Leadership Learning and Development
Part One
Introduction
Every practice is based directly or indirectly on theory. The leaning enterprise has the most theories. By analyzing different schools of theory, it can be concluded that no one learning theory is comprehensive and adequate for all situations. Theory is important in helping the manager learn what can be generalized from one unique experience and applied in another unique situation. It also provides categorizations for the manager to be able to select and adapt from past learning to meet needs and conditions. Through categorization, learning is kept active. The usefulness of theory comes in when it can help us understand relationships. It simplifies relationships by removing from consideration variables thought to be of lesser concern in order to permit focusing on the variables of greater interest (Kolb, 1984).
Learning theory is only a guide for designing the processes to help managers learn. The role of managers is to get work done through people and therefore through leaning, mangers know how the nature of the contributions they are supposed to make. Leadership as it appears in many books, which offer insight into how managers and very often those carrying the title of a leader can develop themselves and their organizations in the context of rapid change and globalization. There has also been a growth of leadership centers (academies), which work towards improving the leadership skills of particular groups of professionals. Leadership being so prominent than management has amazed those involved in developing managers and there have been many speculations as to why this is so.
The learning process often begins with a person carrying out an action and seeing the effects of the action, the second step is to understand the effects of the action. The third step is to understand the action and the last step is to modify the action given a new situation (Kolb, 1984). Kolb defined experiential learning as “a process linking education, work and personal development (Stedman, Rutherford and Roberts, 2006). This paper will look into the usefulness of experiential learning as far as management and leadership development are concerned.
Leadership development through experiential learning
“The nation’s ability to respond and prosper will depend on the quality of leadership demonstrated at all levels of society”. Through experiential learning, leadership is developed. Leader development is the emphasis on individual based knowledge, skills and abilities associated with an actual leadership position or a formal leadership role. According to Day (2000), the purpose of leadership development is to build the intrapersonal competence need to form an accurate model of one, to engage in healthy attitude and identify development, and to use that self-model to perform effectively in any number of organizational roles.
Through learning and development, we develop the social capital by building networked relationships among individuals to enhance co-operation and resource exchange in creating organizational value. Learning and development deals with expanding the collective capacity of organizational members to engage effectively in leadership roles and processes (Pearn, 2003). The major goal of leadership development is to turn a group of individuals in a particular organization or work environment as a team. Experiential learning has been widely used in management learning research and practice for twenty-five years. According to Kart Lewin, John Dewey and others, experiential learning offers a dynamic theory based on a learning cycle driven by resolution of the dual dialectics of action, reflection and experience/abstraction.
Experiential learning as per Lewin
Lewin was the founder of experiential learning theory as an approach for management development. According to him, behavior is a function in the person’s experience and the learning venue. Learning occurs when experience is analyzed to test and validate theory thus providing a new insight. Through observation and feedback, feedback and reflection, learning is gained. The learning cycle consists of five elements namely abstraction, concrete implication, experience, observation/feedback and reflection. The cycle can start from any stage and one has to complete the whole cycle. One stage leads to the other until the cycle is complete (Pearn, 2003).
To help in behavior change, Lewin came up with a three-phase model of change where in each phase; various modes of motivation are required. The first phase is “unfreeze” where the learner develops doubts about their current behavior and are motivated to change it. In the second phase, we have “change” where the learner accepts and becomes competent in the new behavior. The last phase is “refreezing” which involves the learner accepting the new behavior as the accepted normal behavior. This model is very useful in the process of learning for it helps managers to reduce any chances of resistance to change which may come because of learning and applying new ways of doing things (Pearn, 2003).
Experiential learning can guide training for management and leadership. Through leadership, an organization’s people are motivated to achieve desired goals and objectives. Good leadership is based on the subordinates’ trust, commitment and loyalty. Management involves the application of leadership priorities, which include communication, decision-making, directing subordinates, planning and strategizing in a manner that can be implemented on an organizational basis. Experiential learning offers a method of leadership training that benefits the development of management trainees, equips learners with specific knowledge out of the feedback they receive from trainers as they apply their ideas on workplace settings and improve the acquisition of social-skills as a major requirement of leadership (Smith, 2012).
Through experiential learning, theory is transformed into practical where learners are situated in interactive work settings and are expected to assume a cognitive and behavioral responsibility for their decisions and actions. It involves active involvement to benefit them and the organization. Due to technological advancement, more and better-trained Information Technology personnel are required to assume leadership positions. Leaders should have at least a basis orientation in planning, directing, controlling, and organizing which are major managerial functions in addition to understanding human relations principles (Smith 2012).
