Advisory Service Group

04/28/2021

Your business has been navigating remote work for months now, and it is starting to seem like more of a permanent solution. But this has not necessarily been a smooth transition. After tech issues and dealing with distractions at home, one of the biggest challenges was remote collaboration. Nearly one in three respondents said “reduced team cohesion” was one of the most significant drawbacks of remote work. But it does not have to be.
Collaboration is vital to the success of any organization—not simply getting remote employees to work together but fostering an environment that reduces barriers and energizes and inspires team members to work toward a common goal.
The employees are your capital, and making people happy and giving them the tools they need to succeed working remotely is essential.
Use this poster as an internal communication tool.
Request the PDF version at [email protected]

02/05/2021

How can Social Identity Theory and understanding perception help us to develop effective organizational behaviour?
Perception is the process of interpreting messages of our sense to provide order and meaning to the environment.
Perception is selective, as perceivers do not use all the available cues, and those they use are given particular emphasis.
Perception is consistent, as we do not see the same person as both good and bad. We often distort cues that are discrepant with our general image.
We always rely on the cues we encounter early in relationships, known as the primacy effect. For example, a worker can make an unfavourable impression on the boss in the first few days of the job and disadvantage his/her reputation. Sounds familiar?
What can we do to decrease the perceptional errors?
1. Reinforce and modify org. policies to help bring perceptions close to the truth and help prevent problems
2. Work on management style, work ethic and approach to things at work. (As we know, detail-oriented managers may come across as nit-picky and distrusting).
3. Discourage assumptions
4. Enforce neutrality by minimizing bias and encouraging staff to focus on the tasks at hand and block out any distractions.

01/28/2021

Why do we need to establish project management discipline guidelines to manage the project successfully?
Having practical project management skills alone would not guarantee the project's success. Successful projects rely not only on project management knowledge but also on project management discipline – a set of processes and people. But it takes more than a process and governance to be effective.
The goal of the project management discipline is to direct the activities that take place on the project. It includes managing risks, leading people (assigning tasks, tracking progress, etc.), and coordinating with people and systems outside the project's scope to ensure it is delivered on time and within budget.
Here are some of the main areas of the project management discipline.
• Business case
• Methodology Selection Tool
• Project Governance
• High-Level Project timeline
• Monitor & Control and others.
What should we be aware of when outlining a project management discipline for an organization now when we are still working remotely? Please provide some thoughts to help us building a practical online course on project management discipline. We would appreciate all the comments. Thank you all!

01/28/2021

Can unemployment change personality?
Unemployment is a scary word, especially now in a pandemic time when so many people lost their jobs. I believe unemployment affects not only people's financial status but also their personality and behaviour. Research shows that unemployment's psychological effects, showing decreases in well-being comparable to losing a significant other or becoming disabled.
As we know, the "Big Five" theory is characterizing personality traits into five broad dimensions:
1. Extraversion vs Introversion
2. Neuroticism/emotional stability (confident vs depressed and anxious
3. Agreeableness (cooperative and tolerant vs cold and rude)
4. Conscientiousness (dependable and responsible vs careless, impulsive)
5. Openness to experience (curious vs dull and unimaginative)
Some studies reported decreased conscientiousness, agreeableness, openness to experience, and extraversion in the unemployed individual's characteristics.
The amount of time spent being unemployed can alter the decreased level of all personality traits. The changes in personality because of unemployment can be potentially reversed once people have found a new job, but some effects might still be in place.
This statement supports the contextual perspective that environmental factors and life events can temporarily influence an individual's perceived personality traits. But can it change personality? What do you think?

