PRINCIPLES OF LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT
I published my article on Performance Management Principles recently and I managed to emphasize the importance on constructive feedback for employee’s continuous learning & development at the job. In light of this, I am pleased to discuss about the principles of Learning and Development at the workplace.
What
is Learning & Development Theoretically?
Learning and development is defined as
the process of ensuring that the organization has the knowledgeable, skilled
and engaged workforce it needs. It involves facilitating the acquisition by
individuals and teams of knowledge and skills through experience, learning
events and programmes provided by the organization, guidance and coaching
provided by line managers and others, and self-directed learning activities
carried out by individuals
Learning & Development in Practical
Sense
People are the product of their life
experiences, the country and time in which they grew up, and a range of
cultural influences. Within HR, learning and development ensures that employees
adapt to changes in processes, technology and societal or legal developments
Learning & Development offers employees to rehabilitate and upgrade their skills. It is driven by the HR Professionals and good policies by the management can aid in transforming the organisation from good to best. L&D represents a significant investment in human resource at all levels and organizations need to support the skill development of employees which will be increasingly important to the future of the organization, and will create the space for contingency planning.
Individuals may come to a company with very different knowledge and experience. L&D offers employees a way to bridge the skills gap and helps employees to contribute to the required organizational outputs.
Types of Learners
Learning & Development Principles
Regardless of the
industry and size, there are some best practices that should be taken in to account
when designing and implementing a L&D strategy.
- Effective Orientation
- Ensure
Managers to be Coaches for new recruits
- Understand Language
Barriers of your own employees
- Introduce
Mandatory Training programmes for employees at all levels to establish
equity (can be online or in-person)
- Include Cross-Cultural
awareness and Diversity in the L&D strategy
- Ensure
transparency in employee selection for trainings
- Embrace
leadership and accountability
- Embrace
online learning
- Introduce
evaluation mechanism and personal reflection
- Make the
L&D an ongoing process (training calendar is an example)
- Link the L&D
strategy with Career Progression
Analyse the training needs – Managers have the
responsibility to know exactly what type of skills and knowledge required for
their teams and together with the HR Department, they have to analyse the
existing knowledge and skills with the required set of knowledge and skills. A need
assessment is required.
Design your L&D Materials and Methods – Decide the teaching methods, learning activities, materials,
resources, technology and cost.
Resource Person – Determine
who can be the most effective personnel to deliver the activity. It may be
internal or external based on the audience.
Measure the Impact – Establish
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in advance in line with the results of your
need assessment and introduce a scale to measure the output of the learning activity
against the pre-established KPIs.
Continuous Monitoring - Based on
the evaluation results in the previous step, discover that if the learning and
development program was sufficient for now or more training would be required. Decide
the frequency of the activity and implement it.
Conclusion
Learning and development
(L&D) is a shared responsibility between the organization, managers and
each individual employees. Management has the responsibility to create
opportunities, managers have the responsibility to strategically direct their subordinates
towards learning for departmental outputs and finally each employees have the responsibility
to be open for new learning and express interest in developing themselves. All
three parties must understand that learning and development is crucial to the Organization’s ability to
achieve its objectives and is important in enabling staff members’ growth for
long term stability.
References
TAYLOR, M.
A. a. S., 2014. Armstrong’s Handbook of HRM Practice. 13 ed. London:
www.koganpage.com.
Thank you for the great article!
ReplyDeleteYour post on the principles of learning and development in HRM is quite informative. Your explanation of the different principles, such as the importance of active learning and the role of feedback in the learning process, is well-written.
I would like to suggest you explore the role of technology in learning and development, such as the use of learning management systems or gamification, in your next articles.
Thanks for the suggestion and yes that's an area of priority in today's context when it comes to L&D. Much appreciated for bringing it up
DeleteA good article Rifak! You have provided a comprehensive overview of learning and development from both theoretical and practical perspectives. It is quite clear that L&D plays a crucial role in an organization's success. It is also important to note that L&D is a shared responsibility between the organization, managers, and individual employees.
ReplyDeleteThanks Huzair for your encouraging comment!
ReplyDeleteYour points on the shared accountability for learning and development within organisations are accurate. It emphasises that each person must be accountable for their own growth and development, while management's goal is to create chances and guide their subordinates towards learning. It is crucial to understand that learning and development are crucial for organisational success as well as personal growth. Good work!
ReplyDeleteThanks Nadeer. The growth of an individual primarily lies on individual's interest and secondarily, on the managers and organizations to create opportunities. This is the outcome of my research in making this article. Thanks again!
Deletethis article provides good insights in Learning and Development a lifecycle for the Learning and Development process.
ReplyDeleteThanks Malinda. L&D is part and partial of effective HRM. Infact, employees don't get motivated to be innovative and creative in their jobs unless they are valued, and they are given opportunities to learn at the expense of the organization. Employees get sense of ownership when management sponsor them for L&D initiatives.
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