The Necessity of Employee Training

Corporate training is important for the success of an organization. New training in how to utilize emerging virtual technologies as well as other high technology solutions coming our way. Our nation has changed because of Covid and will come out a little differently. Evaluating the need for and the success of training programs is helpful. One could use a three stage model for assessing and improving training and development (Ashfra, Honeycut & Leach, 2005):

(1) training needs;

(2) training impact on trainees; and 

(3) training impact on the firm

Determining the effectiveness of training is important for the creation and development of stronger programs. We must understand the impact of such training on multiple aspects of an organization and its functioning. That sometimes requires us to use a model that will formalize what we are thinking. 

By looking at training needs of the organization, and then how it will impact the trainees and its ultimate benefits of the organization we can use three different vantage points. I would think of evaluating training needs from the perspective of deficiencies as they relate to performance, customer complaints, etc... We also must consider the cost of training and its potential disruption to workers before moving forward. Finally, no training is worth much without it actually benefiting the organization. 

Ashraf, A., Honeycutt, E. & Leach, M. (2005). A three-stage model for assessing and improving sales force training and development. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales, (25) 3.

Presidential Trump Holds News Conference on August 23rd, 2020-Plasma and Fires

The press release by President discusses putting resources to help in the firefight as well as the use of plasma to help COVID suffers. There is a 35% better survival rate for people who use the plasma. That is important...not 100%....but significant if the plasma is available and people get tested quickly. 

There is some indication that with Warp Speed we are in a better position to get a vaccine by the fall. That time frame is pretty close so there must be something in the works. I think there are 6 companies that are working on it so investing in them is helpful. 

Different Lives for Different People-Dysfunctional Groups Limit Self-Actualization

A good friend and I sat last night over diner talking about the differences in life and how each person has their own unique flavor and take on the world. Our value systems and particular lifestyle influence the friends and company we keep and associate with. We judge each other and our social position based on things like who we hang out with, how many friends we have, our possessions, and our careers. What we don't often do is stop for a moment to think about why this is so important and whether or not there is a true right or wrong when it comes to our particular flavor in life. 

A different times in our lives we are different things as we come to find our center ground. To not explore means we are stagnant and unable to understand ourselves or worse others. Eventually many of us do find ourselves, through exploration and insight, while the vast majority of of us adhere to a rigid self structure. There are a rare few that will integrate the different selves into a single identity to create what is called "self actualization". 

I've seem the major archetypes of lifestyle. The intellectuals, the artists, the sports players, the trend setters, the military type, the culturalists, the politicians, the druggies, theatricals, the surfers, and just about any other gradation in between. Each one thinks the other one is "dooped" in some way. We know more because life is like.....this or that! Yet each one is a different choice that often leads to a different outcomes. Its hard to say who is right and wrong in the end. 

What we find is that there really isn't a right or wrong more than their is a helpful and unhelpful. Some lifestyles lead to longer more fulfilling life while others to shorter and less fulfilling life. For example, playing sports leads to longer life while using drugs heavily leads to a shorter life. Of course extreme sports might kill you and a serious sports injury make you limp. You get the point.....

The problem is that when we not only judge others but we try and enforce that judgement on others. For example, I know a sports group who formed their identity in high school decades ago. While most haven't played sports since that time it is still part of their identity. Fine...no issues here. People have the right to form their identity in any way they want even if it no longer reflects reality.

The problem is that when these groups become dysfunctional because of a lack of critical self-reflection. Rigid social structures limit people's opportunities for a full life; and they do this to each other through social enforcement mechanisms. Subconsciously they may even judge their own children raising the sports players up and diminishing the value of those who do not play sports. Furthermore, they judge people not by their sports playing abilities but by their perceived "coolness" in the sport which leads to encouraging further dysfunctional behavior. 

