INTRODUCTION

Planning is a process of developing strategies to accomplish the goals. Planning in

organizations provides a logical framework approach to the goal. It helps to improve the
performance of the company. Planning, learning and development is becoming
increasingly important in all organizations to become successful in the present
competitive world. There are various planning models like strategic planning, Issue
based planning, alignment planning, scenario planning, organic planning etc.., People
have to continue learning to develop their skills along with the changing world. Learning
theories like behaviorism, cognitive, constructivism, design-based and humanism
theories will help in understanding the importance of the L&D in the organization. The
concept of identifying and analyzing the importance of training and learning is
necessary at different levels. The various theories and models have a functional
involvement for L&D research and practice. However, all the models present only a
partial imminent in actual workplace. Learning and development is concerned with how
the individuals can gain the knowledge and skills which will assist them to execute the
performance well in his future career. Planning is very important and has to be done
properly to attain a goal of the organization.Development occurs as a result of the
learning,coaching,mentoring,training,planning etc..The motivation of learning and
development may differ in individuals depending on their goals.Through Learning
people should change from what they were and should be able to produce a proper
output.
Learning and Development
• Learning is a system that aquaints people with the material and technology
needed.It helps them to use the material in an approved manner.To perform the
assigned task,all the employees need to apply the unique technology governing
their tasks.
• Development is a trajectory of an individual or an organization which takes place
as a result of learning and may be through experience or suppoerted by
training,education and other work place based activities.
 • Management development planning term refers to the activities involved in
enhancing leaders', managers' and supervisor's abilities to plan, organize, lead
and control the organization and its members. Consequently, many view the term
"management development" to include executive development (developing
executives), leadership development (developing leaders), managerial
development (developing managers) and supervisorial development (developing
supervisors).
• Management development is an effort that enhances the learner's ability to
manage organizations. Managing includes activities of planning, organizing,
leading and coordinating resources. A critical skill for anyone is the ability to
manage their own learning
• The main purpose of learning and development as a process is to help
collective improvement through the joint and expert stimulation and facilitation of
learning and knowledge that support business goals,develop individual potential
and build on diversity.

• Leaning and development provides a wide range of activities to improve the

capacity of the individual. L&D can be designed to deliver specific skills in a short
time to meet an immediate need or can be designed to attain broader
requirements over a longer period.
Theories surrounding Learning
There are various theories surrounding the learning and development which include
• Behaviourism theories
• Cogtnitivism theories
• Humanism thories
• Social and situational theories etc..,
✔ There are different roles for all the theories in the individual development.
✔ The key concepts(main purpose and view point) of these theories can be
compared in a tabular column for better understanding of the importance of the
learning theories in the development of an organization or an individual
Aspect Behaviourist cogtnitivist Humanist Social and
situational
Learning Thorndike, Koffka, Kohler, Maslow, Bandura, Lave
theorists Pavlov, Lewin, Piaget, Rogers and Wenger,
Watson, Ausubel, Salomon
Guthrie, Hull, Bruner, Gagne
Tolman,
Skinner
View of the Change in Inner mental A personal act Interaction or
learning behavior process to fulfill the study in social
process (including potential of an contexts.
insight, individual. Movement from
information the periphery to
processing, the centre of a
memory, community of
perception practice
Locus of Stimuli in Internal Affective and Learning is in
learning external cognitive cognitive needs association
environment structuring between people
and
environment.
Purpose in Produce Develop Become self- Complete
education Behavioral capacity and actualized, participation in
change in skills to learn independent. communities of
desired better practice and
direction utilization of
resources
Educator's or Arranges Structures Facilitates Works to
trainer’s role environment to content of development of establish
extract desired learning activity the whole communities of
response person practice in which
conversation and
contribution can
occur.

The needs analysis model of McGehee and Thayer suggested that the research should
be done at different levels
a) Individual level analysis:- Analysing the performance of an individual
b) Job level:-Identifying the amount of knowledge and skill required for a specific job
c) Organizational level:-Analyzing the requirement of training in the organization.

PLANNING:

Planning consists of some essential and significant aspects to be considered, which

include goals, strategies, resources, objectives, tasks etc.,

Goals:

Goals are the important aspects that should be accomplished in total by the
organization. Goals are mission of an organization.

Strategies and achievements:

To achieve the goals in the organization strategies should be planned and followed.
Strategies are the processes in the system.

Objectives:
Objectives are specific targets that must be accomplished to achieve the goal in total.
To achieve the goals, objectives are the milestones, which should be implementing the
strategies.

Tasks:

In organizations people are usually assigned with various tasks to implement the plans.
If the scope of the plan is small then the responsibilities and activities are essentially the
same.

Resources:

Resources in an organization include people, material, technologies, money etc.., which

are required to implement the strategies to accomplish the goals. Costs of these
resources are estimated in the form of budget.

