the costs of the venue and catering! Other providers we talk to are finding the same, with employers cutting back on what are often considered optional costs as belts are tightened.

 

Of course, at Fluid we would argue that such reductions are a false economy; when the upturn comes, organisations that have invested in their people will be poised to take advantage of the opportunities. However, it is not always this straightforward: we have been asked by existing and new clients to make sure we relate learning & development to business goals & objectives, considering in particular:

• What value is being added to the 2009/10 goals and objectives?
• Can we demonstrate where we have saved money?

We can advise that this is carried through into data collection and monitoring in the organisation such as:

• Reduced spending on recruitment advertising
• Reduced spending on agencies
• More internal promotions than external hires
• A reduction in time per hire
• Lower absenteeism
• An improved attrition rate
• Fewer customer complaints
• More customer compliments and testimonials
• Increased sales
• Increased productivity
• Better employee satisfaction survey results

In our experience, courses where there has been renewed interest in the current economic climate include:

• How to give bad news (e.g. redundancies)
• Coaching for leaders and managers
• Resolving conflict
• Undertaking effective performance management and appraisals
• Business development
• Maximising levels of employee engagement

The last in the list has been a growth area for Fluid, as employers cope with ‘survivor syndrome’ in the post-redundancy environment, and more emphasis is placed on galvanizing the diminished workforce to perform better. We find that when an organisation is restructuring, no learning operation should be pulling out its old plan and using a red pen to amend parts of it. Restructuring requires new engagement and if that is made a team process it helps everyone see what the future might hold and feel that their contribution is relevant and valued.

 

As the going gets tougher it will be vital to work alongside teams under pressure, understanding what it is like at the sharp end of change, getting a clear understanding of what is important and where the needs and opportunities lie.

 

HOW CAN LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT DIRECTLY IMPROVE COMMERCIAL PERFORMANCE?

 

Recently we managed to secure some funding for diversity training, tackling the subject in a very business-orientated way. We talked about the example of visiting a shop and not being tempted to buy or feeling intimidated as you did not recognise someone that looks like yourself in any of the shop assistants. In addition, we discussed the importance of reaching out on a proactive basis to under-represented groups to resolve skills shortages and provide role models at a senior level in the organisation.

 

To us at Fluid, diversity is one of those rare low cost/high return strategic options that produces clear quantification of benefits. Losing top talent because of a discriminatory and exclusive culture is a costly business. This may mean high-performers join competitors because they don’t feel like they belong; alternatively it can be mothers returning to employment who have been treated in a negative way by their former employers.

 

McKinsey's 2007 ‘Women Matter’ report showed that companies with a critical mass of women at the top delivered 10% higher return on capital employed, 48% higher earnings before interest and tax, 1.7 times higher stock price than those with the fewest women.

 

As far as we are concerned, improving diversity is an area that needs investment in learning and development, as the UK demographics alter and an increasing number of private and public sector work is only awarded to suppliers with a diversity breakdown that reflects their local community.

 

HOW CAN ORGANISATIONS DEVELOP MANAGERS IN A SITUATION THAT IS LOW-COST AND NOT BUSINESS CRITICAL?

 

Good manager-subordinate relationships are one of the main reasons why employees stay working at a particular organisation. To reduce the costs that result from excessive staff turnover, we recently completed a successful project for a professional services firm seeking to equip managers with skills that will motivate people in their teams and recognise difference. Managers were selected to work in teams on an external project in the community, which helped to raise the organisation’s contribution to corporate social responsibility.

 

To suit the culture of the organisation, we recommended a project-based approach in preference to e-learning or a classroom-based course. Twenty emerging leaders were chosen and split into two groups, each charged with creating a development day for 30 sixth-form students from schools in the North East of England. Surveys and interviews were completed with teachers, pupils and other stakeholders to prepare the way. It was then up to emerging leaders to work with facilitators, conduct training needs analysis, design and deliver.

 

Students from different schools and backgrounds wanted sessions on topics that included:

• self-esteem
• problem-solving
• interviewing
• team working
• making an impact

The event began with a day of planning where the brief was explained then participants presented their training needs analysis, plus their outline for the development day and the subsequent review day. With the Training Manager, we covered topics such as 'learning styles', 'coaching young people' and 'managing virtual teams' to help the teams focus their thoughts. At the end of the first day, each group had a plan of how they were going to pull their design together ready for the arrival of the sixth-formers in a month’s time.

The next stage involved action learning in sets. In the intervening four weeks participants were required to:

• focus on the needs of the students, not the teachers
• project manage the exercise
• design a programme that met those needs
• market it at the school, which turned out to be a combination of addressing the school assembly, using the website and notice boards
• organise enrolments
• liaise with caterers
• arrange transport to get the students to and from the event.

The two groups adopted different approaches. One group working with an all-boys school realised the importance of combining mental activities with physical; they chose to build a mediaeval catapult, where students had to complete certain tasks to allow them to buy apparatus for building a catapult that would be used in the siege of a well-defended castle. The winners were the team that first knocked a hole large enough for thirty soldiers to burst through the castle wall. The other group incorporated sessions on career planning, interview techniques and team building. However, both groups delivered an event that met user requirements and the feedback was positive from all the students. The client received fantastic feedback from the teachers, who said there was an incredible buzz on the coaches on the way home - unlike anything they'd seen before.

The purpose of the event was to challenge employees and make the learning a positive experience to take back to the workplace. People felt more motivated when they were involved in the project. Sharing how they felt led to a considerable honesty amongst the two teams as they broached issues such as whether or not they had let their team down or taken more/less of the burden during the learning process on themselves. In particular, the review revealed that all participants had been able to:

• identify the specific behaviours that would be important as senior managers
• practice these behaviours in a non-work environment and receive feedback
• stretch themselves and move out of their own comfort zone
• achieve learning through the use of a real, practical community project

They had achieved these advances because the process required them to:

• self-manage their teams,
• recognise that, in some cases, leaders just emerged
• split the tasks fairly amongst themselves
• assume responsibility
• adhere to their schedule and hit the critical points

Most importantly participants realised that 'the more you put in, the more you get out'. As managers they learnt that they need to engage people more to ensure that project outputs are reached. This has also been true in the ongoing learning sets. Those who took the process seriously have asked for further input from Fluid into sessions where they can invite speakers/complete exercises because they want to develop themselves further.

To conclude, we believe that failure to invest in learning and development is a false economy and can tarnish an organisation’s employer brand. This could have disastrous effects on retention and attraction. Through Government initiatives such as ‘Train to Gain’, we are happy to work with employers to ensure that all funding avenues are explored in order to keep financial outlay to a minimum.

Some canny employers recognise that a well-designed salary sacrifice scheme can increase net pay and reduce employer costs, attrition and absenteeism.

DO assess the environmental impact of the materials and energy you use, the waste and emissions you produce, your transport operations and the products you supply.

Fluid
Registered Office: 2 Abbey Court, Horsforth, Leeds LS18 4SA Tel: 0113 258 7335 Fax: 0113 258 3119
Mobile: 07751 536043  Email: tim@fluidconsultinglimited.com  Web: www.fluidconsultinglimited.com