Again this is only a problem for them and their children in so long as it is kept away from the general public as a type of subversive counter culture group formed out of the 70's Caddyshack mentality. Yet we must also think about the children who are left within the group thinking that the only thing that matters is how well they do in sports. Not all the children are so endowed and have many other unexplored strengths that are squashed under egos.

There is more to life then high school sports and we should help our children find their true center so they can live happy and free lives.

When such behaviors become dysfunctional to the community, manipulative in manner, and judgement becomes projected onto others then this is when a harmless group becomes harmful. For example, a new family comes into town to start a business or reside and the local group rejects them based on skewed beliefs about what it means to be a sports player and what it means to be "cool" in that community. Much of this rejection behavior could very well be based in jealousies and ethnocentric ignorance. 

Communities that want to grow must be welcoming and open minded. 

I've heard this happen multiple times. Doctors, dentists, and educated professionals come into town and can't really settle because the culture promoted by the trend setters of the community is "in" versus "out" and "local" versus "outsider". It moves from opportunities to law enforcement. Let it go unchallenged for a long time and we will find our economy diminish and our community become further misaligned to the global market and that in turn damages future prospects for everyone. 

New people may bring new ways of doing things but if they spark positive change and new economic opportunities than that is helpful. 

If we were to go back and look at where this culture stems from we will find that it is related to high school sports and how it may have inadvertently socialized some people to a dysfunctional value system. You may also find that the same families from the "in group" are played more often and become demanding coaches later thereby reinforcing dysfunction from one generation to the next in the system. 

To change that culture means to change the sports to focus less on "clansmanship" and more on teaching the fundamentals of health.

That isn't all sports players but often there is a dominant culture managed by a central group that has significant status stake in being seen as "the sports players". Its odd because most didn't play college sports or move onto the professional world.  Yet because it was such a big part of their life they can't shake the identity long after it is no longer relevant. Its a type of delusion! There is nothing wrong with supporting teams, supporting local opportunities or fitness in general and those behaviors of clubs and groups should be applauded.

Sports clubs and sports programs are about supporting the development of children through positive sportsmanship and good health. 

As long as the central focus is on the players and their development and not parents needs then we have a functional club. The central purpose should be the teams and kids and not the ego needs of the parents.  Behaviors such as causing disruption, bullying coaches, heckling referees and being overly loud and obnoxious is all about the parents and that is a detractor to the community! Its destructive, damaging and sends the wrong signal to the kids about appropriate behavior! Shame!!!

Kids learn to carry on the dysfunctional values and beliefs of the parents.

However, I can say morally that we should not be paying taxes for programs that are not truly focused on creating the foundations for future self-actualization. With Covid now putting significant pressure on extracurricular activities likes sports we must start to think about the value of these programs. I am an advocate for sports, and played sports my whole life, as long as those sports are designed to create healthy and well adapted individuals that lead to a stronger society in the future. 

Sports programs can be more cost effective and encourage healthy well adapted individuals that leads to self-actualization later in life. 

Maslow discussed self-actualization in his original Psychological Review paper, "Even if all these [physiological, safety, and social] needs are satisfied, we may still often (if not always) expect that a new discontent and restlessness will soon develop, unless the individual is doing what he is fitted for. A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately happy. What a man can be, he must be. This need we may call self-actualization. (1943, pp. 382-383).

Thus self-actualization is the development of individuals to their fullest potential so they live happy and meaningful lives that contribute to society. That isn't possible if we allow dysfunctional values derail positive change in society and the proper use of financial resources that help our youth grow and develop in open minded ways. The question the leaders of our institutions should ask is, "Who are you and what do you support?" We only have one life so lets live it in a positive and beneficial way that does the best for the next generation. 

.....or we can continue to engage in self-serving beliefs. 🙅

Maslow, A. H. 1943. A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50, 370–396

The Long Term National Dangers of Turning a "Blind Eye" to Community Crimes?

