Taking a bold approach to organizational learning: Making the most of the latest learning and development resources
| Published date | 21 October 2007 |
| Date | 21 October 2007 |
| Pages | 28-31 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/14754390980000999 |
| Author | Kay Baldwin‐Evans,Charles Jennings |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour |
28 Volume 6 Issue 5 July/August 2007
OWARDS THE END of 2006, SkillSoft
commissioned two separate surveys; one
among senior level executives in the corporate
HR community and one with over 5,350
people, all of whom were in full-time work ranging
from junior positions to managers and director level
employees. The first survey was a qualitative study,
consisting of in-depth, face-to-face interviews with
senior HR executives from a cross-spread of industry
sectors. Organizations that took part in the study
include Atos Origin, BDO Stoy Hayward, DHL, GSK,
HBOS, ING Direct, LloydsTSB, Nestlé Purina,
Parexel, Pilkington Group, Reuters, Royal Bank of
Scotland, SITA, TDK, T-Mobile, and Virgin Atlantic.
The second was a quantitative study consisting of a
web-based survey, open to anyone who was in full-
time employment.
Our aim was to compare and contrast employees’
view of training and development with that of
employers. There are many areas where the learning and
development community has much to be proud of.
Indeed, in many of the organizations we surveyed, there
are some outstanding programs in place that are making
a significant and positive difference to the skills and
knowledge of the workforce, which in turn is having a
positive and tangible impact on the effectiveness of
those organizations as a whole.
Positive changes to learning and development
Many companies have taken the conscious decision to
give their employees considerable autonomy to develop
their skills and made a wide range of training available
across their organizations. Line managers still have a
role to play in approving the training taken, but in
many organizations, particularly those using e-learning,
the depth and breadth of the training done is at the
employee’s discretion.
As a result, the competence and skills base of the
organization continues to expand, and those we
interviewed said the gain to their business was evident
in many ways. There was evidence of increased
productivity, particularly in areas like sales, customer
service and IT, as well as improvements in retention
rates and, in some cases, a higher level of personal job
satisfaction or an increase in satisfaction with the skills
of managers and other leaders.
The results also indicated that the trend towards
informal learning will continue, as more and more
organizations understand the value that this type of
learning brings. In fact, many of the organizations
participating in this study are making a concerted
effort to support informal learning and to exploit its
benefits. From the quantitative survey, there’s also
evidence that companies are actively promoting the
sharing of information among their staff and
encouraging employees to pass on their knowledge and
expertise to their peers.
T
Taking a bold
approach to
organizational
learning
Making the most of the latest learning
and development resources
Drawing on two pieces of research contrasting
employee and employer perspectives of organizational
learning, Kay Baldwin-Evans, director of research at
online learning provider SkillSoft, outlines the key
findings and suggests that, to really make a difference,
HR professionals need to move out of their comfort
zones. Charles Jennings, global head of learning at
Reuters, discusses his organization’s forward-thinking
approach to learning and development.
by Kay Baldwin-Evans, SkillSoft EMEA, and Charles Jennings, Reuters
© Melcrum publishing 2007.For more information visit our website www.melcrum.com or e-mail info@melcrum.com
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