Learning & Development
What is Learning & Development ?
A specialized HR function, learning and development (L&D) is defined as the process of empowering employees with specific skills to drive better business performance. They may be upskilled to perform better in their existing roles or reskilled to take on new roles in the organization and fill the skills gap that is becoming common in the workplace these days.
Performance is just one of the intended outcomes of L&D – it also has several other benefits, such as employee satisfaction, future-proofing your business, enhanced employee experienceOpens a new window , and increased retention. Typically, L&D is categorized as part of a company’s overall talent management strategy, where learning is used as a means to acquire, nurture, maximize, and retain talent.
How does Learning & Development work?
- Talent & Gap Analysis
- L & D Strategy formulation
- Procurement
- Execution
- Measurement & Review
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Best Practices for Creating a Learning & Development Strategy
FACTOR IN THE REQUIREMENTS OF A MULTIGENERATIONAL WORKFORCE
The oldest Gen-Zer turns 25, ready and qualified to take on their first job. This is also the decade when baby boomers reach their 60s, resulting in a spate of new learning requirements. To keep up, companies will have to create multigenerational learning tracks with different learning and development best practices for millennials, Gen Z, Gen X, and baby boomers.
Tactics like reverse mentoring will be particularly useful, allowing older employees to gain from the skills of digitally native millennials and Gen Zers.
EMBRACE THE POWER OF MOBILE LEARNING
The mobile learning market is currently booming. By 2025, mobile learning will cross $42 billion, at a robust compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18.5%.
Mobile learning strengthens the impact of that 70% of knowledge/skills employees that pick up on the job – employees can quickly refer to the company LMS using a mobile device when they face a bottleneck at work.
Mobile access also gives learners the flexibility to pursue learning material anytime, anywhere. They could potentially turn the ideal hours spent during their commute or waiting at the airport, for example, into opportunities for self-learning.
USE TECHNOLOGY INTELLIGENTLY TO PERSONALIZE THE LEARNING EXEPERIENCE
Companies must explore how technology could enable personalized learning. With business requirements continually evolving, and so many generations now making up the standard office, personalization can help you adapt to individual needs.
As Jeff Freyermuth, principal research analyst at Gartner, put it: “The traditional, one-size-fits-all approach to L&D will no longer cut it in the new work environment.”
Technology can help create automated, intuitive, and interactive learning workflows that adapt to employee behavior. This should be bolstered by regular surveys to get a clear understanding of different employee personas and their diverse learning needs.
EMBED L&D INTO THE LARGER HR LANDSCAPE
This best practice is all the more relevant for large enterprises. For workforces with thousands of employees, L&D is designated as a separate function, independent from HR. Over time, this could lead to an entirely siloed approach, with little collaboration between HR and L&D. As a result, you have limited visibility into how your L&D program impacts people’s outcomes, and L&D centers purely on business performance.
To avoid this pitfall, large enterprises should embed L&D into their HR landscape, with decision-makers such as the chief learning officer (CLO) collaborating with the chief human resources officer (CHRO).
LEVERAGE L&D AS A TOOL FOR SUCCESSION PLANNING
A rapidly aging baby boomer workforce means that there will be a wave of retirements in 2020, affecting thousands of senior leadership roles around the world. HR must step up and action an effective succession plan. A carefully developed learning and development strategy can help you address the gap, nurturing employees’ latent leadership skills.
Targeted measures such as one-on-one coaching and soft skills trainingOpens a new window are suited to a succession-ready learning and development program. Further, employees who are assigned as mentors will acquire valuable skills, such as strategic decision-making, responsiveness, perceptivity, and conflict resolution.
MAKE LEARNING AN ONGOING PROCESS
L&D shouldn’t be looked at as a one-off initiative. Instead, look at talent development as a continuous development approach by integrating learning with everyday workflows.
This also means that employees do not have to specifically take out time to complete their learning modules. Making learning an ongoing process, embedded it into the flow of work, will increase participation rates, and ensure that the forgetting curve is avoided.
Tools to Use for Learning & Development?
Now that you know what learning and development is, its key objectives, and some best practices, you’re ready to select tools that can accelerate the pace of learning and strengthen its impact in your organization.
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