Learning and development (L&D) isn’t just a business function. It’s the engine of organisational growth. It fuels innovation, boosts productivity, and ensures your company stays ahead of the curve. Not half bad, wouldn’t you say?
As the former CEO of General Electric, Jack Welch, once put it: “An organisation’s ability to learn, and translate that learning into action rapidly, is the ultimate competitive advantage.”
Learning professionals are the custodians of this advantage. What they champion really matters. In fact, 70% of employees agree that learning boosts their sense of connection to their organisation.
In this article, we’ll explore what learning and development is, the key responsibilities of an L&D team, the benefits of organisational development, and much more besides. Let’s start by addressing the most crucial question.
What is Learning & Development?
Learning and development (or L&D) is a multifaceted concept. It’s both a strategic approach that covers any professional development an organisation offers to its employees and an organisational function.
Either way, it focuses on enhancing employee skills, knowledge, and abilities in line with organisational objectives. Why the emphasis on both ‘learning’ and ‘development’? Well, let’s break down the individual terms:
- Learning: The acquisition of knowledge, skills, and behaviours often focused on immediate needs and specific tasks.
- Development: The growth of individual capabilities and competencies beyond the employee’s current role, with a focus on long-term career goals.
This distinction highlights the holistic nature of L&D. It encompasses both short-term learning needs and long-term development goals. In turn, both individuals and the organisation benefit. That sounds like a win-win to us!
As a business function, L&D is a dedicated team or department responsible for operationalising this approach. They typically sit as sub-function within a broader HR department. However, larger organisations may have independent L&D departments.
Top L&D teams work to foster a learning culture where continuous learning is valued. They achieve this by creating new learning opportunities, providing access to relevant resources, and recognising employee achievements. Let’s explore these responsibilities further.
The Key Responsibilities of an L&D Department
Every L&D team plays a pivotal role in driving employee growth and organisational success. This is no small task. So, how do they do this? Their key responsibilities encompass a wide range of activities, including:
1. Needs Analysis
Before developing any training materials, L&D teams need a clear understanding of their target audience’s specific needs. This foundational step can be achieved through a training needs analysis process conducted at individual, team, and organisational levels.
This systematic procedure establishes the gap between where you want to go (your desired future state) and where you are now (the current state of knowledge, skills, and abilities within your organisation). Common methods for training needs analysis include:
- Surveys: Gathering direct feedback from employees about their perceived training needs, skill gaps, and learning preferences.
- Interviews: Conducting interviews with employees and line managers to establish perceived training requirements and preferences.
- Observation: Directly observing employees at work to seek out potential areas for improvement and further training opportunities.
- Reviews: Evaluating employee performance data and other insights to establish trends linked to potential training requirements.
2. Developing Learning Programmes
With training needs established, L&D teams can begin developing targeted training interventions to address these gaps. This content isn’t created in isolation. Instead, learning professionals adopt a strategic view and design comprehensive training plans.
These carefully orchestrated learning experiences link together to serve a specific learning objective. Of course, the fun doesn’t stop there. Learning professionals must also design training experiences that are:
- Functional: Training methods and approaches must be carefully selected to align with the subject matter and learning objective.
- Engaging: To maximise learner engagement and boost activity, training content must be relevant, interactive, and enjoyable.
- Accessible: Training content must be readily available to all employees (regardless of disabilities) to prevent knowledge silos.
3. Delivering Training
With a plan in place, L&D teams must then roll-up their sleeves and start delivering training content. Depending on your specific needs and available resources, these activities may be managed internally or delivered by external training providers.
Potential training delivery options include:
- Workshops: Interactive sessions led by an instructor or facilitator, often incorporating group discussions and hands-on activities.
- eLearning Courses: Online training modules built from a variety of resources, including text, images, video, interactive scenarios, and quizzes.
- Video Tutorials: Instructional videos that provide step-by-step guidance for understanding specific topics or completing tasks.
- Simulations: Recreations of real-world scenarios that help employees to practice new skills and make decisions in a safe environment.
- Mentoring Programmes: Structured programmes that pair experienced and inexperienced employees together to facilitate knowledge transfer.
