METRICS OF CORPORATE EDUCATION MANAGEMENT: MATURITY MODELS

Transcription

1 METRICS OF CORPORATE EDUCATION MANAGEMENT: MATURITY MODELS Paulo Sergio Orti (UNESP) João Pedro Albino (UNESP) Jair Wagner de Souza Manfrinato (UNESP) One of the greatest challenges of modern business consists in keeping itself updated and active in the market which operates. It is necessary to know its real stage of development and maturity, in the several work processes, so that it is ppossible to plan actions and obtain success in the innovation processes. Many enterprises invest in the implantation of programs and technologies without the right application of the available resources, what causes, besides the evident loss, discredit in relation to good solutions once implanted, but badly utilized. This is due to short understanding of the maturity context in which such tool or program is inserted, so that its implantation and success are damaged. There are maturity models which are used with success in Information Technology, Corporate Government, Project Management, Quality, among others, and giving excellent contributions to the strategic organization management. The maturity Models are used, thus, to describe a wide range of organizational processes and its maturity evolution levels. The present work intends to provide contributions so that de Corporate Education, regarded as one area with few metrics in the organizations, can be better understood, assessed and developed, with the maturity models better structured in a practical and detailed way. To the tool assessment researches were accomplished in bank service enterprises to identify the current maturity level of these organizations, concerning 22 functional processes of Corporate Education area. Three enterprises were researched, in a universe of 6 enterprises connected to the bank, representing 50 per cent of the sample. The data collection was made through open-questions questionnaires applied in personal interviews with the main manager of Knowledge Management. The results were returned personally to the managers, who approved them fully and demonstrated that the assessment tool is efficient to diagnose the real organizational maturity stage of the corporate education processes in the enterprises, as well as to delineate the

2 development possibilities. The authors suggest that further studies involving the Maturity Models aiming the creation of objective tools for assessment and metrics will be relevant to Corporate Education in the organizations. Palavras-chaves: Maturity Models, Knowledge Management, Corporate Education, Metrics of Management. 2

3 1. Introduction One of the greatest challenges of a modern company is to keep updated and pro-active in the market. Another challenge is to define pointers capable to measure its performance and that prove its real degree of development, quality and maturity, allowing it to establish plans to development, maintenance and protection of its intellectual and professional assets. To do so, many organizations invest in the implementation of software and technologies without using the existing resources, what brings prejudice, discredit regarding the good solutions sub-used, due the low comprehension of the maturity context that such tool or process is inserted, according to Albino e Reinhard (2005). Many organizations have take effort to create evaluation parameters and maturity model definitions that are used to describe a wide range of organization processes and their level of evolution. We will focus on PMMM (Project Management Maturity Model) from Kerzner (2001) and OPM3 created by PMI (2003), two models in Project Management area. This work intend to supply contributions to Knowledge Management (KM) and Corporate Education (CE) have better understanding, evaluation and development in maturity models, since they are considered as low parameterized in organizations. We propose a matrix that related main activities in CE process and specific Maturity Model to the area and evaluate in a pilot research. The research tried to answer if the tool Maturity Model Diagnosis in Corporate Education (DMMEC) would offer conditions to a general vision of the organization s development level in the chosen area, supplying metrics and solution indications to each process stage. To verify the tool, it was performs a research by Orti, Bottaro e Martins (2007), in organizations in bank service market, in a way to identify the current stage of maturity in these organizations, considering 22 functional processes in CE area. Three organizations were researched, in a 6 correlated universe (services and bank products transformed in organizations) to a Bank, representing 50% of the sample. Data collect was performed through questionnaires with open questions applied in individual interviews with the main manager in KM area. The results were returned personally to the managers, which approved them completely demonstrated the efficiency of the evaluation tool to diagnose the real stage of organizational maturity of corporate education processes and also determine the possibilities of developing these processes. With improve of metrics in this area, it will be possible to create criteria to compare with the market and we will have a national and international metric and parameterization system. 2. Bibliography review Maturity Model, KM and CE are very wide ranged subjects and this article does not intend to make a detailed review of these themes. Our goal is to approach some topics that build a basis to search an understanding of the possibility to build a Maturity Model in CE that is useful and applicable in the future, even on line. 3

