Lecture 12

Learning and Development

 Part 3:
Learning and development
 1. Why is T&D important?

• Higher level skills lead to higher productivity

• Higher individual capacity raises competitiveness of the business in
the market place
• Training enables individuals to adopt to change better
• It has a symbolic value and raises organisational commitment

International HRM © Bex Hewett 2014 Slide 3

 2. Developing Human Resources

• Development: Efforts to improve employees’ abilities to:

• Handle a variety of assignments
• Cultivate employees’ capabilities beyond those required by the current job
 3. Defining Training & Development

• Training = planned and systematic modification of behaviour through

learning events which develop the knowledge, skills and abilities
(KSA) to perform their job effectively (Armstrong, 1999)

• Development = growth a realisation of a person’s ability and potential

(Armstrong, 1999) aimed at developing them for a future role or
career (Dowling and Welch, 2004)

International HRM © Bex Hewett 2014 Slide 5

3. Development versus Training
 4. Possible Development Focuses

• Lifelong learning
• For professionals
• Meeting continuing education requirements to retain certificates
• For other employees
• Training to expand existing skills
• Prepare for different jobs, promotions, or new jobs after retirement
• Redeveloping people in the capabilities they need is logical and important
 5. Development Needs Analyses

• Assessment centers: Collections of instruments and exercises designed to diagnose individuals’

development needs
• Psychological testing - Determines employee’s developmental potential and needs
• Performance appraisals - Source of development information
• Productivity
• Employee relations
• Job knowledge
• Development metrics - Assessments that target the proper skills needed to perform work
• Can be used to identify content that should be included in development programs
6. Systematic Training Process
 Sources of the Information Used in
Training Needs Assessment

Job/Task Analyses Individual Analyses

Organizational Analyses
 Establishing Training Objectives
and Priorities

• Gap Analysis
• The distance between where an organization is with its employee capabilities and where
it needs to be.
• Types of Training Objectives
• Knowledge: Impart cognitive information and details to trainees.
• Skill: Develop behavior changes in how job and tasks are performed.
• Attitude: Create interest and awareness of the training importance.
 Learning: The Focus of Training

• Learner Readiness
• Ability to learn
• Learners must possess basic skills (3Rs).
• Motivation to learn
• Learners must desire and value training.
• Self-efficacy
• Learners must believe that they can successfully learn
the training content.
 7. Methods of learning and development

7.1. Off-job methods: education and training courses

- External consultancy courses vary from a half-day to several weeks in length, and
run by consultants or professional bodies for all corners.
E.g: in-house courses, outdoor-type courses (Outward Bound)
- Main problems: transferring of learning back to the workplace, that depends on a
supportive climate in organizations
 External Training

• Reasons for External Training

• May be less expensive to outsource training
• Insufficient time to develop training
• Lack of expertise
• Advantages of interacting with outsiders
• Outsourcing of Training
• Declining due to cost concerns, a greater emphasis on internal linking of training to
organizational strategies, and other issues.
• Training and certification by vendors is increasing in popularity.
 Sources of External Training

Vendor
VendorTraining
Training
and
andCertification
Certification

Government-Supported
Government-SupportedJob
Job
Training External
ExternalTraining
Training
Training

Educational
EducationalAssistance
Assistance
Programs
Programs
 7. Methods of learning and development

7.2. Learning on the job

 Natural training and self-development
-Self-development may be seen as a conscious effort to gain the most from natural
learning in a job and to use the learning cycle, which was explained in the previous
chapter, as a framework.
-1st step is to understanding self strengths and weaknesses
-2nd step is to choose methods and goals
-Self-development focuses on specific skills development, attitude development
and personal growth
 7. Methods of learning and development

7.2. Learning on the job

 Manager coaching and other internal and external coaching
-Coaching is a formal approach to individual development based on a close
relationship between the individual and one other person, either internal or external
to the organization. The coach is often immediate managers
-Main tasks of managers: asking searching questions, actively listening, discussion,
exhortation, encouragement, understanding, counselling and providing information
and honest feedback, creating opportunities to join activities .
 7. Methods of learning and development

