Strategies for Sustainable Learning and Growth

Introduction

LO1: Knowledge

Within a business context it is essential for organisations to develop and maintain strategies to address learning and development in order to become sustainable and deliver effective performance. ESPA accepts the volatile industry in which we operate and addresses these risks by adopting strategies to manage knowledge and learning for the sake of growth development and sustainment. Deltor (2004) mentions how knowledge is an elusive concept which, is ‘more than simply data and information’ and quotes Blair’s (2002) view that ‘only a person can possess and exercise knowledge’. Deltor reinforces this view by quoting Davenport and Prusak’s (1998) argument that knowledge is a ‘fluid mix of framed experience, values, contextual information, and expert insight’ which provides a framework for ‘evaluating and incorporating new experiences and information’. Soliman (2005) places the forms knowledge can take into two distinct categories;

Explicit Knowledge: ‘Knowledge that is captured in databases, customer files, software and manuals’ and categorises this as ‘structured knowledge’.

Tacit Knowledge: ‘Knowledge that may reside in the minds of the firm’s employees, suppliers and customers’, and categorises this as ‘human capital’, both of which make up the ‘intellectual capital’ of the organisation.

Andrewartha (2002) enables us to understand how knowledge can be understood. He elaborates on the forms that knowledge can take by including ‘formal’ knowledge and stresses that the more we ‘know and share implicit knowledge, the better we are likely to understand others and be understood by them’. A publication from Management Association (2011) captures the uncertainty and ambiguity surrounding the term ‘knowledge’, in particular Knowledge Management (KM) by claiming that it is not feasible to ‘manage knowledge as a commodifiable resource’ (Gibson 2005). This bold viewpoint is reinforced by theorists Bouthillier and Shearer (2002) who state that knowledge itself ‘cannot be managed, it is only the representations of knowledge that can subjected be to management principles.’ The clear ambiguity surrounding the term knowledge, intrinsically related to the meaning and the process, ensures that knowledge is difficult to manage. Pauleen and Gorman (2011) offer a refreshingly honest viewpoint concerning KM where they concede that there is minimal hope of defining knowledge management as there is no argument as to what actually constitutes knowledge in at the first place. Based on this reasoning, they place KM into the broadest context which, succinctly put, claims that KM is ‘the process through which organizations generate value from such assets involves codifying what employees, partners and customers know, and sharing that information among employees in an effort to devise best practice’. There must be clear distinction made between Knowledge and Knowledge Management; although these terms are firmly applicable within a business construct, to define these terms creates great debate. Organisational knowledge must be viewed as a twin concept that exists both explicitly in formal procedures and products, and tacitly, in the minds of the people. Plainly put, knowledge is the skills one acquires through experience, whereas knowledge management is the efficient handling of information or resources within a commercial organisation.

LO2: Knowledge within an organisation

Clear distinction must be made between a learning organisation and organisational learning; a learning organisation is a form of organisation while organisational learning is the process or activity. During each quarter I request a number of documents from the Project Managers (PMs) across ESPA’s operation to conduct a content review prior to submission to the Chief Operations Officer (COO); Student course reports, lesson plans, training programs and the End of Intervention Reports (EOIR) are collated and analysed to provide quality control and standard maintenance. This information is then archived within the organisation’s database and fed back to the original authors. The utilisation of this knowledge creates an opportunity to identify and improve upon ‘lessons learnt’, and enables performance review, detailed evaluation and generates learning and growth potential which serves to facilitate effective performance. Rashman and Hartley (2002) say that during the tenure spent with an organisation all of the employees who are integral to the whole organisational infrastructure should actively seek endless learning opportunities, for example, from the very first day, from job shadowing to each single day and to attending classes. The whole time period should be considered as part of learning where ongoing performance can enable employee improvement. Simultaneously, as Salomon and Martin (2008) have outlined, the managers of the organisation should include a variety of learning programs so as to provide training recommendations to boost performance conversations and ultimately guide the effort of employees to update existing skills whilst acquiring new ones. Accessing knowledge at ESPA is relatively straightforward as each Project Manager is mandated to meet the deadline that I set to receive their reports upon completion of each training intervention. I collate this knowledge and provide quality assurance by analysing and marking against a quantifiable metric. ‘The codification of knowledge relevant and important to the organisation is encouraged, as is making it explicit by using effective technology and human resource management to ensure that this relevant knowledge is continuously transferred via an organisational memory or repository’ (Soliman, 2015). The coordinated collection, evaluation and transfer of relevant and current knowledge, throughout the organisation, reduce the risk of knowledge gaps appearing in critical areas and enables continuous learning development.

