LEARNING AND HRD Jayendra Rimal

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LEARNING AND HRD Jayendra Rimal
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Agree or disagree

• For learning to take place, the most important
  variable to consider is whether the individual
  learner has sufficient ability to learn what is
  being taught.
• In general, people learn best and remember the
  most when they can spread out the time spent
  learning new materials.
• Learning something to the point of overlearning
  is generally a waste of time and should be
  avoided.
• If training has been effective then it really
  doesnt matter whether there is support in the
  work environment or not.
• Trainers should always seek to match the type of
  training delivery methods to the characteristics
  of the individual being trained.
• Adult learners typically respond best to a
  lecture-style approach to training.

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Learning

• Learning a fundamental process and requirement
  of capacity development characterized by a
  relatively permanent change in behavior that
  occurs as a result of ones interaction with the
  environment.
• Aspects/Focus of learning
• - Change (acquiring new or modifying)
• - Long lasting (recollection)
• - Behavior, affect or cognition
• - Individuals interaction with the environment
• Capacity development More ability to change and
  adapt or adoption of new behavior or practices.
• Effective learning strategies and processes A
  foundation of effective HRD programs and
  practices thru
• Individual learning
• Organizational learning

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Need for learning

• Learning to be effective Improve the extent to
  which the outputs meet the needs of the
  customers.
• Learning to be efficient Improve the
  utilisation of inputs in relation to the outputs
• Learning to expand Increase or diversify
  activities to meet further needs.

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How does learning occur?

• Association The process by which two cognitions
  become paired together (e.g dozen and twelve
  items). Some principles that influence the
  learning of association
• Contiguity Association by experiencing objects
  together. Learning a new language may involve
  pairing words with pictures
• The law of effect Behaviour followed by
  pleasurable consequences. Congratulated
  by manager for carrying out a productive sales
  call
• Practice Repeating events will increase the
  strength of the association. Working on a
  keyboard repeatedly will help to increase the
  typing speed.

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Levels of individual learning

• Knowing about
• An awareness that something exists. (orientation)
• Understanding
• Mastery of the concepts and beyond.
• Acceptance
• Agreement to the underlying logic and holding of
  consistent beliefs
• Ability to apply
• Successful use of new behaviours and performance
  levels

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Maximizing individual learning

• Trainee characteristics
• - Trainability
• - Personality and attitudes
• Training design
• - Conditions of practice
• - Retention of what is learned
• Transfer of training
• - identical elements
• - General principles
• - Stimulus variability
• - Support in the work environment

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Trainability

• Trainability f (ability motivation
  perceptions of the work environment)
• Ability is the aptitude to perform the tasks at
  hand
• Motivation is effort, persistence or choice
• The way training is perceived
• Involvement in decision about training
• Manner in which individuals view own
  ability/skill weakness
• Need for achievement or competence
• Job involvement/experience of negative event
  prior to training
• Career advancement opportunities
• Expectancy of achieving desired outcomes
• Freedom of choice
• Characteristics of the organization
• The largest component of training costs are the
  trainees personal costs (e.g. 20 employeesX10
  days200 work days)
• Substantial costs can be saved by selecting only
  trainable staff

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Personality and attitudes

• Personality - A set of personal characteristics
  that account for consistent patterns of behaviour
• - Dimensions Extraversion openness to
  experience
• - Traits Need for achievement activity
  independence sociability
• Attitude A persons general feelings of
  favorableness or unfavorableness towards some
  stimulus object
• - Career exploration
• - Job involvement
• - Expectations
• - Trainee confidence

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Training design

• Conditions of practice
• Active practice (repeated performance of task)
• Massed versus spaced practice sessions
• Whole versus part learning
• Overlearning (longer retention)
• Feedback (enhances learning and retention)
• Task sequencing (subtasks taught in appropriate
  sequence)
• Retention of what is learned
• Meaningfulness of material (association to job)
• Degree of original learning (effective initial
  learning)
• Interference (pre and post training)

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Transfer of training

• Positive transfer Better job performance
• Negative transfer Poorer job performance
• Zero transfer No effect on job performance
• Identical elements theory - Similar training and
  performance situations, better transfer of
  learning
• General principles theory Learning the
  fundamental elements of a task ensures better
  learning
• Stimulus variability Multiple examples of a
  concept involving different practice situations
• Support in the work environment Peer,
  supervisor organizational support (continuous
  learning work environment) ensures transfer of
  learning

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Modes of learning

• Action (OJT)
• Ability to change Feedback
• Practice Analysis
• (Work related) (Case study)
• Commitment Translation
• to change Concept
• (University education)

Concrete Experience
Active experimentation
Reflective observation
Abstract conceptualization
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Modes of learning, contd