7.2. Learning on the job

 Manager coaching and other internal and external coaching
-Internal coaches operate broadly in the organization, just in a coaching role.
-External executive coaching is often provided by consultancies and specialist
coaching organizations.
-Forms of coaching: career coaching, performance coaching, skills coaching,
business coaching and life coaching
 7. Methods of learning and development

7.2. Learning on the job

 Mentoring
-Purposes of mentors are to share their greater understanding of the workplace to
enhance career advancement
-8 individual mentoring functions: personal and emotional guidance, coaching,
advocacy, career development facilitation, and friendship.
 7. Methods of learning and development

7.2. Learning on the job

 Peer relationships
-Supportive peer relationships share information and skills, provide job-related
feedback and friendship, share career planning.
-Others can focus on emotional support, personal feedback, friendship and
confirmation
 7. Methods of learning and development

7.2. Learning on the job

 Self-development groups
-Peers join to discuss their personal development, organizational issues and/or
individual work problems.
-The group itself is the primary source of information and may operate without
outside help as its members’ process skills develop.
 7. Methods of learning and development

7.3. E-learning and blended learning

- E-learning: learning is delivered, enabled or mediated by electronic technology
- Peers join to discuss their personal development, organizational issues and/or
individual work problems.
- The group itself is the primary source of information and may operate without
outside help as its members’ process skills develop.
 E-Learning: Online Training
• E-Learning: Training Online
• The using the Internet or an organizational intranet to conduct training online.
• Criteria for adopting e-learning:
• Sufficient top management support and funding
• Accepting the idea of decentralized and individualized training
• Current training methods not meeting needs
• Computer literacy and access to computers
• Time and travel cost concerns for trainees
• The number and self-motivation of trainees
 Training Approaches

Cooperative
CooperativeTraining
Training

Training Instructor-Led
Instructor-Led
Distance
Distance Training Classroom
Classroomand
and
Training/Learning
Training/Learning Methods
Methods Conference
ConferenceTraining
Training

Simulations
Simulations
and
andTraining
Training
 7. Methods of learning and development

7.3. E-learning and blended learning

- Facebook and Twitter have become a learning and development tool
- Blog and wikis can be used as social network sites
- E-learning can be used for refreshers, for self-checking of understanding and
planning how to apply the learning gained on the course.
- E-learning can be used in combination with manager coaching, that is “blended
learning” (combination of e-learning and face-to-face experiences)
 8. Kirkpatrick’s evaluation model

Reaction
Of the learners following an activity

Learning
Skills and knowledge gained as a result of the activity

Behaviour
The effect on the performance of the learner within the workplace

Results
The effect of changes in performance n measurable results at work (e.g. Sales or production
figures, customer feedback)
Kirkpatrick (1983)
 Training results evaluation

• Cost-Benefit Analyses
• A comparison of costs and benefits associated with organizational training efforts
• Measurement of both the costs and the benefits may be difficult.
• Return on Investment (ROI) Analysis

• Benchmarking
• Comparison of internal training with training done in other organizations
Some Typical Costs and Benefits of Training
 The problem with evaluation
1. Senior management often not insisting on or requesting information on the impact of
the training that was provided.
2. The lack of expertise among L&D professionals on how to carry out training
evaluations.
3. A lack of clear objectives attached to training programmes so that actually knowing
what to evaluate against is difficult if not impossible.
4. The limited budgets available to training departments means that resources are
devoted to training provision rather than training evaluation.
5. The risks associated with evaluation may be too great, given that the evaluation data
might reveal that the training had little impact
 9. Responsibility for
the implementation of learning

• Individuals should be expected to take a considerable degree of responsibility for

managing their own learning (self-directed or discretionary learning) but they need the help
and support of their line managers and the organization, including the L&D function