Learning From Others

Training and Development Strategies

It’s important to take learning out of the classroom and provide variety, but addressing the needs of the individual is the key to successfully developing your people.

Avril Gill, business manager for human resources and people development, Dunfermline Building Society.

The options for implementing a people development strategy have never been so diverse. Dunfermline Building Society uses an array of approaches to address individual needs.

Dunfermline Building Society employs 420 full-time staff, and has been recognised as an Investors in People company for the past 10 years. It has deeply engrained people development strategies, which it communicates and implements in a variety of ways.

Avril Gill, business manager for human resources (HR) and people development, says the company takes a holistic approach, threading development and training throughout the entire working experience in a bid to directly connect it to the company’s overall objectives. “Unlike other organisations, we don’t allot ‘x’ amount of hours for people development as this can often feel forced and become a hindrance.”

Instead the process starts on day one with inductions, and continues with constant assessment of people’s development needs and a proactive approach to learning. The building society has developed its own nationally recognised qualifications, holds in-house workshops, and provides a mentoring scheme from board level down. It firmly believes the training of its people is firmly attached to its success.

Gill says the organisation uses a selection of teaching methods, from guest speakers to DVDs, books, one-on-one and group coaching, and computer-based learning tools. “It’s about providing variety and finding the most effective approach,” she says.

However, for Gill, knowing the right kind of development to implement stems from understanding and analysing the individual – and matching their needs with the skills requirements of the company. “We’re constantly monitoring both the effect of training and employees’ performance to identify needs for further development and to find out what’s worked and also proved cost-effective,” she says.

There’s an emphasis on ensuring management is strong, effective and working. People are asked for their views on how they’re being managed in a process Gill calls “360 degree feedback”.

“We spend a lot of time on behavioural analysis,” she explains. “We ask people if they feel their manager is clearly communicating what is expected of them, for instance.” An anonymous annual staff survey also courts overall opinions on the company’s people policies.

Reviewing everything is an essential part of the strategy and the company is constantly evaluating if training is having the desired effect on both the individual and the company. “It’s just a case of constantly – and that means every day, week, month and annually – reviewing the impact of what you’re doing,” stresses Gill.

From internal feedback to working with Investors in People, Gill says there’s no single form of development that guarantees success. Instead, it’s a case of combining a variety of training and development approaches that meet not just the organisation’s needs but also work best for each individual.

“I’m a big believer in ‘different strokes for different folks’,” she says. “It’s important to take learning out of the classroom and provide variety, but addressing the needs of the individual is the key to successfully developing your people, and you learn that from constant analysis and feedback.”

Dunfermline Building Society’s five steps to successful people development

HR and people development manager Avril Gill explains why her organisation’s approach to developing its people works:
	“We take learning out of the classroom using a broad selection of training tools. It’s about providing variety and finding the most effective approach.”
	“We constantly assess the impact of different forms of learning we use to identify needs for further development and to find out what’s working.”
	“Feedback from our people is also vital in establishing what’s working and what’s not.”
	“Building learning into the working environment means people development won’t be seen as a token add-on.”
	“But the real key to our success is taking the individual into account when choosing the right form of development strategy.”