 We have been talking a lot about bigotry and racism because of the upheaval in society but also because these are long term existential threats to our country. I can also relate to some of what is being felt and said on both sides because I have some experience with multiple different types of societies within the U.S. To create a stronger nation and to draw people into a central view of what our country should look like we should have some serious discussion on the subjective application of law and who is ultimately punished. Different rules for different people create a "blind eye" and that detracts from our long-term strength.

As a nation we want to ensure we maintain as much trust in the Justice system as possible. It is the leveler and authority on the relationship of the government to its people. Society will grow and develop the fastest if people, regardless of background, feel as though they are treated fairly. That doesn't mean treated better or with extra rights which will create new problems. It means all people are seen as equally important, based on individual merit, to society and deserving of the same human rights. 

Let's say we have a law enforcement officer with a history of bad behavior, multiple formal complaints, and a community that generally distrusts that person because of real or perceived crimes. At the same time the officer is associated with a group of individuals that also may have engaged in possible hate crimes that have damaged other people in the community. Turning a "blind eye" opens up legal, moral and ethical considerations that will likely reverberate throughout society for a long time. 

Let us further consider some possible scenarios. Typically when people are not held accountable it is because we don't want to open up a Pandora's Box of problems, have no idea what they did, or don't have the mental or financial resources to hold them accountable. We make a judgement call about who is more important, what kind of problems we will face, where we will spend our resources and whether or not people have the ability to ensure their rights are protected. 

When we know the perpetrators but fail to act we have made a value statement that certain crimes will be enforced and some won't depending on the people involved. There becomes an "in" and "out" group and that leads to our current social discord. Sure...one person no problem....but play that scenario out over and over and that becomes a big problem.

Furthermore, if there is a history of bad behavior where people have been injured and superiors were aware of these behaviors that creates a serious liability for society and the Justice System. Think about it.....what we are saying is, "I know something is wrong, people are saying it, but I don't want to look because I might actually find stuff!" That is the "blind eye" and that causes problems!

From a moral standpoint we have an obligation to face the truth head on. Confident people do that. It takes courage to do that and not all people have developed to master themselves. Yet if we don't face these issues then we are giving signals to society that bad behavior is tolerated if you have a certain background, certain race, practice a certain religion, or have the right friends.  Authority is a borrowed trust f the will of the people.

The more society does this the weaker we become as a nation and the more social discord we will experience as marginalized groups become aware of the two different legal systems at play. We also may find that our economy begins to decline, in part because some members of society don't receive the same compensation and benefits for the same types of work that others are receiving for much less effort, we will have increasing social discord. 

I've been reading magazines like Foreign Policy, Economists, and many more for a long time. The central theme of all declining societies is economic animal spirits going haywire because trust in societal systems have been damaged. Thus, economic growth and trust in the institutions of the capitalistic system (or any other viable system) are a must for this society and any other. 

Now Justice doesn't necessarily have to come to a specific conclusion and provide a specific punishment; this is why I oppose minimums or maximums. Sometimes it may be mental health help, sometimes community service, sometimes a ticket, sometimes a demotion, sometimes jail time, sometimes even a positive pat on the back. We don't know what to give unless we actually face the issue and remove as much bias and discrimination from the system as possible. 

There really is no benefit to the long term interests of society to have multiple conceptions of Justice working at the same time for different groups of people. Sure....there is a benefit to those who are not held accountable but the benefits to our children and grand children are zilch. There are hungry countries out there and if we want to maintain our central position as a nation we must maintain trust in our institutions and the central tenants of Capitalism. 

What made American a growing and thriving society was its belief in core principles of human freedom and an economic system that says, "No matter what your background or creed you are welcome to work hard and achieve your dreams here!" In order for our nation to succeed we must believe in universal truths and universal human rights that fit within the capitalistic system that provide consistent signals that if you produce you are rewarded based on your performance and contributions to society. The "blind eye" is against American principles and we must act with honesty and integrity in all of our dealings with people; regardless of their background. Our national destiny relies on it!

