Learning and Talent Development - Essay Example

Learning and Talent Development The most important asset of any organization is its people (Vos, 2009). The above mentioned ment has become highly debatable as some experts claim that brands, patents or fixed assets come first. However as learning is one of the most prominent human activities, humans with their ability to learn and apply the skills that they have learnt benefit an organization to a large extent (Easterby-Smith et al., 1999). Talent has many definitions but one definition generally agreed upon is given by Gagne (2000) according to whom talent exists in few people only and they possess the ability to revolutionize or greatly change a given field. Gagne (2000) further stated that the learning experience of the individual greatly affected the emergence of talent. Talented professionals add value to their organizations and are worth more than their colleagues (Tansley, 2011). Intense competition, advancements in technology and the rapidly changing consumer preferences have added to unpredictability in the economy. The organizations today are living organizations that need learning and training in order to grow and survive in the changing economy. As stated by Kozlowoski and Sallas (2009) learning and knowledge are a major source of true competitive advantage in the unpredictable economy. An organization’s ability to cope with the changing economic environment is determined by its people and thus an organization needs to invest in the learning and talent development of its workforce in order to succeed (Pasmore, 2013). Learning is necessary as it brings real business results and organizational talent. Learning and talent development empowers employees as it provides them with knowledge, resources and tools needed to perform at their best (Pasmore, 2013). Learning and Talent Development in Organization Learning in an organization is the process through which the organization attempts to improve its performance, identifies and rectifies errors and adapts to the changing environment through knowledge and learning (Kandt, 2014). Learning is important for an organization as it enables the organization to perceive and identify changes both internal and external thereby helping it to adapt to the changing environment (Todnem, 2005). Talent is often considered to be an exemplary skill possessed by few people only (Pruis, 2011). Talent in an organization is commonly thought to be that which is capable of achieving high levels of performance. In other words exceptional and above average sustainable performance in an organization is generally regarded as talent. In the current business world talent is vital for the livelihood of the organizations. Talent development process must lead to clearly defined goals and for this reason the talent development programs in an organization must match with its strategic objectives and the challenges the organization faces (Prius, 2011). The purpose of learning and talent development is best defined by CIPD (2014) as “Ensuring that people at all levels of the organization process and develop the skills, knowledge and experiences to fulfill the short and long term ambitions of the organization and that they are motivated to learn, grow and perform”. More and more organizations have realized the importance of the field of learning and talent development as it is now an established fact that in order to achieve high performance, the employees must learn latest skills, advance and develop their knowledge and meet the challenges of the evolving technology. Through learning and talent development the organizations ensure that the speed at which the employees are gaining skills is at par with the challenges of the business environment. Organizations that invest in learning and talent development exhibit sharing best practices and learning and knowledge. Such organizations innovate by replacing the old established routines with new and effective ones. Learning in an organization is not restricted to trainings and programs but is a continuous process. It has been observed that what employees know and remember is from what they learn on site (job) through actual experience; the more experience they get, the better they perform (Tansley, 2011). In an organization where learning is given priority, experience is passed and shared; in such organizations coaching and teaching among employees is an everyday routine (Pasmore, 2013). The Need for Learning and Talent Management Besides facing fierce competition from competitors and tough economic challenges, businesses also have to come with the most effective strategies to retain their quality talented workforce. Although salary is the most common reason employees leave organizations, issues regarding development and advancement in careers also influence the employees’ decision to stay with an organization or leave it. The workforce in an organization is its most significant differentiating factor in the marketplace (Bettinger & Brown, 2009). Because of this, managing, mentoring and supporting talent has become a crucial activity in any organization. Learning and talent development in an organization is important because it provides growth and development opportunities to the employees throughout their careers. As organizations can only grow through their workforce, successful organizations make provisions to enhance knowledge and levels of skills and attitudes of its workforce. Learning and talent management is also needed because in times of crises, only the organizations having the most effective and efficient workforce survive (Bettinger & Brown, 2009). Learning is also necessary to renew skills for instance the management techniques studied by a manager ten years ago would be outdated not of any use at present. The manager needs to be updated with new techniques and needs to learn continuously especially to manage the new talent that is more used to current values and practices (Burgoyne et al., 2004). An in-depth analysis of employee retention has been done by Bettinger and Brown (2009) who state that when an employee joins a firm, there is a learning curve ahead of him. As the employee continues to develop, employee satisfaction increases until a time comes when the curve begins to flat out. Once this occurs, employee satisfaction level declines and the employee start looking for something