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eBook
Building the skills-based organization : a blueprint for transformation
Pagano, Koreen
Association for Talent Development
, 2025
; English
; 364 Pages
In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, organizations are increasingly recognizing the critical importance of employees’ skills as a means of building the organization. This is a fundamental change from focusing solely on specific job titles, position credentials, org charts, and reporting hierarchies when considering organizational growth. Meanwhile, workers and job seekers desire better opportunities to showcase their unique abilities and greater career mobility. Now, organizations have the opportunity to meet their organizational and employees’ needs by focusing more on how to tap into the existing skills of their workforce and develop the skills they need to remain agile and competitive.
While the transformation process to a skills-based organization is complex and may seem overwhelming, skills expert and visionary Koreen Pagano offers you a blueprint for making the shift and achieving success. She shows you how to get started and build over time, emphasizing that you do not have to overhaul every HR, learning and development, and management process and program at once. Start small and wherever it makes the most sense for your organization.
In this book, explore the different components of a skills-based organization—hiring and recruitment, organizational culture, performance management, and career development—as well as strategies for continuous improvement at the people, process, and system levels. Learn to understand the current potential for skills, what is needed to overcome resistance to the change, and how to secure buy-in from your organization’s decision makers. Examine how to plan for the collection, analysis, and governance of your skills data.
This book is perfect for HR and talent strategists who want to go beyond the theoretical and see real results, regardless of where they may be on their path to building a skills-based organization. Case studies of companies at different stages in the journey prove this isn’t just an aspirational goal, but one that actual companies are achieving.
Pagano, Koreen
Association for Talent Development
, 2025
; English
; 364 Pages
In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, organizations are increasingly recognizing the critical importance of employees’ skills as a means of building the organization. This is a fundamental change from focusing solely on specific job titles, position credentials, org charts, and reporting hierarchies when considering organizational growth. Meanwhile, workers and job seekers desire better opportunities to showcase their unique abilities and greater career mobility. Now, organizations have the opportunity to meet their organizational and employees’ needs by focusing more on how to tap into the existing skills of their workforce and develop the skills they need to remain agile and competitive.
While the transformation process to a skills-based organization is complex and may seem overwhelming, skills expert and visionary Koreen Pagano offers you a blueprint for making the shift and achieving success. She shows you how to get started and build over time, emphasizing that you do not have to overhaul every HR, learning and development, and management process and program at once. Start small and wherever it makes the most sense for your organization.
In this book, explore the different components of a skills-based organization—hiring and recruitment, organizational culture, performance management, and career development—as well as strategies for continuous improvement at the people, process, and system levels. Learn to understand the current potential for skills, what is needed to overcome resistance to the change, and how to secure buy-in from your organization’s decision makers. Examine how to plan for the collection, analysis, and governance of your skills data.
This book is perfect for HR and talent strategists who want to go beyond the theoretical and see real results, regardless of where they may be on their path to building a skills-based organization. Case studies of companies at different stages in the journey prove this isn’t just an aspirational goal, but one that actual companies are achieving.
eBook
From onboarding to everboarding : redefining employee development
Watts, Amber
Association for Talent Development
, 2025
; English
; 190 Pages
Strengthen Your Acquisition and Retention Efforts Through Everboarding Traditional onboarding is a relic of the past. That frantic sprint to get new hires “up to speed,” followed by a deafening silence, often falls short. What if, instead, you could create a seamless, ongoing journey of growth and development from the day an employee starts and throughout their tenure—an everboarding experience? Employees say they need to develop new skills to be successful at their jobs, and many will look for another job if not offered development opportunities. In this book, leading HR talent strategy and everboarding expert Amber Watts offers solutions to help you shift your organization’s mindset that onboarding has an exit day and embrace a culture of continuous learning. It guides you through building a dynamic everboarding strategy that fosters long-term employee engagement, accelerates performance, and strengthens your talent acquisition and retention efforts. Inside, you’ll discover how to personalize and elevate the onboarding experience, move beyond generic checklists, and create customized journeys that resonate with individual needs, jobs, and roles. Smooth the transition out of onboarding by defining clear expectations and creating a seamless handoff process to ensure ongoing support. Equip managers to be continuous development partners and provide them with the tools and resources they need to effectively coach, mentor, and guide their employees throughout their careers. Cultivate a growth mindset, encouraging new hires and existing employees to embrace lifelong learning and growth. This book also includes three case studies that explore how an everboarding strategy solves key challenges and delivers business results, while offering ideas for how to implement it yourself. Perfect for HR and L&D leaders seeking to transform their onboarding and employee development programs, this first-ever book on everboarding provides actionable strategies and practical advice you can apply immediately. Stop treating onboarding like a graduation and start building an everlasting culture of growth and success.