Rosenberg, (2005) maintains that individual and collective contributors also need to ensure performance management and some training programs that cover variety of topics such as time management, learning new skills along with other work, the performance management systems that can be used at a company, the responsibilities of both the employees as well as in the process, and what are those parameters which can assist an organisation to measure the performance management. The employee base should ensure that the employed strategy of performance management is strictly focused on the productivity of an employee in an organisation rather than checking the tasks performed on a list. The Board of Directors at ESPA have a corporate perspective of KM which enables the exploration of opportunities to leverage knowledge in what is a ‘top down’ strategy to managing knowledge. This provides the senior management perspective on the sources and utilisation of knowledge for operational and strategic effect. According to Jaziri-Bouagina, Dhouha, Jamil & Leal (2017), it is ‘absolutely the practical employment of the acquired knowledge that is stored in the form of archives and repositories and is shared along lines of hierarchy to finally assist in the decision-making process of an organisation’. The authors further this point by offering that knowledge utilisation extracts knowledge from ‘all possible domains and competencies of a specified field and utilises the knowledge for achieving long term goals and aims of the organisation’.

LO3: Learning experiences and mechanisms

My personal contribution to the generation of knowledge through the design of different learning experiences and mechanisms was born out of necessity to share knowledge across ESPA’s organisation to sustain effective performance. By creating a WhatsApp group and Google Drive based shared workspace, I facilitated a platform upon which to share knowledge. The WhatsApp group became an invaluable chat forum enabling PMs to share learning experiences which I then evaluated, edited and uploaded to the Google Drive. The ESPA Google Drive formed a centralised database and e-learning hub which all PMs could log onto from their independent locations and gain access to up to date and relevant knowledge. Stephanidis (2009) states that ‘learner-centred design of e-learning environments provides potential for improving the learning process’. Given the geographical dislocation of the functional areas across ESPA’s operation, the opinion of Stephanidis reinforces that although this is the single reliable method of enabling learning experiences and mechanisms to take place, it is an effective one.

LO4: Organisational performance

‘Knowledge originates in human beings and the only sustainable advantage of organization is what people know and what they do with it (Management Association, 2015). According to Sarin and McDermott (2003), there are several strategies such as HRM which can be used to provide better learning experience at an organisation and ensure knowledge management with the capability of providing enhanced skills to employees. As per Rashman and Hartley (2002), it assists in contributing e to achieve betterment of performance in an organisation. Organisational knowledge and effective performance are closely tied. The sustainment of organisational performance relies upon organisational learning through a social context in which members can ‘share knowledge both tacitly and explicitly, and encourage commitment, collaboration, mutual respect and a sense of belonging’ (Zumitzavan and Michie, 2015). ESPA maintains that the emphasis placed on the transfer of knowledge and the intrinsic ability to communicate that knowledge will have significant impact on future performance and enable the sustainment of effective organisational performance. Wetland (2009) claims that ‘employee productivity is the driving force that influences organizational performance. Understanding the impact of the leadership style, organisational climate and innovation on organisational performance is important for organisations in order to sustain competitive advantage’.

Logical and methodical identification of Learning and Development (LD) needs is fundamental to ensuring efficient learning provisions within an organisation. A development need is where an individual possesses the capability to perform a certain task to the required standard but lacks the knowledge or skillset to achieve it. The first stage in the identification of a development need is to examine the impact of change and clearly define what the required performance standard is from an organisational perspective. Clifford and Thorpe (2007) propose that there are three questions that enable the assessment of the impact of change from an LD perspective:

Does the change mean that people have to do something differently that requires them to learn new knowledge, skills or behaviours?

Would developing individuals/teams help or support change to be more effectively implemented?

Will the change result in standards becoming altered?

