Monday, 14 June 2010 10:58

Learning and Talent Development  - Summary of key findings

 

The 2010 Learning and Talent Development survey provides data on current and future learning and talent development issues and trends. This year the Chartered Institute Personnel and Development (CIPD) have explored the areas of employer support for learning, talent management, managing and evaluating coaching as well as economic circumstances and training spend.

 

Current and future trends in learning and talent development

• The most effective learning and talent development practices are in-house development programmes (56%) and coaching by line managers (51%).

• E-learning is the learning and talent development practice that has increased the most, with six in ten (62%) organisations saying they use it more than in 2009; in-house development programmes are also used more by 58% of organisations, and coaching by line managers is used more by 56%. Attendance at external conferences, workshops and events has decreased the most, with a quarter (26%) of organisations using it less.

• Learning and talent development specialists are most likely (53%) to hold the main responsibility for employees’ learning and talent development, followed by senior managers (33%), the HR department (30%) and line managers (29%). Employees/learners are mostly expected to show ‘some’ involvement (54%), but few (17%) organisations expect them to be mainly responsible for their own learning.

• The two main tasks for learning and talent development specialists are to deliver courses (46%) and to manage the overall planning of learning (46%).

• For almost half (46%) of organisations, the major organisational change affecting learning and talent development in the next five years will be a greater integration between coaching, organisational development and performance management to drive organisational change. For almost four in ten (37%), it will be greater responsibility devolved to line managers.

 

Employee skills

• The main gaps in skills identified by organisations continue to be business skills/acumen and commercial awareness, and management/leadership skills.

• The skills which employers say they need to focus on in order to meet their business objectives in two years’ time are mainly leadership skills (65%), front-line people management skills (55%), and business acumen/awareness (51%).

• Looking more closely at leadership skills, the main gaps identified by employers are performance management (setting standards for performance and dealing with underperformance), and leading and managing change.

• The main focus of leadership development activities in the next 12 months will be improving the skills of leaders to think in a more strategic and future-focused way, and enabling the achievement of the organisation’s strategic goals, as cited by four in ten organisations (42% and 39% respectively).

• School leavers are seen to be most lacking in business skills/acumen and commercial awareness (59%), closely followed by management/leadership skills (54%) and communication/interpersonal skills (53%). The main gap in skills for university graduates differs slightly, as most employers would like to see better management/leadership skills (59%), followed by the same business skills/acumen and commercial awareness (56%) that school leavers lack the most. Employees coming from another organisation are less likely to be seen as deficient in skills. Management/leadership skills are still cited, but only by three in ten (29%) employers.

 Internships

• Almost eight in ten employers (78%) consider that internships are beneficial to interns in the long run, and three-quarters (76%) think they can be used as a way to test potential new staff.

• A majority (69%) see internships as a good way to develop new talent in an industry sector, while only a third (33%) say that interns help firms to improve productivity. About half believe they are a cost-effective resource (52%), and that they can help to develop management and leadership skills among existing staff (50%).

• The most common way for UK organisations to remunerate their interns is to pay them more than the national minimum wage for adults, but less than a full-time salary comparable to other workers (29%), while 18% do not pay them any salary, but cover their travel expenses.

 

Learning and talent development (L&TD) in international organisations

• For almost two-thirds of international organisations (64%), learning and talent development is seen as a key driver for the international aspects of the business. Almost six in ten (57%) also see it as key to having trained expatriate and local staff in international locations, while only a quarter (27%) of international organisations do not think it features that highly in their international strategy. However, only a third of international organisations (34%) carry out specific learning and talent development with managers who have international responsibilities.

• This specific learning and talent development includes coaching and mentoring methods for eight in ten (83%) of those organisations carrying it out, training on-the-job for three-quarters (74%), and classroom courses and instruction for seven in ten (72%).

• To nurture talent, most international organisations use companywide talent management programmes for high potentials (55%), coaching and mentoring to help international staff move into key roles (38%), and experienced expatriate staff to mentor and develop local talent (23%).

