CIPD survey shows learning and development is important in driving organisational change

According to research from the CIPD, almost half (46%) of learning and development practitioners forecast this development, with four in 10 (37%) saying there will be a greater responsibility devolved to line managers.

The findings of the Learning and Talent Development 2010 survey of over 700 practitioners - launched today at the CIPD annual HRD Conference - also uncovers the current most effective learning and development practices: in-house development programmes (56%) and coaching by line managers (51%). And 82% of practitioners use coaching within their organisations, a large growth this year compared with 69% in 2009.

E-learning is the practice that has increased the most in the past year, with six in 10 (62%) organisations saying they use it more now than in 2009. In-house development programmes are also used more by 58% of organisations, and coaching by line managers is used more by 56%. Unsurprisingly, attendance at external conferences, workshops and events has decreased the most with tighter budgets - a quarter (26%) of organisations are using it less.

John McGurk, learning and talent development adviser at the CIPD, said: "The results from this year's survey are refreshing and show that learning and development practitioners are ahead of the curve, even during these difficult economic times when budgets continue to be cut.

"The CIPD has argued for a long time that integration between coaching, organisational development (OD) and performance management should be a major focus to really drive sustainable organisational performance and change. The findings also reflect our position that practitioners should work more closely with line managers as they are better able to fine-tune learning and development to specific employee needs.

"The next five years are going to be crucial for learning and development. This year's Learning and Talent Development survey gives us confidence that UK organisations are in a position to drive sustainable change based on focused learning and development aligned to organisational objectives."

This article was first published on hrmagazine.co.uk