Risks and rewards of L&D

The Academies Framework
(Brassey et al., 2019, p. 4)

To achieve job satisfaction, employees are looking for balance in their work. This is now a greater attractor than career advancement (LinkedIn, 2023, 2020). However, Kiwi employees seem to value development - re-defining career advancement as 'ambition'; as opposed to moving 'up the ladder' (Randstad, 2024; Tilo, 2024) - with over 70% of us saying that learning and development (L&D) opportunities in their workplace are important. Some note it as a key factor in deciding whether to stay with an organisation (Randstad, 2024)... or not. 

While organisations always need to consider cost:benefit for any spend, L&D often takes a more ‘organisation-centric’ approach which tends to ensure L&D alignment with company values (Brassey et al., 2019). An organisational-centric approach tends to come at the expense of individual development when times are tight... and we seem to be heading into tighter economic times (Ryan, 2024). Labour remains constrained, so employers do need to be careful to not slash L&D budgets too hard, or they may find it hard to attract and retain suitably skilled staff.

This is a risk as employees seem to get impatient with a ‘one-size-fits all’ model'. Providing tailored L&D opportunities will improve individual productivity and performance, still delivering organisational success by way of increased productivity, innovation, and staff retention (Lee & Bonk, 2014; Rosenberg, 2006).

Employer L&D anxiety arises due to: L&D not aligning well with organisational values; the weight of resource consumption including time taken to develop strategies and funding; the risk that employees may leave after training is complete (Brassey et al., 2019; Lee & Bonk, 2014). Having a clear organisational vision for employee L&D can help ensure that benefits outweigh costs (Tilo, 2024; Brassey et al., 2019). Development spend should be budgeted and measured to check that it provides tangible, productive outcomes (Van Hooydonk, 2019), and is flexible enough to facilitate employee connection, engagement, and to delivery of quality work. Good training means staff are well-able to do their work; and so are happier. Happy employees are more likely to stay (Brassey et al., 2019).

Even in a tight employment market, employers can effectively tackle gaps in organisational skills through sound L&D (Brassey et al.,2019; Rosenberg, 2006). The long-term benefits of future-proofing businesses via organisational and individual skill development are tricky to calculate; but that does not mean that it shouldn't be attempted (Brassey et al., 2019). The Academies framework sets out a nine step model: those of aligning L&D with the business strategy; L&D being fleet of foot in determining organisational and employee needs; being proactive in undertaking training needs analyses; delivering sound learning design; quickly delivering training at scale; accurate measurement of bangs for the buck; integrating training into JDs, KPIs and organisational outcomes; fitting with the 70:20:10 framework; ensuring systems and application fit (Brassey et al., 2019).

This is complex work, but the tools exist to smooth the path, and to allow employees, as well as the organisation, to add value through the process of L&D.

Naufa & Sam

References:

Brassey, J., Christensen, L., & Van Dam, N. (2019). The essential components of a successful L&D strategy. McKinsey & Company. https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/the-essential-components-of-a-successful-l-and-d-strategy#/

Lee, H., & Bonk, C. J. (2014). Collaborative Learning in the Workplace: Practical Issues and Concerns. International Journal of Advanced Corporate Learning (iJAC), 7(2), pp. 10–17. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijac.v7i2.3850

LinkedIn Learning. (2020). Building the agile future: L&D puts people and skills at the center of organizational success [report]. LinkedIn. https://learning.linkedin.com/content/dam/me/learning/resources/pdfs/LinkedIn-Learning-2020-Workplace-Learning-Report.pdf

LinkedIn Learning. (2023). Building the agile future: L&D puts people and skills at the center of organizational success [report]. LinkedIn. https://learning.linkedin.com/content/dam/me/learning/en-us/pdfs/workplace-learning-report/LinkedIn-Learning_Workplace-Learning-Report-2023-EN.pdf23

Randstad. (2024). Workmonitor 2024 report. https://www.randstad.com/workmonitor/

Rosenberg, M. J. (2006). Beyond E-learning: approaches and technologies to enhance organizational knowledge, learning, and performance. John Wiley & Sons.

Ryan, M. (2024, April 26). Does fighting inflation always lead to recession? What 60 years of NZ data can tell us. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/does-fighting-inflation-always-lead-to-recession-what-60-years-of-nz-data-can-tell-us-227894

Tilo, D. (2024, February 21). New Zealand employees value flexibility over career progression: survey. HRD New Zealand. https://www.hcamag.com/nz/specialisation/benefits/new-zealand-employees-value-flexibility-over-career-progression-survey/477966

Van Hooydonk, S. (2019). Employee training is not a one-size-fits-all activity: Today, learning is a lifelong process, but the classroom paradigm is standing in the way. HRD Australia. https://www.hcamag.com/au/news/general/employee-training-is-not-a-one-size-fits-all-activity/169561

* Naufa Abdul Sattar kindly prepared much of the material for this post