CAFÉ GUIDE
Café Guide CONTENTS Abut Cafés... 2 Sample Applicatins f Cafés... 6 Facilitating Cafés... 7 Tips fr Tailring Cafés... 9 Page 1 f 12 d
ABOUT CAFÉS WHAT IS A CAFÉ? A Harvard ManageMentr Café is a brief learning experience based n the cncepts and skills fund in a particular Harvard ManageMentr tpic. During a Café, participants review key cncepts, discuss tls, exchange ideas, and practice skills. CAFÉ PURPOSE AND BENEFITS Harvard ManageMentr Cafés strengthen the nline Harvard ManageMentr tpic learning experience in a variety f ways: Cafés allw learners t apply Harvard ManageMentr tpic cntent and tls t their specific rganizatinal and team wrkplace cntext, thereby increasing relevance and value. Cafés prvide an pprtunity t learn with thers. During Cafés, learners gain supprt in their develpment and benefit frm the ideas f thers as they discuss issues and challenges. The Café experience increases the pprtunity fr learners t enhance their skills in a tpic area by prviding pprtunities t practice and apply the skills ver time. Cafés reflect the learning design principles that HBP Crprate Learning and ur client rganizatins cnsider essential t effective leadership develpment, with an emphasis n Learning in Cntext, Learning by Ding and Reflecting, and Learning with Others. HBP Learning Design Principles Page 2 f 12 d
DESIGN A Harvard ManageMentr Café is designed t be used in cncert with the nline Harvard ManageMentr tpic, and includes these cmpnents: In Part 1, individual learners cmplete the designated Harvard ManageMentr tpic, including selected assigned pre-wrk activities. In Part 2, learners participate in the Café sessin, which fcuses n practicing key skills fund in the tpic. In Part 3, individual learners take actin t apply Harvard ManageMentr tpic cntent and Café learning n the jb. DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CAFÉ AND DEVELOP OTHERS SESSIONS Harvard ManageMentr includes bth Cafés and Develp Others sessins fr each tpic. They serve a similar purpse but have sme imprtant differences. Cafés are designed t be led by experienced facilitatrs, such as Human Resurces r Learning and Develpment prfessinals. They are als designed t be used with a grup f participants wh have cmpleted an entire Harvard ManageMentr tpic and specific pre-wrk. Cafés may be used effectively with participants frm different functinal areas acrss the rganizatin. Develp Others discussins, n the ther hand, are intended fr managers and ther Harvard ManageMentr learners, such as prject team leaders, t help a grup r team discuss appraches t applying key Harvard ManageMentr tpic cncepts t their team s wrk. Develp Others discussins nt nly benefit the grup engaged in a discussin but als help leaders develp their skills as teachers and caches. The figure belw illustrates the differences between a Café experience and a Develp Others experience. Cafés versus Develp Others FEATURES CAFÉ DEVELOP OTHERS Audience Crss-rganizatinal chrt Team Time 60 90 minutes 30 45 minutes Frmat Frmal Infrmal Fcus Overall HMM tpic Specific HMM lessn Pre-wrk Cmplete HMM tpic Targeted tpic cntent (prvided by leader) Activities Questins, scenaris, applicatin f tls, reflectin, activity debriefs Discussin questins Facilitatr HR r L&D prfessinal HMM learner Page 3 f 12 d
MATERIALS Materials fr each Harvard ManageMentr Café include an verview, a set f presentatin slides with facilitatr ntes, and an annuncement. The verview fr facilitatrs cntains the fllwing infrmatin: Harvard ManageMentr tpic bjectives Review f blended learning cmpnents Café sessin bjectives Detailed utline f the Café sessin Pst-Café assignments Slides present varied activities such as questins, scenaris, and a debrief f tls. Ntes are included with each slide t prvide suggested instructins fr facilitating the activity. The annuncement ffers suggested email text fr inviting participants t attend the Café. It includes: Business cntext Required preparatin Lgistics and timing Page 4 f 12 d
All Café materials can be tailred t meet the needs r preferences f yur rganizatin r grup. ACCESSING CAFÉ MATERIALS All Café materials can be fund by visiting the EDLS Client Resurce Centre: URL: http://edls.cm (click n Client Resurce Centre in header) Email: client_admin Passwrd: harvard Page 5 f 12 d
