The future of people development/OD and how it will affect us all
Plan for today
• The Ulrich approach to HRo What is it?o How it works - issues and possible solutionso What next?
LUNCH
• Lessons from the past• What does the future look like?• What does it mean for us as people developers?
Roles, knowledge and skills
Who? Role Knowledge needed Skills needed
Business Partner
(BP)
First point of contact for internal client
Generalist, with expertise in needs analysis to identify COE contacts for client issues
Relationship building
Influencing skills
Communication skills esp. questioning and listening
Service Centre
(SC)
Transactional delivery
HR knowledge not essential.
Process skills
Project management
Centre of Excellence
(COE)
Non-transactional delivery
Deep expertise & resource management to address client needs per business priorities
Delivery skills
Relationship building esp. with BPs
Ability to challenge if needs require greater articulation
How it works – issues and solutions
Client feels remote from
COEs & needs are
lost in translation.
Ensure BP forms an effective conduit –
not just ‘gatekeeper’.
How it works – issues and solutions
Lack of functional knowledge
in SC means needs not adequately
met.
SC staff grouped by function to develop
understanding.
How it works – issues and solutions
Staff turnover in SC is very
high.
Grouping SC staff by function and
thorough induction can mitigate service
delivery risk.
How it works – issues and solutions
If recharges in place,
client feels they can get better value
by going externally.
Put procedures in place to prevent
client doing this.
How it works – issues and solutions
COEs carry out tasks not directly
commissioned by client.
Procedures such as SLAs can be put in
place to prevent this.
How it works – issues and solutions
COEs think support
requested by BPs will fail to
address underlying
issues.
COEs need ability and skills to
challenge client (via BP).
What next?
Two developments
• Grow back of HR into the business.
• Increase in ‘intelligent administration’.
What next?
Ulrich’s review 10 years in….
“There is no better alternative!”
Where model has failed it is due to HR professionals:• lacking capability to become BPs.• being too enmeshed in transactional admin.
What next?
A different stool!!
• Perform Enhance current business performance
• Grow Enhance planned business growth. Build talent to
accelerate pace of change
• Adapt Building organisational adaptability (to survive in
unpredictable times)
Lessons from the past
In groups:Think back to your earliest involvement in HR/ Personnel/ L&D/ Training
Create a timeline from then to now, charting the key changes you’ve witnessed e.g.• Organisational structure• Infrastructure• IT• How we “train” people• Things that have supported you • Things that have challenged you
What does the future look like?
In groups:Now extend the timeline to 2025!
What changes do you foresee?
Be prepared to report back on both the past and the future!
What does the future look like?
• Is L&D becoming an outdated term?
• The technology question!! And blended learning?
• Time pressure – more in less time!
• Trainer as curator
• Business coaching from externals
Is L&D becoming an outdated term?
• Organisational Development?
• Talent Management?
• Knowledge management?
• Centralised function v responsibility of all?
• Who creates “content”?
So who are our customers?
Advantages of Virtual learning
• No space cost/restrictions
• Can be any length
• Events become resources
• Can move from centre to social to User Generated
Content
What’s important in delivery?
What order should they be in? 1 is most important and 9 least
Who should be involved and when?
Before During After
Manager
Workshop leader
Learner
Broad & Newstrom (1992) Repeated in 1998 with similar results
What’s important in delivery?
Who should be involved and when?
Before During After
Manager
Workshop leader
Learner
1
2
3
9
5
8
4
7 6
Broad & Newstrom (1992) Repeated in 1998 with similar results
The Trainer as curator
Clive Shepherd
Four strategies for providing learning
http://onlignment.com/2010/09/strategies-for-learning-and-performance-support-a-summary/
The trainer as curator
Exposition• Subject expert to learner• Essentially one way• Trainer determines info conveyed• Event, online content or offline content• Good for independent leaners who can discern for themselves• Great for those who can cope by themselves• Likely to be lower cost
The trainer as curator
Instruction• Still trainer centred• Process rather than content driven• More learner engagement• Helps learner make connections with prior knowledge• Opportunities to practise new skills with feedback• More responsive to needs of individual learners• More time and cost intensive
The trainer as curator
Guided discovery• Inductive process - leads the learner towards insights and
generalisations• Specific learning objectives are rare – each learner takes
something unique/personal• Includes simulations, case studies & teambuilding activities• Also includes coaching and action learning • Learner needs enough knowledge and experience to make a
reasonable attempt • Best when the topic is less black and white, • Best when you want more than a superficial commitment• More time and cost intensive
The Trainer as curator
Exploration• Most learner-centred approach – pull not push• More just-in-time than just-in-case• Simple and relatively unstructured learning design• What learner takes is individual & largely unpredictable• May play a small part in a formal course • Can include unconferences & “asynchronous collaboration” • Trainer smoothes the way for learners to find resources and locate
like-minded peers• Trainer provides repositories, search engines and social media tools• Not suitable for novices and dependent learners or for important top-
down initiatives
What does the future look like?
In groups:• Share your thoughts on the area you've chosen
• What are the broader implications of this?
• What are the implications for us as people developers?
Be prepared to report back to the bigger group