• In order to meet business objectives in two years’ time, international organisations consider that their expatriate staff need to develop management and leadership skills (42%). However, four in ten (40%) international organisations also believe that their expatriate staff need to develop intercultural skills to help raise awareness of other cultures.

• Although only just over a third (36%) currently have programmes to equip their staff in foreign languages training, three in ten (29%) international organisations say their staff require training in English, a quarter (23%) in French, two in ten (18%) in Spanish, and a quarter (17%) in German. For these last three languages, an understanding of technical terms and a conversational level is the most important, while fluency in English training is a need for three-quarters of such employers (73%).

 

Talent management

• Almost six in ten (59%) organisations undertake talent management activities. Among these, half (50%) rate these as ‘effective’, although only 3% consider them ‘very effective’.

• Talent management activities tend to be directed at high-potential employees and senior managers.

• The main objectives of talent management activities are to develop high-potential employees (67%) and to grow future senior managers/leaders (67%). The third main objective is to meet the future skills requirements of the organisation (36%).

• The three most effective activities to manage talent are coaching (39%), in-house development programmes (32%), and high-potential development schemes (31%).

• The three most common ways to evaluate talent management activities are to obtain feedback from line managers (42%), to measure the retention of those identified as high-potential (35%), and the anecdotal observation of change (35%).

 

Diversity

• Eight in ten employers (81%) integrate diversity and equality considerations in their talent management processes to at least some extent. Two in ten employers do not integrate diversity or are unaware if they do.

• The main diversity challenges facing employers include ensuring that all employees are given an equal opportunity to develop their full potential (across all locations) and getting managers to embrace diversity and accept cultural differences (both mentioned by 4% of organisations). The lack of applications from diverse ethnic groups/ethnic minorities comes third, with 3% of employers considering diversity mentioning it. However, employers cite many key successes and learnings that they have gained from integrating diversity into talent management, especially in having access to a wider pool of potential candidates.

 

Managing and evaluating coaching

• Coaching takes place in eight in ten (82%) organisations. Among those in which it does, only a third (36%) have a system to evaluate it. Systems rely mainly on the collection of post-course evaluations (58%), individuals’ testimonies (56%), on assessing the impact on business key performance indicators (KPIs) of coaching (44%), and measuring the return on expectation (40%).

• When considering coaching interventions, seven in ten organisations either frequently or occasionally discuss with the line managers and coaches the organisation’s expectations of the intervention (71%), and assess the likelihood that individuals/a team will benefit from coaching before embarking on it (69%).

• While using interventions, a third frequently discuss the progress of individual coaching interventions at appraisal and performance reviews, and two in ten (18%) frequently collect and analyse data about the progress of coaching at agreed intervals.

 

Economic circumstances and training spend

• Two-thirds (65%) of responding organisations declare that their economic circumstances have declined in the past 12 months, compared with 46% in 2009, when the recession had already begun.

• It is not surprising that funds available for learning and development in the past 12 months have decreased for over half (52%) of organisations, while only one in ten employers (11%) expect these to increase in the year to come.

• Learning and Training Development departments’ headcounts have largely remained the same in the last year, while resources available have stayed the same for four in ten (41%), and decreased by a similar proportion of organisations.

• Main changes in organisations’ learning and talent development departments over the last year included the department becoming more business-focused (38%), a reduction in external suppliers and a move to in-house provision (31%), and redundancies of staff (20%).

• Eight in ten organisations (78%) have a training budget; for half of organisations this is over £200,000, and for half of them this is under £200,000. This represents an increase of nearly £90,000 from last year. The median number of employees it covers has increased too, from 500 last year to 785 in 2010.

• Among UK organisations, a quarter (25%) consider themselves ‘very’ or ‘fairly’ successful at securing government funding, notably apprenticeship funding (57%) and Train to Gain for basic skills funding (53%).

• Training budgets cover external courses and conferences for nine in ten (88%) organisations, hiring external consultants and trainers for eight in ten (83%), but only cover salaries for in-house trainers in two-fifths (40%) of organisations.

• Seven in ten (71%) keep a record of the number of training/development days employees receive every year. This represents a median of four days among organisations which track such data.

