Our collection of industry experts, give their opinion on Learning & Development in 2018

Our collection of industry experts, give their opinion on Learning & Development in 2018
Todd Turner

Todd Turner

Todd Turner

CEO

Welcome to HR Grapevine’s 2018 Guide to Learning & Development

Providing relevant and engaging learning that meets the needs - and the expectations - of employees is the number one priority for today’s L&D teams. This supplement, which Hemsley Fraser is proud to sponsor, highlights how self-directed, learner-centric options can support employees at the point of need - and enable your organisation to quickly create blended learning programmes that can address new learning needs as they arise.

Using functionality that is designed to overcome the traditional barriers to, and passive nature of, digital learning, today’s learning platforms not only drive employee engagement, they connect learning to the natural rhythm of the business. The resultant analytics also help you to better understand your learning culture and to measure your return on investment.

I hope this supplement helps you find new and insightful ideas that will enable you to get the right learning to the right people at the right time.

The panel

Mark Hopkins

John Lewis Partnership

Mark Hopkins

Designer, Partner Development
John Lewis Partnership

I find it difficult sometimes to imagine that we are are not all self directed learners. All of my interactions with others have demonstrated to me, that when a need arises to learn something we are all to some degree, self-directed. What changes is the motivation or level of need, but generally we all take the initiative when we want to know or do something.

In my opinion the future is about providing the right motivation along with better accessibility, supporting culture and design principles; all of which empower people to behave in a self directed way, with a clear understanding of ‘what is in it for me’.


Laura Wigley

Dorchester Collection

Laura Wigley

Global Talent & Learning Director
Dorchester Collection

There is absolutely a trend towards selfdirected learning, but that doesn’t mean leaving your staff to get on with it by themselves. It’s great for employees to be able to drive their own development, but the key to success is having line managers support them and guide as required. It’s much simpler to have one-size-fits-all solutions, but in my opinion it is not as effective.

For example, compare self-directed leadership learning to a traditional programme. It’s only possible to retain and act on a certain amount of information at once, so many of the lessons may be lost. Secondly, not everything in the traditional programme will be in line with that individual’s development requirements. A self-directed approach allows employees to respond to their own focus and priorities.

As everyone is unique, it would be great to get to the point where everyone can create their own individual path, but it’s important not to underestimate the amount of effort that getting there requires.


Caroline Price

Canon

Caroline Price

Senior Vice President Human Resources EMEA
Canon

Allowing employees to explore and learn on their own basis has certainly been beneficial for us and helps to build confidence in their own abilities and knowledge.

Self-directed learning doesn’t mean businesses should reduce their own responsibility and involvement in the development of talent, but instead create an environment which encourages self-awareness and motivation. Technology shouldn’t be seen as simply moving learning out of a classroom and onto the web but more as a tool that motivates an employee to take learning into their own hands to develop their professional skills in the direction that they want their career to take.

We addressed this with the Canon Development Hub - a one-stop shop for learning, performance and talent development needs. Employees are in control of developing their professional profile through self-directed learning with over 30,000 days-worth of training and development per year to choose from.”


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