The Learning and Development (L&D)

Introduction

L&D is the process of learning or developmental experiences that help an organization to gain and develop knowledge, skills competencies, behaviors and attitudes (Armstrong & Stephen, 2014). The majority has described that the purpose of L&D is improving individual and organizational performance by developing employees’ capability (CIPD, 2015). At the same time,   minority has described the purpose of L&D is providing training to ensuring employees have the skills to carry out their roles involved (CIPD, 2015). Larger percentage defines that the purpose of L&D is to achieve corporate goals and business improvement (CIPD, 2015).

The Role of Learning & Development

CIPD (2015) identifies some of the roles that L&D plays in an organization such as providing the knowledge, behaviors, and skills required for sustainable success, supporting organizational development, identifying current and future skills gaps and embedding organizational values, retaining key staff, and supporting ‘make the company a great place to work’ (CIPD, 2015).

Even though LD has to play leading roles in an organization, a minority see L&D’s role as creating ‘a learning culture’ or ‘learning organization’ (CIPD, 2015).

The  Learning & Development Components

Source :Armstrong & Stephen (2014)

Learning Culture

SHRM (2015) says that learning culture contains of a community of employees inspired with a growth mindset. Armstrong & Stephen (2014) say learning is recognized by top management, line managers and employees in a learning culture. According SHRM (2015), in 2013, US organizations have invested average of USD1208 per employee that aggregates more than $162 billion annually for training and development.

Strategic Learning & Development

Strategic L&D is an approach to help an organization’s employees to learn and develop skills that will help how to achieve its goals with combined L&D strategies, practices and policies (Armstrong & Stephen, 2014). The aim of strategic L&D is to produce clear and complete framework for developing employees by creating a learning culture and formulating organizational and individual learning strategies (Armstrong & Stephen, 2014).

Learning and Development Strategies

Learning and development strategies are considered as the active components that help to approach to strategic L&D (Armstrong & Stephen, 2014).   Strategic L&D activities will take place in the organization; it provides guidance on how these activities should to be planned and implemented (Armstrong & Stephen, 2014). Organizational learning strategies and individual learning strategies are part of L&D strategies (Armstrong & Stephen, 2014).

The aim of organizational learning strategies is to develop an organization’s resource based capacity (Armstrong & Stephen, 2014).The aim of individual learning strategies of an organization is to fill up sort of skills and behaviors that will be required to achieve business goals (Armstrong & Stephen, 2014)

Conclusion

According to SHRM (2015) the jobs are vanishing due to the new way of doing tasks using technology and automation. It further states making ability to learn is more vital than ever.

 References

Armstrong, M., & Stephen, T. (2014). Armstrong’s handbook of human resource management practice (13 ed.). London: Koganpage.

CIPD. (2015). Learning and Development 2015 : ANNUAL SURVEY REPORT. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

SHRM. (2015, May 1). How to Create a Learning Culture. Retrieved May 15, 2018 : 3 pm, from www.shrm.org: https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/news/hr-magazine/pages/0515-learning-culture.aspx