Watts, Amber
Association for Talent Development
, 2025
; English
; 190 Pages
Strengthen Your Acquisition and Retention Efforts Through Everboarding Traditional onboarding is a relic of the past. That frantic sprint to get new hires “up to speed,” followed by a deafening silence, often falls short. What if, instead, you could create a seamless, ongoing journey of growth and development from the day an employee starts and throughout their tenure—an everboarding experience? Employees say they need to develop new skills to be successful at their jobs, and many will look for another job if not offered development opportunities. In this book, leading HR talent strategy and everboarding expert Amber Watts offers solutions to help you shift your organization’s mindset that onboarding has an exit day and embrace a culture of continuous learning. It guides you through building a dynamic everboarding strategy that fosters long-term employee engagement, accelerates performance, and strengthens your talent acquisition and retention efforts. Inside, you’ll discover how to personalize and elevate the onboarding experience, move beyond generic checklists, and create customized journeys that resonate with individual needs, jobs, and roles. Smooth the transition out of onboarding by defining clear expectations and creating a seamless handoff process to ensure ongoing support. Equip managers to be continuous development partners and provide them with the tools and resources they need to effectively coach, mentor, and guide their employees throughout their careers. Cultivate a growth mindset, encouraging new hires and existing employees to embrace lifelong learning and growth. This book also includes three case studies that explore how an everboarding strategy solves key challenges and delivers business results, while offering ideas for how to implement it yourself. Perfect for HR and L&D leaders seeking to transform their onboarding and employee development programs, this first-ever book on everboarding provides actionable strategies and practical advice you can apply immediately. Stop treating onboarding like a graduation and start building an everlasting culture of growth and success.
eBook
Cultivate creative thinking for the future of work
Puccio, Gerard J.; Szalay, Pamela A.
Association for Talent Development
, 2025
; English
; 20 Pages
Demand for creative thinking is currently outpacing supply. Despite that need, creative thinking is one of the skills most lacking in job candidates. The good news is that creative thinking is a trainable skill. In this issue of TD at Work, Gerard J. Puccio and Pamela A. Szalay will: Explain the nature of creativity. Identify the four stages of the creative process. Present, and provide the opportunity to practice, six strategies to enhance creative thinking. Describe ways to facilitate creativity at individual, team, and organizational levels. Provide opportunities to pair creative thinking with artificial intelligence. The Tools & Resources in this issue include a Worksheet: Diverge First Strategy, Tool: POINt Evaluation, and Exercise: Stakeholder Analysis.
Puccio, Gerard J.; Szalay, Pamela A.
Association for Talent Development
, 2025
; English
; 20 Pages
Demand for creative thinking is currently outpacing supply. Despite that need, creative thinking is one of the skills most lacking in job candidates. The good news is that creative thinking is a trainable skill. In this issue of TD at Work, Gerard J. Puccio and Pamela A. Szalay will: Explain the nature of creativity. Identify the four stages of the creative process. Present, and provide the opportunity to practice, six strategies to enhance creative thinking. Describe ways to facilitate creativity at individual, team, and organizational levels. Provide opportunities to pair creative thinking with artificial intelligence. The Tools & Resources in this issue include a Worksheet: Diverge First Strategy, Tool: POINt Evaluation, and Exercise: Stakeholder Analysis.
eBook
Discover the neuroscience behind leadership longevity
Billiet, Jessica
Association for Talent Development
, 2025
; English
; 20 Pages
Understanding the delicate balance of neurotransmitters and hormones that regulate motivation, stress, and trust is more than an interesting science lesson. It is the key to unlocking better leadership, stronger teams, and sustainable high performance. In this issue of TD at Work, Jessica Billiet will: Outline brain chemistry components and how they interact with each other. Define the four pillars of Longevity Leadership. Explain how the work environment affects brain hormones and neurotransmitters. Share practical ways leaders can foster a healthy workspace and avoid burnout. The Tools & Resources in this issue include a Worksheet: Growth Ritual Design, Inventory: The Motivation Method, and Matrix: Stretch and Support.
