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Guide IV: A Supportive Learning Environment
October 1995
Table Of Contents
What constitutes a supportive learning environment?
Components of a learning strategy
Annex B - Positioning learning and quality service in your organization
Annex C - Information sharing-training and quality service
Background and Context
In an environment of ongoing fiscal restraint, there remains the need to respond to the public's growing service expectations by redefining government service. We must improve efficiency, enhance service, constantly review and improve our programs, and focus on continuous learning for all employees.
All departments are at different stages in this process. For a learning strategy to succeed, managers must be committed to it. It is their responsibility, and they are the driving force.
What Constitutes A Supportive Learning Environment?
- A learning culture and attitude.
- Management support.
- Methods in place to measure success in meeting learning objectives.
- Measurably greater client satisfaction.
- Success in meeting performance indicators that have been developed in consultation with clients.
- Encouragement and use of continuous feedback.
Principles
The three pillars of quality service are client focus, employee involvement and continuous improvement. In a quality service environment:
- all learning has a quality service focus;
- learning supports business plans, which support the quality services initiative;
- the learning strategy and environment focus on client satisfaction;
- learning activities should promote a quality service environment; and
- learning is a continuous process.
People learn in three ways. The percentage of skills and information learned breaks down as follows:
- learned on the job: 50 per cent;
- learned from others: 30 per cent; and
- learned through formal training: 20 per cent.
The Action Learning Model
Components Of A Learning Strategy
To implement a learning strategy, you should
- position the organization in terms of its quality services initiative;
- determine the type of work force needed to support the quality services initiative;
- determine the actual capacity of your work force;
- identify gaps;
- encourage employees with specialized knowledge to share it; and
- use partnerships, teamwork, coaching and other activities to use limited resources to their fullest.
Resources
No new funding is available for these learning initiatives. Departments are expected to reallocate resources to respond to their quality service training needs.
Timeframe
Departments must produce a three- to five-year training strategy for inclusion in their business plans by March 1996.
Annex A
Learning Strategies
OBJECTIVE
The learning strategy will ensure departments have a work force with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to meet the results outlined in the quality services initiative. This will be achieved through sub-objectives. These are listed in no particular order, as each objective could be in progress at the same time.
Sub-objective A - Basic knowledge and skills
Purpose To have a Public Service that shares common values and attitudes and that
is committed to customer satisfaction and quality services.
Expected · employee commitment to better, client-focused services
results · a common quality services culture within and among departments
· employee awareness and understanding of the quality services initiative
· a willingness and capacity in each department to create and maintain a
quality services culture
· a behavioural change to quality service, as defined by this initiative
Target · all employees
audience
Training Identify employees who are already are at the base level.
strategy Establish a training plan for remaining employees to reach the base level.
Determine a timeframe to get all employees to the base level.
Ensure all new employees have access to tools that let them reach the base
level.
Sub-objective B - Specific skills and specialized competencies
Purpose To have an adequate number of employees acquire specific skills and
competencies to support the implementation of the quality services
initiative and contribute to its success.
Expected · a group of employees in each department who can lead initiatives and/or
results help colleagues
· an overall capacity in each department to address issues related to
quality services and customer satisfaction
Target · identified employees who will acquire the necessary skills to support a
audience quality services initiative
Training Identify the skills needed to support the initiative.
strategy Identify the number of employees who should have each of these skills.
Identify employees who already possess these skills.
Identify gaps.
Establish a training plan to educate employee leaders.
These employees will help their colleagues give better service. They will
be encouraged to update their skills and competencies continuously. They
will be encouraged to network with colleagues in similar fields and in
other departments to share practices and find out about new ideas.
Annex B
Positioning Learning and Quality Service
In Your organization
The following questions will help you evaluate the extent to which your organization has established a learning environment to support the quality services initiative. In order to simplify the evaluation, the questions are grouped by task.
Question Answer Work to do
1. Planning and environmental scanning
1.1 How would you describe your continuous learning
strategy?
What are the barriers to achieving this strategy?
How will you eliminate them?
How is the strategy integrated with your departmental
business plan?
1.2 How is quality service a component of your departmental
planning process?
1.3 What visible commitments has your senior management
made to establishing a continuous learning environment in
support of quality services?
2. Needs analysis
2.1 What core competencies has your organization identified
that support quality services?
