Module 4

LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT

Introduction
Learning and development (L&D) is one of the core areas of Human Resource Management. In this article,
we will give you a comprehensive guide to learning and development. We answer what learning and
development is, how to create learning and development strategies, how to evaluate L&D effectiveness,
and we list the different jobs that make up the L&D field.
Definition of learning and development
Learning and development is a systematic process to enhance an employee’s skills, knowledge, and
competency, resulting in better performance in a work setting. Specifically, learning is concerned with the
acquisition of knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Development is the broadening and deepening of knowledge
in line with one’s development goals.
The goal of learning and development is to develop or change the behavior of individuals or groups for the
better, sharing knowledge and insights that enable them to do their work better, or cultivate attitudes that
help them perform better (Lievens, 2011). 
Learning, training, and development are often used interchangeably. However, there are subtle differences
between these concepts, which are shown in the table below. 

Concept Description

The acquisition of knowledge, skills, or attitudes through experience, study, or teaching.

Learning
Training, development, and education all involve learning.

Training is aimed at teaching immediately applicable knowledge, skills, and attitudes to

Training be used in a specific job. Training may focus on delivering better performance in the
current role or to overcome future changes. 

Development is aimed at the long term. It revolves around the broadening or deepening
Developmen
of knowledge. This has to fit within one’s personal development goals and the (future)
t
goals of the organization. Development usually happens voluntarily.

Education is a more formal way to broaden one’s knowledge. Education is often non-
Education specific and applicable for a long time and is especially relevant when a person has little
experience in a certain area.

In the next section, we’ll dive into how learning & development can be leveraged in an organization.

Learning and development strategies

According to Dave Ulrich, the most important thing HR can give an employer is a company that wins in the
marketplace. The question is, what are the learning and development strategies that help to do this?
A useful model that guides a learning and development strategy is created by van Gelder and
colleagues (ENG). Its original name translates to ‘Pedagogical Analysis’. The model starts with the
organizational starting situation and prior knowledge based on which learning goals and objectives are
defined. This information is used as input for the subject matter, teaching methods, and learning methods
and activities. These lead to a certain result, which is monitored and evaluated. Based on this evaluation,
the goals and objectives are updated.
Based on this model, we identify four phases required to create an effective learning and development
process.

 An analysis of training needs (starting situation)

 Specification of learning objectives
 Design of training content and method
 Monitoring and evaluation
An effective learning and development strategy relies on a process in which one continually moves through
these four phases. Let’s examine them one by one.
 Learning & Development Certi fi cate

Phase 1. Analysis of training needs

The first step is an analysis of the starting situations and prior knowledge to identify training needs. We
don’t want employees to learn for the sake of learning. Otherwise, we would be happy to send them on a
pottery course. Instead, we want employees to acquire new knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are
relevant for their (future) function. This way learning is a way to create new business capabilities.
In other words, learning is a means to an end – it has a goal. Example goals could be the development of
digital capabilities in an analog firm that needs to transform, building analytical capabilities to create more
business value through analytics, or simply making sure that everyone gets their mandatory certification in
time so they can continue to do their work. 
Identifying the learning goal requires you to analyze where the organization wants to go and what skills are
missing to get there. This happens in three parts.
1. Organizational analysis. In this phase, the short and long-term goals of the organization are
analyzed. The goal is to define the training needs that will help the company realize its business
goals. These goals need to align with the organizational climate in order to be effective in the long
term. For example, an assertiveness training in a very hierarchical organization with a culture in
which personal initiative is not appreciated may not be effective – it may even be counter-
productive!

2. Function, task, or competency analysis. Besides the identified organizational need, it is important
to look at a function or task level. What are the competencies and skills required to be successful in
one’s job? The goal here is to identify the most important knowledge, skills, and attitudes for
employees to be successful in their jobs, and to identify which of these are the easiest to learn.