Billiet, Jessica
Association for Talent Development
, 2025
; English
; 20 Pages
Understanding the delicate balance of neurotransmitters and hormones that regulate motivation, stress, and trust is more than an interesting science lesson. It is the key to unlocking better leadership, stronger teams, and sustainable high performance. In this issue of TD at Work, Jessica Billiet will: Outline brain chemistry components and how they interact with each other. Define the four pillars of Longevity Leadership. Explain how the work environment affects brain hormones and neurotransmitters. Share practical ways leaders can foster a healthy workspace and avoid burnout. The Tools & Resources in this issue include a Worksheet: Growth Ritual Design, Inventory: The Motivation Method, and Matrix: Stretch and Support.
eBook
Leverage c-suite personas to gain buy-in, July 2025, Issue 2507
Jackson, Esther
Association for Talent Development
, 2025
; English
; 20 Pages
C-suite personas can strengthen individual learning and growth, influence leaders, foster healthy teams, enable change at the senior leader level, and optimize strategy. Knowing the way leaders think and how they make decisions can augment TD's approach and enhance the function's influence in the boardroom. In this issue of TD at Work, Esther Jackson will:
• Introduce leader personas.
• Explain how they differ from learner personas.
• Describe the primary executive decision-making styles.
• Detail the benefits of understanding personas for TD.
• Outline ways to support leader development using C-suite leader personas.
• Fuse artificial intelligence and personas to enhance TD outcomes.
The Tools & Resources in this issue include a Template: C-Suite Persona and Worksheet: Pitch Preparation.
Jackson, Esther
Association for Talent Development
, 2025
; English
; 20 Pages
C-suite personas can strengthen individual learning and growth, influence leaders, foster healthy teams, enable change at the senior leader level, and optimize strategy. Knowing the way leaders think and how they make decisions can augment TD's approach and enhance the function's influence in the boardroom. In this issue of TD at Work, Esther Jackson will:
• Introduce leader personas.
• Explain how they differ from learner personas.
• Describe the primary executive decision-making styles.
• Detail the benefits of understanding personas for TD.
• Outline ways to support leader development using C-suite leader personas.
• Fuse artificial intelligence and personas to enhance TD outcomes.
The Tools & Resources in this issue include a Template: C-Suite Persona and Worksheet: Pitch Preparation.
eBook
L&D order taker no more! : become a strategic business partner
Almlie, Jess
Association for Talent Development
, 2025
; English
; 336 Pages
Transform Your L&D Team Into Your Organization’s Strategic Business PartnerMost L&D pros dream of the day when stakeholders will stop viewing them as mere order takers and consider them critical, strategic partners in shaping the future of their organization.
But how do you get there? In this book, veteran talent development leader Jess Almlie introduces her formula for becoming the valued strategic business partner (SBP) that leaders in the C-suite and elsewhere in an organization need and want. Partnering effectively with stakeholders requires a new mindset and behavior, a keen understanding of the business, a willingness to collaborate, and targeted tools.
Almlie provides detailed guidance on how to succeed in each of these areas and invites you to start by taking an in-depth assessment of your strengths and gaps in working as an SBP.
She shares her own wins and failures along with wisdom from three dozen other L&D pros who work in small, midsize, and large organizations across a wide variety of industries. This step-by-step guide will help current and aspiring L&D leaders understand business basics, create a playbook for team collaboration, work productively with stakeholders, and teach others to work in harmony with L&D.
The final chapter offers practical advice for those who need to take small steps toward becoming SBPs in organizations resistant to change. This book includes questionnaires, worksheets, and other tools that will help L&D leaders understand business terminology and needs, see a stakeholder’s point of view, and develop strategies for creating effective partnerships and measuring impact.
You’ll be able to create a plan for developing and advocating for a team of L&D professionals who all work as strategic business partners.
Almlie, Jess
Association for Talent Development
, 2025
; English
; 336 Pages
Transform Your L&D Team Into Your Organization’s Strategic Business PartnerMost L&D pros dream of the day when stakeholders will stop viewing them as mere order takers and consider them critical, strategic partners in shaping the future of their organization.
But how do you get there? In this book, veteran talent development leader Jess Almlie introduces her formula for becoming the valued strategic business partner (SBP) that leaders in the C-suite and elsewhere in an organization need and want. Partnering effectively with stakeholders requires a new mindset and behavior, a keen understanding of the business, a willingness to collaborate, and targeted tools.