01/26/2021

It is the time of the year now when most organizations completed the 2020 employee performance review and announce performance ratings.
The employee recognition programs have many Pros for employees and organizations. But what about the Cons of employee recognition?
• The wrong method of employee recognition can destroy employee motivation.
• It can become costly to recognize employees consistently.
• When one team member tends to be recognized more than others consistently, employee recognition can cause a divide within a team or organization very quickly. Some individuals feel like their hard work goes unrecognized, while others' work is always in the spotlight and creates jealousy.
• It can create an environment where favouritism is perceived.
• Employee recognition programs that are not awarded with some level of frequency are generally not effective. If only one employee is recognized per year, then there is a drop in others' willingness to excel for a prolonged time.
• The recognition doesn't always fit with the accomplishments. If a worker saves a company tens of thousands of dollars because they could change a process to make it more efficient, don't they deserve something more than a company-branded polo shirt, a pin, or a coffee mug?
• It may create a sense of entitlement. Sometimes work for the sake of earning a paycheck must be good enough.

Employee rewards must be progressive to continue being effective. After all – how many coffee mugs can fit on a desk?
The pros and cons of employee recognition show that it is better not to have a program in place if it is underfunded or not adequately run. Employees who work hard consistently should be recognized and their value appreciated. If this is not done, then it won't be long before those hard-working employees find an organization that will identify them for all of their outstanding accomplishments.

What will happen now with some employee recognition programs in the pandemic time, when awarding with the luxury resort vacation is no longer an option?

01/24/2021

Do you want to increase your ability to perform your tasks successfully in a variety of different situations? Read this post.
Self-efficacy or confidence beliefs refer to beliefs people have about their ability to perform a specific task successfully. It is a cognitive belief that is task-specific and is the result of four sources of information:
• Experience and success performing the task
• Observation of others performing the task
• Verbal persuasion and encouragement
• One's a physiological or emotional state.

These beliefs are important because they influence the activities people choose to perform, the amount of effort and persistence they devote to a task (O.B. by Johns & Saks, 2019).
Life is complicated, which can lead people to have a lowered sense of self-efficacy.
If you want to increase your self-efficacy or help others to do so, you can do it through:
• Performance accomplishments> remind of previous success
• Vicarious experiences> use a demonstration to reduce worry
• Verbal persuasion> use a "positive self-talk" to convince
• Control arousal (reduce anxiety)> use somatic arousal techniques (EX.: mental rehearsal to slow individual thinking)

If you follow the guidelines discussed above, you can change your life and feel stronger and more confident in yourself, and be one step closure to your success.
Watch full video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoBAVN-s9XI
Reference: Bandura's Model of Self-Efficacy

Bandura's model of Self Efficacy - including characteristics of high and low levels of self efficacy performers

01/20/2021

The course offers a practical and accessible approach to manage organizational change.
This course is for:
• Leaders tasked with overseeing organizational change or guiding employees through it
• New practitioners challenged to support the change initiative
• Individuals, deciding on a future profession and wondering if change management is for them

We incorporated the best change management methodologies and practical techniques into the course materials.
The course has eight lessons with videos, slides, templates, quizzes and surveys. They are easy to understand and have a simple explanation of complex ideas.
A course software platform enables students to control their studies, measure their progress and have the support needed

01/15/2021

Have you ever seen a lousy training video or review? The one that does not help you learn what you were searching for?
At Advisory Service Academy, courses are different from many available on the market. If you wonder why - let me explain.

It is not only because we incorporated the best industry practices and methodologies into the courses` materials.

As we know, people’s attention spans are shorter and shorter every day. We all want to learn something simple and learn it fast.

Here are three of our courses principles:

1. It goes back to a Dale Carnegie quote and still is true today:
“Tell the audience what you`re going to say, then tell them what you`ve said.”
• Grabbing the audience attention with the short introduction video to solidify the content quickly and creating a personal touch
• Repeating the lesson topics and learning objectives in the notes to help solidify the content in the audience’s mind
• Checking participants skills in quizzes to prepare the audience for the next lesson

2. Getting to the point
• Creating content with a Big Idea in mind and many supporting points keeping them short and sweet

3. Editing, proofreading and evaluating
• Practicing the videos and proofreading the materials a few times before posting until we’re comfortable with the quality of it
• Recording the videos 2 or 3 times before getting the best “take” to make them clear and concise
• Consulting with the university instructors to make sure the materials are following the best business communication foundations
• Regularly attending webinars and specialized training to improve our business writing and presentation skills

If you want to learn more about our courses - please check our online training site: www.courses.advisoryservice.ca

We would love to know how we can help you or your organization with your eLearning and training needs! Please contact us at [email protected], and we will get in touch with you shortly.