3. Personal analysis. In this analysis, job performance is evaluated. Current competencies and

knowledge, performance, and skill levels are identified. The key source for this analysis is
oftentimes the employee’s performance evaluation. The outcome of the analysis serves as input for
the definition of the training needs.
Using these three analyses, training goals can be specified. However, it is important to ensure there is
sponsorship and support within the organization for the initiative. 
Sometimes, gaining support is easy, especially if there is an urgent organizational need for learning and
development. This makes building support easy. Other times you will have to put a lot more effort into
specifying the case for learning in order to free up budget and ensure that employees get time off for
learning. 
Phase 2. Specification of learning objectives
The training needs need to be translated into learning objectives. These objectives serve as the starting
point for the design of the training’s content and method.
According to Lievens (2011), a training objective consists of three elements.
1. The ability to realize specific objectives. For example, “as an HR business partner, I need to be able
to identify a manager’s strategic people needs”.

2. The conditions required for effective behavior. For example, “during the 30-minute check-in with
managers, I need to be able to identify their strategic people needs and be able to summarize these
to them to check if I identified these needs correctly”.

3. A specific and measurable training goal. For example, “after every check-in with a manager I have a

double-checked the top 3 of this manager’s strategic priorities”.
This way training goals become highly specific and measurable. This helps to create an effective learning
and development intervention aimed at improving these skills. 
A learning intervention can have multiple learning objectives. Another example objective for this training
could be that the HR business partner is able to relate each of the manager’s strategic objectives to HR
policies that can assist the manager. Because these objectives are closely related, they can be part of a
single training that will make the business partner a lot more successful in their role. 
Phase 3. Design of the training material and method
In this phase, the teaching material and learning method are determined. This is where the choices about
the training material, teaching method, and learning activities are made. This is often done together with
an external trainer or training provider, and ideally also with involvement from the trainee.
In addition to learning methods, techniques, pacing, setting, and many more factors are determined.
Training can be trainer-centered or trainee-centered. Trainer-centered methods include seminars,
presentations, lectures, keynotes, and lessons. Trainee-centered methods are more interactive and include
case studies, role-playing, self-directed lessons, on-the-job training, simulation, games, and so on. Effective
training usually includes a mix of methods.
Phase 4. Monitoring and evaluation
The last phase of the learning process is monitoring and evaluation. In this phase, the learning objectives
are evaluated and learning effectiveness is assessed. A very useful model for evaluating learning
effectiveness is Bloom’s taxonomy, which we will explain later in this article. 
In addition, student evaluations are collected and reviewed and improvements are made for future
learning interventions.
When the training is seen as effective, it should result in a change in behavior. This means that the starting
situation and knowledge in the organization will be changed for the next learning design.
The 70/20/10 Model Revisited
A popular approach to organizational learning is the 70/20/10 model. The model was created by McCall,
Lombardo & Eichinger of the Center for Creative Leadership, a leadership development organization.
The 70/20/10 model is a general guideline for organizations seeking to maximize organizational learning
and develop new programs. The model is widely deployed and often referred to when it comes to learning
& development.
The model proposes that 70% of learning comes from work-based learning. This informal learning happens
through hands-on experience, where the employee learns during their daily work. This learning-on-the-job
happens during new tasks and challenging assignments and through feedback from bosses and “water-
cooler” conversations with peers on the employee’s performance.
The next 20% represents developmental relationships. This involves employees learning from each other,
using social learning, peer feedback and peer coaching, collaborative learning, peer mentoring, and other
interactions with peers and mentors. The final 10% of professional development comes from traditional
coursework and training in a formal, educational setting.
Although commonly used, the model has been criticized in the academic literature. Notably, McCauly (2013) notes in
a since-deleted blog post that if formal training “accounts for only 10% of development, why do we need it?” Other
examples include:

There is very little if no quantitative evidence for the 70/20/10 rule in the scientific literature (Clardy,
2018).
 Analysis in the early 1980s found that the ratio for managers is 50/30/20. Zemke (1985) notes that
“the finding that 20% of a manager’s know-how comes from formal training is remarkable since the
average manager spends less than 1% of his or her time in training”.

 The Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that about 55% of all workers needed specific training to
qualify for their current jobs (this was in the 1980s).

About 29% came from school-based training, and 28% from formal, on-the-job training
(Loewenstein & Spletzer, 1998). This shows that formal training plays a much more significant role
in skill development.

