Not Strictly PG - Learning Culture
(Excerpt from QualityWorld article)
Help people learn
Learning is something each person does, not something that is done to them, and if a good learning/training programme is in place it can help the individual realise their potential and benefit both themselves and their organisation.
There is a growing acceptance that people are indeed the most important asset and investing in staff through helping them learn new skills will bring benefits in the long term. Individuals who understand the organisation's objectives and have the necessary skills create powerful business advantages that can be very difficult for a competitor to duplicate. This change in the nature of competition enhances the potential of learning.
Managers should work with their staff to identify when an individual requires training and when an individual has the potential to progress. Only with the support of line-managers will learning benefit the individual and business.
The next step is to apply this learning in line with the business needs. And in doing so managers should help their staff find more opportunities to develop their role, and more opportunities to learn. Being actively committed to learning can help ensure greater job satisfaction, improved behavioural skills and higher competency among workers.
Nobody has to learn. Employers have to persuade, incentivise, encourage and support until staff want to learn. Getting this message across, from the boardroom to the front-line manager, and everywhere in between, is the challenge facing managers at all levels in organisations
Case study
INA Bearing Company Ltd is a subsidiary of a privately owned German engineering group. Over the last three years, the company has faced increasing competition from low labour cost countries as group production capacity has been placed in Eastern Europe where wages are lower than those in the UK. INA Bearing Company ltd has responded by adopting a planned and sustained focus on continuous improvement, cost reduction and, as an integral component of the process, a commitment to improve the skills of the workforce. Previously the investment had been in machinery, now the investment is in people.
The change process began with an off-site management strategy day. A culture change programme was developed and involved continuous improvement, training and flexibility. These were linked and supported by the statement that 'the rate of learning must be greater than the rate of change'.
A learning culture
The company felt it was important to communicate the vision and strategy for the future to its employees as early as possible and embarked upon a communication exercise whereby a member of the senior management team interviewed each employee on an individual basis. Guidance for this communication exercise was given in a briefing document to ensure consistency of the message. A major obstacle to overcome was how to encourage employees to learn. Many employees had few or no qualifications, and were generally disenchanted with education and learning. To include these reluctant learners in the culture-change programme, the company explained during the individual interviews that employees had nothing to lose; if the investment in learning and development paid off, there was a more secure future. If, despite these efforts, the fortunes of the company did not improve, then at least the individual had a nationally recognised qualification.
Qualifications and learning
National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) were delivered that were relevant to the individual's job. An e-learning centre was established in conjunction with the trade union, the local college and Learndirect, and a wide range of courses was offered to employees for those unfamiliar with IT, including 'computers for the terrified'. Other initiatives were also developed, such as 'lunch and learn' sessions, to engage with employees and get them on the learning ladder. The company now has four union learning representatives who are playing an active role in promoting learning in the workplace. Three years on, the majority of employees now have an NVQ, all employees have individual development plans and learning is an integral part of the culture of the organisation. From a business point of view the investment is also paying off with new products introduced to the Llanelli plant in Wales, for the first time since 1997.
Biography
Martyn Sloman is CIPD's learning, training and development adviser. His latest book The E-Learning Revolution - from proposition to action was published by the CIPD in April 2001. He previously wrote, A Handbook for Training Strategy (Gower, 1994/1999). Prior to joining the CIPD he worked in the private and public sectors and as a consultant.
Help people learn
Learning is something each person does, not something that is done to them, and if a good learning/training programme is in place it can help the individual realise their potential and benefit both themselves and their organisation.
There is a growing acceptance that people are indeed the most important asset and investing in staff through helping them learn new skills will bring benefits in the long term. Individuals who understand the organisation's objectives and have the necessary skills create powerful business advantages that can be very difficult for a competitor to duplicate. This change in the nature of competition enhances the potential of learning.
Managers should work with their staff to identify when an individual requires training and when an individual has the potential to progress. Only with the support of line-managers will learning benefit the individual and business.
The next step is to apply this learning in line with the business needs. And in doing so managers should help their staff find more opportunities to develop their role, and more opportunities to learn. Being actively committed to learning can help ensure greater job satisfaction, improved behavioural skills and higher competency among workers.
Nobody has to learn. Employers have to persuade, incentivise, encourage and support until staff want to learn. Getting this message across, from the boardroom to the front-line manager, and everywhere in between, is the challenge facing managers at all levels in organisations
Case study
INA Bearing Company Ltd is a subsidiary of a privately owned German engineering group. Over the last three years, the company has faced increasing competition from low labour cost countries as group production capacity has been placed in Eastern Europe where wages are lower than those in the UK. INA Bearing Company ltd has responded by adopting a planned and sustained focus on continuous improvement, cost reduction and, as an integral component of the process, a commitment to improve the skills of the workforce. Previously the investment had been in machinery, now the investment is in people.
The change process began with an off-site management strategy day. A culture change programme was developed and involved continuous improvement, training and flexibility. These were linked and supported by the statement that 'the rate of learning must be greater than the rate of change'.
A learning culture
The company felt it was important to communicate the vision and strategy for the future to its employees as early as possible and embarked upon a communication exercise whereby a member of the senior management team interviewed each employee on an individual basis. Guidance for this communication exercise was given in a briefing document to ensure consistency of the message. A major obstacle to overcome was how to encourage employees to learn. Many employees had few or no qualifications, and were generally disenchanted with education and learning. To include these reluctant learners in the culture-change programme, the company explained during the individual interviews that employees had nothing to lose; if the investment in learning and development paid off, there was a more secure future. If, despite these efforts, the fortunes of the company did not improve, then at least the individual had a nationally recognised qualification.
Qualifications and learning
National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) were delivered that were relevant to the individual's job. An e-learning centre was established in conjunction with the trade union, the local college and Learndirect, and a wide range of courses was offered to employees for those unfamiliar with IT, including 'computers for the terrified'. Other initiatives were also developed, such as 'lunch and learn' sessions, to engage with employees and get them on the learning ladder. The company now has four union learning representatives who are playing an active role in promoting learning in the workplace. Three years on, the majority of employees now have an NVQ, all employees have individual development plans and learning is an integral part of the culture of the organisation. From a business point of view the investment is also paying off with new products introduced to the Llanelli plant in Wales, for the first time since 1997.
Biography
Martyn Sloman is CIPD's learning, training and development adviser. His latest book The E-Learning Revolution - from proposition to action was published by the CIPD in April 2001. He previously wrote, A Handbook for Training Strategy (Gower, 1994/1999). Prior to joining the CIPD he worked in the private and public sectors and as a consultant.
posted by T at 4:35 pm
