Employee learning and development refers to the acquisition of knowledge, skills and behaviours that improve an employee’s ability to meet changes in job requirements and in clients and customer demands.Due to an increase in team working and involvements of employees in all aspects of business, learning and development is becoming very important. Learning and development is necessary to improve quality, to meet the challenges in work design. Employees need to develop a broader range of technical, interpersonal and intrapersonal skills as more of an employee’s responsibilities are organized on a project or customer basis rather than functional basis. (Robin, Timothy, & De Cieri, 2010)
Learning and development programs can boost retention and engagement, reduce risks, inspire consumer confidence and drive profitability. According to the paper “The Strategic Value of Workplace Training and Development,” nine key benefits of learning and development were found.(none)
- Productivity
Learning and development helps to cut down unnecessary costs that are involved in an organization as through productivity comes effectiveness and efficiency which is key product in increasing profits for an organization as they produce more with same resources.
- Quality
Post customer behavior is mostly related with quality of the product that is delivered in the market; regular training helps employees produce quality products ensuring the standards are met adequately.
- Empowerment
Providing new methodologies and training employees with new skills help them gain confidence, which further helps them in working on their own.
- Alignment
Aligning programs that educate the employees about the overall performance and goals of the organization, and also gives them an idea about how their contribution effects the organization, this way an employee feels inspired to work more efficiently to align the mission of the company.
- Teamwork
Teamwork is one of the most important key factor in efficiency. For example a group of sticks cannot be broken but individually it becomes very easy. The same principal applies in an organization.
- Liability
Learning and development is a form of safety training. To reduce workplace accidents, company must effectively communicate proper procedures and the importance of following safety guidelines. Training can increase and promote safety awareness. This will reduce liabilities and workers compensation costs. Productivity will increase as employees will be less likely to miss work.
- Risk
Learning and development can avoid physical accidents. Employees should be empowered to recognize situations with potential risks of al type and know how to take corrective action to effectively overcome them.
- Professional development
Learning and development helps employees gain greater perspective in their jobs. By bringing professional up to date on current best practices and promote new skills, the workforce will be well prepared to keep cost effective and productive at all time.
- Business conduct and social responsibility
Strong ethics lead to good reputation and good social responsibility helps employer’s to attract top talent. The employer will demonstrate commitment and this will give the company a competitive advantage in the market place.
The application of learning at the organizational level was primarily conditioned as a collectivity of individual learning, training and development.(Ikehara, 1999) Organizational learning occurs when individuals with an organization experience a problematic situation and inquire into it on the organizational behalf. A learning organization evolves as a result of the learning and behavior of its people. (Honey and Mumford, 1992) The ability of a workforce in an organization constitutes the only sustainable competitive advantage at the disposed of learning organizational. (De Geus, 1998)
A research in the human resource strategy area has attempted to link training expenditures or learning organization strategies with financial performance across many organizations. (Delay and Huselid, 1996) Maurer et al XXXXXXXXXXsuggested that human resource development may impact competitive advantage not only through developing employees into a more competent workforce, but also through affecting cost savings by reducing things such as absenteeism and turnover rates (Kayes and Jordan Evans, 2000) Employees who are committed to an organization are less likely to leave, be absent and may offer other positive behaviours that are valuable to an organization.
Organisational development can take place by acquiring knowledge. The functions of knowledge is of gathering information and integrating that into existing organizational knowledge, sharing and leveraging it, and applying it to create value for clients.
For a company to success effectively, knowledge capabilities must be present. Since the market and competitive environment of all companies is changing rapidly, it is imperative for organization to focus on developing their knowledge capabilities on an ongoing basis, or they will face extinction. Organisational development must be centered on the continual enhancement of knowledge capabilities.
Knowledge organisations depend on knowledge employees, who are at the heart of the processes that create the most value for the organization and its clients. These individual knowledge employees and their ability to add value must form a focus for development. The key aspect of the organizational learning is the flow of information and knowledge.
Employees can learn and develop their knowledge by the means of technology. Technology can add value to information and knowledge, therefore, developing knowledge capabilities. However, technology alone is insufficient if employees do not complement it by effective skills and behaviours. For employees to learn and develop their knowledge capabilities, it is important that they are being motivated by the organization to be able to do so.
The focus on workplace learning and organizational learning encourage managers to move away from a directing role and towards that of a coach and facilitator, and thus take an increasing responsibility for supporting the learning of their employees. (Ellinger et al. 1999)
Small business represent a very significant part of the workplace learning context in New Zealand (Cameron and Massey, 1999) and in other developed economies (Curran and Blackburn, 2001) Small business researchers, example Chaston et al, (2001), emphasis the importance of learning for small business in order to ensure success in the long term.
