Unit 7

Word

Definition

Example

across the board

having an effect on everyone or everything of a particular type

We encourage professional development across the board

benefit

a helpful or good effect

We're going to see huge benefits from this change

bottom-up

considering the smaller or less important parts or details of a plan, organization, etc. first

A bottom-up approach informs our job-specific training

centrally-driven

moved, operated, or controlled from one main place

The bribery training is centrally-driven as it affects all staff

clarify

to make something clear or easier to understand by giving more details or a simpler explanation

Could you clarify exactly what the problems were?

collective aspiration

a strong desire to have or achieve something shared by every member of a group or society

Collective aspiration is set free in a learning organization

decentralized

used to describe organizations or their activities which are not controlled from one central place, but happen in many different places

It's a decentralized approach as each department has a budget

dissatisfaction

a lack of satisfaction

The employees expressed their dissatisfaction with the new workflows at the meeting

do somebody's head in

to make someone feel confused or unhappy

And the pace is so slow! It's doing my head in!

employee participation

the process whereby employees are involved in decision making processes, rather than simply acting on orders

It's best to have total employee participation and engagement

expect

to think or believe something will happen, or someone will arrive

I was expecting something a bit more professional

finance

the management of money, or the money belonging to a person, group, or organization

Our finance training is very much about revenue and costs

find something frustrating

to feel annoyed, disappointed, or discouraged about something

I'm finding it a bit frustrating that I have to be here at all

generic

shared by, typical of, or relating to a whole group of similar things, rather than to any particular thing

Generic training relates to skills that everyone needs, like IT

get something out of something

to obtain something by doing something

I have to admit, I'm not getting much out of it

in the long-run

over a long period into the future

In the long-run, what the average employee really needs is to be able to do what they do better

in the real world

happening in the world or in someone's life rather than in a book, in the imagination, on the internet, etc.

Are there any true learning organizations in the real world?

job-specific

relating to a particular job

The majority of our training is job-specific

lack of

the fact that something is not available or that there is not enough of it

There's a lack of team spirit where I work

live up to expectations

to be as good as or have the qualities that someone predicted, expected, or hoped for

Well, I agree it hasn't lived up to expectations so far

not the best use of somebody's time

occuping someone's time in a wasteful or irritating manner

This task is not the best use of my time

not up to scratch

not reaching an acceptable standard

Well, the cover, for example – it's just not up to scratch

paradigm shift

a time when the usual and accepted way of doing or thinking about something changes completely

The learning organization vision can cause a real paradigm shift within a company

performance management

a system for judging how well employees are doing their jobs, their needs for training, etc.

Performance management plays a key role in ensuring everyone takes a holistic view of the business

personal development plan

a document that states what an employee wants to achieve in the future, for example in the next year, and gives a plan for developing their skills so that they are able to achieve their aims

We've introduced formalized personal development plans for staff

project management

the activity of organizing and controlling a project

There's quite a big push on project management training

reach somebody's limit

to reach the point where one can no longer continue doing something

In fact, I think I've reached my limit

resume

to start something again after a pause or period of time

Let's resume the meeting after lunch

run something by somebody

to tell something to someone

Could you run it by me again?

see the point of something

to understand the reason for something

I can't really see the point of staying

self-directed

making your own decisions and organizing your own work rather than being told what to do by managers, teachers, etc.

We're trying to make training more self-directed

shared vision

what you and the other members want to create or accomplish as part of the organization

The whole team needs to focus, learn, and build a shared vision

skills deficit

an inability to do an activity or job well

We direct training towards addressing any skills deficit

spell out

to explain something in a very clear way with details

Could I ask you to spell out some details?

structural change

a deep reaching change that alters the way authority, capital, information, and responsibility flows in an organization

It was a radical structural change to our organization's culture

systems thinking

an approach based on the belief that the component parts of a system will act differently when isolated from the system's environment or other parts of the system

Systems thinking is an ability to see and think about the organization as a whole

team spirit

a feeling of belonging together that the members of a group have towards others in the group

Everyone's just concentrating on their own tasks, so there's no team spirit

test somebody's patience

to annoy someone so much that it is very difficult for them to stay calm

It's really testing my patience, too

the bigger picture

the situation as a whole

We can't all spend our time worrying about the bigger picture

top-down

used to refer to a situation in which decisions are made by a few people in authority rather than by the people who are affected by the decisions

It's a top-down approach as senior management decide