Learning together

November 2009 Supplement

Kristina Ingate reflects on how developing organisations and individuals reveals a rebalancing of power between employer and employee

Developing people has always been critical, both in order for organisations to flourish and for the individuals in them to thrive – the two are inextricably interlinked. In a time of additional challenge development becomes all the more important. It is essential in:

supporting innovation;
creating new knowledge;
developing new ways of working (such as collaboration); and
implementing change.

Individual development is also a vital ingredient in giving individuals confidence, the potential to move into new roles (including those outside the organisation); in stretching them; and in recognising the value they contribute.

This article aims to explore some of the key issues in developing organisations and individuals to achieve our aspirations for the future. It reflects on key current trends and issues, and on what is essential if we are to engage people’s hearts and minds to give off their best. It also takes a look at some useful tools and resources.

I’ve used the phrase ‘engage hearts and minds’ deliberately. Bound up with achieving effective organisational and individual development is the leadership challenge of giving an organisational ‘soul’;culture and personality.

Developing organisations is particularly important at the moment to match the scale of our ambitions for the future, and the amount of change needed to stand still. It is essential that we have sufficient organisational capacity to achieve what we are striving for. Organisational capacity means (paraphrasing the UN) ‘individuals, institutions and societies ability to perform functions, solve problems and set objectives in a sustainable manner’. An intrinsic part of which is the capability of individuals at all levels to do just that.

To achieve success, for organisations and individuals, the big challenge for leaders is to create the culture that can make this happen, to model what they expect, to invest in learning and development, and create the space for people to grow – inside the organisation and beyond it.

Key trends and Issues

The range of current trends and issues are interesting not least for their sheer diversity. Some key headlines are as follows:

The importance of team working and change management skills, and employers’ emphasis on the importance of an understanding of organisational culture.
At a senior level the importance of leadership and management skills; business acumen and the ability to think strategically; communication, engagement and change management skills.
A mixed picture of reduced spending and recognition that learning and development is a vital tool in enabling organisations to move forward.
The ongoing interest and increase in coaching as a development tool, probably in part for financial reasons.
A shift to in-house training, including the use of training solutions such as customisable tools tailored to organisational requirements.
Increased interest in creating knowledge networks (including virtual networks).
Increased use of tools such as action learning and the adaptation of methods such as appreciative enquiry as tools for learning.
A growing use of flexible, blended learning and e-learning.
A shift from training and to learningand development.
The use of collaborative working as a vehicle for providing training, for example secondment opportunities or joint approaches to organising learning and development.
The heightened importance of assessing value for money and also accessing sources of external funding, free training and free advice and bursaries (particularly for small charities).
The value placed on accredited training.

The CIPD survey Employee outlook: job seeking in a recession 2009 [1] highlighted culture fit and values (47 per cent) and transferable/flexible skills (45 per cent) as those most sought by employers with good interpersonal skills close behind (35 per cent).

An associated CIPD survey which provides some further insight as to where we should focus in terms of learning and development highlighted innovation, change management, project management and behavioral skills as the key skills that employers were looking for in all sectors.

Planning and evaluating learning in a recession

CIPD’s survey of employer responses to the recession suggests a 20 per cent cutback in training spend across sectors. However that isn’t necessarily the same as a cutback in learning and development activity. We should also avoid concluding that the third sector is cutting back disproportionately. The survey shows that salary and associated cost restraint measures were less likely in the third sector than in other sectors.

It does however place a premium on ensuring value for money, being systematic about ensuring that learning and development is taking place, and lateral thinking about sourcing learning and development. Key points include:

Training and Learning Needs Analysis. This is about having a systematic approach to identifying training needs as learning matters at least as much as training, both at organisational level and on an individual basis. It should take place as part of induction and performance/development reviews, but not be constrained by cyclical processes. It is very important that this takes place on an ongoing basis, in particular in respect of special projects and opportunities such as secondments through collaborative working with other organisations.
Value proposition. Making careful decisions about what really delivers value. This can be done using a rigorous methodology at organisational level, but should also be done on a common sense basis at a personal level.
Look out for potential learning and development opportunities and being open to them when they are suggested –bearing in mind that the stretching stimulating opportunity one person has been looking for may not suit other people, or indeed present itself in that light to you. So be ready to say yes to an external seminar series without a close match to their current job. It may stretch and refresh them and be a source of stimulating ideas, create new useful networks, or be part of enabling someone who needs to move on to do so.
Consider the differences in learning styles, including generational differences.
Make use of internal and collaborative projects to consciously develop skills in project management, change management and team working – recognise that this doesn’t just naturally happen if you set up something you call a ‘project group’.
Be systematic enough to ensure needs are considered, discussed and met so far as possible (documenting this to give the activity and individuals the recognition they deserve) whilst at the same time being innovative and opportunistic (and level headed) about potential sources of development. This is important
whatever the size of your organisation.

