Module-1

Foundations to Employee Learning & Development

Learning : Meaning & outcomes
• Learning is the act of acquiring new, or modifying and reinforcing
existing, knowledge, behaviours, skills, values or preferences and may
involve synthesizing different types of information. The ability to learn
is possessed by humans, animals, plants[and some machines.
• Progress over time tends to follow a learning curve.
• Human learning may occur as part of education, personal
development, schooling, or training. It may be goal-oriented and may
be aided by motivation.
• Learning outcomes are statements that describe significant and
essential learning that learners have achieved, and can reliably
demonstrate at the end of a course or program. In other words,
learning outcomes identify what the learner will know and be able to
do by the end of a course or program.
Training & Development
Training is a program organized by the organization to
develop knowledge and skills in the employees as per
the requirement of the job.

Development is an organized activity in which the

manpower of the organization learn and grow; it is a
self-assessment act.
What is employee Learning &
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.
• Learning, training, and development are often used interchangeably. However,
there are subtle differences between these concepts
What is Employee Learning &
Development
• Learning and development, also known as L&D, is a continuous process of
encouraging the professional development of your employees.
• It involves analyzing skills gaps in your business and designing training programs
that empower employees with specific knowledge and skills that drive increased
performance.
• L&D tends to focus on upskilling or reskilling employees so that they can take on
new roles in the organization or better perform their duties.
• Training can also teach employees new leadership skills that prepare them for
potential promotions within the company.
• This helps organizations acquire, nurture, maximize, and retain talent. It also
increases employee satisfaction, enhances the employee experience, and
decreases turnover.
What is Learning and Development
in HR
• Learning and Development is one of the main responsibilities of any organization’s HR
department. Implementing L&D initiatives that consider development at all levels of the
company is usually the responsibility of the HR manager. However, in larger
organizations, the development plan for employees may be managed by a designated
L&D position or department.
• HR and L&D need to work in parallel. This is because there is a degree of overlap in both
areas. For example, both deal with people management, performance management,
succession planning, and change management.
• The biggest difference between HR and L&D is that HR professionals deal with a range of
responsibilities, including processing payroll, recruitment, and managing employee
relations. In contrast, the learning and development department is solely focused on one
specific role: the professional growth and skill development of employees. This includes
identifying training gaps and developing employee training programs that are aligned
with the overall business strategy established by HR.
Learning, Training , Development &
Education
oncept Description
The acquisition of knowledge, skills, or attitudes
Learning through experience, study, or teaching. Training,
development, and education all involve learning.
Training is aimed at teaching immediately
applicable knowledge, skills, and attitudes to be
Training 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 of
knowledge. This has to fit within one’s personal
Development
development goals and the (future) goals of the
organization. Development usually happens
voluntarily.
Education is a more formal way to broaden one’s
knowledge. Education is often non-specific and
Education applicable for a long time and is especially
relevant when a person has little experience in a
certain area.
 Training & Development-
comparison
Training Development
• Development is an educational process in which the
• Training is a learning process in which employees get personnel of the organization get the chance to learn
an opportunity to develop skill, competency and the in depth application of theoretical knowledge for
knowledge as per the job requirement.
their overall growth.
• Short term
• Long term
• Focus is on present
• Concentrated towards jobs • Focus is on future
• Trainer led activity • Concentrated towards career
• Objective is to improve the work performance of the • Self
employees
• Many individuals are involved • Objective is to prepare the employees for future
challenges.
• Specific job related
• Only one is involved
• Conceptual and general knowledge
Importance of training
There are many challenges and opportunities in the workplace today.
O Training equips individuals with necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities
O Training serves to attract employees to companies, engages them and promotes
retention
O Training helps to create a competitive advantage.
O Studies show that organizations engaged in employee development see
increased sales and doubled profits double compared to organizations not
committed to employee engagement. Dedicated training and development
fosters employee engagement and a more efficient competitive and engaged
workforce.
Importance of training
• Training and development helps companies gain and retain top talent, increase
job satisfaction and morale, improve productivity and earn more profit.
Additionally, research reveal businesses that have actively interested and
dedicated employees see 41 percent lower absenteeism rates, and 17 percent
higher productivity.
• The top 5 benefits of Training and development are:
1) Retains the employees: Retention is a major challenge for employers but
retaining strong workers can be achieved through career development. In fact,
training and development has become so centralized within businesses that it is
often used as a competitive advantage when hiring. Offering career development
initiatives helps employees establish a sense of value within the company and
fosters loyalty.
Importance of training
2. Develops Future Leaders: Targeting employees with the skills for future
leadership can be vital in establishing a business for growth and evolution.
Leadership talent can be acquired through new hires, or HR professionals can select
current employees as managerial candidates.
3. Empowers Employees: Leaders who feel empowered within the workplace
will be more effective at influencing employees and gaining their trust.
Consequently, those employees will feel a greater sense of autonomy, value, and
confidence within their work.
4. Boosts Workplace Engagement: Regular training and development
initiatives can prevent workplace idleness and in turn will help businesses establish
regular re-evaluation of their employees, skills and processes.
Importance of training
5. Builds Workplace Relationships: Finally, providing opportunities for
employees to explore new topics, refine their skills and expand their
knowledge can help your team members bond with each other. During
these training and development sessions, they will tackle new
challenges together. They can also lean on one another for various
learning opportunities by collaborating with colleagues who have
specific areas of expertise. Research has shown that peer
collaboration is their preferred method of learning. Learning from each
other’s strengths not only leads to a more well-rounded workforce, but
those bonds can also improve retention and engagement
Principles of learning
• It provides insights into what makes people learn most effectively.
These principles have been discovered, tested and have been used in
practical situation.