4 2.1 Maturity Models The concept of maturity Model came from the need to understand in which organizational evolution stage a certain process fits in terms of ordination, synergy between physical parts and efficiency. Kerzner (2001) defined the management of maturity: It is the development of systems and processes that are by nature repetitive and assure a high probability that each of them has success. Just increase their productivity.. According to Moore (2003), a maturity model is a structure to characterize a system evolution, from a state less ordinate and less effective, to a state more ordinate and highly efficient, what reinforces the idea of a jump in quality and change in operation pattern, placing a new phase or system categorization. About maturity in CE processes, we could say that it refers to the organization s ability to conduct formation process in their competitive forces to follow organizational, economical and environmental changes. There are many maturity models applied in different areas in the organization, such as CMM (Capability Maturity Model), PMMM (Project Management Maturity Model) from Kerzner (2001) and OPM3 created by PMI (2003). Our challenge was to search an application of these maturity models in CE and identify factors to be evaluated. 2.2 Knowledge Management and its challenges Organizations search for competitive advantages through access to information, creation and KM. It is the Knowledge Era against Industrial Era (CUNHA, 2006). But with what tools and methods this amount of information is being managed? New tools need to be created, tested and introduce in organizations. There are many detours in priorities and acting methods in organizations when we implement projects involving modern technologies with a focus turned to the past. It is a combination with high chances to go wrong. A critical point is this process is to find the new way of the Knowledge Era, managing changes and new technologies in a holistic manner and obtaining voluntary cooperation from workers, a reaching their personal goal and the organizations goal as well. Knowledge Management can be understood as a set of processes that guide creation, spread and use of knowledge to fully reach organizations goals, according to Davenport and Prusak (1998), but not simply cataloging it, controlling it, but also creating conditions to create it in the organization (NONAKA AND TAKEUCHI,1997). The same authors believe that to become a organization that generates knowledge, organization must complete a knowledge spiral, that goes from tacit to tacit knowledge (socialization), tacit to explicit (externalization), explicit to explicit (combination) and finally explicit to tacit (internalization). 4

5 According to Meister (1999) KM is corporative process, focused in enterprise strategy and that involves managing intelectual capital, organizational learning, enterprise intelligence and corporative education. Éboli (2004) defines it as a set of integrated actions that allow the development of people, with focus in managing and human competencies and that are strategic to the business success. These concepts demonstrate the need to adopt organizational practices that promote maturity evolution in companies, giving them conditions to incorporate tacit to explicit knowledge, creating a cycle that promotes spontaneous development and commitment from workers. To do so, it is necessary to understand the maturity model question and to promote actions that guide us to the desired model and its results. 2.3 Technology and KM: maturity Models Technology is fundamental in KM, because wrong decisions in this sense may cause great losses and compromise all credulity in a project. With constant technological innovations, the Institute of market analysis from North America, Gartner Group (2006) created a way to visualize technologies that show in what point they meet. To each new product, Gartner group puts the offer in a cycle called Hype Cycle. According to them, a new technology goes to these stages: 1. "Technology trigger : product discover. 2. "High expectations : Excessive publicity with great enthusiasm. 3. "Diluted fall : technologies do not reach expectations. 4. "Realism inclination : Begins the real comprehension of technology benefits. 5. "Productivity plate : Benefits become visible and acceptable. Gartner Group became famous when it predicted the blow of Internet bubble in Since then, market has used it to validate the maturity of a specific technology. This way we need to pay attention to CE and KM proposals using new technologies to avoid adhesion blocking by people, since tacit contents and knowledge to each one must be put in a spontaneous way and frustration in this process may generate great losses to all involved parts. The cost to restart a project may be higher then its implementation. Technology is important, but other things are critical, like strategically decision, managing processes in human resources, formation of internal authors, performance management linked to KM, among others. KM and CE processes must be wide-range, well detailed and well managed to raise the chances of success Maturity model in Corporate Education Diagnosis 5

