The Learning and Development function can find new energy and new power through new relationships

"In organisations, real power and energy is generated through relationships. The patterns of relationships and the capacities to form them are more important than tasks, functions, roles and positions."

Margaret Wheatley

There are two 'axis' around which the work of L&D can align:

Developing individuals vs. developing the organisation as a whole

and

'Productive' learning (for the 'now') vs. 'Generative' learning (developing a new future)

In most organisations the work of L&D only focuses on individual, productive learning. The narrow priority here is maintaining centralised control - through standardisation and consistency.

This perspective is a hangover from the old 'industrial' mindset - when businesses only created value through consistent execution of individual roles and individual skills.

The limitations of this approach will become even more apparent as the 'remote-working' business world begins to make sense of life operating with and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

So a new, more balanced, contextual and influential set of L&D goals could now include:

1. Individual, Productive learning:

Helping individuals to improve performance in their current role

alongside

2. Organisational, Productive learning:

Enabling teams to connect, reflect and work together to increase effectiveness in the current business

alongside

3. Individual, Generative learning:

Supporting individuals to learn new skills and make new connections that enable them to generate new ideas or strategies

alongside

4. Organisational, Generative learning:

Facilitating and accelerating the collective wisdom of the organisation - to identify new opportunities and challenge existing assumptions 



Paul helps L&D leaders to build new organisational power and energy by enabling new relationships

www.jocelynconsultingltd.co.uk