In this entry, I will cover another innovative feature of Open Mentoring that allows organizations to effectively implement the broad concepts of modern mentoring.  In previous entries we looked at Seeded Engagements and Engagement Templates.  This time around, we will discuss Facilitator Matching.   While previous versions of Open Mentoring allowed program administrators to make ...

In a previous entry, I discussed one of the emerging practices within modern mentoring that is supported by our software: Seeded Engagements.  In this entry, I am going to cover another: Engagement Templates.   Upon seeing how successful seeded engagements were proving to be for a number of our clients, several months ago we enhanced Open Mentoring with the addition of Engagement Templ...

We have been speaking to the market for a while now about the concept of modern mentoring and how it is substantially different from the traditional one-to-one programs that organizations have been running for several years.  The idea of modern mentoring goes well beyond the goal of simply involving larger numbers of participants; it is also about how organizations are leveraging innovative w...

A few months ago, I posted a blog entry entitled, “Well, Duh.”  Three months later, I still find myself having the “well, duh” reaction from time to time as organizations and media seem to be catching up with their understanding around what employees need as it relates to professional development in today’s workplace.    The most recent example comes from the Globe and Mail: http...

Organizations are always looking for ways to motivate and engage their workforces.  How can we get individuals to perform at high levels and have them do so enthusiastically? I was recently reading Cognitive Surplus by Clay Shirky and was reminded of the research of Edward Deci (I think I first learned about this in a freshman psychology class more than 20 years ago).  Shirky emphasizes ...

From time to time, we field questions regarding how matches should be made in today’s approach to enterprise mentoring.  Due to that fact that many traditional hand matching programs leveraged personality-based systems in an effort to ensure good compatibility, there is still a belief among some that compatibility is a key criteria in the matching process.  While compatibility might not ...

“Knowledge workers in today's workforce are individuals who are valued for their ability to act and communicate with knowledge within a specific subject area.”[i]  Most of you reading this entry probably consider yourselves to be knowledge workers.  You probably also work with a bunch of other knowledge workers.  There is a good chance that the organization you work for employs...

In reading the title of a recent article posted on MarketWatch, “Accenture Study Finds U.S. Workers under Pressure to Improve Skills, but Need More Support from Employers,” my initial reaction was, “Well, duh.”  This is in no way meant to be a slam on Accenture’s work.  In fact, I’m glad that someone has done some research to back up this obvious claim...

There are a number of reasons why people offer their time and expertise in mentoring.  Some of the most common include: A desire to help others Wanting to give back Doing one’s part to better the organization If none of the above do it for you, try this: get involved in mentoring because it’s the selfish thing to do.   Wait…what?    Perhaps I should choose a differe...

We’ve solved something!  (at least according to Michael Rochelle, Chief Consultant and Analyst for the Brandon Hall Group).  We were speaking with Michael a few weeks ago about our solution (i.e., what it has done for organizations, as well as what it will do moving forward with some of our upcoming enhancements).  After taking it in and reflecting, Michael said, “You’ve solved some...