Study Unit - Learning and Talent Development (40572G) One of the clear messages that comes from the world of work is that it is a competitive place. Many organisations are competing for customers, opportunities or development in a relatively small marketplace – and some will not succeed. The UK is starting to see the early signs of recovery after one of the deepest recessions in living memory. However, there are commentators warning of a temporary recovery – and we have seen a ‘double dip’ recession. We will wait to see whether the various commentators are correct about the speed of recovery, and the timing of recovery. However, what we have certainly seen so far has been survivors and those who have failed. During the recession we have said goodbye to household names such as Allied Carpets and Woolworths. We have also seen significant struggles to survive (only managed with significant government support) from banks such as the Royal Bank of Scotland, Lloyds TSB and Northern Rock. What is the reason that one organisation survives whilst another fails? The reasons are many and complex. They depend on the structure of the organisation, the sector, the financial support and the nature of the competition – and probably many other factors too. However, one of the factors that impacts on survival which is of particular interest to us in this module is the people that work in the organisation. The employees of an organisation are a crucial part of determining whether that organisation survives – because they make the decisions that determine the direction of the organisation, they are the innovators which push the organisation forward and they are the ‘public face’ which interacts with the customers. A crucial part, therefore, of determining whether or not an organisation survives is how much has been invested in ensuring that the employees in the organisation have the very best skills and competencies, and that those skills and competencies have been developed to be leading edge. It is the development of the skills and competencies – the talent of an individual – that we are concerned with in this study guide. We need to understand the importance of learning and talent development within the organisation, and we need to understand how it can be developed so that the organisation survives and thrives. We will be working through five parts, which takes us on our journey through each of these topics. In investigating this issue we will work through a number of factors, including the strategic approach to people development and working effectively with all those involved in the organisation. To support you in your learning you have been sent the following textbook: • Stewart, J and Rigg, C (2011) Learning and Talent Development, CIPD Publishing At the start of each section you will be directed to read the relevant chapters of the book. Be sure that you read these as well as your learning material. Before you start to work through the ICS learning material read chapter 1 of the textbook. This is a useful introduction to how the textbook is laid out, and also gives some useful information about the CIPD requirements. Our starting point is to think about the strategy in an organisation. The learning and talent development strategy has to be driven by the business strategy. This is a crucially important point – the learning and talent development strategy should support the organisation in achieving its objectives. If the learning and talent development strategy is allowed to become the driver of the organisation then the organisation is likely to have a narrow focus, and this will not necessarily be driven by the key business needs. So, we will start by focusing on strategy and understanding how this impacts on the development of learning and talent development.