Planning models

• There is no one perfect planning model for each organization. All the
organization ends with developing their own environment and model of
planning, often by selecting a model and modifying it as they go along in
developing their own planning process.
• The models like strategic planning, Issue based planning, alignment planning,
scenario planning, organic planning etc.., provide a range of alternatives from
which organizations might select and start to develop their own planning
process.
• An organization might choose to integrate different planning models, e.g., work
force planning model in an organisation is used in developing and retaining the
staff. Using a scenario model to creatively identify strategic issues and goals,
and then an issues-based model to carefully strategize to address the issues and
reach the goals.
 • Planning determines the future of the organization. The focus of strategic
planning is mainly on the entire organization, while the focus of the business plan
is usually on a service, product or program.
• The planning is developed depending on the nature of the leadership, size,
capability of planners etc.., in the organization.
• Development of the planning greatly helps to clarify the organization's plans and
make sure that key leaders are all "in the same play".
• The process of planning is more important than the strategic plan document.

1. Basic strategic model

• Basic strategic model of planning is a very fundamental process is normally
followed by organizations that are enormously small, busy, and have not done
much planning before. Planning is usually conceded out by top-level
administration. This basic strategic planning process includes:
a. Identifying the function of the organization (mission statement) - This
describes the organization its basic purpose. The statement should explain what
are the client needs are and what are the services expected by them. The top-
level management should develop and agree on the mission statement. The
statements will change over the years.
b. Selecting the goals the organization must achieve - Goals are about what the
organization need to accomplish to meet the purpose.
c. Identify specific strategies that must be implemented to reach the goal - By
closely examining the environments of the organization or by conducting PEST
and SWOT analysis specific strategies should be implemented to accomplish the
goals
d. Implement the action plans for each strategy - These are the definite actions
that each department must undertake to make sure that the implementation of
each strategy is done properly. Objectives should be clear, to the extent that
public can assess if the objectives have been met. The top management should
ideally develop detailed committees that each has a work plan.
 e. Monitoring the plan - Planners frequently reflect on the level to which the goals
are being reached and whether the action plans are being implemented correctly.
The most significant indicator of accomplishment of the organization is the
positive feedback from the customers. Monitoring requires existing and
appropriate data. When the plans are not being implemented according to
targeted time, corrective actions must be implemented to reach the target.

1. Issue based Model

Organizations that start with the “basic” planning evolve to using this wider ranging and
more efficient type of planning.

Issue-Based (or Goal-Based) Planning

The organizations may not perform all the following activities every year.
1. External and internal measurement to identify “SWOT” and “PESTEL”.
2. Calculated analysis to classify and prioritize major issues and goals.
3. Design most important programs to address issues and goals.
4. Design and update idea, mission and principles. Some organizations may do follow
this step first in planning.
5. Establish action plans for implementing the plans.
6. Document the analysis, issues, goals and action plans of the organization.
7. Develop the yearly Operating Plan record.
8. Develop and approve financial plan for year one.
10. Monitor, estimate and update Strategic Plan document

3. Alignment Model

The main principle of this model is to make sure that there is a strong alignment
between the organization’s mission and its resources to efficiently function the
organization. This model is useful for organizations that require altering strategies and
finding out the problem during the function of a plan. An organization plans to choose
this model if it’s facing a large amount of issues.

4. Workforce planning model

Effective workforce plan is an important tool to identify appropriate.

An organization that does not plan its future is not likely to have one

-Ronald Gunn,

Management consultant, strategic futures

consulting group.

_______________________________________________
Effective workforce plan is an essential tool to identify suitable staffing levels and
validate budget allocations so that organizations can accomplish their objectives.
Workforce planning is a efficient process for identifying the human capital necessary to
meet the organization goals and developing the strategies to meet their requirements.

_____________________________________________________________________

To accomplish my mission, I must have talented people in the right jobs

with the right skills at the right time and in the right way.

-Janice

Lachance,

Director, U.S office of personnel

Management

Workforce planning model

Summary of work force Planning Model

a. Set Strategic direction

• This step involves linking between the workforces planning process with the
organization strategic plan.
• The main purposes of workforce planning are to ensure that an organization has
the required workers to support their mission and strategic plan. Those
responsible for workforce planning should identify the organization’s mission and
the objectives of its strategic plan
b. Analyze workforce, Identify skill gaps and conduct workforce analysis

Analysis of workforce data is the main element in the workforce planning process.
Workforce analysis usually considers information such as occupations, skills and
experience, retirement eligibility, diversity, turnover rates, and trend data.

c. Develop and implement action plans

Implementation brings your workforce plan to life. You may need a separate action plan
to address the implementation of each strategy in the workforce plan.

The workforce plan should be implemented in connection with the requirements of the
organization’s strategic plan. If the strategic plan changes due to unanticipated
customer, leadership, or legislative changes, adjustments to workforce plan strategies
may be necessary.

d. Monitor, Evaluate, and Revise

The evaluation and adjustments are very important in workforce planning and are keys
to continuous improvement. Although a workforce plan should cover five years, it should
be reviewed annually. If an Organization does not regularly review its workforce
planning efforts, it runs the risk of failing to respond to unexpected changes.

