HR Connect with Upali Rathnayake

 Importance of Employee Learning & development (L&D) culture for an organization

Introduction

Employees' Learning and development programs are playing a major role in all organizations. It’s intended to improve their skills and knowledge, which may have a positive impact on their productivity. - Stone & Deadrick, 2015

 These programs come in a variety of formats such,

·         Professional development - Majority of workers have determined their career objectives. To achieve the specified targets, HRM support is required. People can achieve their professional objectives by obtaining critical career planning, promotions, and performance reviews.

·         Training & Development - Individual gaps must be considered when doing training and development. HRM can determine the appropriate training needs of individuals based on the gaps discovered. 

·         Coaching - Human resource managers have the luxury of matching potential applicants with experienced personnel to serve as coaches based on specific development areas. where individuals could extend their horizons and hasten their development into prospects.

Employee Learning and development (L&D)

Learning and development initiatives are educational activities within an organization that are designed to improve the job performance of an individual or group. These programs typically involve advancing a worker's knowledge and skill sets and instilling greater motivation to enhance job performance.

"Training is the process of developing, habits, knowledge, and an employee " - William G. Torpey

As per the Charted Institute of Personal & Development (CIPD), 30 Nov 2022 Employee Learning and development (ELD) is impacting an organization in many ways,

• Needs to increase its business knowledge and commercial awareness.
• Grow in the use of technology and online learning within its offering.
• Develop analytical skills to effectively use information and metrics.
• Balance the tensions in getting the best from traditional methods whilst pioneering innovations.
• Practitioners to have up-to-date knowledge of new insights, theories, and technologies.

 

Learning Culture                        

Team members in organizational learning cultures have the time and space to constantly expand their knowledge and gain new abilities. The learning is aimed at boosting employee performance and promoting personal and professional development. Team members in organizational learning cultures have the time and space to constantly expand their knowledge and gain new abilities. The learning is aimed at boosting employee performance and promoting personal and professional development.

When setting the stage for a culture of learning, Matthew Smith, Chief Learning Officer at McKinsey & Company says, “It all starts at the top, as with so many things, with having a CEO or senior leader who values learning and actively encourages it” -

Reynolds, (2020) describes a learning culture as a ‘growth medium’, which will  ‘encourage employees to commit to a range of positive  discretionary behaviors,  including learning and which has the following characteristics

Sources: Figure 1 - uploaded by PhD Aleksandar Damnjanovic, Components of learning and development

 

The Benefits of Learning & Development Culture

·         Improve Performance

·         Attract and Retain Top Talent

·         Boost Employee Engagement

·         Increase Customer Satisfaction

·         Develop Future Leaders

·         Facilitate Innovation

Conclusion

Learning and development are essential components of a company's success. Companies can improve employee performance, retention, productivity, and customer satisfaction by understanding the various factors that affect learning and development, implementing successful education programs based on sound theories, and addressing critical issues such as diversity and inclusion, and compliance. The advantages of investing in learning and development programmers far outweigh the expenditures, making it a wise business option for any firm. Learning and development are key components for a company's success.

 

References: 

·    Stone, D. & Deadrick, D.,(2015). Challenges and opportunities affecting the future of human resource management. Human Resource Management Review

· Charted Institute of Personal & Development (CIPD), 30 Nov 2022 https://www.cipd.co.uk/learn/events-networks/leaders-learning (Accessed on 18th April 2023)

·         HR News - HR News stories from the UK https://hrnews.co.uk/the-importance-of-employee-learning-and-development/ (Accessed on 18th April 2023)

·         Components of learning and development https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Components-of-learning-and-development_fig1_309134383

·         https://businessleadershiptoday.com/why-a-learning-culture-is-so-important-for-success/#:~:text=Learning%20cultures%20are%20known%20for,more%20and%20fear%20mistakes%20less. (Accessed on 18th April 2023)

·         What is Learning & Development .The L & D academy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hK5zWdvD9Zw (Accessed on 18th April 2023)