PeopleSelect - Develop Me Develop You

7th Jun 2010

June 2010

Develop me, develop you…..

The more successful organisations have a culture where learning and development is central to the way they run their business.

Knowledge sharing is paramount, ranging from individuals sharing their learning experiences to a centralised knowledge repository where information and case studies can be shared for the longer term. Some workplaces have a ‘knowledge is power culture’ which can erode the benefits of team work and can lead to key person liabilities. This attitude is often driven by what gets rewarded – if you reward those with the ‘know how’ and not recognise individuals who share their knowledge feely you risk building a ‘dog eat dog’ culture which is not good for business.

Structured frameworks are central to maintaining a learning and development focus. Often, individual development plans are prepared and reviewed as part of the performance management process. This also allows for learning and development to be discussed as part of the informal discussions that take place through out the year.

Providing structure around learning and development allows businesses to manage any costs associated with training throughout the year. These costs may be financial, but can also relate to the time allocated for participation in or providing this training.

I own my future

While a structured framework is good for keeping learning and development on the radar, a true learning and development culture has participants who actively own their own development.

This means that individuals come to the table with ideas on how to develop themselves and suggest a mix of self-directed and formal learning programs. Self-directed learning could include reading key materials, conducting an independent research project, or running training for others within the business. For those that are truly passionate about self-improvement they may even suggest participation in activities outside normal working hours to boost their skills such as Toastmasters, evening TAFE courses or weekend conferences on industry matters.

One of the biggest barriers sited by individuals for not pursing their own educational goals is that they ‘don’t have time’. As business owners you can remove this excuse by allocating a percentage of time that you expect they should spend on self-development. In addition, you need to monitor their workloads carefully, providing additional assistance where required to free up their time. These important steps make your talk about being a learning and development culture a reality.

Do as I do

Leading by example sets an important message to your team. It shows them that you are open to new ideas and are willing to challenge yourself to grow and develop as a person. Everyone should participate as everyone has room for improvement.

For further information or advice on this area, please contact PeopleSelect on 4629 7797 or Kristie Leopardi on 0408 945 053.

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