4. Performance Support
Learning is an ongoing journey, not a one-time event. Your employees will still have learning needs after completing a training programme. After all, the business landscape is constantly evolving, demanding new skills and adaptations.
And that’s to say nothing of the forgetting curve, which saps away at our knowledge over time. Thankfully, performance support helps to bridge the gap between formal learning and on-the-job application. L&D teams can provide this support through:
- Job Aids: Easily accessible resources like checklists, flowcharts, and reference guides that can be reviewed in the flow of work.
- Knowledge Bases: Online repositories of articles, FAQs, and other resources that employees can use to search for information.
- Chatbots: AI-powered conversational agents (often linked to knowledge bases) that can answer questions and provide support in real-time.
- Coaches: Experienced individuals who can offer guidance and feedback to help employees achieve their professional goals.
5. Evaluation & Measurement
Learning professionals also need to check that their hard work is paying off. Successful L&D teams are data-driven. They use specific metrics and KPIs to track the effectiveness of their training programmes and optimise their approach.
There are a variety of different training evaluation methods that learning professionals can apply. The Kirkpatrick Model is the most widely-used framework. It assesses learning programmes across four levels:
- Reaction: How did learners react to the training material? For instance, how relevant, satisfactory, and engaging was it?
- Learning: What knowledge and skills did learners gain from the content (as determined by pre- and post-training tests)?
- Behaviour: Did learners apply their new knowledge on-the-job (as established through observation and performance data)?
- Results: What impact did the training have on business outcomes (such as increased sales, productivity, or innovation)?
6. Creating a Learning Culture
Your employees are busy. In fact, 86% of workers report feeling too overwhelmed to even take a short break during the workday. That’s why it’s so important that L&D teams act as champions of learning within an organisation. Without this support and encouragement, stagnation could take root.
Forging the right culture ensures that learning isn’t limited to formal training programmes. L&D teams can facilitate this by creating opportunities for knowledge sharing, such as discussion forums and internal wikis. This empowers employees to learn from each other and continuously expand their knowledge.
7. Staying Current
Learning professionals don’t have much time to rest on their laurels. After all, there’s always new training needs to fulfil. They also have to keep abreast of industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices in learning.
To help fuel faster organisational growth, L&D teams must be quick learners themselves. This requires a curious mind, a comprehensive understanding of modern learning theory, and the ability to apply these principles to their unique context.
Common Roles Within L&D Departments
Now we know what an L&D department does, we can look at who carries out these activities. The specific structure of your team may vary depending on the nature of your organisation. However, some common roles you might encounter include:
- Trainer / Facilitator: These individuals are responsible for delivering your training programmes, both in-person and virtually. Typically, they’ll lead workshops, conduct presentations, and facilitate discussions. While they’re not the architects of your training programme, they are the dynamic performers who bring it to life.
- Coach: Your coaches provide one-on-one guidance and support for employees. They fuel professional development through objective-setting, action plans and delivering clear feedback. In other words, they act as trusted partners, helping learners to navigate their career paths and achieve their goals.
- Instructional Designer: Sadly, great training content doesn’t grow on trees. Creating effective and engaging learning experiences requires a strategic approach. Instructional designers are the artisans who meticulously apply design principles and best practices to create eLearning courses and other training materials.
- L&D Manager: With all this activity taking place, oversight is crucial. L&D managers are responsible for implementing overall L&D strategy, managing the department’s budget, and leading a team of learning professionals. If organisational learning and development were an orchestra, they would be the conductor.
- Training Coordinator: Managing the logistics of training programmes is no easy task. Training coordinators ensure that scheduling, registration, participant communication, and material distribution all happens without a hitch. They’re the backstage magicians who ensure everything runs smoothly and seamlessly.
- Learning Technologist / Admin: While learning technology streamlines a variety of L&D processes, it also needs a skilled professional to oversee it. Platform administrators manage this technology infrastructure and provide technical support for your learners. We’ll return to the role that technology plays shortly.
- Chief Learning Officer: CLOs are the senior-most leader in the L&D function. They’re responsible for setting overall strategy, aligning it with organisational goals, and safeguarding the effectiveness of their approach. They’re the visionary leaders who ensure learning and development creates real impact in their organisations.
