Today’s workplaces are facing significant changes due to the advancement of AI technology. Most organisations are planning the integration of AI tools into their services, products and business processes. In this context, Learning and Talent Development (L&TD) can help organisations and people to keep up with changes and develop new skills to remain competitive.
Definition of Learning and Talent Development
Learning and talent development, like many evolving management concepts, has no widely accepted definition. At the organisational level, Talent Development (TD) is part of Talent Management (TM), which is part of Human Resources Management (HRM).
In his Handbook of HRM, Michael Armstrong defines Talent Management as follows: Talent management is the process of ensuring that talented people are attracted, retained, motivated and developed in line with the needs of the organisation1.
This concept refers to talent attraction, retention and development in an organisational context. So, talent management covers the acquisition, development, and retention of talent. In essence, TD focuses on the development and upskilling of current talent in an organisation.
TD helps the existing talent to evolve and acquire competencies in line with the organisational strategy. As people are prepared, they will be ready to take on more complex roles with greater responsibilities and accept leadership roles.
Talent Development is strategically oriented towards high-potential talent. It involves identifying key positions that contribute to the organisation’s competitive advantage. The aim is to strengthen organisational capability through processes such as succession planning, leadership development, and top talent retention.
What is the difference between Learning and Development (L&D) and Talent Development?
According to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), a learning and development strategy sets out the workforce capabilities, skills and competencies and is a key requirement for the implementation of business strategy.
Learning and Development (L&D) is connected with the Human Resource Development (HRD) concept. It implies the integration of all learning and development operations, practices and processes into a strategic direction of HRD.
Furthermore, L&D is a strategic HRM function with the objective to help the employees perform their jobs and to develop for future opportunities. Continuous learning, lifelong learning, and learning organisations are also concepts and practices related to Learning and Development (L&D).
How do organisations implement L&D programs?
Overall, L&D is an intentional organisational effort to provide employees with opportunities to obtain new knowledge and be able to adapt to new working conditions. L&D professionals design learning frameworks and enrol people in training programs, courses, coaching, qualification, and certification programs, apprenticeships, upskilling, or reskilling programs.
Different views on whether talent is an innate or developable trait create various TM organisational practices. Opinions on talent concept implementations are sometimes conflicting. However, HR professionals ‘ practice ranges from the argumentation of the rarity of talent to the inclusive assumption that everyone has a talent.
Both L&D and L&TD aim to implement a people development strategy, with TD being seen as a subset of L&D and a more selective and targeted approach to talent. However, there are other variables to consider when deciding on a talent development strategy, such as the type of industry and the size of the organisation.
L&TD Strategies – Inclusive or Exclusive talent approach?
An article in the International Journal of Human Resource Management on TM practices 2revealed that HR managers who worked in smaller organisations were more likely to have an inclusive talent approach. This type of talent approach corresponds to a broad L&D capability building. TD focuses on cultivating employees with high potential, while L&D applies to the entire workforce of a company.
L&D’s objective is to build continuous operational skills and support performance and people’s adaptability. Also, it’s both a short-term and long-term goal and the real building block of any organisation. TD aims to identify high-potential talent, drive a competitive advantage and strategic leadership.
Authors like M. Thunnissen3 warn about the risks of exclusive approaches and the benefits of balancing inclusivity with targeted talent strategies. In essence, these TM functions focus, purpose, and methods are different. However, they are also complementary and can be adapted for organisational sustainability and competitiveness.
Learning and talent development for the employees
Legal, technological and political changes have immediate effects on organisations and institutions. AI, health crises, and social conflicts are waves of change that have the power to move people and companies worldwide.
Organisations have to face changes and prove their resilience in order to help people thrive. A consistent answer to these changes makes the difference between success and failure. This is where learning and development can be of real help.
During our professional lives, we gain experience and knowledge and improve our performance. Our world is continually changing, and so are the aptitudes and qualifications necessary for performing different jobs. TD can play a key role in strategic positioning in a constantly changing environment.
The integration of new knowledge and technology is vital for keeping up with the social and economic evolutions. On an individual level, it can also help us progress in our career paths and improve our professional opportunities.