Upon confirmation of the development need, the standards must be clarified to identify any potential pitfall, and this must be communicated. Tisdell (1995) maintains that a ‘variety of teaching strategies can be used to facilitate an inclusive learning environment’, but due to ESPA’s largely geographically dispersed operating model, the majority of these strategies remain inapplicable. Tisdell’s strategies are reliant upon close proximity and attendance; group activity and role play would be impossible to be regularly achieved within this industry, although, group processing on the other hand, is plausible, provided, I possess the means to send information across the organisation via email/Google Drive for feedback and review. Zellmer-Bruhn and Gibson (2006) have said that a learning culture should be developed in the organization as it is considered an effective way which can ultimately assist in improvement of the performance as well as innovation. Theriou and Chatzoglou (2008) have stated that it also ensures employee satisfaction, development, and retention as it incorporates the following aspects:

Knowledge is power: If the employees know more than they would be able to do more and can assist the organisations in better performance and growth opportunities.

More cost effective: According to Weeks and Kordus (1998), by investing in the employee development through training programs, it would be less expensive for an organization in comparison to rehiring new employees.

Value your employees: Winstein and Schmidt (1990) highlight that continuous learning in an organization indicates that the employees are totally and evenly worth the investment and also the organization is concerned about career development of an employee.

ESPA holds an AGM towards the end of each fiscal year which provides me with the opportunity to conduct a training review with some project managers who are available to attend. This event naturally becomes an inclusive learning environment as a clear focus exists to create experience-based learning activity during the session and a Learning and Development Report (Appendix A) is compiled and uploaded to the Google Drive to reach the PMs deployed internationally. I use Gibb’s reflective cycle to enable critical analysis of events which generates the construction of an action plan. Tisdell continues by adding that ‘it is wise for those attempting to create inclusive learning environments to vary their teaching techniques’. During the AGM I utilised Honey and Mumford’s learning styles (Fig. 1) in conjunction with Kolb’s learning cycle (Fig. 2). From experience, the consultants employed by ESPA generally tend to be activists who do not respond well to lectures and presentations which accomodate group reflection nicely.

As Head of Training, it is my overall responsibility to drive learning and development at ESPA although all actors must engage in order for this process to become successful. Responsibility of LD needs should be viewed as part of normal managerial responsibility ‘at all levels of the hierarchy’ as well as ‘all line positions’ and ‘all functional areas of management’ (Kubr & Prokopenko, 1989). In my role, I am charged with, identifying, designing, implementing and evaluating learning initiatives across the organisation and using learning to drive the organisation towards its goals.

Roles and responsibilities concerning LD within an organisation are generally driven by the senior management but must become a shared responsibility across the organisation. With the COO taking the lead on employee engagement, the primary LD driver at ESPA is me; charged with the overall development of staff through knowledge, skills and change management. LD is a naturally occurring shared responsibility as employees could actively,participate; they support their manager’s intent and receive recognition for their active efforts which improve organisational output.

LO8: Learning interventions

LO8: Evaluate the outcomes of learning interventions. (Problem Solving)

The Annual Training Review described in LO5 is the most effective method employed by ESPA which generates tangible learning and development outcomes. Sessa and London (2008) suggest that team learning is a process whereby ‘knowledge, skills and affective states are acquired via dyadic interactions and shared experience’, and go on to describe the potent value created by stating that ‘learning activities culminate in an increased capacity to engage in the transition, action, and interpersonal processes which comprise team performance and lead to valued team outcomes’.

Recommendations

b) From an HRD’s (HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT) point of view, make recommendations for overcoming the challenges impacting the business needs (30%).

Organisations must actively manage Human Resource Development (HRD) to enable effective performance.

