Learning Interventions for Consultants: Building the Talent That Drives Business

by Manuel London PhD, Thomas Diamante PhD

Overview

Innovation is one of the key drivers of success in modern business, and continuous learning is what drives innovation. Building on the theory and practice of consulting psychology and the science of learning, along with principles of human resources development, this book articulates a five‑step process for designing and delivering effective learning interventions for individual employees, teams, and entire organizations. This process includes conducting a needs analysis, developing a contract that sets reasonable goals and expectations for clients, designing learning methods to meet the organization's needs, implementing the program and tailoring it as needed, and evaluating outcomes to ensure ongoing improvement.
 
The book also outlines three distinct types of learning---adaptive, generative, and transformative---that help employees cultivate essential skills and adapt their behaviors to improve job performance and promote organizational change. Guidelines for blending new learning technologies---including games and artificial intelligence---with in‑person workshops are also reviewed. Case examples bring these learning methods to life, demonstrating how they are applied in real-world settings.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781433829253
Publisher:	American Psychological Association
Publication date:	06/12/2018
Series:	Fundamentals of Consulting Psychology Series
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	156
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.20(d)

Table of Contents

Series Editor's Foreword vii

Introduction 3

1 The Consultant as a Learning Professional 9

2 The Science of Learning and Development 25

3 A Five-Step Process for Designing and Delivering Learning Interventions 47

4 Designing Learning Interventions for Facilitating Adaptive, Generative, and Transformative Learning 71

5 Learning Architecture: Integrating Technology Into Effective Interventions 91

6 Recommendations, Challenges, and Directions for the Future 115

References 131

Index 143

About the Authors 155

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Nicholas Greco IV, MS, BCETS, CATSM, FAAETS (C3 Education and Research, Inc.)
Description: This is a unique exploration of the importance and role that consulting psychology plays in various organizations. The book discusses three types of learning, adaptive, generative, and transformative, and provides a how-to guide for designing, implementing, and supporting employee development programs.
Purpose: The purpose is to provide a five-step process for designing and delivering effective learning interventions for employees and organizations. The book helps to meet the needs of both organizational and consulting psychologists who would benefit from a how-to guide on working with organizations. Considering the complexity of the field in which consulting psychologists work, this book is quite timely and an appropriate reference tool.
Audience: Consulting psychologists as well as those new to consultative roles will find this book to be invaluable. However, other readers such as learning consultants, advisors, corporate in-house trainers, and those involved in adult learning will significantly benefit as well. The authors bring vast amounts of knowledge and insight to this book, and readers will be hard pressed to find a more concise guidebook and reference on learning interventions.
Features: The five-step process for designing and delivering learning interventions includes needs assessment, contracting with clients, designing and beta testing learning methods, implementing learning interventions, and finally evaluating interventions for continuous improvement. A terrific feature, which pulls every chapter together, is the use of case examples to drive home various points and illustrate the major learning objectives. The book also discusses various pitfalls that may occur and what to watch out for. It also addresses cultural dynamics and how they play a significant role in learning interventions.
Assessment: Readers will enjoy this concise, yet informative discussion of effective learning interventions. The book is easy to understand and will help readers implement the various teaching points. Recommended!

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