1. Strategic Importance of Learning
CDIB – 7 March 2012
Elspeth Woods

2. Aims and Objectives
The aim of this session is for students to find out more about their individual strengths and weaknesses in the context of personal development
By the end of the session – students will be able to:-
Define learning
explain the different ways people learn
Identify their personality type using Jung/Myers Briggs type indicators
Reflect on their personal strengths and weaknesses in the context of career options

3. Agenda 9.30 Recap on last week – Quiz
9.45 Delivery – Strategic importance of learning
Break
10.30 Exercise – Personality Online Testing
11.00 Plenary
Personal reflection – strengths and weakness SWOT analysis
Summary and close

4. Learning
If organisations are to keep ahead of the game their learning and development must be strategic
CIPD annual report 2000 said “People are our only source of differentiation and sustainable competitive advantage” (Beattie 2002)
“Staff management and development will become the primary weapon available to managers to generate success” (Rana 2000)

5. Knowledge – Human Capital
HC includes knowledge and competencies that can be developed by learning to achieve higher performance.
Increase HC you increase competitiveness
Traditional economy – what is that?
Converting raw materials to products e.g. metal into cars
Knowledge economy differs how?
Added value comes from taking good ideas and developing them into services
Intangibles , intellectual property, knowledge assets

6. Question?
What organisations can you think of that rely particularly on knowledge?
Law firms
Architects
Colleges and Universities
What other business couldn’t function without knowledge?
Almost all – customer info; of products; competitors etc

7. The Learning Organisation
A learning organisation is one that learns and encourages learning amongst its people, promoting exchange of information between employees, hence creating a more knowledgeable workforce.
This produces a very flexible organisation where people will accept and adapt to new ideas and changes through a shared vision.

8. Principles of learning
Education – broad based “training for life” and society
Training – Particular to work, specific tasks
Development – personal growth, as organisations and employees require a broader range of skills
It takes place when an individual has understood and internalised new information and/or new skills as a result of an experience. Evidence is change of behaviour. It’s active and can happen socially, systematically or experientially

9. Personal Characteristics
Motivation plays a part in how you learn
Must be capable of learning
Personality: What is it?
Research confirms that career choice linked to personality type – Holland (1985)
Exercise: - Study the table and try to find a set of personality traits that you identify with. How does it relate to your career plans?

10. Personality Type Occupational Choice Realistic Investigative Social
Outdoor type, enjoys and usually good at physical activities needing strength and/or coordination
Farming, sport related, carpentry, architecture
Investigative
Tends to get involved in observing, organising and understanding data. Good at abstract thought
Mathematics, Engineering, Dentistry
Social
Enjoys company of others more than intellectual or physical activity. Tends to be warm, caring and enjoys process of informing, training and enlightening others
Religion, Social Work, Diplomatic Services
Teaching
Conventional
Likes rules, regulations, structure and order. Prepared to subordinate personal needs to situations where personal or organisational power and status exist. Usually well organised but not very imaginative
Accounting, finance, military, clerical work
Artistic
Dislikes ordered and repetitive situations. Prefers to express feelings and ideas and to be imaginative. Enjoys drama, music and art
Advertising, interior design, entertainment business
Enterprising
Enjoys activity rather than observation and reflection. Likes to use verbal communication skills to persuade others and gain power and status
Publishing, Employee relations, sales management
Adapted from Holland (1985) Reproduced with permission from Pearson Education Ltd

11. Let’s try Jung/Myers Briggs type test
Have a go yourself and copy your report – if it won’t let you copy it try to save it electronically in your file

12. SWOT Analysis
Working on your own – create your own SWOT analysis of your strengths and weaknesses and what the threats and opportunities are for your preferred career choices.
Be honest with yourself – it’s meaningless otherwise
You don’t need to share it but if you’d like to there will be an opportunity
You will need this for your unit portfolio.

13. Summary Feedback from testing/SWOT - discussion
Did we meet our objectives during this session?
What do we think we need to cover next week?