Employee Engagement Drives Performance

Tuesday, 01 December 2009 18:11

Employee Engagement  - After 10 months of research and consultation, the MacLeod Review published its conclusions on employee engagement  - 'Engaging for Success'.

The report was designed to look at the potential benefits of employee engagement for companies, organisations and individual employees.  The authors were asked to examine whether the wider adoption of engagement could help the UK come through the recession and meet the challenges of a global economy, by impacting positively on workplace performance.

Their answer is an unequivocal yes.  During the eight months working on the review the research team saw many examples of companies and organisations across the economy, in the private public and third sectors, where productivity and profitability have been transformed by engagement.  They met a wide range of individual employees whose working lives have been transformed by engagement approaches.  They also found sufficient studies and saw conclusive evidence which demonstrated a correlation between engagement and performance - and most importantly, between improving engagement and improving performance. 

The introduction to the report states,  ‘if employee engagement and the principles that lie behind it were more widely understood, if the potential that resides in the country's workforce was more fully unleashed, we could see a step change in workplace performance and employee well-being, for the considerable benefit of UK plc.'

How the workforce performs determines to a great extent whether organisations succeed or fail - so whether or not employees are encouraged to perform at their best should be a prime consideration for every leader and manager, and the people strategy should be given the same importance at board level as questions of investment or marketing.

The review includes more than fifty case studies highlighting different aspects of engagement.  It also reflects the views of eminent academics and of research houses, and includes the insights of respected practitioners and professionals who have been engaged with engagement in UK workplaces.

It looks at some of the specific challenges in implementing engagement in small and medium size organisations and at the crucial role engagement can play in delivering improvements in public services, if the knowledge and experience of staff are listened to in delivering change.

It also makes the case for why engagement is all the more important when faced with the challenge of recession.  The report includes examples of how companies have taken their workforce with them in implementing difficult changes, ensuring that major restructuring and even redundancies do not leave the organisation on its knees, but able to take speedy advantage of the coming recovery.

The report highlights the importance of employee voice and involvement as a key component of engagement, and looks at the important role trade union and workplace representatives can play. It also makes a strong case for employers aligning their industrial relations strategies with their wider workforce approaches.

The report does not set out to write a ‘how to' guide, although the report does deal in detail with the common barriers to engagement.  It also looks in depth at some of key enablers for successful engagement.  It  highlight s the need for real and sustained understanding and buy-in from senior echelons, for managers at all levels to be enabled to engage, through effective training in engagement and people skills, for employee voice to be sought and listened to, and for trust and authenticity where the espoused values of an organisation are lived for real.

The authors listened closely to the input from the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development and the Chartered Institute of Management among others about how some of these key challenges could be met by professionals in the field. It is clear that knowledge and experience is out there, as the case studies demonstrate.  There is no need to reinvent the wheel - but strong efforts need to be made to collate and spread best practice, to enable learning across the economy.

The core recommendation to Government was for a concerted effort involving all the stakeholders in the employment field to raise the profile of the topic, so more and more people ‘get it'. The Government has accepted the proposal for a national awareness campaign, and resources are being identified to make it happen. We are delighted that a high level sponsor group of leaders from the public and private sector, including the CBI and TUC will be spearheading this effort.

At the same time, the Government has begun the work of aligning the considerable resources it spends on employment and workplace issues - for example through skills support, Investors in People, ACAS, Solutions for Business, regional development agencies and so on - to reflect the significance of engagement approaches.  Business schools are being encouraged to include more people skills in the curriculum.

Respondents to the review reflected a strong demand for improving the quality and quantity of support available for those who want to develop engagement.  Among the requests were opportunities to visit workplaces achieving high levels of engagement, access to evidence of the success of engagement approaches and the drivers behind it, coaching from those who have done it, and learning from others' journeys, as well as networking opportunities. Many of the practitioners and thought leaders the authors spoke to have agreed to join in this work, enabling resources to be designed and developed in collaboration with those who will be using it.

Employee engagement, going to the heart of the workplace relationship between employer and employee, can be a key to unlocking productivity and to transforming the working lives of many people for whom Monday morning is an especially low part of the week.  It could play a significant role in boosting economic recovery.

