Welcome to another episode recap of the Harmonious Workplaces podcast. In Episode 106, organizational development consultant Rich Cruz and certified change management professional Ben Kleinman tackle a vital component of organizational culture: stakeholder engagement. Specifically, this episode dives deep into how learning, development, training, and discovery activities act as the ultimate forms of capability enablement during organizational change.
If you’ve ever wondered how to ensure your workforce has the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) to successfully adapt to changes, this breakdown is for you.
Decoding the Differences: Learning, Training, and Development
It is easy to lump learning, training, and development into one bucket, but they serve fundamentally different purposes within an organization. Rich and Ben break down these critical distinctions:
- Training: Training is viewed through the lens of management and efficiency. It is highly practical, focusing on building specific skills required to get work done in the present, while actively reducing risks and defects.
- Development: Development leans heavily toward leadership. It is future-oriented, inherently a bit “messier,” and focuses on long-term innovation, career growth, and value building.
While training is often an imposed necessity for a specific change initiative, learning and development thrive on personal agency and internal motivation. When organizations shift away from rigid, command-and-control training environments, employees feel a greater sense of autonomy. This autonomy actually stimulates the release of dopamine—the brain’s “feel-good” hormone—fostering higher engagement, whereas highly coercive environments spike distress-causing cortisol levels.
The Power of Discovery Activities in Change Management
Before rolling out any training program, organizations must engage in discovery activities. These activities form the bedrock of a healthy learning culture and generally consist of two phases: analyzing the current baseline (the “as-is” state) and imagining the required capabilities for the future (the “to-be” state).
This aligns perfectly with the ACMP Standard for Change Management, which emphasizes the need to “Assess Learning Capabilities”. Adopting a learner’s mindset and asking curious questions during discovery helps practitioners define the scope and complexity of the required L&D strategy. This strategy ultimately dictates the competencies needed, the delivery methods, and how the effectiveness of the training will be measured.
Scope Creep vs. Agile Development
A fascinating question raised in the episode is whether L&D during a change initiative should focus strictly on that specific change, or if it should also nurture an employee’s long-term career growth.
In a traditional Waterfall project management framework, adding long-term employee development to a specific change project might be viewed as scope creep. However, in an Agile framework—which is built for iterative changes and continuous value development—these broader learning opportunities can easily become a feature added to the next sprint.
Who Owns L&D? Bridging Technical Expertise and Pedagogy
A common organizational hurdle is determining where L&D should sit. Does it belong in Human Resources, a strategic function, or the operational department driving the change? While HR often strives to own this function, critical tacit knowledge usually resides deep within functional subcultures on the shop floor or in specific departments.
This creates a unique challenge: Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) often possess brilliant technical skills but lack pedagogical knowledge or the relational skills required to teach others effectively. Being an expert in a process does not automatically make someone an expert in training others.
So, what is the “One Thing” organizations can do to ensure their people develop the right capabilities? Rich recommends pairing your Subject Matter Experts with professionals who understand pedagogy and learning styles. When technical experts work in tandem with skilled trainers, organizations can masterfully transform raw knowledge into actionable capabilities.
Keep the Good Stuff from Walking Out the Door
Are you struggling to capture essential knowledge before your top performers retire or resign? As featured in this episode, the Knowledge to Performance Tree Model proves that when knowledge stays locked in people’s heads, performance gets wobbly and training doesn’t stick.
For a humorous but highly practical take on these common workplace communication blunders, check out Hermie the HR Hermit Crab’s cartoon book, Trust Fall, Pratt Falls. 👉 Visit our Hermie Page to learn more and grab your copy!
Build a More Capable Organization
Ready to foster an environment where your stakeholders are fully engaged, adaptable, and properly trained for the future state of your business? Our team of independent consultants specializes in corporate culture and organizational change management. 👉 Discover how we can help on our Solutions Page today!
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