challenging and usually leave the organization for a more stimulating job. To avoid this situation, the organizations must “catch” the employees before stagnation (curve gets flat) occurs. The organizations must be able to identify where the employee is and when the employee is at the peak of job satisfaction, the organizations must provide opportunities to grow and develop. Instead of following a routine or orders, the talent pool must be given a free hand to explore all possibilities. In this way the employees not only come with the best solutions but job satisfaction hence employee retention also increases. Bettinger and Brown (2009) believe that sustainable success in organizations can only occur when instead of focusing on the development of technical competencies, they also invest in developing people. The authors observed that both technology and people gave the organization a competitive edge. Technology provides the technical skills to get the job done more accurately and swiftly while learning and talent development could equip people to add value to the organization through critical thinking and innovation. Although technical training is necessary, it is the employee development that occurs through learning and talent development which retains the talent in an organization. Role of the HR Managers in Learning and Development The first and foremost function of an HR manager is to allocate the employees possessing certain skill sets the proper roles. The manager also needs to ensure that the skill sets of the employees can match the challenges of businesses and this can be achieved through organizational learning (Cheese et al., 2008). HR managers should not only believe in learning but must see that all employees view learning as important part of their job. The HR managers must also ensure that learning is embraced as the culture and fabric of the organization (Cheese et al., 2008). Just as employees have different qualifications and draw different salaries, learning needs of the employees are also different. The manager must have the ability to identify where learning is required. The learning and development programs should thus be tailored so as to fill the particular competency gaps and needs of the workforce. As learning is the most effective solution of the business needs, there must exist a direct and clear link between learning and the business needs. The learning and talent development objectives and outcomes should be well-defined and measurable and should meet the needs of the organizations as well as that of the individuals (Cheese et al., 2008). Learning and talent development programs should not be restricted to junior employees only, programs must be planned to target senior positions, managers and leaders (Tansley, 2011). Strategies for Learning and Talent Development Learning and talent development in an organization usually occurs in four steps namely; assess, implement, measure and embed (Newbold, 2010). Assess This step is carried out through learning needs assessment. Learning needs assessment is the first step towards planning a learning and development program and revolves around how to determine the developmental needs of individual learners, teams as well as the departments. In this step the “need” is identified; although there are several ways to identify the need but it is usually recognized as a “gap” between what is presently happening in the organization and what is actually needed at present and in the future. Identification of gaps highlights what an organization expects but what is actually happening, the differences between present and preferred job performance and the discrepancies between existing and preferred skills and competencies (Miller & Osinski, 2002). Learning needs of specific employees can be identified through individual interviews and job skill checklists. These interviews and job checklists are useful in understanding the learning goals of the employees. The outcome of the learning assessments is useful in creating learning programs and talent development plans that provide opportunities for employees to grow and thereby strengthen the department. Implement Based on the results of the learning needs assessments, a learning and development program is designed. The objective of the learning and development programs is to provide skills and knowledge related to the job. These programs can be in the form of classroom training, on-job assignments, in-house coaching, online resources and seminars. These programs are also means through which the staff shares their experience, expertise and knowledge with each other (Newbold, 2010). Measure The learning and development programs include measurable qualities that can tell whether learning programs are benefitting the organization or not. In this way on the spot improvements can be made in the programs if required (Newbold, 2010). Embed To ensure that the participants have gained knowledge and improved their skills through learning and talent development programs, assessed assignments and personal studies are conducted (Newbold, 2010). Learning Groups and Peer Learning Learning groups where learning occurs through knowledge sharing and peer learning and mentoring which encourages day to day learning with colleagues/peers are two other learning strategies at workplace. Many organizations provide various forms of learning to their talent pool for instance mentoring, intervision and supervision and coaching are all forms of trainings where peers come together and share their work experience. It has been observed that these interventions work best and are highly effective if they occur at the workplace during work time and within the work environment. This author finds that interventions that take place outside the workplace for instance in an isolated boardroom hardly leave an impact and offer little to learn (Pruis, 2011). On-Job Learning Among all the workplace learning strategies the most popular is the learning on the job where skill building is done through work assignments. This strategy is beneficial for all levels of employees but is especially adopted at managerial level. Mumford (1995) explains that for managers learning from experience in organizations can be categorized under four approaches; the intuitive approach, the incidental approach, the retrospective approach and the prospective approach. In this