Organizational Development | RU Training @ Roosevelt University in Chicago

Tag Archives: Organizational Development

Corporate Heros: Psychological capital and performance improvement

Posted on February 27, 2017 by Kathleen Iverson 12 comments

Just as organizations benefit from a healthy stash of financial capital, human performance is enhanced by reserves of psychological capital (PsyCap) that supply the strength and capability to carry on, even in tough times. A spin-off the positive psychology movement (see Positive Psychology: Shifting from what’s wrong to what’s right), PsyCap is defined as an individual’s strength, perceptions, attitudes toward

Positive Psychology: Shifting from what’s wrong to what’s right

Posted on January 30, 2017 by Kathleen Iverson 16 comments

In the field of training and HPI, we often spend a great deal of our time and resources finding out what’s wrong with individuals and organizations, but what if we shifted our assessment to also consider what is right? Two clinical psychologists created a movement when they asked psychologists to shift their view of therapy from pathology to potential. The discipline of

Two Truths, No Lie: Positive Psychology

Posted on June 6, 2016 by Kathleen Iverson 4 comments

Dr. Martin Seligman is a mentor of mine in spirit. His day job however is being the father of Positive Psychology and its’ two supporting theories: the Authentic Happiness Theory (AHT) and the Well Being Theory (WBT). Spoiler alerts: He was brave enough to recant the first I am about to be brave enough to (respectfully!) recall it. Our story starts

Commencement Goes Hollywood!

Posted on May 9, 2016 by Kathleen Iverson 3 comments

The trend to have celebrity commencement speakers, often Hollywood A-listers is going strong. Roosevelt University was an early adopter when Oprah spoke at our graduation 16 years ago. As we look back at last year’s commencement speakers, here are two memorable quotes: I am a pop artist. So my medium is public opinion. And the world is my canvas,”

Don’t Fall into the Capability Trap: Does your organization work harder or smarter?

Posted on May 2, 2016 by Kathleen Iverson 25 comments

When organizations fall on hard times, as many do in our volatile market, the way they deal with the performance gap typically involves either working harder or working smarter. When organizations take the “work harder” path, they cut staff, increase hours and productivity, and push their constituents to do more with less. If this doesn’t pay off, then wages are

Put Your Best Self Forward: The reflected best-self exercise

Posted on February 1, 2016 by Kathleen Iverson 9 comments

Do you remember the last time you were extraordinary at work? I’m sure you can recall several moments when your best efforts were recognized and affirmed by others. Memories like these create a portrait of our “best selves” and can help us create a personal vision of who we can become. This portrait or vision is called the reflected best self

Coaching Theory: Don’t put the cart before the horse

Posted on March 9, 2015 by Kathleen Iverson 17 comments

Coaching is all about doing –having conversations, using tools, assessments, making plans, following up and evaluating performance. It’s not about theory and models and research, right? Unfortunately, this belief is all too common in coaching and has led many experts to question the validity of the coaching field. When we put the cart before the horse, with the cart being

Beyond Corporate America: Non-traditional career paths for training and development graduates

Posted on December 10, 2014 by Kathleen Iverson 11 comments

Kathleen Iverson, Roosevelt University Training and Development Department Chair If you visit the RU Training job board, you’ll find many opportunities for instructional designers and e-learning specialists. In fact, instructional design was listed as No. 38 in 2012 in Money Magazine’s list of best jobs. Many MATD grads work for major organizations in Chicago and nationally including Allstate, Hewitt &

Profesional Certification: Do you need more letters after your name?

Posted on March 24, 2014 by admintrain 11 comments

By Kathleen Iverson Once you complete your M.A. in Training & Development, it’s time to decide whether to pursue additional training or education. Most agree that it is important to continue learning after graduation to stay current with developments in research and technology. Many graduates seek professional certification to enhance their resumes. Profession certifications are universally recognized designations that communicate

Birds or Fish? Internal and External Consultants

Posted on December 2, 2013 by Kathleen Iverson 40 comments

By Kathleen Iverson Sky and Water, by M.C. Escher, is a tessellated image of birds changing to fish when they sink below the water line. Depending on whether you see the background or foreground as dominant, you see either fish or birds at the water line. To me, this image represents the relationship between internal and external learning consultants. Like

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