Rhineland vs. Anglo-Saxon?

"[Malcolm Gladwell's new book "Outliers"] is being received by reviewers as a call to action for the Obama age. It could lead policy makers to finally reject policies built on the assumption that people are coldly rational utility-maximizing individuals. It could cause them to focus more on policies that foster relationships, social bonds and cultures of achievement."
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/16/opinion/16brooks.html

In this Op-Ed piece in yesterday's NY Times, it appears yet another call to the more socially coherent characteristics of the Rhineland leadership model: focus on holistic unity instead of individual gain over the common good. It seems to me to be a remedy for these troubled times.

Internationals Series 2009

We are planning for our Internationals Series 2009. On 2 December, 2008, we will be holding a presentation, offer sample workshops and holding discussions with the goal of hearing from our Internationals group what they would like to see offered in 2009. We are also looking at a way to share the costs of this offering amongst all the participants, and their contribution to this business model is essential.

If you would like to be considered for an invitation to this exclusive event, please send an email to Rozalinde at r.zurel@debaak.nl. After 2 December, we will use this blog as a forum for collecting ideas for developing next year's offering. Please feel free to contribute. Comments are open for everyone.

Internationals Dinner
2 December 2008, 17:00 - 21:30
Landhuis de Horst, Driebergen, the Netherlands

17:00 - Meet and greet at the Landhuis
17:15 - 17:45 - Tour of the estate
17:45 - 18:00 - Torch-lit trek back to Landhuis
18:00 - 18:30 - Presentation 2009 Offering and appetizers
18:30 - 19:15 - Sample workshops
19:15 - 19:45 - Tilburg Tigers
19:45 - Dinner and informal discussion at table

Internationals dinner

We've had our third internationals dinner, this time at the restaurant Edel in Amsterdam. Click here to see a video: http://www.debaak.nl/en/deBaakTVint

Intercultural coaching - how it's NOT done

Teaching Baseball as Second Language in China

NY Times, 5 July, 2008

BEIJING — On a dusty, shoddy baseball field here this spring, Jim Lefebvre, manager of the Chinese national baseball team, gathered his players and demonstrated the Red Sox slugger Manny Ramírez’s philosophy on hitting.
“If you hit it here,” Lefebvre said, acting as if he were hitting a ball after it passed his body, “you drive a Chevy.”
“If you hit it here,” he said, pretending to hit the ball as it crossed the middle of the plate, “you drive a Cadillac.”
“But if you hit it here,” he said, pretending to connect a smidgen earlier, “you’re in a Rolls-Royce with a chauffeur! Get it? That’s how much money they have. They don’t count it, they weigh it!”
The players, who speak little English, stood by, looking puzzled. Yi Sheng, the third-base coach and unofficial team interpreter, struggled to relay the story.
Yu Lei, a pitcher, giggled and said in Mandarin: “The coach has got a good sense of humor. We all like his gestures. But, no, I can’t say we understand him most of the time.”

-- To see entire article, click here

Strategic direction

"We strive to be recognized as a partner in international learning. Our goal is that by 2010 our clients will naturally see us as an authoritative institute, on the European continent, with which they can partner to address leadership and other business-related topics in an international context. "

-- from Strategienotitie 2008 - 2011

The Future of Learning and Work : Big Thinkers Forecast the Next Big Moves

This article from Ingeborg:

Recruiting, training and managing will continue to be in great demand, but they are about to undergo substantial change. Prominent thought leaders in the field of learning and work (Malcolm Gladwell, Howard Gardner and Richard Florida) forecast the skills that will be needed in the upcoming labor market and the future challenges for workplace training. How will organizations attract and retain top talent? What will be the prevailing personality of the next generation of managers? The reflections consider characteristics of the future workforce, the importance of learning in hiring and retention, the changing role of trainers, and the importance of coaching.

For network link to full article, click here.

Today's term

Being here at the ASTD 2008 Conference in the US I've had the chance to update my knowledge of the training world. Yes, the emphasis is on the training world in the US, but there is a very strong international contingent. There are 100 members of the NVO2 group from the Netherlands alone, and a very strong representation from South America, all parts of Asia and the Middle East. Germany has a huge area reserved in the Expo, the trade show portion of the conference.

Anyhoo, today's term is "SME". In my experience, recently updated by my interactions here, has always been that "SME" is the equivalent of the Dutch "MKB", small and medium enterprises. However, the most common use of "SME" in the training world appears to be "Subject Matter Expert." These are the content-providers within companies: those who provide the technical background and knowledge for training: technicians, professors, and others who provide the raw content matter for the particular training that is being delivered. A minor use of the term "SME" is "self-made expert", someone who by the dint of their own efforts has become an authority on a given subject.

For network link to doc, click here.