What is Learning & Development?

Why should organisations care about Learning & Development?

Learning & Development (L&D) refers to the approach an organisation takes to build behaviours and capabilities in employees for improved performance.

L&D usually shares a relationship with Human Resources (HR) or People and Culture (P&C) functions in large organisations, but businesses of all shapes and sizes can benefit from investing in L&D.

An investment in L&D helps businesses build a healthier workplace culture and creates a pipeline of internal talent for succession – positively impacting retention rates as a result.

How does L&D influence workplace culture?

And how does it help leaders and teams?

An organisation that values and actively promotes learning and development provides employees with the space, opportunity and resources to grow their capability.

Placing a strong focus on learning and development helps employees maintain a high level of performance, while finding new and innovative ways to stretch and achieve their goals.

This promotes a positive workplace culture – where employees feel like what they’re contributing matters, not just to the business, but in terms of their own personal and professional development.

What are the benefits of Learning & Development?

And what is the impact?

Nurturing learning and development can help organisations embed change, align behaviour and improve performance – probably in more ways than you think.

Here are four ways L&D can help organisations:

1. It Helps with Attracting and Retaining Talent

A thriving learning culture can help get talent in the door. If L&D is discussed in the recruitment process, candidates can see the growth opportunities available to them – a major drawcard for talent. And continued investment in their development means retention is more likely.

2. It Helps with Employee Engagement

Employees who have regular access to learning and development opportuntiies are more likely to be engaged. They have the required resources to support upskilling or reskilling, and are often less stressed as a result. They can also build meaningful career development plans, knowing that the organisation will help them achieve their goals.

3. It Helps to Improve Employee Performance

Stagnation is a real issue in modern workplaces. Both leaders and team members benefit from learning and development initiatives, growing skills and increasing all-round performance. Social learning also helps teams foster bonds and understand each other better.

4. It Helps People Develop Leadership Skills

Learning and development helps employees prepare for and excel in leadership positions. High peforming organisations know that leadership skills require dedicated training and time to develop. When organisations invest in leadership development, they’re investing not only in their people but in the organisation’s future.

How do I create an active learning culture?

To start building your learning culture, you don’t need a lot of time or money. Take some small, simple steps first – like these:

1. Encourage learning: Leaders can actively celebrate team members who show initiative to learn something new. This kind of positive reinforcement helps to promote learning as a cultural norm.

2. Develop personalised plans: Every employee is different and will have different needs and goals. Leaders can develop personalised development plans to set individuals up for success.

3. Fill in the gaps: Ask, what is your organisation missing? You can curate online resources to develop skills and fill capability gaps, and grow employees at the same time.

4. Use a variety of methods: Just like no one plan fits all, no one style of learning method will work for everyone. Be sure to point employees in the direction of a range of learning opportunities.