SAMPLE APPLICATIONS OF CAFÉS Organizatins use Cafés in a number f different ways: SUPPORT FOR A STRATEGIC INITIATIVE Organizatins ften use Harvard ManageMentr tpics and the assciated Cafés t supprt specific strategic initiatives r prjects. Fr example, an rganizatin planning a majr change culd ffer Change Management Cafés t strengthen leaders skills in implementing change and vercming resistance t change. REINFORCEMENT OF SKILLS RELATED TO RECURRING ORGANIZATIONAL ACTIVITIES Mst rganizatins have peridic activities such as annual perfrmance reviews, strategic planning, r endf-year business unit perfrmance measurement. An rganizatin might chse t ffer Café sessins such as Feedback Essentials, Strategy Planning and Executin, r Perfrmance Measurement t supprt such recurring activities. COMPONENT OF AN EXTENDED BLENDED LEARNING PROGRAM Yu may chse t expand the standard blended learning design described in Sectin 1. Sme rganizatins cmbine external r prprietary curse(s) with Harvard ManageMentr tpic(s) and Café(s) t create a cntextualized blended learning experience. Fr example, yu culd ffer a custm r vendrdevelped curse n Feedback, fllwed by the nline Harvard ManageMentr nline tpic Feedback Essentials, and finally the Harvard ManageMentr Feedback Essentials Café. EXECUTIVE SPEAKER SERIES WITH HUMAN RESOURCES/LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT CO- FACILITATOR In sme rganizatins, line executives c-lead Café sessins with a Human Resurces r Learning and Develpment facilitatr, which can add credibility t the prcess and enhance engagement. Fr example, ne rganizatin initiated a quarterly speaker series, leveraging key Harvard ManageMentr tpics and featuring senir executives. The first ne was called Owning Yur Career and included a presentatin by a C-suite executive wh spke abut learning pprtunities she has taken advantage f and hw they cntributed t her career grwth. It was fllwed by a prfessinally facilitated prtin f the Career Develpment Café. Page 6 f 12 d
FACILITATING CAFÉS Cafés are designed t be led by an individual with prfessinal facilitatin skills and experience, such as Human Resurces r Learning and Develpment prfessinals. Café materials, especially facilitatr ntes, are ptimized fr virtual delivery but can be adapted by facilitatrs fr delivery in a face-t-face r hybrid envirnment. Tips fr virtual and face-t-face delivery are included later in this guide. PREPARING FOR A CAFÉ SESSION Cnsider interviewing a Subject Matter Expert (SME ) r Senir Leader/Spnsr t gain rganizatinal insight n the value r imprtance f the Café tpic. Nte example interview questins yu might ask related t a Feedback Essentials Café: In rder fr ur rganizatin t be as successful as pssible, what types f rganizatinal challenges represent pprtunities fr giving/seeking frequent feedback amng emplyees? What might be sme cultural nrms within ur rganizatin that make giving/receiving feedback s difficult? What cultural nrms within ur rganizatin shuld be preserved and/r strengthened when giving/receiving feedback? Cnsider wrking with a c-facilitatr r SME frm the rganizatin t enhance relevance and credibility. Develp a cntingency plan if participants have nt cmpleted the assigned pre-wrk. Fr example, yu may need t spend mre time reviewing cncepts frm the Harvard ManageMentr tpic experience. Organize all materials yu want t use, such as wrksheets r visual aids. Familiarize yurself with technical equipment whether yu are delivering virtually r face t face. Review the Café facilitatr ntes. Be prepared t share stries based n yur wn experience. TIPS FOR ENGAGING PARTICIPANTS VIRTUALLY Cnducting virtual learning sessins is challenging even fr experienced facilitatrs. Facilitatrs f virtual Cafés need t fcus n strategies fr maintaining leaners engagement in an envirnment that pses numerus distractins, such as pen wrkspace learning settings, email, and easy access t unrelated nline activities. Research shws that the majrity f learning prgrams are still delivered face t face. Hwever, rganizatins are increasingly turning t virtual learning envirnments t accmmdate the needs f virtual and glbal teams and t prvide mre cst-effective learning experiences. Cnsider these tips t adapt yur facilitatin skills t a virtual setting: Familiarize yurself with the participants learning spaces and hw that culd affect ease f discussin. Fr example, if learners are participating frm pen wrkspaces, yu may want t rely mre n chat functins than requesting verbal respnses via audi. Use a headset t imprve audi quality fr participants. Use yur webcam if pssible; seeing yu helps participants feel engaged in the learning. Check yur vlume, s yu dn t ver-prject. Vary yur speaking pace, pitch, and pauses. Smile! Even if participants can t see yu, smiling will help yu speak in a mre engaging tne. Page 7 f 12 d