Almlie provides detailed guidance on how to succeed in each of these areas and invites you to start by taking an in-depth assessment of your strengths and gaps in working as an SBP.
She shares her own wins and failures along with wisdom from three dozen other L&D pros who work in small, midsize, and large organizations across a wide variety of industries. This step-by-step guide will help current and aspiring L&D leaders understand business basics, create a playbook for team collaboration, work productively with stakeholders, and teach others to work in harmony with L&D.
The final chapter offers practical advice for those who need to take small steps toward becoming SBPs in organizations resistant to change. This book includes questionnaires, worksheets, and other tools that will help L&D leaders understand business terminology and needs, see a stakeholder’s point of view, and develop strategies for creating effective partnerships and measuring impact.
You’ll be able to create a plan for developing and advocating for a team of L&D professionals who all work as strategic business partners.
eBook
How to choose a learning experience platform
Decker, Theresa
Association for Talent Development
, 2025
; English
; 19 Pages
A focus on personalization and user experience is transforming technology solutions from one-size-fits-all to curated environments that cater to end users unique needs.
Learning experience platforms play into that paradigm shift by driving effectiveness through training delivery and user engagement.
In this issue of TD at Work, Theresa Decker will:Describe different types of learning platforms.Present a business case for choosing an LXP.Offer guidance for selecting a platform.Unpack a framework for implementing an LXP.Present change management strategies for user adoption.Explain how to plan for future success.The Tools & Resources in this issue include an Assessment: Organizational Readiness.
Decker, Theresa
Association for Talent Development
, 2025
; English
; 19 Pages
A focus on personalization and user experience is transforming technology solutions from one-size-fits-all to curated environments that cater to end users unique needs.
Learning experience platforms play into that paradigm shift by driving effectiveness through training delivery and user engagement.
In this issue of TD at Work, Theresa Decker will:Describe different types of learning platforms.Present a business case for choosing an LXP.Offer guidance for selecting a platform.Unpack a framework for implementing an LXP.Present change management strategies for user adoption.Explain how to plan for future success.The Tools & Resources in this issue include an Assessment: Organizational Readiness.
eBook
ATD's handbook for measuring and evaluating training, 2nd ed
Phillips, Patricia Pulliam
Association for Talent Development
, 2025
; English
; 536 Pages
Get the A-to-Z Resource on Training EvaluationFully revised and updated, ATD’s Handbook for Measuring and Evaluating Training is the comprehensive go-to reference for talent development professionals in need of immediate measurement and evaluation (M&E) guidance.
Edited by M&E powerhouse Patti Phillips, with contributions from 30 expert practitioners, this handbook provides an essential roadmap to developing effective processes to prove the value and impact of your learning and development programs. Training measurement and evaluation is one of the top frustrations of a talent development professional's job.
At first glance, it appears to be a drain on precious time and resources, yet it is a critical function for understanding the results and proving the value of L&D programs.
If not conducted properly, it can yield questionable results, lack of accountability, and stakeholder skepticism.
All to say, TD professionals must have a solid foundation in measurement and evaluation to do their jobs effectively. With this handbook, you’ll feel confident each time you face an M&E challenge, from planning the evaluation and collecting and analyzing data to optimizing results and making evaluation efforts work in your organization.
You will use the data to improve your training programs and meet the standards your organization strives for. The updated edition includes new chapters on how to tell the evaluation story to business leaders, visualize data in reports, and leverage artificial intelligence smartly as well as refreshed chapters on all the M&E fundamentals.
Rich in real-life application, it offers practitioner tips, knowledge checks, and support resources and references.
Your advisors along the way are an impressive array of experts from the field, each chosen for their knowledge, experience, and actual results in specific areas. Whether you’re a trainer, manager, professor, or student of training evaluation, this handbook has been designed to meet your needs.
Phillips, Patricia Pulliam
Association for Talent Development
, 2025
; English
; 536 Pages
Get the A-to-Z Resource on Training EvaluationFully revised and updated, ATD’s Handbook for Measuring and Evaluating Training is the comprehensive go-to reference for talent development professionals in need of immediate measurement and evaluation (M&E) guidance.