6 The presented proposal is to create models of measurement in CE Maturity, applicable to realities and distinct moments and we found a good adaptation of the model in CE context in Moore (2003) in five stages: 1. Informal: Training actions closed in departments and individual way; 2. Learning Management: Bigger control of educational activities using software s and more defined and structured processes; 3. Guided to Competencies: Learning focused in developing workers competencies; 4. Integrated Performance: Comprehensive goals, aligned with strategically planning in organization, supported by technological solutions. 5. Optimized Work Force: Flexible Work force and structure to support constant learning process, focused in organizational goals. Another Study in editorial from site Business Strategies for Learning, Hayward (2004) presents a suggestion f evaluation in CE area through a dimension analysis, Management, Content, Delivery Services and Technology and its many operational processes, presented in Board 1: FUNCTIONAL PROCESSES/ ORGANIZATIONAL MATURITY LEVEL Strategic Planning: alignment of educational processes to company s strategies. Management Record: obtaining and maintenance of training activities data. Planning: coordination and logistic of execution of training activities. Finances and Costs: Expenses and Income Control (budget) of activities. Testing and Evaluations: Evaluation related to training according to workers. Customer Relationship (CRM): controls flow and activities execution. Content Project: structure of classes or activity according to strategically planning. Content Development: Turning planning to applicable program. Content Graphical Project: creating visual pattern to a better learning. Material Conclusion: finishing process and material/ program publication. Training Programs Management: maintenance of efficient programs to users. Content Update: continuous review of training programs. Deliv ery Servi ce Instructions: learning process between instructor and apprentice. 6

7 Class Support: infra structure to support learning. Instructors Selection: identify workers internally or externally. Instructors Development: customizing and training of training instructors. Customize classroom: to adapt environment to learning needs. Feedback: results evaluation of the program to promote improvement. Technology Management /LMS/LCMS: learning system and contents. Delivery Platforms management: control of content access. Author s management: tools and authors procedure management. Technological Integration: interface with other planning, management and control systems. Fonte: Fonte: AND&terms=+Training+Process+Framework., 2004 Board 1 Functional Processes/ Organizational Maturity Level With these resources we developed an integrated solution, a conceptual matrix, which evaluates the company s maturity regarding CE, crossing process activities and its maturity stage, offering a view of organization s characteristics in this point, as seen in Figure 1: INFORMAL CONTROLED LEARNING STRATEGICAL PLANNING Made case by case, requested by worker, possible from his own personal interest, without link to company s results. Figure 1 Example of learning grid. Tool DMMEC Orientation to train. Managers define with workers the training areas. Concerns with costs. HR controls frequency and learning. With this evaluation, it is possible to create a numeric profile, which indicates the maturity stage of the company in each stage and also allows a more useful comparison with the market and sector in which the company is inserted (Figure 2). INFORMAL CONTROLED LEARNING GUIDED BY COMPETENCIES INTEGRATED PERFORMANCE OPTIMIZED SYSTEM ADMINISTRATION CONTENT DELIVERY 7

8 3. Data Analysis Statistics Method Figure 2 Example of Profile Company Tool DMMEC Because we have more then two qualitative variables, table representation of observed frequencies may be done by a contingency table, according to Neto (199?). With this method we made variable independency testing, verifying freedom degree between them, using the formula: r s X²v = i=1 j=1 (Oij Eij) ², where: Eij X²v r s is test statistics, with v degrees of freedom; number of lines in table body; number of rows in table body; Oij observed frequency in intersection between line i with row j; Eij expected frequency in intersection between line i with row j; This test allows verifying freedom degree and significance level of obtained answers, allowing establishing an acceptance analysis of some answers as been significant or some tendency of the sample. We verify given answers in each macro-process from the model: Management, Content, Delivery and Technology seeking to evaluate each tendency. 4. Research Results It was made a research about the model efficiency in generating diagnosis of a company s current stage in terms of maturity model in companies correlated to Banco Estatal, in Orti (2007), whose results abstract we present in following sections. 4.1 Statistics Data Analysis of X² (Variable Independence Testing) presented these results in Board 2: Variable Independence Testing Administration 16,2 Content 8,23 8