Managers should support for the learning of employees and increase employees’ satisfaction within the organizational learning. Some researchers believe that employee creativity will flourish when the manager provides transformational leadership (Jaussi and Dianne, 2003) and when employees have a learning orientation (Redmond, Mumford and Teach, 1993)
Employee learning orientation seems conducive to the formation and maintenance for different reasons. A learning orientation is grounded in an incremental conception of ability (Dweck, 1986) and such a conception builds efficacy beliefs. Learning orientation leads to a focus on competence development, (Dweck, 1986, 2000) Employees with a learning orientation are likely to accumulate experience of successful mastery over time.
According to the 2011 National Learning and Development Index individual employees rather than a business’s overall strategy are driving learning and development practices more.
Organisational knowledge and faiths diffused to individuals through various forms of instructions, indoctrination and exemplication. An organization socializes recruits to the languages, beliefs and practices that comprise organization code. (Whyte, 1957)
According to Dr. William J. Rothwell, company leaders first have to commit sufficient financial resources and time for workplace learning while establishing realistic goals and expectations for learning. The company must inspire sufficient trust in employees that they will participate in workplace learning programs. Furthermore the organization should give ample incentives and rewards to encourage them to persue workplace learning.
There are five areas that manager should focus on in employee development. The goal is to develop their skills, increase their knowledge and to uncover their talents.
- Coaching
Coaching involves regular discussions between a
- Counseling
The purpose is to help the employee to sort out any personal difficulties. In employee development there may be added pressure or stress that can arise.
- Mentoring
Mentoring is about the overall career growth and guidance. Manager should motivate the employee and help them to understand their potential and how that potential can be achieved.
- Teaching
With employee development, teaching revolves around skills. These skills lay a foundation on which the employee can build. The focus is on communication skills, inter – personal skills, problem solving skills and professionalism.
- Training
Expanding employees technical skills are can essential part of employee development. These are on- the - job skills. The focus should be on gaining expert knowledge in their area.
To conclude, any business, whether small or big organization, can’t succeed if there is no employee learning and development. Employee learning and development is at the heart of all success of any organisations. Managers should help and motivate employees to learn and develop their knowledge and skills. Employees should be ready to accept changes and to challenge them.
·Bibliography
- C, Cameron, & Massey. (1999). EBSCOHost. Retrieved May 10, 2012, from Employee learning and development orienatation: http://search.ebscohost.com
- Chaston, e. a. (2001). EBSCOHOST. Retrieved May 10, 2012, from Employee learning and development orienatation: http://search.ebscohost.com
- Curran, & Blackburn. (2001). EBSCOHost. Retrieved May 10, 2012, from Employee learning and development orienatation: http://search.ebscohost.com
- Dawson, R. (n.d). Emerald Insight. Retrieved May 10, 2012, from Knowledge Capabilities is the focus of Organisational development and strategy: http://www.emaraldinsight
- Dweck. (1986). EBSCOHost. Retrieved May 10, 2012, from Employee learning and development orienatation: http://search.ebscohost.com
- Dweck. (2000). EBSCOHost. Retrieved May 10, 2012, from Employee learning and development orienatation: http://search.ebscohost.com
- Ellinger, e. a. (1999). EBSCOHost. Retrieved May 10, 2012, from Employee learning and development orientation: http://search.ebscohost.com
- Gues, D. (1998). Emarald Insight. Retrieved May 10, 2012, from Organisational Learning: a critical review: http://www.emeraldinsight.com
- Honey, & Mumford. (1192). Emarald Insight. Retrieved May 10, 2012, from Organisation Learning: a critical review: http://www.emeraldinsight.com
- Huselid. (1996). Emarald Insight. Retrieved May 10, 2012, from Employee Development: http://www.emeraldinsight.com
- Ikehara. (1999). Organisational learning: a critical review. Retrieved May 10, 2012, from Emerald Insight: http://www.emeraldinsight.com
- Jaussi, & Dianne. (2003). EBSCOHost. Retrieved May 10, 2012, from Employee learning and development orienatation: http://search.ebscohost.com
- March, G. J. (n.d). Google scholar. Retrieved May 10, 2012, from Explotation and exploration in organisational learning.
- Maurer, e. a. (2000). Emarald Insight. Retrieved May 10, 2012, from Employee Development: http://www.emaraldinsinght.com
- none. (n.d.). EBSCOHost. Retrieved May 10, 2012, from Effective Learning and Programs are crucial: http://search.ebscohost.com
- Redmond, Mumford, & Teach. (1993). EBSCOHost. Retrieved May 10, 2012, from Employee learning and development orienatation: http://search.ebschost.com
- Robin, K., Timothy, B., & De Cieri, H. (2010). Human Resource Mananagement in Australia. Ailsa Brackley du Bois.
- Rothwel, J. D. (1991). Google scholar. Retrieved May 10, 2012, from What is learning Organisation.
- Whyte. (1957). Google scholar. Retrieved May 10, 2012, from Exploration and explotation in organisational learning.