New Disruptive Technologies and Changing Environment

Discuss about the Workplace Learning for Introduction to Modern Workplace Learning.

Smart organizations are changing their workplace learning to make them relevant to the new disruptive technology and changing environment. Organizations have to face the increasing competition through innovation to be able to live. This could be achieved by retaining the world-class talent and developing their skills to be able to execute the business strategies that leads to the future success. Technology has changed the way of communication and learning. Accordingly, the technology-based programs have affected the nature of the learning programs. Employees see their careers as a set of accumulated experiences they could obtain from working in various organizations. It is expected that the workplace learning will include social collaboration, decentralized learning and team-based activities. The employees will be motivated by training through short videos, peer communications, informal coaching and information sharing. Workplace learning will be relationship based and knowledge will be obtained from different sources that the organizations will not be able to control it. The official training offered by the organization will become less important in relation to the knowledge assessment which will become more important. Employees who gain more experience are the most required by organizations. The effective learning environment should support performance to enable an easy access to knowledge. Organizations have to measure the impact of the learning at the workplace in a meaningful way by linking the learning programs to the business results. The learning organizations could track the results of the learning program by measuring the effectiveness of the learning programs (Dearborn 2013).

The learning organization and the organizational learning are two terms that used by the researchers interchangeably. The learning organization is the type of organization, while organizational learning is the type of activity of learning process. The learning organization is the type of organization that implements the continuous and adaptive learning, it implies collective learning experience, utilized to attract knowledge and develop skills. The learning organization is concerned with team learning. The continuous learning process creates a suitable environment for collective learning that leads to the formulation of a common vision. There are two approaches, the first is the individual that focuses on the individual learning within the organizational context in a way that links learning to the organizational changes. The second approach is the organizational approach that could be considered as the sum of individual learning (Palos & Stancovici 2016).

The Importance of Continuous Learning for Organizational Success

The global business environment requires the organizations to go beyond what the human resources could offer. The non-formal approach to learning enables individuals to be up to date with the latest knowledge. Learning is associated with training, being taught or getting knowledge. Also, learning could occur due to participation, as the individual is socialized in practicing an activity in a particular field. A large proportion of group learning could be acquired according to Eraut et al. (2007), as cited in Breunig (2016), in relation to individual participation in group activities, working within a team, consultation within the workplace or outside it, tackling challenging activities and working with customers.

The employees are motivated to participate in the knowledge transfer, collaborative learning and peer learning. The dynamics of learning take place across the organization. Social learning enables the individuals to form communities support and practice that enriches the learning process. The individual also has the chance to interact with the instructors, coaches and facilitators. The social learning facilitates the feedback to peers to improve the learning experience continuously. The specific requirements of the organizational need of workplace learning derive the development of the small and private training courses. The internet offers a lot of content that is accessible for free through the internet enabled devices (Playfoot & Hall 2016).

Some individuals see the learning process as a threat, the organization has to motivate them

To engage in the learning process. Others would see that learning is an option for career development. This attitude drives the learner to be engaged in the learning edge. There are 10 steps in learning according to Wilhelmson et al. (2015), as follows:

• The dilemma of disorientation.
• Self-examination.
• Conducting a critical assessment of assumptions.
• Recognition of the linkage between the process of transformation and discontent.
• Exploration of new roles, activities and
• Planning for alternative actions.
• Knowledge acquisition required for plan implementation.
• The trial of the new role.
• Building self-confidence in the new roles.
• Reintegration into the life with the new perspective. 

A problem might occur in the learning organization is that the workers who are restricted to certain tasks may not be able to widen and diversify the application of their knowledge. The relations among employees is guided by the individuals’ ability to access and develop knowledge, also the workplace hierarchies, workplace relations, group facilitation and culture practices control the level of organizational learning (Bishop 2017).

It is important for organizations to assess the gap that exists in the employee competencies to be able to develop these competencies by the formal and informal training programs. Also, it enables individuals to be engaged in the practice that increases his professional development. The hours of training, number of classes offered through the training program and the number of participants could be used as measures for the effectiveness of the learning process (Haemer, Borges-Andrade & Cassiano 2017).