The usefulness of experiential learning in management and learning development
Having understood what experiential learning is, it is evident that it is quite useful in management and learning development. This is true because through it, learners are impacted with the necessary skills and knowledge. Every organization works towards ensuring that their employees are competent, committed and consistent. Through the learning process, then they are competent enough, they become committed to doing their work because they are qualified and their performance does not vary i.e. they have a consistent performance. Managers have an easy time managing them since they co-operate a great deal.
Experiential learning also helps in changing people’s attitude. A negative attitude is a virus to any organization and most of the manager’s work towards eliminating those people who possess the virus since they are poor performers. This is not the case because experiential learning can help people change their way of perceiving things. This approach gives people a moment to reflect on themselves to see where they have failed and see the need to change. Therefore, through reflection, their attitudes are changed thus they perform as required. Managers and leaders therefore are motivated to engage employees in the various processes of decision-making (Smith, 2012).
It is always important for people to move together in the same direction. Through experiential learning, a common ground to operate from is gained. This is because people learn together as a team; reflect on their past and get new skills to implement in their various duties. This ensures that there is no conflict of interest; there is unity of purpose and concern for everybody including those who perform poorly. This direction or the common ground is set because of the goals and objectives of the team. Targets are set and ways are devised to help meet the set targets.
Experiential learning helps to prepare for the actual. Learning is a continuous process where people are developed over time. In most cases when managers want to introduce a new concept in the organization, they always have the fear of the unknown. Through experiential learning, employees are prepared for the actual change to expect and therefore if there was to be any resistance to the change then it is minimal. Managers and leaders also have a great chance to deliver to their people since the atmosphere is ease. The employees also take pride in the newly introduced way of doing things (Smith, 2012).
Any manager or leader is always happy when their people air out new ideas and come up with different ways of doing things. Through experiential learning, employees have a chance to be creative since the platform to give ideas and opinions is created.This is because after serious reflection and observation, they learn on the areas, which they have failed and come up with ways to improve and do better since they know themselves i.e. they know what they are capable of doing. Creativity brings the difference when firms are compared and the firms with a competitive advantage have the most creative human resource.
The world today has become a global village due to globalization. This has brought competition to another level where firms compete in terms of their human resource, the quality of goods and products produced the market share, etc. Through experiential learning, organizations gain a competitive advantage due to their qualified managers/leaders, their competent human resource and so on (Smith, 2012). Therefore, managers see the essence of learning development if they want to remain competitive. Resources are also found to facilitate the same. Feedback is very important when it comes to learning and through experiential learning managers is able to know where they have failed as well as their people hence leadership development.
Conclusion
Learning and development activities make a major contribution on the role of attainment of any organizational objectives and investment in them benefits all stakeholders of the organization. Leadership is all about influence any leader cannot influence a follower if they are not empowered. The empowerment comes because of acquiring information through learning. Experiential learning provides a platform where managers reflect on their experiences and use the experiences as stepping-stones to the next level hence leadership development. Managers should provide a good venue for experiential learning. It is very important to focus on behavior change if the process of experiential learning has to be successful. This ensures that the cycle is complete.
Smith (2012) emphasizes the importance of a learning culture as a growth medium, which encourages employees to commit themselves to a range of positive discretionary behaviors. He further elaborates that the learning culture has various characteristics including; empowerment not supervision, self-managed learning not instruction, long term capacity not short term fixes. He suggests that to create a learning culture, it is necessary to develop organizational practices that raise commitment amongst employees and give them a sense of purpose in the workplace, grant them opportunities to act upon their commitment and offer practical support to learning.
Experiential learning takes place when people learn from their experience by reflecting on it so that it can be understood and applied. Learning is therefore a personal construction of meaning through experience. Creating an environment in which people can be stimulated to think and act in ways that help them make good use of their experience. Therefore, experiential learning is a useful tool in management and leadership development.