process learning through experience takes place but “not through conscious process”. People following this approach state that learning comes with experience. When they discuss their experience, they describe what they have achieved but they seldom discuss the learning aspects. These people find learning a natural process and cannot express what and how they have learnt. In incidental learning too the individual does not make any conscious effort to learn but is exposed to it by chance. Learning occurs by chance when an individual encounters something out of the ordinary or when something does not go as planned. The individual learns when going over through the experience (Westwood, 2013). In the retrospective approach to learning a learner reviews over what has happened and reaches conclusion about it. Like the incidental approach mishaps or mistakes might initiate the learning process but unlike the incidental approach, a learner in retrospective approach draws lessons from daily routines and successes (Mumford, 1995). Retrospective approach is a conscious process in which an individual reviews, gains knowledge, skills and insights and confirms and reinforces them. Retrospective learning can occur through skill based courses. The prospective approach is a planned learning process in which the individual seeks to learn from different experiences. It is a four stage process in which the individual plans what is to be learnt, carries out the plan, reviews the plan and reaches a conclusion (Mumford, 1995) How can Learning and Talent Development Occur in an Organization? The employees are often concerned about where they are going in their careers, what project they will work on next and how will their careers develop. These questions become more critical when the role of the employee is not clearly defined or when he begins to feel inadequate and trapped. To prevent such situations from arising, the project managers must sit with team members and discuss the project with them and explain their role and contribution in it (Bettinger & Brown, 2009). The project managers should also explain how the project will provide learning through work experience which would help in the development of the employees. Besides work experience, the project managers can also ask less experienced employees to observe meetings with clients. Training courses should be arranged by the organizations and the employees must be encouraged to attend certificate courses and monthly lectures (Bettinger & Brown, 2009). These simple strategies not only equip the employees to perform better but also raise their commitment level. Advantages of Learning and Talent Development Learning and talent development not only helps the employees to grow and develop their potential to the fullest, it also plays a significant part in the sustainable success of an organization. It enables to understand their role in the organization better and optimize contribution (Pasmore, 2013). Learning and talent development has also become an important tool in helping employees to self-manage and take important decisions. Cross training is an important part of learning and talent development which has proven to be quite beneficial to both employees as well as organizations. Cross trainings increase the skill sets of the employees making them more marketable. Cross trainings also give a sense of job security and keep the employees from getting bored or reaching stagnant level (Vos, 2009). It also adds to the roles and responsibilities of the employees; this is because the role of the employee becomes more flexible and they can fit in other employee’s position if he is absent, on sick leave or has left the job (Vos, 2009). Last but not the least learning and talent development improves the output and enhances outcome quality. Conclusion The real strength of an organization lies in its capable and talented workforce. Talented employees show above average performance and add value to the organization through their critical thinking and innovations. Organizations today face tough competitions from their rivals and the ever changing business environment. Under these difficult circumstances only those organizations that respond to the rapidly changing times, the challenging business environment and the increasing consumer demands move forward; however they need to invest in the growth and development of their employees. It has been observed that those organizations that provide learning and talent development opportunities to their employees have a better and a more productive and committed workforce. There are a number of ways through which learning and talent development is carried out in an organization but the most preferred technique is the on-job working environment. There are four approaches to on-job working environment which are intuitive, incidental, retrospective and prospective. On-job learning is more effective because it takes place in real working environment where people meet real issues and can learn by sharing knowledge and experience with each other. Learning and talent development has proven to be advantageous for both employees and organizations. It enhances the skill sets of the employees and equips them with the latest knowledge thereby enabling them to meet the pace and demands of the changing and challenging business world. In order to be effective, these programs must be customized to meet the learning needs of the employees and to fill in the gaps in competencies. These programs must also be able to nurture the talent of the workforce; this will not only improve the productivity of the organization but will increase employee retention and contribution. References Bettinger, J., & Brown, S. L. (2009). The Talent Vacuum— Keeping Your Best Talent in a Downturn. 2009 AACE International Transactions. Burgoyne, J., Hirsh, W., & Williaims, S. (2004). The Development of Management and Leadership Capability and its Contribution to Performance: The evidence, the prospects and the research need. Research Report RR560. UK: Department for Education and Skills, Lancaster University Cheese, P., Thomas, R.J., & Craig, E. (2008). The Talent Powered Organization: Strategies for Globalization, Talent Management and High Performance. USA: Kogan Page Publishers. CIPD. (2014). Learning and Development Strategy: Factsheet. 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