Learning & Development
I
n a word…
pace. Society,
as a whole,
is looking
for a quick
fix, instant
gratification
and
improvement.
People know that diet and exercise
are the best way to lose weight but
the media is full of miracle diets
and two minute exercise routines
that will make you ‘beach body
ready’.
can rustle up a decent snack.
Explain the concept of cooking
and the effect of heat on an egg:
hard if you boil it, soft if you
scramble it, solid if you fry it and
fluffy in a soufflé. The individual
has a wider set of skills, deeper
knowledge, engagement and the
ability to make different meals
– they also can make scrambled
eggs - which was the original
purpose.
Learning professionals strive
to be proactive and set the
development agenda. However,
the rate, scale and pace of change
within organisations often prevent
this. It takes time to develop
effective solutions that improve
performance. This doesn’t happen
instantly.
Learning professionals should
always focus on what the
organisation needs and has
requested. However, also building
capability provides options to
move to the next thing.
are endless but unless people are
provided with the capability to
think for themselves and explore
opportunities, you will continue
to get the same thing, something
organisations can’t afford to do.
The purpose should never be
forgotten.
Learning is a journey, and whilst
an overused term, the idea that
performance improvement
is a non-linear, complicated,
stuttering progression is one that
is challenging to communicate to
senior managers who are looking
for results now. Balancing the
conflicting priorities of what’s
needed now and how this can
be supported through broader
capability development, is for me,
the problem I wrestle with most
often.
New learning should always
include elements of capability
development that enable learners
to increase their skill set. This will
enable them to deliver in a fast
paced environment. The challenge
is to identify, agree and codify
these. It is important that these
are from the business (not HR) and
organisational values, objectives
and strategy give the starting
point for developing them. If the
intervention doesn’t link explicitly
to those things then it is likely to
achieve one purpose which may
not be as critical in six months’
time.
For example, if you train somebody
to make scrambled eggs, they can
do that - with a set of instructions
and some practice - most people
Developing people to adapt
and use their skills in different
ways enables organisations to
be agile. Like an egg, the options
Richard Heaton is a Learning &
Development, Organisational
Development and Talent
professional with multi-sector
experience. He has a strong
understanding of people capability
challenges faced by large complex
organisations and culturally
diverse workforces. He strives to
improve individual skill and ability
throughout his work. He also acts as
a professional coach to individuals
and provides mentoring skills both
inside and outside of organisations.
Passionate about understanding
the value of the intervention
and placing high importance on
evaluation, Richard is focused
on ensuring that interventions
improve an individual’s teams and
organisations.
August 2015
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