On Learning and Development: Part 2

Salaam and Greetings,

 

Last week I wrote about the need to understand Training and Development (or now it is affectionately called, Learning and Development – L&D).

 

This week, I will be writing on “What is L&D, and why is there a need for training/learning, and what is the difference?”.

 

In my over 20 years of being in L&D, and I started in Training, I have seen a lot of changes. Some good ones, and some, well, all I can say is that, there is more hype than substance.

 

Past few years, I have seen where training (I will use this term loosely to denote any type of learning, courses, programs, seminars, conferences, either face-to-face, or via web, and/or computer assisted learning etc), have been more sophisticated than before. It has employed various researches and studies, including best practices of successful organizations.

 

I have seen enough (can’t say I have seen it all), to know that, some of the training, which was fun, lots of activities, yet I wasn’t certain it will do anything to the participants, in the long run. Also, I have seen many training having Action Learning incorporated into it. I have seen quite a number of Action Learning, that I have no idea what they are supposed to achieve.

 

And when I talk to these trainers and/or course designers, they can’t seem to give me a satisfying answer.

 

Let’s try to put it in simple terms. Back when I started in Training some 20 years ago, people go for training because there are changes in the way they do their work, changes in tools or equipment, or moving into a different job. And training is required to be done about three months before or after the changes happen. The reason is that, if training is done too long before the change happen, the person may not remember what they learn when the change happens, or if the training happens too late into the change, then they would have learned it on the job.

 

Simple isn’t?

 

Also, the definition of Learning occurs (which any first year student of Teacher Education can tell you) when there is a change of behaviour. If there is no change, learning has not occurred.

 

Another simple concept. I am not over simplifying. I am merely making things simple using two fundamentals of training.

<!1.       There is a change in the way we do our work.

<!2.       Person has learned if there is a change in behaviour.

 

Putting the two together, you have that, when there are changes in the way you need to do your work, you need to change your behaviour. You can’t have the same behaviour (or work style), if things around you have changed. And you attend training, so that you know what to change and how to change. Although a lot of Learning Specialist will contest that training is only for skill or vocational training, and not in our knowledge economy, however, I beg to differ.

 

Let’s put it in the context of the workplace.

 

You are an executive. You are just promoted to be a manager.

Question: Is there a change in the way you have to do your job?

Answer: Yes. Being an executive is different from being a manager. You need to change the way you do your work, and how you relate to people.

You are sent for a course to be a manager so that it prepares you (look at the reason for training) to be a manager.

 

Question: How do we know you have learned to be a good manager?

Answer: When you no longer behave like an executive and now behaving like a manager. Meaning, a change of behaviour.

(Let’s not get into what is the behaviour of a manager and executive. But we all know there is a lot of difference).

 

Next concept we need to understand what is knowledge, skills, attitude, habit and competencies.

Competency is the combination of knowledge, skills, attitude and habit. In the good old days, we love to have lots of words. Today, we chunk them together as competencies. Unfortunately, many people don’t even know what is competency. A word they use,  but don’t know exactly what it means and where it comes from.

 

But, before you can have competency, you need to know (knowledge), what you need to do. From knowing, you then practise to build up the skills of doing it effectively and efficiently. With the right attitude, you will build those skills to a point, it becomes a habit. Then people will say, you are competent. (If you have the wrong attitude, you will not practise, and will not have the skills and habit, and will not be competent.)

Competency is not just some big words printed on posters. Competencies are culmination of a bunch of things.

 

Next is the interchangeable words of COURSE and PROGRAM. I have seen and heard enough to squirm in my skin when Learning Specialists and Experts use them interchangeably. Technically speaking, they are not. It is acceptable if it is used interchangeably by non L&D people. They are not the experts. We are.

 

A course is a standalone lesson or topic. It does not require prerequisites and/or continuation. However, a program is a series of courses. For those software programmers will know this. A program consists of main routines and sub-routines.

 

A management development program is a program. It consists of a series of courses (or topics). If it only has a topic or an area covered (and I have seen a few management development program with only one area covered) it should not be called a program. Example, Copy Writing. It is a course. But, if we pack it together with Speech Writing, and Article writing, then we can call it a writing program.

 

Another misused terms are pedagogy and andragogy. One refers to children learning, and the other adult. Unfortunately, most people refer to adult learning to pedagogy. And they call themselves learning experts. Go check out some of the “program” brochures. I am sure you will find the organizers will say “We employ latest pedagogical methodology”, for courses meant for adults. That scares me, as they claim to be experts.

 

I am not a doomsday-naysayers kind of person. But, I do believe, the reason L&D is challenged, is because we have made L&D difficult, complicated, and complex. We should make it simple.

 

One major shift, what made a lot of sense is the shift from Training to Learning. Training is seen as trainer centred. Learning is student centred. Hence the reason so many training fail and are boring. While learning is fun and makes  more sense.

 

Do read an article on Future of L&D at http://www.getfuturethink.com/research-tools/futurist-reports/the-future-of-learning-development. It is a 2009 report. I still believe the content of the report is still valid. Even reading the Executive Summary is enough to relook at all our programs.

 

Happy reading