Throughout 2011 we will be publishing extracts from The New Learning Architect. We move on to the fourth part of chapter 4:
More proactive approaches are needed because, however good our performance support environment, there are certain fundamental things we need to know and skills we need to have before we can make any serious attempt to function in our present jobs, or take on new responsibilities. We are, of course, recruited as much as anything, for the skills and knowledge we already possess – for our years of experience with other employers and for our qualifications. But every employer is different in terms of their culture, their particular policies and procedures, and the people that they employ. Even the most qualified new recruit requires some induction.
And jobs don’t remain static – responsibilities change along with new strategies, processes and systems, creating new requirements for knowledge and skill. And looking ahead, organisations and employees themselves have an obvious interest in making preparations for employees to take on greater responsibilities.
In addressing these needs, organisations can, of course, deliver formal interventions, typically packaged up as ‘courses’. However, they can also call upon a wide range of more flexible, non-formal approaches, which allow for continuous learning and development.
Coming next in chapter 4: The need for formal learning
Return to Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3
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