Sims and Bias (2019) mention that ‘these continue to be uncertain times which are dominated by a rapidly transforming business landscape’ which have been exponentially affected even further due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic. The authors continue by adding that ‘the effective management of an organization’s human resources is a major source of competitive advantage’, adding weight to my argument that HRD is reliant upon active management. ESPA recognise that success is largely dependent upon HRD; the ability to invest in and continually develop employee’s skills serves to increase the retention of motivated employees of the calibre incumbent of this arduous industry. There is a great distinction between training and HRD operations; training tends to be focussed on short to medium term performance concerns, whereas development is more orientated toward enhancing an individual’s skills for future challenges. ESPA recognises Hirsch’s (2016) claim that the most important feature young adults look for in a new job is ‘the opportunity for continuous learning’, and prioritise the creation of an environment that supports the investment in talent while being ‘cognizant of the ever-evolving trends in training and development’. Recognising the need to identify strategic threats and risks to the business needs, ESPA produced a detailed risk assessment (Fig. 5) following critical analysis based on competitive landscape trends and lessons identified during previous training interventions. Mitigation strategies are listed to counter or tolerate each of the aspects.

From an HRD perspective, it is crucial to evaluate threats and challenges which could impact the business requirements. Analysis of the table at Fig. 5 exposes two key areas which are directly linked to Human Resources Development; Serials 2 and 5. The following recommendations are subjective and organisationally focussed with the emphasis placed on the aforementioned serials with the addition of another element; Community Engagement. Each recommendation is designed to overcome the challenges impacting business needs and retain competitive advantage:

Organisational Growth. ESPA have exploited a niche market where our people remain the most important resource. Developing these people is key. Our main attraction to clients and donors is due to our employment of purely former tier-1 operators from the Special Air Service (SAS) Regiment, the Parachute Regiment and the Royal Marines Commandos who are extensively qualified and have the ability to speak French or Swahili. ESPA’s reputation is spreading within the industry and the demand for consultants of this calibre continues to rise steadily. If ESPA was to accept just two more projects during 2020 – 2022, we would have exhausted this pool of niche employee and would likely be faced with either declining the project altogether or recruiting from a less able tier of ex-servicemen.

Recommendation: ESPA is a not-for-profit organisation. The senior management must carefully consider and selectively accept/decline prospective proposals to avoid growing rapid and uncontrolled growth and ensure to invest in the LD of our current employees whilst focusing on retention, rather than to in expanding rapidly and allowing the quality of our service to be reduced.

Learning Development. Quarter, Ryan and Chan (2015) mention that developing human capital not only adds value to the ‘organization but is also saleable in the general labour market, to the benefit of the individual.’ Given the isolation of the locations in which we operate, investing in a skillset which is beneficial to both the individual and the organisation makes perfect business sense. The current lack of medical ability and available medical cover can present a huge challenge to not only morale, but also towards operational effectiveness.

Recommendation: ESPA to pay for medical courses for employees to raise each operator’s standard of medical qualification up to FREC 3. This kills two birds with one stone; we are investing in the learning development of our people whilst reducing the risk to our health whilst deployed. This supports Sims and Bias’ (2019) notion that ‘the purpose of Human Resources Development is to maximise the productivity of an organization by optimizing the effectiveness of its employees’.

Community Engagement. The region in which we operate can be unstable at best. Investing in Community Engagement projects would help to develop a positive relationship between local villagers and ESPA employees whilst supporting the local economy. In this instancecontext, the community is viewed as the source of Human Resources. ESPA’s appreciation of Community Engagement projects reflects Evans, Taylor, Dunlap and Miller’s (2009) viewpoint that it is a ‘powerful tool used to create partnerships, alliances, and coalitions that work together to obtain and maintain resources’. The shared focus is the creation and development of sustainable future visions of the future for the benefit of the local community which serves to stabilise our perception in the region whilst actively addressing the issue raised in Serial 1 of the ESPA Risk and Mitigation Strategy.

Recommendation: The assignment of responsibility to each project manager to actively engage with the local community, identify and support meaningful and community focussed projects whilst employing cultural awareness/understanding consistently.

A publication by USAID (2018) highlights simple yet effective methods and principles which ESPA could use as a guideline to focus on Community Engagement (Figs. 6 & 7).

Conclusion

‘Most philosophers today still deny, or at the very least resist, the force of such reflections. In their efforts to construct a positive theory of knowledge they operate on the not-unreasonable assumption that since human perception, belief, and knowledge are natural phenomena like any other, there is no more reason to think they cannot be understood and explained than there is to think that digestion or photosynthesis cannot be understood and explained’ (Stroud, Willis & Slusser, 2000).

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