9 Delivery 5,45 Tecnology 6,4 Board 2 Analysis of X² These data, analyzed from degree of freedom and level of significance perspective do not allow us to say that there is a single maturity model in all macro-process neither comparing the companies. There was a bigger discrepancy in evaluation involving Delivery and Technology process. 4.2 Data analysis DMMEC application allowed creating a profile of CE activities and understanding of points that was not observed before. It also allowed to establish a confrontation between planned and accomplished, besides than vision of where the company wants to be in maturity terms, obtaining the ideal stage to that specific organization. With statistics analysis of each macro-process we observed that there is no clear and unique concentration in one maturity model, which was observed in three companies that works in the same group. We highlight these results: a) Maturity Models: There is no clear and unique concentration in one maturity model, but a tendency to evolute to a maturity model in stage 3 Guided by competencies, according to presented in item 2.4 (DMMEC). b) Model Voids: Functional process in control, technology, and communication and information accessibility are bellow the others in terms of maturity evolution. Macro processes - Technology and Delivery presented low results, showing the need to invest in hardware and software that allow greater accessibility to information and autonomy to users. c) Tendencies: There is an initial offer in training and e-learning and in evolutional actions to stage Integrated Performance, been necessary to make investments, to change culture, to recycle management and to implement integrated management systems. In general way, companies declared that the tool is efficient to describe and identify CE maturity stage, which contributed to improve perception about processes and improvement needs. 4. Conclusion This work demonstrated that there are many possibilities in use metric tool in CE and KM, DMMEC, offering to company s better understanding of their maturity stage and comparing then to the market and benchmarking. We observed that there is a difference between researched companies administrative processes and also in content creation, to their delivery systems of services and technologies. General Maturity level becomes limited by access, portability and user autonomy difficulties to choose and access necessary knowledge to their activities now and in the future. 9

10 Managers demonstrate satisfaction with feedback, because the diagnosis allowed the companies to better understand their processes and possibilities of evolution. Information and knowledge about the area were united in a holistic way, allowing a more clear vision of what may be obtained from each organization. Another interesting point pointed by managers understood that each organization must define its optimal model that is not the same to all of them. Each reality asks for an adequate model to its sector and market reality. There is much action concentration in Human Resources, although efforts and interesting examples, such as management committees, among others. A bigger autonomy to users may create a new phase inside the organization, with better results. There is a need to a greater integration among the organizations activities and mainly in areas with strategically goals in business. New researches are been done and the tool should evolutes in methodology, sample, models and tested contents. References ALBINO, J.P AND REINHARD, N. A Questão da Assimetria entre o Custo e o Benefício em Projetos de Gestão de Conhecimento. XI Seminario de gestión tecnológica Salvador, COSTA NETO, P.L.O. Estatística. Blucker, São Paulo, CUNHA, J.C. Curso de Gestão do Conhecimento. São Paulo: Editora SBGC, DAVENPORT, T.; PRUSAK L. Gestão do Conhecimento. 2ª ed. Rio de Janeiro: Campus, ÉBOLI, M. Educação corporativa no Brasil: mitos e verdades. São Paulo: Gente, HARWARD, D. Editorial Business Strategies for Learning. [online] Process+Framework., KERZNER, H. Strategic Planning for Project Management using a Project Management Maturity Model. 2ª ed. Portland: John Willey & Sons, MEISTER, JEANNE C. Educação Corporativa. 1.ed. Makron Books. São Paulo, MOORE, C. Thinq LMS 5 & Competency. [online] NONAKA, I.; TAKEUCHI, H. Criação do conhecimento na empresa - como as empresas japonesas geram a dinâmica da inovação. Campus. Rio de Janeiro, ORTI, P. S.; BOTTARO, M.; MARTINS, P. R. TCC: Diagnóstico de Maturidade de Modelos de Educação Coorporativa. MBA Gestão de Serviços. FGV on Line. Rio de Janeiro, PMI, Project Management Institute. Organizational Project Management Maturity Model (OPM3). Maryland: Project Management Institute Inc,