What are the gaps?
How are you addressing the gaps?
2.2 How are your employees encouraged to identify
continuous learning needs?
2.3 How do you ensure a common understanding of quality
service principles in your organization?
2.4 What key principles of quality services are linked to
your organization's training?
3. Communication and networking
3.1 How are quality service objectives and initiatives
communicated throughout your organization?
3.2 How are the messages perceived and accepted?
3.3 Do you keep abreast of quality service developments and
best practices?
3.4 What links have you established with quality service
practitioners in other organizations?
4. Design, "make or buy" and partnering 4.1 What learning activities does your organization offer to support the quality services initiative? 4.2 What resources does your organization, or other organizations, have to assist in this initiative? 4.3 How often does your organization make use of in-house facilitators? 4.4 What innovative and alternate delivery standards has your organization put in place? 5. Evaluation, validation, self-assessment and value for money 5.1 How does your organization measure the impact of continuous learning on the achievement of your organization's objectives and business plan? 5.2 How is your training organization continuously improving the quality services it provides? 5.3 How does your organization measure the extent to which quality service training is achieved (i.e., value for money)?
Annex C
Information Sharing - Training and Quality Service
The following sources of information may be useful to organizations trying to integrate quality service principles and practices with their continuous learning strategies, plans and activities. Departments and agencies are invited to add information specific to their needs.
The working group prefers to disseminate information through interactive electronic media such as the Internet. Recognizing that not everyone has access to such media, we recommend that the information also be made available on disk and through local area networks.
Subject Description/source For more information
Federal networks and Interdepartmental Quality
committees Network (Ottawa)
ADM Advisory Committee on Chris Dodge
Quality Services (Ottawa) (613) 957-2484
Interdepartmental Committee Diane Séguin-Lindsay
of Heads of Training (Ottawa) (613) 953-5582
Provincial/Regional Public Sector Quality Council Rowly McPherson
networks and committees of Ontario (Toronto) (416) 973-6679
Manitoba Quality Network Claire Warszycki
(Winnipeg) (204) 983-5955
Atlantic Quality Network David Tripp
(Moncton) (506) 851-6515
PEI Quality Network Chris Brittain
(Charlottetown) (902) 566-8023
Quebec Quality Network Jacques Urbain
(Montreal) (514) 496-3825
Public Service Improvement Forum Terry Tetreault
(Vancouver) (604) 623-6029
Professional National Quality Institute 1-800-263-9648
associations (Ottawa)
Canada Quality Council 1-800-575-6898
(Airdrie, Alberta)
American Society of Quality 1-800-248-1946
Control
Association québécoise de la (514) 874-9933
qualité
Public Service courses Courses offered jointly by the
on quality service Canadian Centre for Management Jacques Fournier
Development and Training (613) 997-0462
Development Canada include:
managing quality service Paul Proulx
complaints and recovery (819) 953-5138
effective service standards
managing client relations
Facilitators are also available from both organizations. Courses offered by Training (819) 953-5400 Development
Canada include: group facilitation skills working in teams quality and excellence in customer service management of
change Departmental courses Contact your departmental quality coordinator or head of training Consulting services
- see National Master Standing Catalogue: (819) 956-3383 private sector Offer catalogue* available from
PWGSC Information: Jim Corkery (* NMSO "Total Quality Management (819) 956-1654 Services") Consulting services -
Canadian Centre for Paul Robillard Public Service Management Development (613) 992-8346 Training Development
Canada Marcel Déry (819) 953-4633 Consulting and Audit Canada Art Turner (613) 995-9421 Quality service
Training Reference Centre (819) 953-5594 reference Training Development Canada 1-800-265-9787 and resource
centres · documents (available for · videos assistance to all · database on departmental
departments) courses · conferences · federal Public Service workshops and seminars (613) 995-6165
Canadian Centre for Management Development Management Resource Centre Contact your departmental Departmental reference
centres quality coordinator or head of training Departmental quality Membership list Terri Doherty service
coordinators Partnership Network in Database on partnering Alti Rodal the Federal
Public (613) 947-1177 Service INNOVATIONS Published by the Treasury Board Terri Doherty "Best
Practice" Notes Secretariat Innovation and Quality Bulletin board on the Internet Adel
Shalaby Exchange (613) 957-2493