T learn mre abut virtual facilitatin skills, see Hw t Use Yur Facilitatin Skills in the Virtual Classrm. [http://blg.langevin.cm/blg/2013/08/19/hw-t-use-yur-facilitatin-skills-in-the-virtual-classrm/] FACILITATION BEST PRACTICES Even the mst experienced facilitatrs can benefit frm a recap f general best practices: Yu are valued fr yur experience, s share yur (relevant) stries. Help cnnect the cncepts t their use and imprtance in yur rganizatin. Respnd t questins frm the grup t help them learn. Wrk t create an atmsphere f trust and sharing. Bridge and link pints during the sessin. If it makes sense, include a business unit leader/sme t prvide additinal anecdtes and examples. Prepare yur wn answers t Café questins and scenaris ahead f time. Custmize the slides t make them yur wn. FACILITATION TRAPS Lking at/speaking t ne persn r ne part f the rm (in a face-t-face prgram) Ignring virtual cmmunicatin tls such as hand raising and chatting Talking t much/lecturing Telling smene they asked a great questin if yu have nt als tld thers their questins were great Ignring smene s pint Allwing ne persn t dminate the discussin Allwing the cnversatin t get ff track Running ut f time Page 8 f 12 d
TIPS FOR TAILORING CAFÉS A key feature f Cafés is that they are designed t be easily custmized t yur rganizatin and learners. CUSTOMIZING LOOK AND FEEL Standard Café slides use Harvard ManageMentr slide templates. Mst rganizatins add their wn lg t the title page; many add their lg t each slide: Yu may als chse t use yur rganizatin s slide templates. While the structure f each slide will be preserved, yu may need t make adjustments t fnt size and clr. If yu use yur rganizatin s slide template, be sure t retain apprpriate Harvard ManageMentr branding and cpyright infrmatin. CUSTOMIZING FOR FACE-TO-FACE DELIVERY When facilitating a Café face t face, revise standard slides and ntes t eliminate virtual delivery guidance, including references t use f the chat functin and hand raising. Fr face-t-face Cafés, cnsider adding features such as brief breakut sessins r partner discussins when debriefing pre-wrk r facilitating discussins. Page 9 f 12 d
CUSTOMIZING CAFÉ ACTIVITIES Scenaris Mst Cafés include What wuld yu d? scenaris t stimulate analysis and prblem slving related t management challenges. Sme rganizatins find that they can increase relevance and engagement by substituting a mre rganizatin-specific scenari. Custmizing scenaris generally des nt take much time, since they can easily fllw the stry line f the standard Café scenari, as shwn belw. Standard scenari example: Page 10 f 12 d
Tailred scenari example fr a health care rganizatin: Discussin Questins Organizatins may wish t tailr a discussin questin t have mre resnance fr their learners. Fr example, instead f a standard questin such as Why d yu think it s imprtant t tailr feedback fr different individuals? a facilitatr substituted the questin Hw d yu currently tailr feedback t address the needs f diverse individuals n yur team? Reflectins and Applicatins Organizatins may have a particular cntext fr cnducting a Café that might lead them t custmize the fcus f a reflectin activity. Fr example, a standard facilitatr s questin that fllws discussin f tips fr dealing with resistance t change asks: Thinking abut what we ve discussed tday, what are the strategies fr addressing resistance that are mst relevant t yu and yur team? Take the next minute t write dwn a few ideas abut managing resistance that yu think are the mst imprtant t keep in mind. An example f tailring the questin t a specific rganizatin s challenges might be: Thinking abut what we ve discussed abut resistance t change, what strategies shuld yu and ABC Cmpany fcus n t help emplyees accept change and maintain engagement while we merge ur tw market units? Page 11 f 12 d
ADAPTING HIGH-LEVEL DESIGN Standard Cafés include three skill fcus areas. Thugh Cafés are designed t flw frm ne skill fcus area t anther, each Café skill fcus area can als stand alne. Depending n the timing, rganizatinal cntext, and/r grup needs, facilitatrs shuld cnsider whether t fcus n ne r tw rather than all three skill fcus areas. A facilitatr might pt t lead activities related t nly ne skill fcus area fr a variety f reasns: Use nly ne Café skill fcus area in a larger blended learning prgram. Chse the ne Café skill fcus area that is mst urgent given skill gaps. Supprt micr-learning by facilitating a single Café skill fcus area in a shrt amunt f time. A facilitatr might adjust the time spent n each f the three skill fcus areas. This wuld likely include eliminating certain activities in a less urgent skill fcus area, and perhaps adding a discussin r activity fr a higher pririty skill. A facilitatr might cmbine elements f multiple Cafés t supprt a business need. Fr example, in the case f a need t enhance emplyee engagement, select certain skill fcus areas frm the Leading Peple and Retaining Emplyees Cafés. Als cnsider strengthening learning by adding a Café fllw-n sessin after participants have had 90 days t wrk n their actin plans. Fr example, the grup culd share their results and discuss plans ging frward in small grups, and then share highlights with the larger grup. Page 12 f 12 d