Introduction to learning and development

In the current day and age innovation, information, knowledge and statistics are just some of the driving forces of the business world. Organizations depend on continually updating and refining their knowledge base and methods of operation to stay relevant and competitive in the market or risk been driven out of business by the competition. A prime example of this would be the fate that befell the “Eastman Kodak Company” due to its reluctance to adapt the then new ‘digital photography’ technology into their business model. ‘Though a pioneer in the digital space, the company failed to take the initiative and capitalize on the digital business due to fear of cannibalizing the existing product lines. The company slowly started moving into the digital space but found that it was too late and the competition had become formidable.’ (icmrindia.org, 2012).

Through this the reader can see how Kodak decided to stick with what they were good at doing and not realize that the market had started to move in another direction. Despite being the pioneer of digital photography years before anyone else they did not embrace it and therefore gave their competition enough time to catch up and surpass them. 

Now if the reader were to look at a hypothetical situation where Kodak had indeed embraced their innovation and aligned their business according to it. In this case they would have needed to make radical changes in the way they did business. These changes would result in the allocation of workforce to completely new manufacturing processes and sales tactics to bring their innovation to the market in an effective manner. For this to be done the members in the workforce from the factory employee and salesmen to the managers in charge of these production lines and those doing the marketing to promote the product will have to have a vastly different knowledge set than what they have been used to. This is where learning and development comes into play. (Author’s Work, 2020)

For an organization to be able to move ahead and adopt these new and emerging technological trends, new business practices and new production techniques and to have a workforce that is able to successfully carry out its duties  it is important that the workforce of the organization must be educated and trained in these methods. This is where learning and development plays an important role. For the organization and it’s people to grow and succeed, learning is a key factor indeed. If any Organization wants to be on top of their game, it is essential for it to equip with people who believe “continuous learning” is the ladder which takes them there (Alipour, Salehi and Shahnavaz, 2009).

Armstrong And Taylor (2014) define learning and development 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 programs provided by the organization, guidance and coaching provided by line managers and others, and self-directed learning activities carried out by individuals’. This tells the reader that it is in the best interest of the organization to have a skilled and trained workforce and this will require the organization to facilitate the training and development of said workforce. Armstrong And Taylor (2014) also quote Harrison (2009: 8) in their book and say that  Harrison defined learning and development more broadly as ‘The primary purpose of learning and development as an organizational process is to aid collective progress through the collaborative, expert and ethical stimulation and facilitation of learning and knowledge that support business goals, develop individual potential, and respect and build on diversity.’ This implies that the more the workforce is encouraged by an organization to learn and develop it will result in the progress of the workforce in their duties and also help the organization develop and improve as a whole.

Armstrong and Taylor (2014) discuss about 4 methods of how an organization can uplift the competency of employees. These methods are “training, learning, development and education”. These 4 methods can be further defined as follows.

· Learning – (Mousa, 2012) quotes Sloman (2005: 2), who states ‘learning can be described as ‘a self-directed, work-based process leading to increased adaptive capacity’ or as Armstrong and Taylor (2014) state< learning is ‘the process by which a person acquires and develops knowledge, skills, capabilities, behaviors and attitudes. It involves the modification of behavior through experience as well as more formal methods of helping people to learn within or outside the workplace’. It can be summarized that learning is done by an individual through experience.

· Development – (Mousa, 2012) quotes (Garavan, 1997: 42.) as stating that ‘development involves learning thinking, doing and feeling’. By reading the above it can be concluded that development must refer to a much wider scope that includes learning education and training. It can be stated that development is the process of making oneself better that where a person previously was.

· Training – As stated by (Truelove, 1992: 273) ‘Training endeavors to impart knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to perform job-related tasks. It aims to improve job performance in a direct way’ This may include classroom training and practical on the job training in processes and methods required in the workplace.