 Loewenstein & Spletzer (1998), who re-analyzed the same data, concluded that “formal and
informal training are to some extent complementary, but formal training may have a higher
return”.
The safe conclusion is that the ratio heavily depends on the function. For example, in some cases, all
workplace learning occurs without formal learning (Clardy, 2018).
In other cases, years of formal learning and job-training is required to join a specialist profession. For these
kinds of jobs, formal learning will play a much more prominent role. 
According to Clardy, “we need to move beyond the formal/informal distinction to consider the best ways
to design and structure any and all kinds of learning experiences. […]
By recognizing that virtually all workplace learning outside formal programs can be structured and
managed, the HRD profession can make a significant step forward in recasting its role and increasing its
reach in improving individual, group, and organizational performance.”

Methods of learning
We already mentioned some methods of learning – but there are many more. We will list a number of
them below. However, this list is far from comprehensive.

 Lectures and seminars. This is a more formal setting often used in universities with a lecturer

and students. The setting inhibits interaction.

 Discussion groups. Highly interactive setting aimed at sharing viewpoints.

 Debate. Highly interactive setting aimed at convincing others of one’s viewpoints.

 Case study and projects. These actively involve the participant and activate them to come up

with solutions and answers.

  Experiential activities. These involve active participation and are often used in team building

 Role Play. A role is acted out or performed, for example as a technique to train customer

interaction.

 Simulation/Games. An increasingly popular and highly interactive way of experimental learning.

With the rise of virtual and augmented reality, this can be made very realistic.

 Job shadowing. Working with another employee who has a different experience to learn from

them. This is a good way to learn and exchange ideas.

 Outdoor management development (OMD). A form of experiential activities. A 2001 study by

Hamilton & Cooper showed that this could be effective. I couldn’t resist including this quote

from their paper: “50 percent of the participants were experiencing high levels of pressure and

reported low levels of mental wellbeing pre and post attendance. It was concluded that a

greater impact could be achieved if the participants were not over‐pressured and/or not

experiencing low levels of mental wellbeing.” Those poor managers…

 Coaching. Coaching focuses on hands-on skill development. The coach is often allocated and is

the driving force. The coachee follows and learns.

 Mentoring. Mentoring is more strategic. The mentor is chosen by the mentee and the process is

also driven by the mentee. Mentoring goes beyond skills.

These are some of the most common methods of learning in an organization. There are, however, many
others. If you feel like we forgot an important one, feel free to mention them in the comments and we’ll
add them!

Learning and development effectiveness

One of the key themes when it comes to learning and development is learning effectiveness. A key
question often asked to the L&D professional is:
1. “what is the return on learning?”, or

2. “how effective are our learning programs?”. These questions are hard to answer.
The image below shows part of this dilemma. However, the effectiveness of learning remains a contentious
topic.
A method to evaluate learning effectiveness is Bloom’s taxonomy. Benjamin Bloom edited the Taxonomy
of Educational Objectives: The Classification of Education Goals, which was later adapted by Pohl (2000).
The taxonomy captures different levels of information processing, starting at knowledge recollection, going
on to comprehension, application, analysis, evaluation, and creation (the synthesis of existing knowledge
to create new knowledge). The assumption here is that to analyze information, one needs to be able to
remember it, understand it, and apply it.
This taxonomy is often used to specify what level of information processing is relevant to do a job, for
example in training development, and to evaluate learning effectiveness. If someone has to be able to
create or synthesize knowledge (e.g., an academic writing a paper on a topic), the approach to mastering
the relevant information will be different than if someone only needs to understand (e.g., remembering
Latin words) or apply the knowledge (e.g., conjugate Latin verbs). 
The same holds true for work. Creating new and effective HR compensation policies requires a different
level of information processing than simple salary administration. The training (and experience) required to
create new policies versus understanding compensation and benefit ratios will therefore also be quite
different.
A lot more can be said about Bloom’s taxonomy and learning effectiveness. For more information, and to
learn how the model can tie in with learning objectives, we recommend this article published on the
website of the University of Arkansas.

