Ian Cunningham

Talent management: making it real

Purpose – To explore ways in which organizations can take a systemic stance on talent management.Design/methodology/approach – The article is based on work done in a variety of organizations plus research in HR functions.Findings – The need is for a systemic approach to talent management. Just focusing on talent acquisition is misguided and unhelpful.Practical implications – The article has real practical implications for leaders/managers and learning and development professionals in setting up a functional strategy for talent management.Originality/value – The article will be of value to managers and learning specialists who are involved in talent management strategy.

Managers can't (and shouldn't) do all the coaching: taking a more realistic approach to coaching in organizations

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to make the case for a more sophisticated approach to coaching by managers in organizations and to show the need for a more strategic approach to the place of coaching in organizational learning.Design/methodology/approach – This is a think piece based on experience and previous research.Findings – The paper finds that the need is for managers to be given more assistance by learning and development professionals to assess the best learning modes for their staff.Practical implications – Organizations will run better if managers are given better support for developing their staff. Coaching is not the answer to all learning needs.Originality/value – The paper makes a unique case for taking a more measured stance on the use of coaching and acts as a balance to those who over‐promote the approach.

Are “skills” all there is to learning in organizations? The case for a broader framework

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an antidote to a narrow focus on skills and to show how learning for organizational development needs a broader framework.Design/methodology/approach – The article is based on work done in a variety of organizations as well as published sources.Findings – Governments and educational bodies too easily keep attention at the level of individual learning and also address only short‐term needs: organizations need to take a broader view.Practical implications – The article has real practical implications for leaders/managers and learning and development professionals. Organizations need to consider learning from a more holistic perspective and not just pay attention to short‐term skill needs.Originality/value – The article will be of value to managers and learning specialists as it raises important issues about the need to focus on this under‐explored problem.

Do we really want all learning to be experiential? The hot stove effect

Purpose – To expose the errors of assuming that all experiential learning is good and to challenge naive use of Kolbs learning cycle. The article also provides advice to organizations on how to develop people where they are not taking action on real needs.Design/methodology/approach – The article is based on work done in a variety of organizations around how people actually learn.Findings – People often need to overcome the errors of experiential learning.Practical implications – The article has real practical implications for leaders/managers and learning and development professionals as it shows how to overcome the limiting effects of experiential learning. It offers a practical approach to developing people in organizations.Originality/value – The article will be of value to managers and learning specialists as it raises important issues about how to promote effective learning in organizations.

The pursuit of happiness? A challenge

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to explore the issue of “happiness” as a meaningful concept in organizational life.Design/methodology/approach – The article is based on published studies in the field of happiness.Findings – The article finds that the concept of happiness is too narrow to be valuable to learning and development professionals.Practical implications – The article has a practical application in that learning and development professionals can examine their own practice in the light of the wider issues that the debate about happiness raises.Originality/value – The article raises important issues for learning and development professionals about their role.

A declaration on learning: how do you respond?

Purpose – The paper is aims to promote both dialogue and action around learning in organizations.Design/methodology/approach – The basis of the paper is in the collective experience of the 13 authors who produced the Declaration.Findings – The paper argues for the central importance of learning for all organizations.Research limitations/implications – The research for the paper is in the collective writings of the 13 authors.Practical implications – The practical implications of the ideas promoted can be considerable. Very few organizations practise what is suggested in the paper.Originality/value – The paper is of value to anyone working in organizations, not just learning and development professionals. It can be the basis for developing organizational learning strategies.

Coaching shouldn't be non‐directive – or even directive: really responding to needs

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an antidote to the supposed divide between directive and non‐directive coaching.Design/methodology/approach – The article is based on work done in a variety of organizations as well as published sources. The paper quotes published work as well as personal experience.Findings – There is an alternative to the directive/non‐directive debate. Coaches need to be clear about the person they are working with and the problems they face before offering or pointing to solutions to these problems.Practical implications – The article has real practical implications for leaders/managers, coaches and learning and development professionals. The model discussed within it provides a secure basis on which coaches can offer a real service to clients.Originality/value – The article will be of value to managers and learning specialists/coaches as it raises important issues about the need to take a realistic view about coaching practice.

Sorting out evaluation of learning and development: making it easier for ourselves

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to expose the errors of existing common evaluation frameworks such as Kirkpatrick and to suggest superior approaches.Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on work done in a variety of organizations as well as existing research evidence.Findings – The paper finds that evaluation of learning and development can be both more rigorous and simpler.Practical implications – The paper has real practical implications for leaders/managers and learning and development professionals, as it shows how to overcome the limitations of existing approaches to evaluation. By proposing an alternative approach to Kirkpatricks model it encourages practitioners to be clearer about evaluation activity.Originality/value – The paper will be of value to managers and learning specialists as it raises important issues about how to evaluate learning and development activity.

Creative use of technology for learning and development: avoiding controlling tendencies

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to challenge assumptions about e‐learning and its use in organizations; to show how organizations can take a more sophisticated stance on the use of technology for learning.Design/methodology/approach – The article is based on work done in a variety of organizations plus research in HR functions.Findings – The need is for organizations to re‐examine some of their assumptions about the use of technology. Also organizations need to make e‐learning more user friendly and more appropriate for individual needs.Practical implications – The article has real practical implications for leaders/managers and learning and development professionals – for example it shows how organizations can use free resources instead of buying into expensive commercial material.Originality/value – The article will be of value to managers and learning specialists who are involved in decisions about learning strategies.

The future of learning and development functions: a new era for L&D

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a case for a new future for learning and development (L&D) functions in organizations.Design/methodology/approach – The article is based on work done in a variety of organizations as well as published sources. The article is provocative in suggesting a split of L&D from human resources (HR).Findings – The paper finds that there is an alternative to the current model in many organizations of having L&D subservient to HR. Linking L&D with organizational development (OD) may be a better model.Practical implications – The paper has real practical implications for leaders/managers, and L&D professionals. The place of L&D is not a trivial issue. Given that all organizations have to invest in L&D to survive, where this function is located has real business impact.Originality/value – The paper will be of value to senior managers and learning specialists in assisting them to think about the place of L&D in the organization.