IN ITS "PUTTING THE SUCCESS IN SUCCESSION" REPORT, PwC U.S. examines how workforce challenges are having a ripple effect on corporate succession planning. These include declining retention rates, an inability to consistently identify and develop pivotal talent, disconnected processes throughout organizations, and a lack of reliable talent data. "While most organizations conduct succession planning, too often it doesn’t get the full attention of the leadership team until a crisis forces it on the agenda," notes Sayed Sadjady, partner in PwC’s People & Change practice.

If you have a goal to get more things done today, step back and reflect on the environment you work in and ask yourself, "Is this workspace designed to help me focus on the work I have to do?"

NEARLY 71% OF 200 WORKERS between the ages of 18 and 60 believe their employers consider training to be important, but only 38% said they received 20 or more hours of training in the last year, according to an online survey by Mindflash. On the other hand, almost 58% of participants said that training was helping them to do their jobs a lot better, while approximately 38% said training helped their job performance "a little." Along the same lines, a large majority (nearly 67%) said that more training would deliver further on-the-job benefits, and most workers (almost 62%) would be willing to take training courses during non-work hours.

One question business leaders are still asking: "How are we going to get a return on our training investment in people who don’t stay for the long haul?" The question you should be asking: "How are we going to change our approach to training so our investment is not so vulnerable?"

The latest training industry mergers, acquisitions, partnerships, and more.

The latest products and services launching in the training industry.

While not yet back to the levels seen in a buoyant economy, a substantial majority (72%) of respondents to a BlessingWhite survey believe they personally have the biggest control over their next career move (as opposed to their manager or the company they work for).

Find out about the latest advances in training technology.

For companies smart enough—and lucky enough—to sustain a strong brand, that brand is a gold mine. For a great brand, customers will drive the extra mile, pay the extra dollar, and refuse to consider lower-priced "me too" offers from competitors.

Today’s business landscape requires that companies foster the development of new ideas, tap into critical employee thinking and knowledge, and enable the synergy of teams to revolutionize their existing business in order to establish an effective roadmap for a strategic employee lifecycle.

Almost all Learning and Development professionals have experienced the demand, "we need the training delivered yesterday!" This has led to the development of a range of rapid prototyping design and development methodologies—techniques that require a strong needs analysis in order to be successful. As Peter Drucker wryly noted, "There is nothing quite so useless as doing with great efficiency something that should not be done at all."

A country famous for its islands, forests, and fjords, Norway never ceases to amaze the world, especially during the Winter Olympics. Her graceful athletes usually win countless gold medals based on their great skill and connection to the land. This country has a population of approximately 5 million and is blessed with natural resources. Your organization will benefit greatly by doing business in this Scandinavian paradise. Building your training capacity here can benefit your company in myriad ways.

I was having brunch recently with the former VP of sales for one of the world’s most prestigious and elegant hotels, which is based in Singapore. As we got to talking, he mentioned that he was asked to be the VP of sales for a brand new hotel that was considered one of the top hotels in the world. I mentioned that one of the areas I work in is the training and development of expatriates for international assignments. His reaction was one I have heard more than 50 times: "I wish I had known you before I went to Asia."

Technologies such as the printing press and the steam engine were catalysts in creating step changes in the societal, political, and economic landscapes of their respective eras. Today, we find ourselves in the midst of a particularly prolonged period of instability as worldwide adoption of disruptive innovations such as the Web browser, social media, and the smart phone have converged to create a global digital nervous system that is profoundly redefining how we connect, communicate, coordinate, collaborate, and take collective action.

I'm an optimist by nature. I might worry, but deep inside I expect things to work out. If not immediately, then a little later. But if anything were to change my nature, it might be the sorry progress of e-learning. It seems we are increasingly tolerant of making poor use of the learner's time and potential.

If you are reading this in North America, chances are you’ve been buffeted by some unusually forceful weather in recent weeks and months. Flooding rains, raging blizzards, gusting winds, and frigid temperatures—extreme weather seems to have become the norm this winter.

Traditional learning and development often relies upon transfer of learning measures, and leaders in L&D constantly are extrapolating all available metrics to determine levels of business impact or ROI.

What happens to seemingly intelligent people when it comes to writing e-mails or engaging in any kind of electronic communications? They say and do things they would tell their employees, colleagues, friends, and loved ones never to do. And they get caught. And the consequences can be (and have been) devastating.

These 25 training professionals demonstrated stellar growth in leadership skills and business acumen

What a plane emergency has in common with learning retention and application.

Training magazine Announces the 25 Winners of Its 2014 Emerging Training Leaders Awards

How focusing on respect can change the very atmosphere of where you work.

When a manager commits to developing people, that manager is creating an environment people can thrive in. It is that type of environment that makes people commit to a manager and an organization.

Organizations often fail to define what they need their new learning management system to do before buying it, leading to dissatisfaction with the vendor and additional customization costs after the purchase.