Edited by M&E powerhouse Patti Phillips, with contributions from 30 expert practitioners, this handbook provides an essential roadmap to developing effective processes to prove the value and impact of your learning and development programs. Training measurement and evaluation is one of the top frustrations of a talent development professional's job.
At first glance, it appears to be a drain on precious time and resources, yet it is a critical function for understanding the results and proving the value of L&D programs.
If not conducted properly, it can yield questionable results, lack of accountability, and stakeholder skepticism.
All to say, TD professionals must have a solid foundation in measurement and evaluation to do their jobs effectively. With this handbook, you’ll feel confident each time you face an M&E challenge, from planning the evaluation and collecting and analyzing data to optimizing results and making evaluation efforts work in your organization.
You will use the data to improve your training programs and meet the standards your organization strives for. The updated edition includes new chapters on how to tell the evaluation story to business leaders, visualize data in reports, and leverage artificial intelligence smartly as well as refreshed chapters on all the M&E fundamentals.
Rich in real-life application, it offers practitioner tips, knowledge checks, and support resources and references.
Your advisors along the way are an impressive array of experts from the field, each chosen for their knowledge, experience, and actual results in specific areas. Whether you’re a trainer, manager, professor, or student of training evaluation, this handbook has been designed to meet your needs.
eBook
Salazar, Paige Parker
Association for Talent Development
, 2025
; English
; 20 Pages
When L&D professionals properly incorporate fun, it leads to positive course evaluation feedback from participants and results in reaching desired learning outcomes that align with organizational business objectives.
In this issue of TD at Work, Paige Parker Salazar will:Explain why fun is an integral part of good facilitation.Outline personality styles and reveal how they affect which training activities to choose.Share techniques to interject interactivity, engagement, and fun into training events.Enumerate how to assess knowledge and skills.Offer ways to evaluate training.The Tools & Resources in this issue are a Template: Fun and Engagement and a Worksheet: After-Training Action Plan.
eBook
Salazar, Paige Parker
Association for Talent Development
, 2025
; English
; 20 Pages
When L&D professionals properly incorporate fun, it leads to positive course evaluation feedback from participants and results in reaching desired learning outcomes that align with organizational business objectives.
In this issue of TD at Work, Paige Parker Salazar will:Explain why fun is an integral part of good facilitation.Outline personality styles and reveal how they affect which training activities to choose.Share techniques to interject interactivity, engagement, and fun into training events.Enumerate how to assess knowledge and skills.Offer ways to evaluate training.The Tools & Resources in this issue are a Template: Fun and Engagement and a Worksheet: After-Training Action Plan.
eBook
ISD from the ground up : a no-nonsense approach to instructional design, 5th ed
Hodell, Chuck
Association for Talent Development
, 2025
; English
; 357 Pages
Your All-In-One Guide to ISD
Known as "the man who wrote the book on ISD," Chuck Hodell offers a comprehensive and practical handbook on core instructional systems design (ISD) practices and principles with a practitioner's eye.
This updated fifth edition covers all the basics and many advanced tenets of ISD, walking you through each phase, including advanced concepts such as microlearning, social media, and leveraging technology. Stand-alone chapters offer crucial support to practitioners building foundational skills, while in-depth tutorials on subjects such as collaborating with experts offer rich insights to guide the credentialed designer.
This fully revised and expanded volume offers new case studies, discussion questions, and sample design and lesson plans, ISD From the Ground Up demystifies the learning design process. Whether you are just getting your feet wet or have extensive experience in ISD, this industry staple provides the essential building blocks and more for ISD mastery.
Hodell, Chuck
Association for Talent Development
, 2025
; English
; 357 Pages
Your All-In-One Guide to ISD
Known as "the man who wrote the book on ISD," Chuck Hodell offers a comprehensive and practical handbook on core instructional systems design (ISD) practices and principles with a practitioner's eye.
This updated fifth edition covers all the basics and many advanced tenets of ISD, walking you through each phase, including advanced concepts such as microlearning, social media, and leveraging technology. Stand-alone chapters offer crucial support to practitioners building foundational skills, while in-depth tutorials on subjects such as collaborating with experts offer rich insights to guide the credentialed designer.
This fully revised and expanded volume offers new case studies, discussion questions, and sample design and lesson plans, ISD From the Ground Up demystifies the learning design process. Whether you are just getting your feet wet or have extensive experience in ISD, this industry staple provides the essential building blocks and more for ISD mastery.