Beyond this, L&D teams operate within a cross-functional environment. They collaborate closely with colleagues in HR and IT. Additionally, they partner with Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) from various business units to gather insights and identify training needs.
The Role of Technology in L&D
Technology has fundamentally transformed how we learn and develop, both individually and within organisations. For a start, it has broken down geographical barriers, making training more accessible and scalable. Growth Engineering exists to help support this process.
Alongside steps forward in personalisation and engagement, technology also provides valuable data and insights into learner progress. This empowers L&D professionals to measure the effectiveness of their training approach and make better informed decisions.
With this in mind, let’s explore some of the key platforms that learning professionals should be aware of:
- Learning Management Systems: The humble LMS is the central hub for delivering, tracking, and managing online learning programmes. They’re the ultimate one-stop shop. In fact, these comprehensive and feature-rich platforms often act as the cornerstone for L&D programmes.
- Learning Experience Platforms: While there’s some overlap between LXPs and LMSs, learning experience platforms are generally considered to be more learner-centric. They prioritise engaging learners and providing a personalised learning experience.
- AI-Powered Learning Platforms: Many modern learning platforms (such as the Impact Suite) leverage artificial intelligence to enhance learning experiences. This often takes the form of personalised learning paths, AI coaches, and predictive analytics.
- Mobile Learning Apps: These apps enable learners to access training content anytime, anywhere. All your learners need is a mobile device and an internet connection. This flexibility makes learning more convenient for busy professionals and perfect for frontline workers.
- Authoring Tools: Instructional designers and other learning professionals use authoring tools to create interactive and engaging eLearning content. These modules are usually SCORM or xAPI compliant, ensuring compatibility with other learning platforms.
How L&D Contributes to Organisational Success
By now you might be able to picture the transformative impact that a well-oiled L&D team can have within an organisation. Indeed, learning and development should not be seen as a cost centre. It’s a strategic driver of organisational success.
By investing in employee development, organisations can unlock the following benefits:
- Increased Engagement: Achieving professional goals is inherently satisfying. When employees feel valued and supported in their professional development, they are more likely to be engaged and motivated. This is its own reward, but it’s also good to know that organisations with engaged employees enjoy a 24% higher profit margin.
- Better Retention: 94% of employees say that they are more likely to stay at an organisation that invests in their development. In other words, your training programmes boost employee retention and significantly reduce costly recruitment and onboarding expenses (estimated to average around $4,700 per employee).
- Improved Performance: The ultimate goal of your L&D programmes is to change behaviour and improve employee performance. Thankfully, there’s a clear link between effective training and improved productivity. For instance, IBM found that every dollar invested in online training resulted in a $30 return in increased productivity.
- Enhanced Innovation: By fostering a culture of learning and development, organisations simultaneously create an environment where new ideas are encouraged. As a result, employees are more likely to contribute innovative solutions. Better still, your organisation is 3x more likely to outperform its competition.
- Adaptable Employees: A sobering statistic reveals that 70% of change initiatives fail. Effective L&D programmes help you to right this wrong by nurturing adaptability and resilience in the workplace. As a result your organisation will be well-placed to respond to market shifts, new technologies, and other opportunities.
By cultivating an engaged, adaptable, and high-performing workforce, you’ll gain a crucial edge in your marketplace. As a result, you’ll soon start smashing your organisational goals. It’s easy to see how this could then translate into real bottom-line impact.
Final Words
Through this deep dive into the wonderful world of learning and development, we’ve seen that investment into L&D isn’t just an expense, it’s a strategic imperative. If you fail to prioritise employee development then you run a real risk of getting left behind.
Thankfully, learning professionals are on hand to provide a holistic approach to organisational growth. They analyse training needs, design solutions, deliver training, and evaluate the results. And once it’s all over, they start the process again.
In doing so, L&D teams unlock the potential of your most valuable asset: your people. As a result, your organisation will be capable of achieving remarkable things. So, to all the learning professionals out there, please keep up the amazing work!
Thank you for reading. Ready to further your learning expertise? Download ‘The L&D Professional’s Handbook’ now to access 165 tips designed to help you excel in your role.
