The role of Learning & Development at Christmas!

How does your business view the learning and development specialists in your organisation?

Here we are just about to embark on the Christmas festivities and move stealthily in to 2009. It’s difficult to believe we are already at the end of yet another year! Isn’t it a time to review our successes of the past and to plan for those to come?

For learning and development teams it is often a time when the usual business of designing and delivering training tends to ease off. In its place we are persistently asked to entertain our fellow employees at the annual end of year conference, the Christmas party or the festive team meeting. As we move through December are you constantly looking for games and activities that are fun and suitable for a group of 30+? Do your colleagues have an expectation that you will be able to fill that ‘fun spot’ at the next office get together?

This is certainly an experience I’ve had throughout my career and it can become a difficult balancing act to provide the business with what they want and keep your own professional integrity in tact.

That doesn’t mean to say that learning and development people are party poopers, they will be the first to get involved. It’s just that sometimes it can be hard to meet people’s expectations year after year with variety, novelty and ingenuity.

Well, here are some suggestions as to where you might find a helping hand.

www.partygamecentral.com
www.partyplan.co.uk
www.party411.com
www.bluepinapple.com
www.centrinet.com/christmas/party_games.htm

and of course there is always that old favourite

www.businessballs.com

So maybe it is a time for reviewing the past and planning for the future. It certainly aught to be! But before we get the opportunity to do that let’s see 2008 out with a bang! And come back in 2009 raring to go!

Wishing all those of you that have followed this blog throughout 2008 seasonal greetings and every success for 2009 and don’t forget to join us again after the festivities.

Developing Flexibility

The blog posted back in September suggested three ideas to beat the credit crunch. This is the last of those ideas.

What does the credit crunch and recession mean to you and your business? For many it means that any thoughts of changing how things are done around here are quashed and it becomes important to hold on to how things have always been.

Not an unreasonable reaction given the economic climate and the potential challenges that organisations are facing. There is, however an alternative approach and those who are prepared to take it are brave, forward thinking and giving their business every chance of success.

So what is this alternative? Well, it is to encourage, maintain and grow flexibility within your business. All sounds a bit far fetched? Well consider it for a moment.

Flexibility means looking for new customers in places that you might not have contemplated before.

Flexibility means developing new products and services that compliment your present portfolio and open up new markets.

Or flexibility means you need your people to do different and more diverse activities than you have every expected them to do before!

So, how do you create the opportunities to meet new customers? You need to do some research. What are your competitors doing? What is likely to work and what are you prepared to try? What resources have you available and how will you maintain it long term? One way of helping you to answer some of these questions is to find someone who specialises in marketing and increasing your customer base.

Similarly, how do you create new products and services that fit with your present range and demonstrate the ethos and aims of your business? Again there are experts out there that can guide you in diversification. You might employ an innovative and imaginative business development manager. Or an ingenious and resourceful research and development person might be waiting in the wings!

And what about your people? Have they got the diverse and flexible skill set you need them to have to help you to support your business? Are they prepared to try out new things, to learn new skills and experience the highs and lows of trying things out for the first time? Or are they set in their ways, unable to see the value and benefit of changing what and how they do things? Or are scared to admit that they might not have the competence or the confidence that you need?

There are two areas of concern in creating a more flexible workforce; one is providing the opportunities to develop their skills and knowledge and the second is generating a culture within your organisation that will support your people in becoming your flexible workforce of the future.

Like increasing your customer base and diversifying your products and services, you might also need help in creating a flexible workforce. It’s not something that can be constructed over night and will take time and patience to get right. What it will mean is that your people will be in a position in the future where flexibility is something that is valued and craved for and as an organisation you will be better equipped to face the challenges of a difficult economic climate ahead.

If you want to know more about how you can develop flexibility within your workforce then call Crystal Learning on 01604 696469 or email enquiries@crystallearning.co.uk for further information