Appropriate learning

It is of course fundamental that the learning that takes place is appropriate – both to the needs of the organisation and to the individual. That is all the more challenging when many of the needs are around behavioural, organisational and cognitive (thinking) skills. It means that it is not enough to be clear about tangible strategy and objectives, although clarity and ongoing communication and engagement with employees and volunteers about these are crucial. It is essential that there is clarity of purpose, culture and values, since these set the context for expectations about working relationships and behaviours (from the board down), and the framework within which change management is taking place.

So there are five things to reflect on here:

(1) Is the organisation clear about its purpose and values; are they real, not mere statements?
(2) Is the learning and development taking place appropriate to the needs of the organisation and individual both in terms of objectives, the needs and the nature of the individual – including their learning style, personality and aspirations?
(3) Does the learning and development include opportunities for peer learning, especially where the role is isolated or a ‘one-off’ in the organisation?
(4) How does the proposed learning link to organisational and individual aims in terms of talent management, is the person a root, branch, shoot or leaf (see figure 1 below)?
(5) Is it what you would want for yourself?

The last question illustrates two shifts:

Training shifting towards learning and development.
An activity prescribed for you moving towards one where you participate in deciding on the need and the approach which suits your learning style, and long term aspirations.

One tends to be process driven, mechanistic, and done-to. The other encourages more self-ownership and tend to be more inspirational and aspirational. The second is a more liberating framework. It encourages people to focus on learning and development rather than training and on defining needs, outcomes and approaches collaboratively. It should encourage reflection on the needs of the organisation, linked to its purpose and objectives, as well as individual needs.

In the current economic climate, there is a considerable need for new knowledge and for innovative individuals. However, merely knowing this is not going to solve the problem. How you practice what you know, and how you influence others is also vital as the survey data underlines. In other words ‘it ain’t what you do; it’s the way that you do it, that’s what gets results’.

That was brought home by a recent press article about the Judicial College which is now running training in ‘practical judging’ in which the skills of the judiciary are subject to peer review (critique) [2] . It recognises that knowledge is not enough. How the courtroom is managed, individuals questioned and sentences handed down matters to victim, witnesses and the accused. Similar behavioural governance principles apply to trustees. Nobody is exempt from the need for learning and development if the causes we care about are to succeed.

Outlook for the future

Stephen P Robbins, in his textbook on organisational behaviour [3], makes the point that few human resource issues have changed as much in the last decade or two as the role of the organisation in its employees’ careers. ‘It has gone from paternalism – in which the organisation took nearly complete responsiblility for managing its employee’s careers – to supporting individuals as they take personal responsibility for their future. And careers, themselves, have gone from a series of upward moves with increasing income, authority and status and security to one in which people adapt quickly, learn continuously and change their work identities over time.’

Turning to the voluntary sector, all organisations we serve were established as a result of a vision about creating a different and better future for the benefit of others. If we are to achieve that vision, particularly amidst the demands of the current economic climate, then that requires individual and collective mindsets which help us ‘grasp the moment’ and ‘do things differently’. It means developing the knowledge and personal skillsets to make that happen.

Creating those opportunities in a rapidly changing business environment where the psychological contract between employer and employee has undergone a sea change is a fundamental leadership challenge.

[1] www.cipd.co.uk/NR/rdonlyres/5E62DFC0-0E65-445F-A628-1614A740543D/0/outlook_job_seeking_recession.pdf
[2] http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/law/article6816395.ece
[3] Organizational Behaviour by Stephen P Robbins, 10th Edition, Prentice Hall, 2002

Author: Kristina Ingate

Kristina Ingate’s strategic change management and governance expertise have been gained in various sectors including the professions, education and skills, and
not-for-profits. She was a member of the senior executive team at CIPD, the leading HR professional body for nine years. She currently works on an interim and consulting basis. Recent work focuses on governance and developing the strategic impact and effectiveness of the professions.

www.ingateic.co.uk

Click here for other articles written by Kristina Ingate

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