Feedback for Delta County Michigan Master Plan-Applying New Economic Theories

Revitalizing and rejuvenating Delta County to align and overcome new challenges presented by COVID and global influences needs new and unique ways of besting market challenges. The Master Plan offers opportunities to create a long-term approach to enhance the local economy and improve local life. I hear people complain about the Master Plan but I can't find a lot of things to argue about. Most of what it says makes sense and in turn will be helpful to the community. More activities, attracting younger people, encouraging different types of housing arrangements, enhance transportation advantages and attracting more industry into the area are all good recommendations! How this is going to occur is a whole different situation!

I can't blame them as that requires a lot of time and research. I have a few ideas based on a larger theory I'm working on that could be useful here. If its helpful that is great and if not....no worries. Yet I think that it will be helpful for framing the possibilities.  A few of the articles are below......

We can't just wish these things to happen and must create opportunities that raise budgets and encourage greater retention of a younger more educated crowd that are willing to start businesses in the area and/or work remotely. To be successful means having the will and the way. Delta county has an opportunity to draw in a more youthful generation with higher wealth in a way that increases downtown housing/condo variety, improved retail, micro-manufacturing industries, employment, recreation and entertainment. 

We can beat the global market.....

As each of the sectors develop it can strengthen the appeal and financial resources of the area that leads to growth for Delta but possibly manufacturing in other local regions. You might wonder how that is possible? That is dependent on the type of industries Delta County attracts and how we hedge our existing strengths. For example, attracting a distribution center with the areas ports, roads, rail, and airport can make a big difference for the military and manufacturing in the region alike. 

I would consider some suggestions here....

Attracting Talent While Rebuilding the Downtown, through Maximizing the Benefits of Natural Resources with Tourism Micro-Manufacturing:

We know we have great trails, hunting, fishing and much more. The post Covid world wants these things and there is no reason why we can't attract young entrepreneurs that love the outdoors but also desire to build home and hearth in our downtown area leading to greater tourism revival. Micro-manufacturing of items like snowshoes, golf clubs, polo mallets and others are often sold remotely to national/international locations but the store fronts contribute to tourism attraction. 

Consider Attracting SME Adventure-Venture Capitalism to Delta County (Escanaba & Gladstone) Through Neuroeconomics  as a method of attracting young entrepreneurs that want to build businesses and engage in the local lifestyle for retention purposes. 

We can also attract and rebuild our downtown in a way that leads to improved housing/condo options, retail store fronts, recreation and tourism. Rebuilding Escanaba's/Gladstone's Downtown by Marketing Commercial Real Estate to Entrepreneurs We will need to get "the word out" about our relatively cheap 100K or less store fronts and develop packages that help them get started. 

Developing the tourism micro-manufacturing also helps lead to a stronger export culture and transportation strengths that can be further used to grow the area. Tourist Micro-Manufacturing Can Improve Delta County's Manufacturing and Distribution Sectors

Using Existing Transportation Strengths to Attract Industry:

The report further discussed capitalizing on its infrastructure such as rail, airport, road, public transportation, deep water ports and the internet. It also indicates the need to draw in more diversified resources. Consider innovative industries and shipping infrastructure enhancements of local distribution.

When we start building multiple clusters such as trade/manufacturing training at Bay De Noc College, Distribution Shipping, Tourism, Micro-manufacturing, Resource Extraction, Regional Military, etc... we can form whole new new industries that further brand the mix of economic elements in Delta County as unique.....Multi-Clusters In Delta County Can Create New Innovative Industries

Our nation will grow and bring back high paying jobs if we have greater focus on manufacturing and exportation of products and services. There is no reason why Delta County's strategic location can be used to hedge that growth. Delta County Great Lakes Shipping Infrastructure-Opportunities for National Exports!

Attracting Investment Through Online Investor, Business and Government Virtual Community:

We won't be able to do much unless we can match local investment opportunities with potential investors that have the capital to "break out" successful businesses. An online community that provides the right kind of information investors needs and connecting them to the people who can answer their questions is important. We may also consider rewriting much of our public facing county and city websites to include information investors need. With a little marking elbow grease we can attract big investment money to the area that can help transform the lives of locals in terms of lifestyle, jobs, education, community, and health.   