The Learning Organization and Organizational Learning

The changes in the environment require the modern learning organizations to utilize new tools to design, manage and deliver training. The modern learning tools for workplace learning include the email tools for creating and receiving emails, the messaging apps to communicate with others either individuals or groups, the web and video meeting tools, the enterprise social collaboration channels and platforms for social learning and social collaboration and the file-sharing tools. Also, there are modern professional learners’ tools, including, a favorite web browser and search engine, trusted web resources, a range of social networks, the personal information system that stores, processes and manages professional development and a variety of tools and apps, an office suite (Hart 2018; Punia & Saharan 2011).

A major challenge for organizations is the responsibility of training alone for any change that might take place. The culture that takes place within the organization is also responsible for the change. It is important that the organizational culture encourages the knowledge transfer in the workplace (Mavin, Lee & Robson 2010). Training has a major role in the learning process and organizational change. As the HR strategy has to be aligned with the organizational strategy, training should fulfill the organizational goals. If it is well utilized, it could be a source of competitive advantage. Moreover, it has a positive impact on the organizational performance (Tasca et al. 2010). Managing the training budget is similar to managing other investments. It refers to the time, resources and money required to run the program and to generate benefits in return. The primary goal of the training program is to develop skills, behaviors and competencies required by the organization to achieve its goals. The benefits of training could be maximized by recognizing, first, the training activities needed to develop the employees’ skills, second, to allocate the required time, resources and cost for developing the desired skills and third, to measure the potential impact of the newly gained skills on the organization (Kazmi, Hasnu & Jamil, 2015).

As the costs and benefits of the training programs are captured, the resources and training budget could be optimized according to Kazmi, Hasnu & Jamil (2015) as follows:

• Evaluating the impact of alternate delivery options of training programs.
• Comparing build a specific training program over the buy options.
• Making various what-if
• Evaluation of what worked according to the plan and what did not and the reasons. 

Allocating budget to training courses starts with capturing costs and result of each training activity. Learning organizations use different combinations of training courses to develop the individuals’ skills. The second step is to determine reasonable delivery options. Alternative delivery options should be defined to enable the organization chose among them according to the allocated budget. The third step is to determine the cost and resources. The organization has to choose either to build its own training program or to outsource it (Bahlis 2017; Gunn 2017).

Social Learning in the Workplace

There is much research effort in analyzing the relationship between the budgeting and employees’ motivation, performance evaluation and control. The budgeting procedure has an impact on meeting its defined goals and the reward system. When the budget procedure is linked to the employee performance, the employees are encouraged to fulfill the required tasks to get promotions and bonuses. Employees are expected to make extra effort to meet the organizational goals, which is expected to enhance the performance and increase the productivity. Training and development are considered among the non-financial motivations that have a significant positive impact on the employees. The budgets provide a clear objective of setting specific and measurable targets for the employees. The expectancy theory assumes that the target might be very difficult, which result in low motivation for the employees regardless of the reward associated with it (Kazmi, Hasnu & Jamil 2015).

According to Comprehensive Learning Solutions (2014), different factors could affect the training program cost, including the content to be delivered, type of audiences and the delivery methods.

The business leaders are the major responsibility for learning budgets than the head of learning. Also, e-learning is the most expensive learning the organization could develop as it requires special handling of technical infrastructure (Training Magazine 2016). 

At my workplace, it is very important to keep continuous learning through motivating the employees to develop their skills. My organization invests heavily in the permanent training program which is considered official training. Also, it encourages the informal training. It considers training as a promotion to employees for fulfilling their tasks. The organization maintains a proactive environment that encourages continuous improvement.

At my workplace, there is a combination of learning programs, including, classroom training, e-learning, knowledge sharing, professional network communication, conferences and events and web resources and search.

The modern professional learning is increasing in my workplace. The traditional workplace learning is becoming irrelevant as the environment is changing. I work in the field of information technology that requires the organizations to be highly dynamic. My organization is an agile one, things are changing very fast and continuous learning is becoming a must. It utilizes the new learning tools to follow up the developments needed to respond quickly to the environment. The non-formal training is highly encouraged as employees should carry out their independent learning continuously. The organizational culture motivates the individuals to learn continuously at work and gain the required experience. Employees at my workplace are satisfied with the organizational policy towards training and its importance. Managers are highly concerned with the training and its results, they usually evaluate the employee performance after training.

