Human Resource Management
Learning is a process of acquiring skills and knowledge that are geared towards change in behaviour of the learners. According to Graham & Bennett (1998), learning can only occur if the learner shows difference in behaviour or be able to prove that he/she has knowledge of new facts. On the other hand, development is long term and the benefits may not be immediate. An organisation will focus on the development in social skills, planning and analytical skills of the employees. A systematic approach to learning and development is one geared towards enhancement of knowledge, skills and capabilities of the staff as well as providing them with career goals. It is a training cycle that’s starts with needs assessment, designing the learning activities, delivering the learning activities and evaluating the learning. Kelly (undated), argue that a step-by-step approach must be used to design any training program. This kind of approach focuses on the organisational needs and the learning activities are planned to provide a comprehensive training. In an organisation, learning and development is vital for the growth and financial performance. This kind of approach to learning links the employees and the organisation. This paper is in five major sections which include the major components of the systematic approach, why each component is important, the importance of the approach to an organisation, the critical success factors of using the systematic approach, a relevant theory in use and conclusion. The term trainee, learner and employee are used synonymously to refer to the same thing.Components of the systematic approach to learning and development The systematic approach to learning and development involves four major steps mainly: Identifying learning needs: this involves conducting a needs assessment to isolate cases that need attention. The entry behaviour of the learners. At this step the employees’ existing knowledge and previous learning experiences are considered. One is not able to design a learning program if not aware of what the employees know or don’t know. In an organization there are bound different individuals. At this step the trainer can identify the individual differences among the trainees as well as their maturity levels. Based on the needs then the learning objectives are formulated. They specify what the trainees should do by the end of the session and how the learning is going to be measured. The objectives clearly state the trainer’s expectations and act a base of designing the learning activities.
Kelly (undated) identifies three main areas that an organization can focus when conducting a needs assessment. These include knowledge (of the leadership principles, human resource fundamentals and the organizational polices), skills (to learn how to lead, conduct meetings, and keep records) and attitude skills (to be able to interact and relate with other employees).
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