We should understand what type of information and environment we need. Were doing pretty well but there are opportunities for improvement. Characteristics of Successful Venture Capitalist Investments Environments in Delta County Michigan

Investors often look for information on business owners and soft data as much as they look for financial information and hard data. Availability of Financial and Non-Financial Information Impacts Investor Interest in Delta County Michigan

If we use investment capital well we can take a number of small businesses and launch them on the global market in a way that attracts new jobs and investment in the area. We can also enhance investment in a number of budding clusters that could have post Covid market relevance. Venture Capitalism Under Utilized as a Growth Strategy for Escanaba

Our County and City administrators should think about creating an online forum they can reach out to investors and invite them to participate in lucrative development. Even if the investors don't invest they contribute to the growth and change of the area through their knowledge. Using Virtual Communities To Raise Venture Capitalism Investment in Delta County Michigan

Some Steps to Delta County Revitalization:

Here are a few ideas that might be helpful. I'm applying some of the concepts learned in the theory to Delta County Michigan. It doesn't mean all will apply but if we want to get serious about local economic growth we will need a detailed focus on how precisely to move an under-performing area with high potential to a lead market generator for its specific industry clusters. You can read more about the Theory of Transactional Cluster utilizing Schumpeterian economic principles HERE.

1. Market downtown store fronts and upstairs living spaces to young entrepreneurs with money to invest and a strong business plan related to tourism micro-manufacturing and SME development. 

2. Provide grants for buildings to improve the store fronts to increase aesthetic appeal by new entrepreneurs with start-up business investment capital. Consider putting together an entrepreneur packet with student loan forgiveness, low interest business loans, legal help, zoning contacts etc...

3. Consider a new county position that coordinates entrepreneurs and investors with focus on enhancing exportation of products/services. Enhancing exportable products/services leads to long-term job development and economic resilience. 

4. Develop an online forum for local entrepreneurs, business owners, government stakeholders and investors. Utilize these forums to gain new information/research on investment climate and connect businesses with investment capital. 

5. Rewrite county and city information to attract more investors through proper SEO and content creation. Put together marketing campaign to attract investors and potential mobile entrepreneurs. 

6. Connect with industry, state, federal and regional stakeholders to launch distribution center, enhance other clusters such as military, SME manufacturing, tourism, skills trade education, etc... to speed local innovation. 

7. Utilize budding clusters to develop new innovative industries that can create economic branding of the area. Once new industries have development enhance them to create a unique clusters tied to the area that attracts future long-term globally relevant investments.

You can contact County Administrator for questions and information. https://deltacountymi.org/master-plan/

2019 Delta County Master Plan. Delta County Michigan. Retrieved https://deltacountymi.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Delta-County-2020-Master-Plan-Draft.pdf

Governor Whitmer Announces New CARES Act Funds for Schools | Press Conference, August 19, 2020

Discussion on education and funds within the state. There is a need to keep up wearing masks as the cases in the state decline. Numbers of businesses have suffered from closings, some of which is necessary and some debatable, but the faster we can get rid of this disease the faster we can restart our economy. 

What I think about is how traditional education and learning take some time to master. I would suspect the quality is a little lower this year than many other years. We are likely going to have some difficulties in terms of transitioning from a system that has mostly been face-to-face. 

Some limited money is available for this transition. 

The same process of growing pains is occurring between online and ground based higher education. Traditional professors do not always have the training and experience they need to function fully in online education. You would think seasoned online professors would be in high demand. We still have a preference for traditional academics. We need both today!

Escanaba City Council Meeting August 20th, 2020

 

Thursday August 20, 2020 Virtual Regular City Council Meeting

Posted by City of Escanaba on Thursday, August 20, 2020