A Modern Approach to Learning and Development

Vlad Bog, Global Group HR Director, Hero Group

Our organization is looking for future-proofing its approach to business. As part of that, I have been mandated to develop a learning and development strategy that is allows us to build capabilities fast, so that we can continue to execute group strategies in this fast evolving business environment.

We started by looking at the global trends and the experience of other multinational organizations and realized that none has actually found a fully workable solution. However, there were best practices, bits and pieces that seemed to work well and could fit our context and culture.

We realized that the modern approach to learning and development is shifting towards collaborative and interactive methods. One of the key drivers of this shift is the recognition of the fact that a lot of the necessary knowledge exists actually in the organization, once that people who are passionate about a topic are identified. Those who are passionate about a topic, tend to also be good at it, up to date, and willing to share that passion and knowledge with others. This led us to an understanding of the importance of peer-to-peer learning, internal topic experts and the need to evolve the role of HR and its L&D function.

Peer-to-peer learning involves employees sharing their knowledge, skills, and experiences with each other. This approach to learning leverages the diverse backgrounds and perspectives of employees to create a dynamic and inclusive learning environment. Peer-to-peer learning also encourages employees to take ownership of their own development, as they learn from their colleagues and contribute to the learning of others. This leads to a more engaged and motivated workforce, as employees feel valued, invested in their own professional growth and listened to.

“HR is now a facilitator and enabler of learning, rather than the primary source of knowledge and owner of content, curricula, and delivery.”

Internal topic experts are another key component of the modern approach to learning and development. These are employees within an organization who have a deep understanding of specific topics and are recognized as experts by their peers. That would almost always come with a passion for the topic and a desire to share their passion with others. The role of internal topic experts is to share their knowledge with others, facilitate learning, and provide mentorship to those who are looking to develop their skills in a particular area. They own the topic, the approach to sharing and building organizational capabilities inside the organization.

The role of HR and L&D is also being reversed as a result of the modern approach to learning and development. HR is now a facilitator and enabler of learning, rather than the primary source of knowledge and owner of content, curricula, and delivery. At Hero, we see ourselves becoming responsible for creating an environment that encourages and supports peer-to-peer learning and the development of internal topic experts. We are building topic experts communities, helping them develop the necessary skills, being recognized inside the organization for their role and growing while doing this, providing resources and tools to facilitate collaboration, such as online forums and virtual collaboration tools.

This shift towards a more collaborative and interactive approach to learning and development is leading to a more engaged and motivated workforce, and a more efficient and cost-effective way of developing the skills and knowledge of employees.