Armstrong's Handbook of Learning and Development

A Guide to the Theory and Practice of L&D

Michael Armstrong

• Publisher: Kogan Page
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN: 9781398601888
• eBook ISBN: 9781398601895
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Human Resource Management
• Index: Business

This brand-new book from HRM expert and bestselling author, Michael Armstrong, is an ideal companion for those studying learning and development (L&D) at third year undergraduate and postgraduate level as well as practitioners in L&D roles in the workplace. Armstrong's Handbook of Learning and Development provides an essential grounding in L&D theory including the components of L&D, the distinction between L&D and training, the relationship of L&D to human resources and knowledge management as well as coverage of the role of an L&D practitioner. In addition, this book covers emerging areas of learning such as digital, social and workplace learning as well as some of the latest developments including micro, connected and personalized learning as well as earning experiences. There is also coverage of how to use AI, gamification and curation to support learning and how to host both online and offline learning events. Supported by case studies and examples to put the theory in context, reflective exercises to consolidate learning and further reading suggestions to broaden knowledge and engagement with the topic, Armstrong's Handbook of Learning and Development is crucial reading for academic success. The final part of the book includes additional aspects of L&D including apprenticeships, leadership development and personal and interpersonal skills development. Online resources include lecture slides for every chapter, a lecturer manual and student manual.

Part One

Fundamentals of learning and development

01

The basis of learning and development

Introduction

This chapter covers:

• the nature, history, elements and components of learning and development (L&D);
• the relationships of L&D with other aspects of people management (human resource management);
• the ethical dimension of learning and development; and
• the state of L&D as revealed by four recent surveys.

Learning and development defined

The purpose of learning and development (L&D) is to ensure that organizations have the knowledgeable, skilled and engaged people they need to achieve their goals, now and in the future. It means developing the capabilities of employees so that they can carry out their work effectively and progress in their careers. Capability is defined as a combination of knowledge, skills and behaviours – what people know, understand and do.

This purpose is achieved by learning through experience and by social contacts, coaching, mentoring, guidance from line managers, self-directed learning and formal training. It was stated by Flanagan (2015: 34) that: ‘The ultimate aim of L&D is to lead people to personal growth.’ This is true, but its fundamental aim is to improve individual, group and organizational effectiveness by developing the organization’s skills base which consists of the people in the organization who have the capabilities it requires.

To achieve this aim L&D is concerned with organizational learning (see Chapter 4). But it is mainly about individual learning (Chapter 5) as described by Birdi et al (2007: 266):

Individual learning can be facilitated by a number of practices within organizations. The two most common types of activities are: (1) on-the-job training, where employees new to a job are paired up with more experienced employees for observation, practice and feedback on tasks as they are carried out in the job; and (2) off-the-job, classroom-based training, where combinations of lecturing, discussion and practical exercises are used. Both of these types of training tend to be task-specific and tied to the incumbent’s current job requirements. Broader educational opportunities can also be used to widen individuals’ understanding. These include more knowledge-based activities, such as provision of open learning centres, e-learning, funding of college courses or employee development schemes.

Learning and development is also concerned with fostering and managing the learning environment – the surroundings in an organization in which learning takes place. This can be described as a learning ecosystem which consists of interconnected individuals and communities of people who work and learn together, bearing in mind the guidance provided by a learning philosophy and within the context of a learning culture.

Learning and development philosophy

A learning and development philosophy consists of the overarching beliefs, values and guiding principles adopted by an organization to ensure that learning takes place in the interests of all the organization’s stakeholders – top management, line managers, employees and learning and development professionals. This philosophy may be implicit or, preferably, explicit. It will emphasize the importance attached to learning as a significant part of the organization’s strategies for development and growth, even survival. It will govern the development of a learning culture by expressing the organization’s commitment to the continuous development of employees in order to maximize their contribution and to give them the opportunity to enhance their knowledge and skills, realize their potential, advance their careers and increase their employability, both within and outside the organization. It will stress the significance of organizational learning and knowledge management while recognizing the benefits of learner-centric policies that focus on individual learning needs and on self-directed learning, the process by which individuals identify and satisfy their own learning needs with help and guidance from managers or learning and development professionals as required.

Learning culture

A learning culture embeds learning into the way organizations do things. It will be based on a learning philosophy and is the environment in which that philosophy will be put into effect. The difference between a learning philosophy and a learning culture is that the former is about beliefs while the latter is about behaviours. A learning culture provides the framework for learning and development policy and practice and its creation is a priority for strategic L&D

Learning and development: A brief history

In the past, and to a degree, still in the present, learning and development was all about face-to-face (F2F) training, usually in formal learning events or training centres. The advent of e-learning in the 1990s and its rapid development since then has meant that computer-assisted or online learning is playing a more important part although this often means supplementing rather than replacing F2F training. Since then, the move has been to extend the use of digital learning and the opportunities it provides for remote (distance) learning. Increasing use is being made of smartphones and social media. These have changed the way people interact with learning content and made it relatively easy to use video, short-form content (brief and single subject) and mobile apps to provide learning opportunities and support.

‘Training’ became ‘human resource development’ and this changed to ‘learning and development’, partly in revulsion to the term human resources but also to emphasise that it is learning that counts,

Perhaps the most significant development has been the attention paid to learning through experience and to social learning. This has been prompted by the 70:20:10 concept which suggests that 70 per cent of learning happens through workplace experience, 20 per cent from social interaction (social or collaborative learning) and only 10 per cent from training in the shape of formal instruction. These proportions need not be taken too literally but the message is clear: experience is what matters most, followed by working with other people. Formal training provided by the organization has its uses but is no longer all-important.

The ‘learning in-the-flow of work’ notion has recently come to the fore as an important aspect of experiential learning in the workplace. The phrase was coined by Josh Bersin and refers to the learning that happens while people are actually working – ‘learning as you go’. He wrote (2018: 10) that: ‘What we ultimately want to do is embed learning into the platform in which people work’. The concept is discussed more fully in Chapter 12.

The elements of learning and development

The elements of learning and development are:

• Learning – the process by which a person acquires and develops capabilities in the shape of knowledge, skills and behaviours. It involves the modification of behaviour through experience as well as more formal methods of providing people with learning opportunities within or outside the workplace. A learning experience c...

Table of contents

• Introduction
• Part One Fundamentals of learning and development
• 1 The basis of learning and development
• 2 The context of learning and development
• 3 Learning culture
• 4 Organizational learning and the learning organization
• 5 Individual learning
• 6 Learning and development strategy
• 7 The contribution of learning and development to organizational performance
• 8 Learning analytics
• Part Two The responsibility for learning and development
• 9 The role of the learning and development function
• 10 The role of the line manager
• Part Three The process of learning
• 11 The nature of learning
• 12 Approaches to learning and development
• 13 Learning and development techniques
• Part Four Areas of learning
• 14 Workplace learning
• 15 Social learning
• 16 Digital learning
• 17 Training
• Part Five Planning and delivering learning events
• 18 Identifying learning needs
• 19 Planning learning events
• 20 Managing learning events
• 21 Transferring learning
• 22 Evaluating learning events
• Part Six Aspects of learning and development
• 23 Leadership and management development
• 24 Sales training
• 25 Apprenticeships
• Part Seven Conclusion
• 26 Learning and development trends and issues
• Author index
• Subject index