HR leaders are playing an integral role in driving change in their organisations as they champion learning and capability development to equip the workforce with new skills and experience that will prepare them for a future where it is crucial to be agile and nimble.
Satyakki Bhattacharjee, the Managing Partner at GrowthSqapes, is a Tavistock Certified Consulting Practitioner, Growth Mentor and Capability Advisor. He speaks to us about how a continuous process of learning through capability development can help organisations meet future business demands and help them to bring in newer and more innovative ideas to build a future-ready workforce.
Edited excerpts:
Tell us more about the philosophy behind the inception of GrowthSqapes.
Our core philosophy is the capability building of people for visible business impact. Our research finds that there is a strong correlation between performance and capability and that organizational capability is a function of human competence and capacity leading to business performance. Our philosophy of capability building lies in believing in the individual and developing individuals by taking them through development processes that transform them. In line with what Kurt Lewin says – “Change in behaviour is the only indicator of growth”. We support an organization’s effectiveness by developing its people to drive results. Growthsqapes was formed by keeping in mind the above philosophy, to help organizations paint their landscape of growth through their people.
How does capability development help organizations meet the future demands of the business?
You see, the mission, vision and high-level strategies are formulated at the board and strategic management level to determine the future destination of the organization. To map a path towards the future, who takes the organization there? It’s people. People with their capacities and competencies, attitudes, feeling and conduct within organizational boundaries, constraints, roles, tasks, knowledge, ethos and energy levels move the organization to the next level. Given the tectonic shifts that are happening in the business world, more so for Covid-19, the capability needs of organizations have also shifted towards being more demanding. That’s where we come in to support organizational plans towards capability building for the future.
How does a focus on employee development and growth help reduce attrition and foster growth in the post-pandemic world?
Actually, I must say this…when it comes to managing attrition in organizations, most HR business partners are watering the leaves. Attrition is the final act of separating from the organization. It may appear sudden, but it is a result of a long internal thought process of the outgoing employee. The employee had been nurturing the ‘turnover intention’ in her mind for a long. The HR partners’ tactical radars are probably always missing to sense this inner dynamic at the self-level within the employee. Developing the employee on multiple aspects not only makes him/her more competent, but it also improves the self-worth and preparedness to face uncertainties. Also, in the post-pandemic world, the employee as well as the employer is looking for stability. Here also, development could be a significant retainer.
How do HR leaders create a culture of continuous learning and engagement in their organizations through capability development?
When L&D is viewed through the lens of capability building for business impact, it gets linked to business processes and thus has to follow a process continuum. That translates into the culture over a period of time. Those HR leaders and their organization who believe that learning is not seasonal or an ad hoc activity, they put in systems and processes for learning to happen around the year across levels to support business impact via capability building of its human capital.
How can organizations infuse technology and innovation into their L&D initiatives to enable agility for a future-ready workforce?
The future workforce is tech-savvy, more exposed to alternate methods and mediums of information exchange. Their attention is much sharper though in a lesser span. New methods of learning generation and distribution must happen to cater to them for their effective assimilation. Bite-sized learning with speed, ease, and richness is the way to go, I guess. The future of learning technologies is a rising sun and even more radical innovation is round the corner. Organizations will need to assess what best suits their learning needs, learner maturities and intended learning outcomes and use an innovative blend of human and technological interfaces to cater to the learning needs of the future-ready workforce.