• Edward Thorndike have come out with first three laws of learning
The laws of learning
• Law of readiness: Implies the degree of preparedness and eagerness
to learn.

• Law of exercise: Things that are most often repeated are best to
remember.

• Law of effect: Based on emotional reaction and motivation of the

learner. Learning is strengthened with pleasant or satisfying feelings
while unpleasant feelings tend to do otherwise.
Laws of learning
• The law of primacy: Learning should be done correctly for the first
time since it is difficult to “unlearn” or changed and incorrectly
learned material.
• Law of recency: Things that are most recently learned are best
remembered.
• Law of intensity: the more intense something is taught, the more
likely it will be retained.
Learning organisation
• Learning organizations are those that have in place systems,
mechanisms and processes, that are used to continually enhance
their capabilities and those who work with it or for it, to achieve
sustainable objectives - for themselves and the communities in
which they participate.
• Are adaptive to their external environment
• Continually enhance their capability to change/adapt
• Develop collective as well as individual learning
• Use the results of learning to achieve better results
Why learning organisations
• Companies are seeking to improve existing products and services
(continuous improvement), and innovation (breakthrough strategies)
• Cope with rapid and unexpected changes where existing
'programmed' responses are inadequate
• Provide flexibility to cope with dynamically changing situations
• Allow front-line staff to respond with initiative based on customer
needs vs. being constrained by business processes established for
different circumstances
4 LEVEL MODEL OF LEARNING
ORGANISATION
Organisation involves the development of higher levels of knowledge and skill. A
learning organisation has a a 4-level model:
• Level 1.- Learning facts, knowledge, processes and procedures. Applies to known
situations where changes are minor.
• Level 2.- Learning new job skills that are transferable to other situations. Applies to
new situations where existing responses need to be changed. Bringing in outside
expertise is a useful tool here.
• Level 3 - Learning to adapt. Applies to more dynamic situations where the solutions
need developing. Experimentation, and deriving lessons from success and failure is the
mode of learning here.
• Level 4 - Learning to learn. Is about innovation and creativity; designing the future
rather than merely adapting to it. This is where assumptions are challenged and
knowledge is
Characteristics of a learning
organisation
• Observation and research identifies four types of factor:
• Learning Culture - an organizational climate that nurtures learning.
There is a strong similarity with those characteristics associated with
innovation.
• Processes - processes that encourage interaction across boundaries.
These are infrastructure, development and management processes.
• Tools and Techniques - methods that aid individual and group
learning, such as creativity and problem solving techniques.
• Skills and Motivation - to learn and adapt.
Learning culture
• Future, external orientation these organisations develop understanding of their environment; senior
teams take time out to think about the future. Widespread use of external sources and advisors e.g.
customers on planning teams.
• Free exchange and flow of information - systems are in place to ensure that expertise is available
where it is needed; individuals network extensively, crossing organisational boundaries to develop
their knowledge and expertise.
• Commitment to learning, personal development - support from top management; people at all
levels encouraged to learn regularly; learning is rewarded. Time to think and learn (understanding,
exploring, reflecting, developing)
• Valuing people - ideas, creativity and "imaginative capabilities" are stimulated, made use of and
developed. Diversity is recognised as a strength. Views can be challenged.
• Climate of openness and trust - individuals are encouraged to develop ideas, to speak out, to
challenge actions.
• Learning from experience - learning from mistakes is often more powerful than learning from
success. Failure is tolerated, provided lessons are learnt.
Tools & techniques- learning
organisations
• Inquiry - interviewing, seeking information
• Creativity - brainstorming, associating ideas
• Making sense of situations - organising information and thoughts
• Making choices - deciding courses of action
• Observing outcomes - recording, observation
• Reframing knowledge - embedding new knowledge into mental
models, memorizing
Obstacles of creating a learning
organisation
These are some of the most common obstacles to becoming a learning
organization:
• operational/fire fighting preoccupation - not creating time to sit back and
think strategically
• too focused on systems and process (e.g. ISO9000) to exclusion of other
factors (bureaucratic vs. thinking)
• reluctance to train (or invest in training), other than for obvious
immediate needs
• too many hidden personal agendas
• too top-down driven, overtight supervision = lack of real empowerment
The adult learning Theory
( Andragogy)
• Adult learning theories trace their roots back to Malcolm Knowles, an adult
educator who developed the concept of andragogy. Andragogy is the "art and
science of teaching adults." This is intentionally different from pedagogy, which is
the practice of teaching children.

