Challenges in Learning and Development
Learning and development in HRM refer to the process of assisting employees to gain skills, knowledge, and competencies to perform their tasks effectively. In other words, it's investing in employees to do their current jobs better, improving employee engagement, employee productivity, and retention, and enhancing their overall competitiveness.
Traditional learning and development methods used by HR practitioners
Source - https://hrsoftware.in/blog/traditional-methods-of-performance-appraisal/
- On-the-job training – When a fresher with theoretical skills enters the job market, this is one of the best ways to train them in the job tasks. It is where the employee gets more practical skills and knowledge while they are engaging in the job tasks.
- Formal training programmes – These are programmes that train an employee on a specific set of skills and knowledge. This could be done either by internal trainers in the company(eg:-By current employees who have experience in the relevant set of skills) or by external training providers.
- Job rotations – This involves giving employees work in different divisions or positions rather than working for the same job role. This grants a broader knowledge about the company and its operations which eventually makes it easier to achieve the company’s objectives through employees.
- Internships – This is much more similar to on-the-job training. Yet the difference is where on that job training could be short-term and not structured. On-the-job training could be done on an ongoing basis. Internships give employees a thorough understanding of a specific industry to train them in a job in a specific field.
Other
than the above methods, seminars, conference, mentoring, and coaching is also
used as learning and development methods by HR practitioners.
Challengers in learning and development for HR professionals
- Dynamic changing job requirements – Companies need to adapt to the latest trends and technology in the market to stay competitive. Because of the dynamic technological growth and socio-economic growth in the market, it is challenging to keep employees up-to-date and trained in the latest technologies
- Limited time – Employees are more focused on meeting their deadlines and targets of their job roles making it HR difficult to gather the employees for training.
- Resource constraints – In every training session, from the organizational point of view is to minimise cost and to have effective training sessions.HR need to find the optimum point of funding and staffing for an effective training programme which is challenging.
- Lack of engagement – The target of every training session is to maximise the effectiveness and efficiency of the employees of the company. When employees are not focused on the training session it is challenging to get the maximum output of the training leading to lower returns on the investment.
How
to overcome the challenges
Source
- https://elearningindustry.com/what-is-microlearning-benefits-best-practices
- Micro-Learning – This is in simple terms breaking complex business tasks into several steps, which is accessible whenever needed by employees. Through this, we could minimise the challenge of time constraints the employees are facing. Whenever the need arises the employees may refer to the relevant task through the segregated list of tasks and find an answer to the problem. Due to its easy access to share it with colleagues, just in time, the learning experience is much more valued. Although segregating a complex business task into small units should be done by a professional with sound knowledge of the task. Hug, T. (2021)
- E-learning and online training – This is where training and learning are conducted via the internet or digital platforms. Rather than employees physically attending a training session, employees can engage in this while they are currently at work. It is a cost-effective method as well as archival capability, and unlimited access to the knowledge would enable the employees to refer whenever the need arises. The main drawbacks of this method are HR could not get feedback immediately, and depending on the knowledge of technology some employees might not feel comfortable taking part in the training session.
- Gamification – This means ‘the use of game design elements in a non-game context’ S. Deterding et al (2011). This is an effective way of increasing employee engagement in the training programmes conducted by HR. The clear focus should be given to the training goals, feedback, competition, clear rules, and company goal-oriented challenges when building gamification Wang, Y.F., Hsu, Y.F. and Fang, K., (2022).Resistant to change from traditional training methods, limited applicability of designing effective gamification could be challenging to the company, yet immediate feedback, staff engagement will be increased through creative approaches like this on learning and development.
Other than these methods virtual reality and
augmented reality, blended learning methods could also be used to face the
current challenges in learning and development.
Conclusion
Learning and development strategies and methods
applicable to a company will be differentiated based on the business the
specific company is in. Therefore arriving at the optimum learning method
should be arrived at based on the level of technology the company uses, company
culture, and age group of the employees in the company. Apart from each
learning method conducted separately, a blended learning experience of
collaborating traditional training programs and modern technology-oriented
training programmes might also find useful to increase staff engagement
depending on the liveliness of the training programme
References
- Conková, M., 2013. Analysis of perceptions of conventional and e-learning education in corporate training. Journal of Competitiveness, 5(4). -[Online] Accessed on 25.03.2023
- Hogle, P.S., 2021. Microlearning in corporate settings. In Microlearning in the digital age (pp. 139-154). Routledge. -[Online] Accessed on 25.03.2023
- Hug, T. (2021). Sound Pedagogy Practices for Designing and Implementing Microlearning Objects. In J. R. Corbeil, B. H. Khan, & M. E. Corbeil (Eds.). Microlearning in the Digital Age: The Design and Delivery of Learning in Snippets. New York: Routledge. -[Online] Accessed on 26.03.2023
- Lindner, M., 2007. What is microlearning. In Micromedia and Corporate Learning. Proceedings of the 3rd Microlearning 2007 Conference (pp. 52-62).-[Online] Accessed on 25.03.2023
- S. Deterding, M. Sicart, L. Nacke, K. O'Hara, D. Dixon, Gamification: using game-design elements in non-gaming contexts, in: Proceedings of the 2011 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing, ACM, Vancouver, BC, Canada, 2011, pp. 2425-2428. Accessed on 25.03.2023
- Wang, Y.F., Hsu, Y.F. and Fang, K., 2022. The key elements of gamification in corporate training–The Delphi method. Entertainment Computing, 40, p.100463. Accessed on 26.03.2023
"Evaluation of learning and development programs is essential to ensure their effectiveness and demonstrate their impact on employee performance and organizational outcomes." (Kirkpatrick, D.L., & Kirkpatrick, J.D. 2006.
ReplyDeleteWithout learning or development, no firm can survive or flourish in any industry; the learning and development component is critical for every organization; I learned more by reading this post; wonderful.
The blog provides an excellent overview of the traditional learning and development methods used by HR practitioners. The article highlights the challenges faced by HR professionals, such as dynamic changing job requirements, limited time, resource constraints, and lack of engagement. To overcome these challenges, the article suggests micro-learning as an effective solution. I agree with the blog that micro-learning can be a useful solution to the challenges faced by HR professionals. According to Briscoe et al. (2012), the investment in employee learning and development can improve employee engagement and productivity, which can enhance the overall competitiveness of the organization. In addition, as noted by Farnham (2015), employee training programs should be designed to meet the specific needs of the organization. Therefore, micro-learning, which is tailored to meet the individual needs of employees, can be an effective solution to improve employee skills and knowledge.
ReplyDeleteHi , Learning and development which is essential for employees and important area for organization to focus on. For consistent success and healthy of an employee learning and development is very essential.
ReplyDeleteDevelopment and learning are fantastic. Learning and development boost productivity, assist businesses attract and keep top personnel, and help businesses turn a profit.