Modern Learning Tools

In conclusion, it is important to recognize that organizations have to face the increasing competition through innovation to be able to live. Technology has changed the way of communication and learning.  It is expected that the workplace learning will include social collaboration, decentralized learning and team-based activities. The effective learning environment should support performance to enable an easy access to knowledge. The global business environment requires the organizations to go beyond what the human resources could offer. The non-formal approach to learning enables individuals to be up to date with the latest knowledge. The specific requirements of the organizational need of workplace learning derive the development of the small and private training courses. The internet offers a lot of content that is accessible for free through the internet enabled devices. It is important for organizations to assess the gap that exists in the employee competencies to be able to develop these competencies by the formal and informal training programs. 

The changes in the environment require the modern learning organizations to utilize new tools to design, manage and deliver training. The culture that takes place within the organization is also responsible for the change. The budgeting procedure has an impact on meeting its defined goals and the reward system. When the budget procedure is linked to the employee performance, the employees are encouraged to fulfill the required tasks to get promotions and bonuses. 

References

Bahlis, J 2017, How to effectively manage and optimize training budgets and resources, BNH Expert Software Inc., viewed 19 May 2018, <https://www.bnhexpertsoft.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/11How-to-Effectively-Manage-and-Optimize.pdf>.

Bishop, D 2017, ‘Context, agency and professional workplace learning: Trainee accountants in large and small practices’, Education + Training, vol 59, no. 5, pp. 516-533.

Breunig, K 2016, ‘Limitless learning: assessing social media use for global workplace learning’, The Learning Organization, vol 23, no. 4, pp. 249-270.

Comprehensive Learning Solutions 2014, ‘How to estimate your training budget’, Comprehensive Learning Solutions, USA.

Dearborn, J 2013, Redefining workplace learning for The 21st century, viewed 19 May 208, <https://www.forbes.com/sites/sap/2013/10/16/redefining-workplace-learning-for-the-21st-century/#46f7a086127d>.

Gunn , N 2017, 4 Steps to get your training budget approved, viewed 19 May 2018, <https://www.pendolinogroup.com/4-steps-training-budget-approval/>.

Haemer, H, Borges-Andrade, J & Cassiano, S 2017, ‘Learning strategies at work and professional development’, Journal of Workplace Learning, vol 29, no. 6, pp. 490-506.

Hart, J 2018, ‘Introduction to modern workplace learning’, Centre for Modern Workplace Learning, UK.

Kazmi, S, Hasnu, S & Jamil, R 2015, ‘Creating a Link between HR department and budgeting: What do HR managers think?’, American Journal of Economics and Business Administration, vol 7, no. 1, p. 48.59.

Mavin, S, Lee, L & Robson, F 2010, ‘The evaluation of learning and development in the workplace: A review of the literature’, Higher Education Funding Council for England, England.

Palos, R & Stancovici, V 2016, ‘Learning in organization’, The Learning Organization, vol 23, no. 1, pp. 2-22.

Playfoot, J & Hall, R 2016, ‘The future of learning in the workplace’, UK.

Punia, B & Saharan, T 2011, ‘Management approach and conditions of training: A relative study of service and manufacturing industries’, Vision, vol 15, no. 3, pp. 239–250.

Tasca, J, Ensslin, L, Ensslin, S & Alves, M 2010, ‘An approach for selecting a theoretical framework for the evaluation of training programs’, Journal of European Industrial Training, vol 34, no. 7, pp. 631-655.

Training Magazine 2016, Top spending tenders for training, 2016-2017 , viewed 19 May 2018, <https://trainingmag.com/top-spending-trends-training-2016-2017/>.

Wilhelmson, L, Aberg, M, Backstrom, T & Olsson, B 2015, ‘Enabling transformative learning in the workplace: An educative research intervention’, Journal of Transformative Education, vol 13, no. 3, pp. 219-238.