On Learning and Development Part 1

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Salaam and greetings all,

 

A couple of days ago, I had a conversation with a colleague of mine. Among the things we talked about is her development needs. I asked her what she needed to help her do her job better.

 

Coming from a different field and new to Learning and Development (L&D) she wanted to know what it is, and what the big fuss is. With billions of dollars spent in publishing books, CDs, games and courses, all in the name of improving ourselves, why are some organizations doing well, and some fail miserably, despite spending millions of dollars advised by experts, either in-house L&D experts or outside  consultants. Even lots of institutions of learning fail, yet they are the place people go to learn. Hmmm... Sigh...

 

But, there are companies who are doing very well, for many many years, which shows a strength in L&D culture. Some are big Fortune 500 companies. And some are SMI/SMEs. And because of that, there are countries that no longer benchmark their education system against other countries, which they have been doing for many years, but instead, benchmark against the education/L&D systems of corporations. Interesting isn't it.

 

To assist her, I promised to give her a series of short talks to help her have a sense and clearer picture of what Learning & Development (L&D). But, after giving it some thoughts, I realize I need to do this differently.

 

So, instead of just talks, which is time consuming, I will do a blended learning. I will send articles as a pre-reading and the class is for Q&A. The pre reading will assist in preparing her, and my other colleagues so that there will be meaningful discussions later.

 

My writings will be in three main areas:

1. What is L&D, and why is there a need for training/learning, and what is the difference?

2. What kind of training/learning is required, i.e. Content?

3. How best can training be delivered to ensure learning transfer and learning sustainability?

 

The writings will come once a week. And you are welcome to extend/forward this article to your friends and colleagues. However, each area may come in 2 to 3 parts to keep it short and sassy and confined within a certain sub-topic. The writings are to give a sense of foundation, going back to basics. In my 22 years of being in L&D, I too sometimes drawn to the hype and buzz of L&D. Focusing on the activities and trends, and forgetting the true intent of what L&D is supposed to be. And because we are focused on the bells and whistles, we are sometimes unable to link between what is learning and what is entertainment. I have no doubt some of you are experts and even holding positions of L&D. This article is by no means to teach you anything new. However, if you find it interesting, and helpful to your colleagues, just forward them.

 

Those of you receiving this writing are friends and colleagues who used to receive my writings before. It will be prudent of me to ask you first, if you would like to receive this articles. If you do, there is no need to reply. However, if you don't, don't worry, just reply this email and type UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject header box, just before the subject title. No hard feelings. :)

 

I also welcome comments and feedback, and of course additional materials, which I will acknowledge who sent it to me and will share with those in the mailing list.

 

 

Regards,

 

ISKANDAR

PETRONAS Leadership Centre

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