Part 2
Introduction
A strategy is a plan of action to counter an enemy. It is a tactic to win. Every organization has its own strategic plan, which includes the organizational long-term goals as well as short-term goals. It also includes procedures for deciding how to allocate resources to achieve these goals. Strategic human resource development involves the link between strategic planning and human resource management, which incorporates HRM strategies and policies to achieve organizational goals while meeting employees and stakeholders’ needs (Armstrong, 2008).. The concept of strategy has always been emergent and flexible. This means that a strategy emerges as situation that demands its attention arises. The strategy is also flexible to meet any changes in the situation
Achieving business objectives demands the formulation and implementation of HR practices, procedures and systems in accordance with the organizational needs. A focus on strategic human resource development has been emphasized as the key contributor to ensure that organizational effectiveness and maximum return from their most important asset i.e. the people in the organization. To ensure that employees have the right skills and knowledge, effective management and innovative approaches to their development are required (Armstrong, 2008). This depends on how HR practices are carried out. For example, while recruiting people it is best to consider which skill, knowledge and abilities suit which job to ensure that the organization employs the right people. This gives the organization a competitive advantage.
Any organization that not only seeks to survive but also maximize on profits and gain a competitive advantage, needs to ensure that at all levels, and the human resource development strategy is aligned with broader strategic imperatives and that a special emphasis is placed on the HR function. Through education, training and development activities, the management ensures that the organization and its people acquire the necessary knowledge and competencies. Traditional sources such as product and process technology, protected markets, economies of scale etc. can still provide competitive advantage but an organization’s human resource are more vital for its sustainability. Through human resource management, the organization obtains and retains committed and well-motivated workforce it needs.
Human resource management has undergone a series of transformations over a while. The first transformation was from being the field of personnel management to becoming the field of human resource management. This transformation occurred because organizations started viewing the human resource as the most valued assets and therefore they should be systematically managed. The second transformation saw human resource management from being the field of just human resource management to being the field of strategic human resource management. The second transformation has built the on the preceding knowledge base of the discipline. The transformation is based on the recognition that apart from co-coordinating human resource policies and practices with each other, they need to be linked with the needs of the organization (Armstrong, 2008). Now that these needs are in line with the strategies of the organization, thus the field is referred to as strategic human resource development. Therefore, strategic human resource development is the linkage or integration between the overall strategic aims of business and the strategy implementation.
A strategy is future oriented and it is directed to change. This means that managers not only look at their present needs of the organization but also the needs that may emerge in future. The strategy formulation and implementation process is conditioned by the management process of planning, coordinating, organizing, directing and controlling. Planning enables management to come up with the order in which the strategy process should follow, what it should achieve, what resources are required and who should be involved in the process. Managers therefore organize and coordinate all the necessary resources in order to realize the success of the strategic plan. Through the process of controlling, the team is able to identify whether the set objectives have been achieved and whether the strategy has served the purpose intended. This is through keen monitoring and evaluation (Armstrong, 2008). This paper explores the whole concept of strategic human resource development, its link to the strategic goals of the organization and its usefulness in creating competitive advantage to organizations through the emphasis on knowledge and skills.
The human resource as a source of competitive advantage
A scholar by the name Michael Porter was the founder of competitive advantage. According to him, competitive advantage comes in when a firm creates value for its customers. The organization offers unique products by using the differentiation approach Porter. He then develops three generic strategies, which included cost leadership, differentiation and focus. Through cost leadership, a firm offers their products at their lowest prices as compared to other firms. Sales promotions are encouraged here to expand the market share. Differentiation involves having unique products that other firms do not offer (Smith, 2012). This is done by emphasizing on quality of products, branding, ensuring the appropriate weight and size of the products etc.
Porter further suggests that the organization’s environment affects a firm’s performance and therefore there is a need for environmental scanning to identify the strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities available. The firm therefore builds on the strengths to eliminate the weaknesses. It also ensures that it grabs the most available opportunities to counter the threats. Any business operations are affected by the political, economic, social, technological, ecological and legal factors. These also need thorough scanning to ensure that the firm thrives and sustains competitive advantage. For example, if the prevailing economic conditions are not favorable due to issues like inflation, reduced market share and the like then it is hard for the firm to perform well. On the other hand, if there is political stability and peace, business operations run smoothly and therefore they maximize on profits (Chatterjee, 2002).
Human resource systems offer a competitive advantage by facilitating the development of competencies that are firm specific Pfeffer, Jeffrey (1998). The success that comes through people (HR) cannot be imitated by competitors because it is not a visible or transparent as to its source. The skills, knowledge and abilities that an employee possesses are not seen unless put into action. This therefore gives us a reason as to why the human resource is the most valuable asset in the organization and ought to be developed. Organizations with the right number of people possessing the necessary competencies gain a competitive advantage because their employees are empowered to perform hence an increase in productivity.