• Concrete experience (CE)
• - An intuitive preference for learning through
  direct experience, emphasizing interpersonal
  relationships and feelings as opposed to
  thinking.
• Reflective observation (RO)
• - A preference to learn by watching and
  examining different points of view to achieve an
  understanding.
• Abstract conceptualization (AC)
• - A preference for learning by thinking about an
  issue in theoretical terms
• Active experimentation (AE)
• - A preference for learning something by
  actively doing it and judging its practical value

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Learning styles

• Convergent
• - A combination of abstract conceptualization
  (AC) and active experimentation (AE) (thinking
  and doing) with a focus on problem solving,
  decision making and practical application of
  ideas.
• Divergent
• - CE and RO (feeling and watching) emphasizing
  imagination, an awareness of values and ability
  to generate alternative courses of action.
• Assimilation
• - AC and RO (thinking and watching) that
  stresses inductive reasoning, integration of
  observations into explanations and creation of
  theoretical models
• Accommodative
• - CE and AE (feeling and doing) demonstrated by
  accomplishment, executing plans and involvement
  in new experience

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Learning strategies

• Rehearsal strategies
• - basic learning tasks (repeating items on a
  list)
• - complex learning tasks (underlining text,
  copying notes)
• Elaboration strategies
• - basic (forming a mental image)
• - complex (taking notes, paraphrasing,
  summarizing)
• Organizational strategies
• - basic (grouping information to be learned)
• - complex (outlining articles, creating a
  hierarchy)
• Comprehensive monitoring strategies (self
  questioning)
• Affective strategies (increase alertness, relax,
  reduce test anxiety)

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Individual differences in the learning process

• Different rates of trainee progress
• learning curves
• Attributes treatment Interaction (ATI)
• - cognitive ability and motivation interaction
• Training of adults
• - Pedagogy instructional methodology for
  educating children
• - Andragogy instructional methodology for
  educating adults.
• assumptions adults are self directed knowledge
  and experience readiness to learn relevant tasks
  and motivated to learn

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Learning curves

• P P
• (Trainee 1) Time (Trainee 2) Time
• P P

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Organizational learning

• A process of continuous testing of experience and
  transformation of that experience into knowledge
  -accessible to the whole organization and
  relevant to its core purpose.
• A process of coordinated systems change with
  mechanisms built in for individuals and groups to
  access, build and use organizational memory,
  structure and culture to develop long term
  organizational capacity

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Organizational learning, contd

• Is there a continuous testing of experience?
• - willingness to examine everything, structures
  for testing, treatment of people spreading
  negative information
• Is knowledge (capacity for effective action)
  being produced?
• -New capabilities, qualitative differences
• Is the knowledge shared?
• - Accessibility to all
• Is the knowledge relevant?
• - Usability, focus on core purposes

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Principles of organizational learning

• Need for a powerful and cohering vision of the
  organization and its communication
• Need to develop strategy in the context of the
  vision
• Frequent dialogue, communication and dialogue
• Continuous re-examination and challenges of
  things that are taken for granted
• Development of a conducive learning and
  innovative culture

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Types of organizational learning

• Single loop learning Expectation-action-review-co
  rrection process improves the organization's
  capacity to achieve known objectives the
  organization learns without significant change in
  its basic assumptions.
• Double loop learning Expectation-action-review-re
  -evaluation/re-definition of expectation-correctio
  n process the organization learns something new
  about what has been achieved in the light of
  changed circumstances and decides how this should
  be applied
• Adaptive learning Adopting to environmental
  changes
• Generative learning Going beyond just adapting
  to change, to being ahead of and anticipating
  change total reframing of an organizations
  experiences and learning

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Learning organization

• An organization that continuously improves by
  rapidly creating and redefining the capabilities
  required for future success
• An organization that is continually expanding to
  create its future
• An organization which facilitates the learning of
  all its members and continually transforms itself
• An organization that is skilled at creating,
  acquiring and transferring knowledge and at
  modifying its behaviour to reflect new knowledge
  and insights.

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Characteristics of learning organizations

• Presence of tension
• - Gap between vision and reality,
  questioning/inquiry, challenging the status quo,
  critical reflection
• Systems thinking
• - Shared vision, holistic thinking, openness
• Culture facilitating learning
• - Suggestions, teamwork, empowerment, empathy

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Characteristics of learning organizations

• Learning organizations are good at
• - systematic problem solving
• - experimentation
• - learning from past experience
• - learning from others
• - transferring knowledge quickly and efficiently
  throughout the organization

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Characteristics of learning organizations

• A learning organization has
• shared vision that enables to identify, respond
  to and benefit from future opportunities
• enabling structure that facilitate learning
• supportive culture that encourages challenges to
  the status quo and the questioning of established
  ways of doing things
• empowering management that believes in devolved
  decision making and team working result in
  improved performance
• motivated work force that want to learn
  continuously
• processes and policies to encourage enhanced
  learning for all

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Thank you !