Learning and development jobs

Let’s conclude this guide on learning and development with the different job roles that are part of the
learning and development team. Please note that the exact responsibility per role will differ between
organizations. Typical learning and development jobs include:
1. L&D specialist. The L&D specialist often occupies an operational role, focusing on analyzing learning
needs, specifying role competencies, L&D budget distribution, and providing learning advice to
employees.

2. L&D manager. The Learning and Development Manager has a more tactical role, focusing on
analyzing learning needs at a higher level, specifying core organizational competencies, L&D budget
allocation, and distribution between departments and teams.

3. L&D director. The L&D director has a strategic role, focusing on analyzing organizational needs for
development, aligning L&D activities with organizational strategy, drafting the L&D strategy, and
ensuring budget to execute this strategy.

4. L&D consultant. The L&D consultant does all of the above in a consulting capacity. Depending on
the role and seniority of the consultant, these activities can be operational or strategic.

Why Is Learning and Development So Important?

Now that we have a little bit more information on what learning and development is, let’s pivot to discuss
the reasons why L&D is important for organizations today and tomorrow.
1. Today’s Employees Demand Opportunities To Learn
According to a 2016 Gallup report, 87% of millennials say learning and development in the workplace is
important while 59% of millennials say having opportunities to learn and grow is extremely important
when deciding whether to apply for a job.
Why is that important? Well, by 2025 millennials will make up 50% of the US workforce. By 2030, 75% of
the US workforce will be comprised of millennials. In order for companies to compete for top talent, they
will need to be able to offer a commitment to an employee’s development.
2. Hiring Is More Expensive Than Employee Retention
It is difficult to understand the actual costs of employee turnover, but we inherently understand that
losing productive employees is not a good thing. In their 2018 Employee Retention Report, Work Institute
reported that 1 in 4 employees will leave their job and nearly 77% of that turnover could be prevented by
employers.
Regardless of the exact dollar value, retaining employees is more cost-effective than the costs associated
with separation, recruitment, and the hit to productivity. As mentioned earlier, 93% of employees say they
will stay longer at a company that invests in their development. That’s incredible.
This also means that companies are helping to retain their employees by investing in learning and
development. L&D not only boosts employee productivity, but it is incredibly important to boost employee
confidence in themselves and trust in their employer.
3. Training Employees Improves Your Bottom Line
Employees are a company’s greatest asset. Right? Sure, they are! With the right team in place, the sky’s
the limit. With learning & development focusing on filling in knowledge gaps and upskilling employees by
focusing on the strengths of their employees, companies have reported anywhere between a 14%-29%
increase in profit.
An IBM study found that well-trained teams increased their productivity by 10%. Equipping employees
with the ability to do their jobs better is just a smart move. As managers, our jobs are to get the best out of
every employee. Coaching and training employees is a great way to empower them to succeed.
4. Untrained Employees May Put You At Risk
So far we have mostly spoken about how learning and development reduces employee churn, attracts new
hires, and improves your bottom line by making companies smarter and more productive.
 Also in the purview of learning and development is risk mitigation through compliance training initiatives
and workplace safety training. Companies have a responsibility to ensure their employees work in a safe
and welcoming environment.
Though proper workplace behavior may feel like something people inherently know, companies can be
proactive in training employees to maintain a safe and inclusive workplace. Implementing an effective
ethics training program can help employees work better and minimize the risk of lawsuits for failing to
comply with industry standards in safety and workplace behavior.
5. Improved Customer Service and Satisfaction
Why does a customer get in contact with a company? Oftentimes all of the information they need is
available on community boards or amazing knowledge centers that support teams create.
Customers look at company employees as experts in their fields with the ability to deliver information
through dialogue. When a customer takes the time out of their day to wait on-hold or schedules a session
to speak with someone, then it is critical that employees are knowledgeable enough about their company’s
products to have a fruitful conversation. It’s ok to say, “I don’t have the answer, but I’ll get back to you.”
However, it’s far better to be able to communicate an in-depth understanding with answers customers
appreciate.
Empowering every employee to handle customer conversations effectively, has a remarkable impact on
customer satisfaction. In fact, there is a 16% increase in customer satisfaction with companies that are
using learning technology.