01/14/2021

Every project manager needs a ton of project document templates.
If your organizations or departments are not using MS Project, it might be challenging to quickly create the project documents.
In any business, time is money. To save you time, we created downloadable templates you can customize and use when necessary. By adding your individual touches to your template, you can create a masterful, attractive document unique to your business.
The templates have been proofread and polished to have a clean look, respectful and concise language and tone, impeccable spelling, grammar, and an overall appeal.
Templates Depository Includes:
• Change Management Plan Templates Kit (16 slides PowerPoint)
• Stakeholder Analysis Templates Kit (16 slides PowerPoint)
• FREE Work Breakdown Structure Template (Word Format)
• FREE Project Charter Template (Word Format)
We are taking orders to create custom templates for your specific need.
Please contact us at [email protected].
We are confident our templates are some of the highest quality documents found on the web.
Please check the link below to get access to the templates galleries:
https://www.advisoryservice.ca/business-documents-templates

01/10/2021

The Big Day has finally come!
I am excited to announce a brand new company - Advisory Service Group, a consulting organization, specializing in providing products and services to individuals and organizations in project management and human resources disciplines, including business management consulting and online training courses.

There is a saying: " We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give. "
At our Advisory Service Academy, we help people advance skills and complete project tasks with grace and efficiency.

Let me introduce a new online Change Management Framework Course.
It has never been more critical to understand and manage change, especially now.
At our change management course, we offer a practical and accessible approach to develop the skills needed to survive and thrive in a continually changing environment.

This course is for:
• Leaders tasked with overseeing organizational change or guiding employees through it
• New practitioners challenged to support the change initiative
• Individuals, deciding on a future profession and wondering if change management is for them
We have incorporated the best methodologies, work practices and document templates in the course materials.
The course content has eight lessons with videos, materials slides, attached templates, quizzes and surveys. They are easy to understand and have a simple explanation of complex ideas.
A course software platform enables students to control their studies, measure their progress and have the support needed.

The Change Management Framework Course is only the beginning of many more courses to come.

Please join me in wishing Advisory Service Group and Advisory Service Academy a success!

Thank you for reading the post.

Check the sites below for more information.

www.advisoryservice.ca
https://courses.advisoryservice.ca
https://courses.advisoryservice.ca/courses/change-management-framework-course
Watch the course introductory video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsoBexO6VxI&t=61s

This video will introduce the sources of the change management framework course content, instructor bio, course structure, and course outline.During this cou...

01/09/2021

The Big Day has finally come!
I am excited to announce a brand new company - Advisory Service Group, a consulting organization, specializing in providing products and services to individuals and organizations in project management and human resources disciplines, including business management consulting and online training courses.
At our Advisory Service Academy, we help people advance skills and complete project tasks with grace and efficiency.
Let me introduce a new online Change Management Framework Course.
We have incorporated the best methodologies, work practices and document templates in the course materials.
The course content has eight lessons with videos, materials slides, attached templates, quizzes and surveys. They are easy to understand and have a simple explanation of complex ideas.
A course software platform enables students to control their studies, measure their progress and have the support needed.

The Change Management Framework Course is only the beginning of many more courses to come.

Please join me in wishing Advisory Service Group and Advisory Service Academy a success!

www.advisoryservice.ca
https://courses.advisoryservice.ca
https://courses.advisoryservice.ca/courses/change-management-framework-course

This course is built on understanding organizational behaviour, the best change management methodologies. It will focus on change agents' experience within organizations. The course will explore forces for change, resistance to change, management of change by applying organizational behaviour and th...