Chapter-3 Learning and Development

3.01- What is learning and development?

Learning and development (L&D) is a systematic process to enhance employees’ skills,

knowledge, and competency, resulting in better work performance.

L&D is a core HR function and a significant part of an organization’s overall people

development strategy. It plays a key role in attracting and retaining talent, enriching

company culture, and engaging employees.

3.01- What is the difference between learning and

development?
Both learning and development are essential in helping employees grow and succeed,

but they have distinct purposes.

Learning in the workplace is concerned with the acquisition of knowledge, skills,

behaviors, and attitudes that lead to improved job performance. The process of learning

takes place through various activities, such as seminars, conferences, hands-on

experimentation, and reading articles or books.

Development is the broadening and deepening of knowledge in line with one’s

individual long-term professional goals. It aims to grow job-related abilities to expand

one’s potential for new opportunities in the future.

Activities that encourage development include leadership training, mentoring, coaching,

job shadowing, and stretch assignments. Development is typically something an

employee chooses to do rather than being required to.

3.03- Why is learning and development important?

The leadership of most organizations understands the value of expanding employees’

skills and knowledge and chooses to invest in an L&D program. This investment pays off

in many ways, including the following:

 Attracting and retaining employees: People want to work for organizations

where they can lean into their present and future interests. They have come to

expect employers to offer career-enhancing growth and development. According

to a Gallup survey, 65% of workers evaluate job opportunities based on the

availability of employer-provided upskilling.

 In addition, a TalentLMS survey showed that 76% of employees are more likely to

stay with a company that provides ongoing learning and development

opportunities.
 Boosting employee experience and engagement: Employees gain confidence

in their performance and feel inspired to take more initiative and pursue their career

aspirations. This translates to higher morale, job satisfaction, and engagement.

 Bridging skills gaps: Organizations must keep pace with technological

advancements and frequent shifts in business concepts. This means equipping

employees to face new challenges. Reskilling and upskilling individuals for

specialized technical roles and developing their soft skills prepares the workforce

to adapt, foster innovation, and meet the organization’s future labor needs.

 Empowering future leaders: Providing learning and development opportunities

results in well-trained and educated employees who can take on new

responsibilities and leadership roles. Many organizations create their own

management training programs that offer employees a tangible prospect for

making their career aspirations a reality.

For example, the American retail membership warehouse chain Sam’s Club has

a five-week learning program called Manager Quality (MQ). Its content brings

customized career development to all levels of associates. It begins with a week

of values-based decision-making to develop the attributes of the company’s

leadership expectations. MQ’s framework has four pillars that teach foundational

concepts that apply to all Sam Club roles.

 Enhanced reputation as an employer: With so many people looking for growth

opportunities in their jobs, fulfilling their desires for expanding career

 opportunities is a must for improving your employer brand. Employers that offer

robust L&D have an advantage over others in the competition for top talent.

Multinational fast food restaurant chain McDonald’s offers L&D benefits to attract

and retain workers in an industry plagued by a labor shortage. Even part-time

workers are eligible for tuition assistance after 90 days of employment.

McDonald’s Archways to Opportunity program has a variety of channels for

employee growth and learning. This includes a career development app that

provides on-demand, personalized professional guidance and learning that

employees can access from anywhere.

3.04- Common Learning and Development Methods

There are some of the most common learning and development methods:

 Formal learning in a classroom setting: This method is goal-oriented and

instructor-led with limited learner interaction. It is typically a group situation and

can take place in person or online. Examples include lectures, classes, and

seminars.

 Informal learning: Informal learning is organic, unstructured, and more self-

directed. It takes place on the job through tasks, feedback, co-worker

interactions, and through individual study. Examples include conversations,

online forums, and reading books or doing research.

 Experiential learning: This trial-and-error approach allows people to try doing

something, observe the results, and then gain understanding from the

experience. Examples include apprenticeships, internships, virtual or real-world

simulation exercises, and scenario-based role-playing.

 Coaching: Coaching is a workplace relationship that focuses on empowering

employees to grow and achieve their goals. The coach and coachee meet

regularly for open dialogue, with the coach providing feedback, direction, and

support.

o Establishing a coaching culture builds trust and connection with

employees and empowers them to improve themselves and their

performance to impact the company’s success.

 Mentoring: Mentoring is a collaborative relationship that connects employees

with someone they can learn from to grow professionally. Mentors act as role

models to the mentee. They listen, answer questions, and offer guidance.

 Skill building: Skill building involves helping employees acquire new skills. The

purpose is to fill the organization’s skills gaps so it can achieve business goals

and remain competitive. Examples of skill-building activities include new product

training, customer service role-playing, and problem-solving games.

 Targeted training: Targeted training is another method for closing skills gaps. It

combines formal and informal learning to meet individual learning needs. By

 pinpointing the most needed skills, organizations can distribute training resources

efficiently. Just about any method can be used for this type of learning.

 Cross-training: Cross-training entails teaching an employee how to handle

another employee’s role. When employees are cross-trained, they expand their

skill set and understanding of the company’s operations. They can also cover for

absent employees and pitch in when extra help is needed to distribute the

workload.