Also, for a business, having learning and talent development programs in place can attract competent and motivated candidates. For employees, the long-term advantages gained are related to the:
- Development of skills and work experience,
- Higher productivity and work performance, and
- A clear development path with defined goals,
- Training or qualifications courses for a future career.
Learning and developing new skills not only helps us stay competitive, but it can also attract new, talented people to our side. Few jobs, if none, are protected from the constant turmoil and harsh competitive reality. We need to learn new things and acquire new skills all the time, so we can surpass future challenges.
Learning and talent development strategies
L&TD can play an important strategic organisational role. Through this process, organisations can adapt to market needs and align with social trends and market demands. New capabilities and know-how are acquired by implementing learning and talent development strategies.
A successful talent strategy begins with a clear vision of employees’ development needs. Organisational growth targets should be in alignment with the overall business objectives. The first thing to consider when designing a talent development strategy is that it should involve the people it is addressed to.
Employees need a general image of the competencies they will need for future projects. Also, their involvement is important for stronger motivation and commitment in case of future problems.
An important part of a talent development strategy is to determine the level of employees’ capabilities. This is how we determine current work frame capabilities and identify potential for improvement. For this phase, we can design questionnaires, use assessments or self-assessments and previous performance appraisals.
New skills are an edge in the market
Once we have a general picture of the skills we already possess and identify the gaps, we can design a learning and talent development plan. The talent development journey should be in alignment with the business strategy.
L&TD develops people by combining both individual needs and organisational requirements. After implementation of learning plans, training, coaching or mentoring activities, the next step is keeping track of how things progress. Work performance can indicate if the learning and development interventions were successful or if other initiatives are needed.
For almost all types of organisations, integrating learning and development as a strategic direction into business strategy brings additional resources and support for general objectives. At the same time, it constantly transforms new technological breakthroughs and socio-economic evolutions into learning opportunities.
So, the new skills and tech become valuable work experience that can bring an edge to the market. Also, part of learning and talent development success is long-term and integrated planning because the end result is the organisational synergy that comes from both individual and team efforts.
Skillsets for jobs are changing, and most organisations are facing a talent shortage. One of the reasons talent disruption appears is as a consequence of and lack of qualified talent to use new technologies. When social and technical changes are on the rise, so is the talent shortage.
Therefore, we can say that having clear learning and talent development planning and budgeting helps businesses and organisations keep up with changes and stay on a path of positive evolution. L&TD’s goal is to improve both individual and group performance by increasing knowledge and developing a certain set of skills.
Learning and Talent Development Contributions to Organisational Success
Developing people’s potential creates a competitive advantage for companies, can improve operational efficiency and contribute to employee retention. For example, implementing long-term leadership learning and talent development programs solves succession planning and enables business growth.
Nurturing leadership skills for people with the will and potential to become leaders is one way that learning and development contribute to organisational success. The reality is that adaptation to social and political complexities is a continuous challenge for everyone.
Thriving in such a changing environment makes continuous learning and talent development a necessity. A firmly set and well-executed learning and talent development strategy is needed to strengthen organisational capabilities and achieve success.
Both employees’ and organisations’ learning agility is essential for navigating this increasingly shifting market. Investments in talent development are actually a constant pursuit of strategic organisational objectives. By implementing learning and development programs, companies gain a stronger market positioning through a more skilled workforce, and employees achieve skill mastery, confidence and a better work-life balance.
Continuous learning and talent development is also a mindset beneficial not only to us, personally, but to the whole organisation. It’s a powerful edge that can strengthen organisational capability and drive people’s synergy and wellbeing.
Notes:
- Handbook of HRM by Michael Armstrong ↩︎
- Meyers, M. C. et al. (2019) ‘HR managers’ talent philosophies: prevalence and relationships with perceived talent management practices’, The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 31(4), pp. 562–588. doi: 10.1080/09585192.2019.1579747. ↩︎
- Thunnissen, Marian. (2015). Talent management: for what, how and how well? An empirical exploration of Talent Management in practice.. Employee Relations. 38. 10.1108/ER-08-2015-0159. ↩︎
