Human resource management practice I also available by michael armstrong

Chapter 

22

  The Process of Learning and Development

299

Self-directed learning

Self-directed  or  self-managed  learning  involves  

encouraging  individuals  to  take  responsibility  for 

their  own  learning  needs,  either  to  improve  

performance  in  their  present  job  or  to  develop  

their potential and satisfy their career aspirations.  

It can also be described as ‘self-reflective learning’ 

(Mezirow,  1985),  which  is  the  kind  of  learning  

that  involves  encouraging  individuals  to  develop 

new  patterns  of  understanding,  thinking  and  

behaving.

The processes of L&D

The processes of L&D are complex and varied.  

They consist of the ways in which individuals and 

organizations learn as explained by learning theory, 

the concept of organizational learning, the dubious 

notion of the learning organization, and the 

contribution made by individuals to their own 

learning and development (self-directed or  

self-managed learning).

How people learn

Individuals learn for themselves and from other 

people. They learn as members of teams and by 

interaction with their managers, co-workers and 

people outside the organization (social learning). 

People learn by doing and by instruction. The ways in 

which individuals learn will differ and the extent to 

which they learn will depend largely on how well 

they are motivated or self-motivated:

 

●

The key learning theories are reinforcement 

theory, cognitive learning theory, experiential 

learning theory and social learning theory.

 

●

People will learn more effectively if they are 

motivated to learn.

 

●

Learning theories describe in general terms how 

people learn but individual learners will have 

different styles – a preference for a particular 

approach to learning. The two most familiar 

classifications of learning styles are those 

produced by Kolb et al (1974) and by Honey and 

Mumford (1996).

 

●

People learn all the time and through doing so 

acquire knowledge, skills and insight. But they 

Key learning points: The process of learning and development

will learn more effectively if they ‘learn how to 

learn’.

 

●

The concept of the learning curve refers to the 

time it takes an inexperienced person to reach the 

required level of performance in a job or a task.

Organizational learning

Organizational learning is about the development and 

acquisition in organizations of knowledge, 

understanding, insights, techniques and practices in 

order to improve organizational effectiveness. It is 

concerned with the processes adopted by 

organizations in promoting learning; it is not simply 

the sum of all the learning and development activities 

that are carried out in an organization.

The learning organization

Defined by Pedler et al (1997) as an organization that 

‘facilitates the learning of all its members and 

continually transforms itself’. Learning organization 

theory provides a dubious base for action. The idea 

of a learning culture, supported by the understanding 

of how organizations learn, as provided by 

organizational learning theory and knowledge 

management initiatives, has more to offer.

Self-directed learning

Self-directed or self-managed learning involves 

encouraging individuals to take responsibility for 

their own learning needs, either to improve 

performance in their present job or to develop their 

potential and satisfy their career aspirations.

---