GENERAL STEPS IN PLANNING PROCESS

Step No. Activity Human resources concerns
1 Identify the mission of Identifying the mission and managers should publicize
the organization and support the end result: a philosophy to guide
decision-makers.
2 Scan the environment Managers should know what’s going on in the
organization
3 Analyse the situation SWOT and PESTEL analysis is usually done to analyse
the current situation of the organization.
4 Determine long term Results of the SWOT and PESTEL analysis will help in
goals setting the goals that are concerned with the mission.
5 Establish the strategies Strategies are developed to attain the goals of the
 organization
6 Identify interim The amount of work to be done in the short term to reach
objectives the long term goal should be considered. Human
resources staff should assure that a full complement of
properly trained staff are available

7 Assign time lines and Objectives will not be accomplished unless persons are
responsibilities held responsible to address them. Often the tasks must
be accomplished in addition to other responsibilities. If
they are not properly managed, it can create difficulties
and stress and delay achievement of objectives.
8 Communicate the plan The long-term plan should be communicated to
employees as it should progress in attaining The
managers’ help with communication of activities and their
support is important.
9 Monitoring the plan Monitoring requires existing and appropriate data. When
and taking correct the plans are not being implemented according to
actions targeted time corrective actions are essential. The role of
managers in this step depends on the accomplishment of
target that required corrective action.
10 Acknowledgement of a Responsibility cannot be delegated, but achievement is
successful plan not possible without the efficient performance of one’s
subordinates. The managers should be responsible if
plans are not accomplished and plans can only be
flourishing because of the assistance and help of the staff
members who are involved in the work.
Acknowledgements like compensation, increase in the
salary (bonus) are examples of execution of celebrations.
11 Continuing the plan- The planning process should be part of a progressing
ning process plan. If a five year planning prospect is used. Every year
planners should move forward to additional year into the
 planning prospect, so that there are constantly long term
goals.

Example of Planning learning and development in APS(Australian

Public Service)

Efficient and effective achievement of government outcomes by Australian Public

Service (APS) agencies depends on the capabilities of their people. Capability building,
which is central to organizational performance, requires a systematic management
approach to learning and development as an integral part of workforce planning.

Key drivers of learning and development in the APS

• The expectations for more reactive and available government services have led
to different ways of delivering services by the APS. This system required novel
skills, altered work practices and changed cultures. The demand for core public
service skills remains same. The focus in learning and development has shifted
as a result, with more emphasis on producing a flexible and adaptable workforce
underpinned by a re-emphasis on sound administrative and financial skills.

• Shifting attitudes of today's workforce towards learning and development also

require a changed response by organization, reinforcing the need to provide
continual learning and development in order to attract and retain staff and to be
an employer of choice.

• The changing size, nature, career intentions and patterns of new entrants and
increased lateral engagement of older people, require a more structured
approach to learning and development. The APS also faces increased
competition for new entrants into the labor market and pressures on the retention
of skilled employees.
 • An increased emphasis by the Government and Parliament on performance
improvement and accountability for the effectiveness of learning and
development outcomes and expenditure, in a more devolved environment,
requires rigorous analysis and reporting on learning and development.

Key enabling features in managing learning and development

Everyone has a responsibility in managing learning and development to achieve
outcomes efficiently and effectively.

Learning and development are critical processes for enhancing productivity and
organizational performance. Research shows high-performing organizations in Australia
and overseas share certain features in relation to learning and development as follows:

• They align and integrate their learning and development initiatives with corporate
and business planning by reviewing existing activities and initiating new learning
programs to support corporate plans.

• The corporate culture supports these initiatives and addresses cultural barriers to
learning.

• They focus on the business application of training rather than the type of training,
and they consider appropriate learning options - de-emphasizing classroom
training and allowing staff time to process what they have learned on the job
consistent with adult learning principles.

• They evaluate learning and development formally, systematically and rigorously.

Approaches to people management in the APS

The principles in this guide are regardless of the framework adopted by organizations.
Whatever broad framework is adopted, effective learning and development requires a
systematic and structured approach driven from the top if it is to be successful.

Evaluation of the impact people development has on the organization

“The most common reason for evaluation is to determine te effectiveness so future
programs can be improved”says Donald.L.Kirkpatrick in supervisory Training and
development.L&D efforts are normally evaluated can be divided into three major
categories:
 • Contribution to organizational goals,
• Achievement of learning objectives and
• Perceptions of the learners and their managers
Most organizations carry out evaluation at the reaction level,but few attempts to assess
changes in behaviour of criteria of organizational effectiveness(Ralphs and
Stephan,1986;Saari et al..,1988;Training in Britain,1989). (Performance = Ability ×
Motivation ×Opportunity). People development will have a lot of impact on the
organization performance.
Competitive success through people involves fundamentally altering the way we think
about the workforce and the employment association. Success can be achieved by
working with people, not by replacing them or limiting the scope of their activities. Firms
that take this different perspective are often able to sucessfully outsmart and outperform
the rivals.

Conclusion
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John Bramham Human Resource Planning. 2ndedition, Institute of personnel and

development.

Ron Johnson The Perfect Business Plan, Arrow business books.

Rosemary Harrison Learning and development. 4thedition, Chartered Institute of

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