• Knowles theorized that adult learning and childhood learning are entirely
different, and that older people do not process, comprehend or retain
information in the same manner as children.
The adult learning Theory
( Andragogy)
To develop his concept of andragogy, Knowles identified certain
characteristics within adult learners. These include:
• A preference for self-directed learning
• An ability to draw on life experience to assist with learning
• A willingness to learn when transitioning into new roles
• A focus on immediately applying new knowledge to real-life situations and
problems
• A tendency to be internally motivated (rather than externally)
Adult learning theory empowers students not just to learn but to transform their
lives with information that applies directly to the real world.
 Features of Adult Learning Principles

LEARNING PRINCIPLES EXPLANATION APPLICATION

You know what you need to learn and set

your own goals, track down materials, and
Self-directed Learning at one’s own pace in one’s own way
create a plan to foster your own learning,
then self-evaluate.

Whether from a teacher, a mentor or some

other channel, new information can shift a
Learning can change your perspective on the person’s worldview and challenge their
Transformational
world and vice-versa preconceived notions. In shifting the
learner’s outlook, the information
becomes both applied and retained.

Participate physically in the learning

Focuses on developing life experience or environment ("getting your hands dirty")
Experiential
"hands-on" learning and then reflecting on what worked and
what didn’t.
 Features of adult Learning Principles

LEARNING PRINCIPLES EXPLANATION APPLICATION

Mentors and mentees can learn from each

Learning from an outside mentor (established other. (Mentees ask challenging questions,
Mentorship
figure) in a field mentors challenge proteges’ understanding
of the material.)

Adults need to reframe their emotions and Educators instruct their students on how to
Orientation to (or of) learning assumptions around the experience and apply new lessons in the real world, which
value of learning helps students retain information.

Adults put in the time and effort to learn

Children are motivated by parents and laws
because they’ve typically internalized their
Motivation requiring their education; adults often have
motivation, whether it’s career success, the
internal motivation
prestige of a degree or a better salary.

As a child matures, they reach a certain Renewing your readiness to learn as an

threshold of learning readiness (such as adult often happens by way of a situational
reading or basic math facts), but adults have trigger. Perhaps you lose your job or want
Readiness to learn
already been through this development and to switch careers, for example. Or perhaps
need to rely on past experience or life your next promotion hinges on mastering a
changes to develop a renewed readiness skill.