Human resource management should therefore achieve various goals to ensure competitive advantage of the organization. The major goal is to invest in people through introduction and encouragement of learning processes designed to increase capability and align skills to organizational needs. This is where the aspect of development comes in to ensure the employee becomes better every day in terms of knowledge and skills. The remedy for dealing with poor performers is not firing them but providing them with an environment that is conducive for learning and encouraging them that they can still make it. Through adequate training and development, they are equipped with the necessary skills required to perform. Recognize the human resource and investing on it brings the organization a competitive advantage (Smith, 2012).
There is also a need for the organization to ensure that it identifies the knowledge required to meet its goals and satisfy its customers. Steps should also be taken to acquire and develop its intellectual capital. Customers are the major stakeholders of any business and they ought to be treated with ultimate care and concern. Employees should therefore possess the necessary skills to deal with customers to ensure that the customers remain loyal to the organization. An organization that attracts and maintains their customers gains a competitive advantage. These skills can be on human relations, communication, public relations etc. These will enable customers to keep coming back for more.
Managers should also define behaviors required for organizational success and ensure that these behaviors are encouraged valued and rewarded. These behaviors emanate from the organization’s core values that define how people should conduct themselves in the organization. They may include; trust, quality, customer first, integrity, cooperation etc. Employees should be trusted with the resources of the organization and they should exhibit very high levels of integrity. Their performance at work should be geared towards quality and they should recognize customers as the major stakeholders of importance. These behaviors guide the conduct of the human resource and provide a sense of responsibility hence competitive advantage (Chatterjee, 2002).
Human resource managers should encourage employees to engage wholeheartedly in the work they do for the organization. Employees should have a sense of belonging to the organization and they should take pride in associating themselves with the organization. This depends on the environment that the management provides. For example, an environment that embraces learning culture, motivation and reward, involvement of employees in decision-making etc. The conducive environment encourages employees to perform, reduces grievances, and reduces any resistance to change and so on. This builds on the image of the organization hence a competitive edge.
Benefits of strategic human resource development to organizations.
Strategic human resource development contributes to the goal accomplishment and the survival of the organization. This is because employees have the necessary knowledge and skills, the have acquainted themselves with the goals and objectives of the organization and therefore work towards the set targets. This provides a sense of direction where they know what they are meant to do and when. Strategic human resource development supports and successfully implements business strategies of the company (Armstrong, 2008). This is due to the integration of human resource policies with the business strategy, which has the overall reason for the existence of the business.
There is also an improvement in the responsiveness and innovation potential of the company. The management is able to tell what skills and knowledge it has and the knowledge and skills they need hence it encourages continued learning where an environment favorable for innovation is created. Employees give opinions and work on ideas hence innovation.There is an increased cooperation between the human resource management and line managers (McAdam, et al 2000). This is as result of the horizontal fit, which encourages that the department should cooperate and work as a whole. Strategic human resource development participates in strategic planning and influences the strategic direction of the company as an equally entitled member of top management.
Link between strategic human resource development and competitive advantage
This can be traced after a careful evaluation of the HR processes. Attracting, developing and retaining high quality people are a key to attaining a competitive advantage. Human resource managers should ensure that they recruit the right people with the relevant skills and knowledge and carefully induct them to fit in the systems of the organization. They should also place people in the relevant jobs in line with their areas of specialization. This instills confidence in employees to perform hence increased productivity (Harris & DeSimone, 1994).
The working environment that HR managers provide should be conducive for performance. Provision of core values to act as a guide towards employee performance, embracing the best leadership styles, ensuring work-life balance, managing diversity, security in employment makes the organization a great place of work. Job and work design is a key to competitive advantage for it provides autonomy and flexibility to workers thus high performance and productivity. Learning and development enlarges the skill base and develops the levels of competency required thus encouraging discretionary learning where individuals seek to acquire knowledge and skills that promote organizational objectives (Harris & DeSimone, 1994)..
Human resource managers should provide motivation, increase commitment and role engagement. They should also reward employees in accordance to their performance for this provides motivation, commitment, job enlargement and responsibility in performance. They should also encourage high performance management where quality is key and standards are set to ensure performance. This leads to the achievement of the overall goal of the organization.
Conclusion
It is clearly seen that the HR are a source of sustained competitive advantage and this affects the organization performance, the costs incurred should be considered as an investment in capital assets. Managing the HR directly affects the organization results, as seen from the resource-based view, where business competitiveness is related. There is a relationship between HR practices and other resources of the firm. The linkage between HR and organizational performance enables HR managers to come up with programs to bring forth better operational results to ensure higher organizational performance.
References
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