·  Education – As stated Armstrong, (2008) ‘the development of the knowledge, values and understanding required in all aspects of life rather than the knowledge and skills relating to particular areas of activity’. This can be achieved through formal study at an institution of learning through tutorage by instructors using printed or digital mediums and other practical activities.

When discussing about learning and training a clear difference must be shown between the two. (Reynolds et al, 2002) elegantly states this difference as ‘Learning is the process by which a person constructs new knowledge, skills and capabilities, whereas training is one of several responses an organization can undertake to promote learning’. This statement shows that in order for learning to occur the organization must initiate a proper training regime.  

Learning and development is extremely important to an organization for its continued growth and development and to stay relevant in the everchanging world of business. The organization that I currently work for has benefited greatly due to its continues use of regular training and development of its staff to ensure that they have the requisite knowledge and skills needed to perform their respective jobs. This level of training has been afforded to all employees: from the most junior member up to the most senior members of the workforce. (Author’s Work, 2020)

A good example of a learning culture can be seen in the works of Robyn and Geof (2002) where they discuss about the learning habits of AstraZeneca Australia. ‘AstraZeneca Australia has been actively involved in establishing a work-based learning and assessment system linked to career progression and remuneration strategies. Learning systems staff at AstraZeneca Australia have been involved in clearly defining skills required for the four levels of manufacturing practice. Manufacturing staff members are able to have their performance and skill level assessed against these defined skill standards. While much of the learning of required skills occurs somewhat informally (for example on the production floor or through team meetings with more experienced colleagues, or through employees completing self-paced learning modules), a formal and systematic assessment process by which employees’ skills acquisition is measured, has been implemented. Unlike Bartter’s, AstraZeneca Australia has not formally linked this skills acquisition program to the national accreditation framework or generic industry standards. However, skills standards established by this enterprise are closely if not formally aligned to general manufacturing standards. More recently, the Manufacturing Division has established a work-based management development program to better equip manufacturing managers for their managerial role’

The follow-up posts will establish how an organization may enact a learning culture in itself.

(Wheelie 2013)

References

Alipour, M., Salehi, M. and Shahnavaz, A. (2009). A Study of on the Job Training Effectiveness: Empirical Evidence of Iran. International Journal of Business and Management, 4(11), pp.63-68.

Amstrong, M.  Taylor, S.  (2014). Armstrong’s Handbook of Human Resource

Management Practice. 13th ed. New Delhi, Kogan Page Limited

(icmrindia.org, 2012) Rise and Fall of Kodak (2012) Available at: <https://www.icmrindia.org/casestudies/catalogue/Business%20Strategy/BSTR417.htm> [Accessed on 18 March 2020]

Garavan, T. N. (1997) "Training, development, education and learning: different or

the same?" Journal of European Industrial Training 21, (2) 39-50

Harrison, R (2009) Learning and Development, 5th edn, London, CIPD

Mousa Masadeh (2012). “Training, Education, Development and Learning: What is the Difference?” European Scientific Journal May edition vol. 8, No.10

Robyn Johnston Geof Hawke (2002) Case studies of organisations with established learning cultures. National Centre for Vocational Education Research, [online] <http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.87.6186&rep=rep1&type=pdf > [22 March 2020]

Reynolds, J, Caley, L and Mason, R (2002) How Do People Learn? Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, London

Sloman, M. (2005) Training to learning [online] available from<http://www.cipd.co.uk/NR/rdonlyres/52AF1484-AA29-4325-8964-0A7A1AEE0B8B/0/train2lrn0405.pdf> [22 March 2020]

Strategic Human Resource Management. A Guide to Action. 4th Edition, London, Kogan Page Limited

Truelove, S. (1992) Handbook of Training and Development. Oxford: Blackwell

Wheeler, K.(2013). What’s the Difference between Training, Education, Development and learning[Online]. Availble at: < https://futureoftalent.org/whats-difference-training-education-development-learning>. [ 22 March 2020]