Learning and Development Strategy

John Mullen/Hermione McIntoshAnglia Ruskin UniversityMarch 2006

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this session you should be able to:

understand the aims and objectives and philosophy underpinning strategic HRD

have an overview of the elements of HRD

analyse the concepts of a learning culture, organisational learning and learning organisations

evaluate the tensions between control and development in terms of HRD

discuss the emphasis on individual learning

Strategic Human Resource Development (HRD)

• ‘…employees are key players contributing to the core competencies of the organisation’ (Hamel and Prahald, 1994)

• harnessing the talents and capabilities of employees is a significant managerial activity (Leopold et al., 2005)

• ‘Strategic human resource development involves introducing, eliminating, modifying, directing and guiding processes in such a way that all individuals and teams are equipped with the skills, knowledge and competences they require to undertake current and future tasks required by the organisation’ (Walton, 1999)

• takes a broad and long-term view (Armstrong, 2006)

Strategic HRD (Armstrong, 2006)

Aims to produce a framework for developing people through

creating a learning culture and formulating organisational and individual learning strategies

Objectives to enhance resource capability to develop intellectual capital required by the organisation to ensure right quality of people available to meet current

and future needs to provide an environment which encourages learning an

development to consider individual aspirations and needs to increase employability

What do you understand by the term employability?

Philosophy underpinning HRD makes a major contribution to the successful achievement

of the organisations’ objectives

benefits all stakeholders

should be integrated with and support the business and HR strategies

should be performance related

should involve everyone

individual learning based on PDPs, self-managed learning supported by coaching, mentoring and formal training

organisation should invest in learning and development but prime responsibility rests with individual

Elements of HRDLearning ‘a relatively permanent change in behaviour that occurs as a result of practice or

experience’ (Bass and Vaughan, 1966)

Training ‘planned and systematic modification of behaviour through learning events,

programmes and instruction that enable individuals to achieve the levels of knowledge, skill and competence needed to carry out their work effectively’ (Armstrong, 2006)

focuses on immediate changes in job performance

Development ‘the growth or realisation of a person’s ability and potential through the provision of

learning and educational experiences’ (Armstrong, 2006) concerned with long-term improvement in the individual

Education ‘development of knowledge, values and understanding required in all aspects of life

rather than the knowledge and skills relating to particular areas of activity’ (Armstrong, 2006)

geared towards intermediate changes in individual capabilities

A learning culture

learning is recognised by everyone in the organisation as essential

everyone is committed to and engaged in learning

emphasis is on discretionary learning

empowerment

self-managed learning

the long-term acts as a ‘growth medium’ (Reynolds, 2004)

Strategy for creating a learning culture (Reynolds, 2004)

develop and share the vision empower employees provide a supportive learning environment use coaching techniques provide guidance, time, resources and feedback managers act as ‘role models’ encourage networks – communities of practice align systems to vision

Organisational learning

‘All organisations learn whether they consciously choose to or not’ (Kim, 1993)

Is this a viable assertion? Organisation memory: ‘Stored information from an

organisation’s history that can be brought to bear on present decisions. This information is stored as a consequence of implementing decisions to which they refer, by individual recollections and through shared interpretations’. (Walsh and Ungson, 1991)

Is there any evidence of organisational amnesia?

Single and double loop learning(Argyris, 1978, 1992; Schon, 1981; Armstrong, 2006)

Single-loop learning - whenever an error is detected and corrected without questioning or altering the underlying values of the systems (helps everyday tasks).

addresses the surface symptoms of a problem

lower-level reactive learning

‘six sigma’ is an example of operational or single-loop learning Single-loop learning organisations:

define what they expect to achieve monitor achievements take corrective action as necessary

Single and double loop learning(Argyris, 1978, 1992; Schon, 1981; Armstrong, 2006)

Double-loop learning - when mismatches are corrected by first examining and altering governing variables and then taking action (more relevant for complex tasks)

asks the question why the problem arose and tackles root causes ‘…people are encouraged to think holistically and to challenge

fundamental assumptions that underpin the organisation’s systems and procedures’ (Walton, 1999)

Double-loop learning organisations: learn something new about what has to be achieved in the light of changed

circumstances and then decide how this should be achieved are adaptive, dynamic and customer driven

Learning organisation concept stimulated by the need to be competitive in an

environment characterised by uncertainty and change ‘learning company…facilitates the learning of all its

members and continually transforms itself’ (Pedler et al., 1987) a learning organisation

adapts to its context and develops its people to match the context (Burgoyne, 1994)

is ‘skilled at creating, acquiring and transferring knowledge, and at modifying its behaviour to reflect new knowledge and insights’. Good at:

systematic problem solving experimentation learning from past experience learning from others transferring knowledge quickly and efficiently throughout the

organisation (Garvin, 1993)

Learning Organisation (Pedler et al., 1988)

has a climate in which individual members are encouraged to learn and develop their full potential

two hallmarks of a learning climate: the primary task of managers is to facilitate the learning of their

staff

mistakes are seen as experiments that did not produce the right results

(Pedler, et al., 1996)

extends the learning culture to include customers, suppliers and other significant stakeholders

makes HRD strategy central to business policy learning is a continuous process of organisational

transformation rather than a set of discrete training activities

Soft and hard approaches to HRD (Leopold et al., 2005)

High control/low development high degree of fit between training and organisation’s immediate need lack of investment in training and development low commitment to developing people short-term approach

High control/high development high commitment to developing people training is job-related and located in the workplace driven by the needs of the business

Soft and hard approaches to HRD (Leopold et al., 2005)

Low control/high development high commitment to developing people innovative training and development activities are encouraged training and development linked to organisational learning future orientation aim ‘long run agility’

Low control/low development individual commitment to training and development little or no investment in training and development by the

organisation

Tensions continuum between development and control (Leopold et al., 2005)

Self-developmentCPDSelf and company fundedIndividual and company needsNon-standard forms of trainingSeen as an investmentLong-termFit for future

Low control

High development

Individual and group performance appraisalManagement developmentBusiness needs drivenJob-related training fundedOn-the-job trainingTeamworkingQuality circlesMake/develop skills

High control

Low development

Individually drivenSelf-directedSelf-funded

Performance managementIndividual job performanceFit for purposeShort termTraining necessities e.g. H&SMinimum investmentSeen more as a costBuy in skills

Tensions between control and development

Individual learning strategies (Armstrong, 2006)

driven by an organisation's human resource requirements

skills and behaviours required

identifies how learning needs will be identified

role of PDP and self-managed learning

support provided for individual learning

important that organisation develops a climate which supports effective and appropriate learning

Current approaches to learning individual learner takes more responsibility for his/her

learning learning is an individual activity it is trainee centred rather than organisation centred experiential learning is important participative training is important flexible training programmes – trainees work at their own

pace blended learning – a mix of approaches to suit individual’s

learning needs, learning style and work-life situation

Continuous development

many organisations have a philosophy of continuous development

learning should be seen as a continuous process

less emphasis on formal instruction

self-managed or self-directed learning encouraged

personal development plans may be an important part of the learning process

Continuous development spiral