 Remote training: Remote training takes place online and is for employees who

are not working from the same location. It can be held either at a set time with

employees participating from different places (synchronously) or accessed on

demand (asynchronously). Examples include webinars, online courses, and pre-

recorded video lessons.

 New employee training: New employee training is the part of the onboarding

process that teaches new hires how to do and be productive in their jobs. It’s

customized to each role and can involve areas of instruction such as customer

service techniques, how to use software, or how to operate equipment.

3.05- Types of workplace Coaching

 There are several types of workplace coaching, such as:

o Performance coaching to inspire employees to realize their full potential by

honing their current abilities and learning new skills.

Police Now, an independent charitable social enterprise that recruits

police officers in England and Wales, has a very hands-on approach to

performance coaching. Its year-long Frontline Leadership

Programme includes one-on-one coaching to guide participants through

each training module and work through any knowledge or skills gaps.

o Peer coaching is where two or more colleagues team up to share ideas,

learn from one another, build skills, or collaborate to solve work problems.

o AI-based coaching leverages artificial intelligence to provide coaches with

insight, augment coaching efforts, or exclusively do the coaching.

3.06- Types of Workplace Monitoring

There are some types of workplace mentoring include:

o Mentorship programs that are sponsored by the organization provide

structure and resources for mentoring relationships.

 o Peer mentoring takes place between two co-workers who are at the same

or similar level in the organization but have different degrees of

experience. The more experienced one shares their knowledge and offers

encouragement to the less experienced one.

o Reverse mentoring is when junior employees share their knowledge and

expertise with their superiors to help them overcome a shortfall in a

particular area, such as digital skills.

o Micro-mentoring occurs in one-time or temporary settings and is focused

on short-term objectives for a specific project, topic, or skill.

Job shadowing lets employees observe a more experienced colleague as they perform
their duties. Implementing a job shadowing program is a way to offer employees exposure
to other roles and new career opportunities.

3.07- How to create a learning and development

strategy

Learning and development requirements vary by organization, but a comprehensive

strategy is the foundation for any successful L&D program. The steps listed below will

guide you through creating a solid learning and development strategy for your

organization:
1. Align your L&D strategy with the business strategy
To understand the organization’s L&D needs, you need to know where the business is

headed. Before you build your L&D strategy, consider the following factors:

 The skills your employees have and which skills are crucial to supporting business
priorities

 What your business has to offer and its competitive advantage

 What your customers need and how those needs may evolve

 Shifts that may affect the organization, such as technological developments, economic
uncertainty, competition, and business growth or decline

 Whether the organization is agile and prepared to adapt to known and unforeseen
changes.

2. Collaborate with business leaders

Involve stakeholders directly in shaping the L&D strategy to ensure it meets the unique

needs of different departments. Start by conducting surveys to gather a broad overview

of the learning requirements across the organization.

Then, deepen your understanding through one-on-one meetings, where you can gather

detailed feedback and build support for the L&D initiatives. Create collaborative input

opportunities where department heads and senior management can actively contribute

to and endorse the L&D plans and model them throughout the company.

3. Assess employee capabilities and identify skills

gaps
Start by determining the essential competencies required for each role to support the

company’s business goals.

Once you know what you need, you can conduct a skills audit to ascertain the

competencies and knowledge already in play throughout the organization. Follow that

with a skills gap analysis to discover potential skills shortages and employee growth

opportunities.

With this information, you’ll be able to see what the L&D priorities need to be.

4. Design learning journeys

Designing learning journeys is a key strategy in enabling continuous learning within an

organization. These journeys help individuals acquire the necessary skills and

knowledge for their specific job functions.

For each role, determine the capabilities required to perform the duties and which

learning methods would be feasible and effective for training and development.

Focus groups can help you design the journeys and choose the learning methods.

Questions to ask participants include:

 What tools must you be capable of using for your job?

 What helps you be the most productive?

 Which learning experiences work best for you?

 How could your learning experience be improved?

5. Plan the implementation of L&D initiatives

Implementing L&D initiatives happens in several stages. Here are some procedures to

use as a guide:
  Articulate the purpose of the initiative

 Perform a SWOT analysis to determine which learning program is best

 Establish a well-defined budget that includes all costs associated with running the
program

 Provide detailed information on the program’s benefits and ROI. Describe how they align
with business goals and objectives

 Conduct a trial run with pilot classes to discover any weaknesses and make
adjustments.

6. Track performance
Tracking certain data can help justify L&D projects by showing that they engage

employees. You can use these three metrics to analyze how effective your L&D

programs are:

 Training completion rate: How many employees enrolled in and then completed the
training.

 Assessment pass rate: The number of employees who passed the training.

 Training dropout rate: The percentage of employees who did not complete the training.

7. Analyze effectiveness and make adjustments

You can go beyond the L&D metrics to assess the training programs’ impact by

evaluating them on a larger scale. Collecting learners’ feedback post-training is

essential. Be sure to survey them on their overall satisfaction and what they liked and

didn’t like.

The following outcomes can help you analyze the effectiveness and identify where

changes need to be made:

 Did the learning strategies reinforce the organization’s priorities and goals?

 Were skills gaps addressed to improve employee performance?

 Has employee engagement, morale, and retention improved?

 Are business processes more efficient?

 Is the company culture healthier?

 Were L&D budgets and resources distributed effectively?