CHAPTER 3

The Learning and Development Cycle

The most common model of the training cycle is usually presented as a four-step model:

1. Training needs analysis
2. Design
3. Deliver
4. Evaluate

However, the learning and development cycle (LDC) is more holistic and systematic and takes into account the key themes of evaluation discussed in Chapter 1. It encompasses the alignment of the learning and development strategy to the business strategy as an essential element.

When designing for return on investment (ROI), it is essential that each stage of the LDC is approached within the context of what outcomes are most valued by the organization. By keeping organizational outcomes front of mind in the design process, you will make sure that whatever is delivered whether in diagnosis, design, implementation, or evaluation, it will always be aligned to the criteria defined as the most important to the organization.

Evaluation—Begin with the End in Mind

This stage of the cycle will be explored in detail in Chapter 4. As shown in Figure 3.1, Evaluation is at the beginning and the end of the LDC. This reflects a sentiment expressed by Stephen Covey (2004, 98) who argued that “to begin with the end in mind means to start with a clear understanding of your destination.” It requires that the learning practitioner understands what interventions have been delivered historically and what affect these interventions have had in terms of organizational outcomes.

Figure 3.1 Learning and development cycle

A key piece of research at the start of the LDC is to develop an understanding of what performance outcomes the organization must deliver in order to achieve its strategic objectives and an analysis of performance gaps between the current state and the desired future state. Whereas “senior leaders live in the ‘input’ and ‘output’ world” (Cheung-Judge and Holbeche, 2015, 120), it is the responsibility of the learning practitioner to provide a strategic evaluation which focuses on the system throughput needed in regards to culture, capability, capacity, and skills in order for the organization to achieve its key strategic priorities. It is at this point that a ROI target can be calculated.

At the end of the LDC, the evaluation provides a review of what has happened and whether the intervention(s) achieved the strategic objectives set at the beginning of the LDC and moved the organization forward toward its desired strategic goal. It also determines whether outcomes valued by the organization have been realized and how useful the intervention or interventions have been in terms of providing a learning advantage which can be applied back in the workplace by individuals, groups, and the organization as whole. It is at this point that a ROI result can be reported. Furthermore, the performance of the learning and development function itself can be audited.

Identifying Learning and Development Needs

This stage of the cycle will be explored in more detail in Chapter 5. Identifying needs requires the learning practitioner to work backward to understand the workplace outcomes and learning objectives that will fit the ­organization, team, and individual needs. In this stage, analysis techniques are used to determine what development needs exist within the organization, which will result in closing the performance gaps identified during the evaluation phase.

Designing the Intervention

The design stage of the LDC will be explored in more detail in Chapter 7. The emphasis in designing learning and development for ROI is not on the content of the intervention but on the process of learning that is being used during the intervention. It takes into account the environmental influences, the interconnectedness and interdependencies between parts of the organization, groups, and individual employees, and how the system operates in order to determine what must be done to deliver sustainable organizational effectiveness.

Implementing the Intervention

The implementation stage will be explored in more detail in Chapter 8. It is during this stage that the appropriateness of the intervention in regards of delivering the intended organizational priorities is fully realized. The implementation stage also includes a form of assessment of learning, which evaluates whether the planned performance gaps have been addressed. The implementation stage is therefore the beginning of the process of the end of cycle evaluation in regards to the usefulness or learning advantage that the intervention has delivered to the individual participants.

Organizational Attitudes to Learning and Development

At this stage, it is worth examining the impact that organizational attitudes to learning and development can have on the successful implementation of the LDC. Without doubt many organizational leaders will verbally support the notion that employee development is important to the achievement of the business strategy. However, in practice many managers and leaders behave very differently when it comes to providing financial resources for learning and development activities or allowing adequate time for employee development. Despite huge investments in business and process reengineering, few organizations invest a proportionate amount of resource in the people development that is required to make the change successful. An understanding of what factors impact the attitude of organizational leaders toward learning and development must be acknowledged. Unless the learning practitioner is lucky enough to work for an enlightened organizational leader, organizational attitudes to learning and development are influenced by:

• Internal Factors. Crisis, skills gaps which directly impact on operations, or difficulties in recruiting to strategically important positions.
• External Factors. Losing competitive advantage, changing technology, which directly impact on operations, political forces, or legislative changes, or a tightening of the labor market leading to a shortage of key skills available.
• Circumstantial Differences. The changing nature of an industry, employee profiles, and the size or type of challenges or opportunities faced by the organization.
• Benefits. The perception of benefits that learning and development delivers.
• Costs. The cost of learning and development versus the perceived benefits.

Bemoaning this situation is to ignore the responsibility that learning practitioners have in failing to deliver clarity regarding the ROI for development interventions. The sooner ROI is used by learning practitioners as part of their day to day activity, the sooner attitudes to learning and development will change. Challenging attitudes toward learning and development will be examined in Chapter 10.

Summary

• The LDC is more holistic, systemic, and takes into account the outcomes, which are valued by the organization at every stage.
• Evaluation is at the beginning and the end of the LDC.
• Strategic evaluation focuses on the system throughput needed in regards to culture, capability, capacity, and skills.
• Analysis techniques are used to identify development needs which, if addressed, will result in closing organization’s performance gaps.
• The emphasis of designing learning and development for ROI is on the process of learning that is being used during the intervention.
• The factors that impact the attitude of organizational leaders toward learning and development are internal factors, external factors, circumstantial differences, costs, and benefits.