic arthritis. X rays may show characteristic damage to the larger joints on either side of the body as well as fusion of the joints at the ends of the fingers and toes.

Psoriatic Arthritis Treatment

Treatment plans are designed to reduce inflammation in the joints, reduce pain and prevent further damage.  Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are used to control the pain and swelling of the arthritis. Your doctor may inject steroids directly into affected joints. Other drugs, such as methotrexate and an antimalarial drug known as hydroxychloroquine, may also be used. Other more aggressive treatments include corticosteroid injections into the joints or injections of gold salts for patients with more destructive joint damage. Surgery may be necessary in cases of very severe

Read more about Arthritis Pain Relief, Back Pain Relief and Joint Pain Relief