DevelopChange endorse the findings of the report and hope that it will play a part in helping organisations to make these opportunities a reality.

The report can be accessed via the DBIS website on http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file52215.pdf

 

Employee Engagment - The Macleod Review

Tuesday, 01 December 2009 17:14

Employee Engagement - The Macleod Review

David Macleod and Nita Clarke spent 8 months researching and collating their findings for the UK Government, on the topic of ‘employee engagement'.

As they ask, "What exactly is Employee Engagement and how do you bring it about?"

Research shows that engaged employees:

• Go the extra mile
• Do a great job
• Show a passion for work
• Demonstrate more than ‘satisfaction' with their job

In successful organisations, 70% or more of employees show these attitudes....in the UK however, the norm is between 30% and 50%. Whilst the UK Government (Dept for Business, Innovation and Skills) continues to research how to move this forward, UK businesses have the opportunity right now to start improving their organisation's performance.

Macleod and Clarke state "that in their 8 months of work, they found conclusive evidence to demonstrate a correlation between engagement and performance - most importantly between improving engagement and improving performance" and that this could help unlock the door to economic recovery.

The CIPD's Mike Emmott wrote a review of the Report, stating that "The Macleod Report contains impressive evidence of the link between engagement and business performance".  He also quoted, "The Report identifies leadership, line management, employee voice and integrity as four key enablers."

DevelopChange is currently involved in just such work with some of our clients - helping them to design a programme that includes a bespoke and appropriate approach to this for each organisation -

• a way of engaging Staff, Trade Unions, Managers and Senior Managers, outside of formal IR processes, in forums which are open and democratic, generating agreed ideas and solutions for moving the business forward;
• helping prepare this team of people in advance of the forums to ensure mutual trust and respect; and
• coaching Line Managers before, during and after the delivery of the staff forums to ensure the ongoing sustainability, continuity and the delivery of business results

This approach does need ‘top down' support from the Directors as it will involve bringing together cross functional groups and a variety of people from across the organisation, all of whom will need support and authority from their Line Managers to attend these Forums, carry out follow-up actions where required and deliver on the identified key deliverables.

The results can be remarkable and as Lord Mandelson states, "Only organisations that truly engage and inspire their employees, produce world class levels of innovation, productivity and performance".

There is no need to wait in order to start seeing the benefits of this in your organisation.

Contact us now for an initial meeting to discuss your particular needs and to see where we are able to work with you to create an approach towards improved employee engagement in your own organisation that will, in turn, deliver tangible business benefits for you.

We are helping some of our clients do exactly this right now.....we can help you too.

Contact us at www.developchange.com via This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or by telephoning 0845 130 6033.

Performance Improvement Consulting helps Community Lighting Partnership win PFI contract

Friday, 21 August 2009 13:18

The Community Lighting Partnership has won a £150m PFI street lighting contract covering both Rochdale and Oldham Borough Councils. They beat off still competition from four other major consortiums consisting of Balfour Beaty, Amey, Tay Valley Lighting (Scottish Southern Electricity/Bank of Scotland) and Northern Lighting Partnership.

The preferred bidder, which comprises E.ON UK / Pell Frischmann Consultants / Trillium Holdings, is due to start work on the project in September 2009.

The scheme will span five years and includes a 20-year maintenance programme. The centrepiece of the job is the replacement of 55,000 streetlights in Rochdale and Oldham. The joint procurement scheme is one of the largest metropolitan deals in the current phase of PFI applications. Rochdale and Oldham Council decided to work together on the project with the aim of cutting long-term maintenance costs and reducing both councils' carbon footprints. The scheme is being handled by a joint venture including Rochdale Borough Council, consultant Mouchel and IT specialist Agilisys.

Street lighting PFI project director, said: "The collaboration of the two local authorities has not only provided significant commercial interest, but has meant that both councils have been able to minimise the cost of the project."The next stage of the process will be to ensure that all residents get their say on how the work progresses."

DevelopChange performance improvement consultants worked with the Community Lighting Partnership providing advice and the provision of facilitation during the bidding process.

We are delighted that all CLP's creativity, commitment and hard work has paid off.