Learning and Development (5th ed.)

Citation

Harrison, R. (2010), "Learning and Development (5th ed.)", Human Resource Management International Digest, Vol. 18 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/hrmid.2010.04418fae.001

Learning and Development (5th ed.)

Article Type: Suggested reading From: Human Resource Management International Digest, Volume 18, Issue 6

Rosemary HarrisonChartered Institute of Personnel and Development2009ISBN: 9781843982166

The fifth edition of Learning and Development incorporates a significant number of contemporary initiatives and perspectives, in a fluent and conversational style.

Rosemary Harrison has produced a valuable and accessible text that targets Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) students and contains sample review questions related to the chapters as well as the CIPD’s learning and development generalist standard and performance indicators.

The book includes a glossary of terms, an introductory section, reflection breaks, case examples, review questions and further information sources.

It has a case study about the troubles faced by Northern Rock, making it topical and still having value in the longer term as a cautionary tale about economic hubris and the need for HR to take a more active stance in managing the excesses that brought about the recession.

The book acknowledges that learning and development are complex, challenging and dynamic and have “fuzzy” boundaries. This probably made it a challenge for Harrison to decide what content should be included and what left for others to address. Indeed, it is encouraging to see a text that incorporates national issues and policies regarding vocational education and training, thus encouraging greater integration between those professions responsible for people development.

The book is divided into four parts and a total of 18 chapters. The first section, “Understanding the Field”, considers learning and development in organizations and emphasises the importance of theoretical frameworks. To add life and color to these “dry” theories, Harrison punctuates the text with stories that illustrate the complexity and range of perspectives, thus avoiding a black-and-white ideological view.

The following two chapters are devoted to vocational education and training (VET) in the UK, with particular attention to the agenda in England. The challenge, as ever, is keeping up-to-date with events; the references to the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills have been overtaken with the department’s replacement by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. This change is another example of structural reform that is designed to remedy the limitations of the previous department. In fact this continual reorganization of departments has left a system that now has no department with education or universities in its title. This divisive thinking, rather than joining up the threads of a comprehensive national knowledge-management and learning strategy (see Harrison and Kessels’ book, Human Resource Development in a Knowledge Economy) potentially retards sectoral development and holds back progress for the country as a whole.

The second part, “Getting to Grips with the Practice”, contains six chapters that examine the nature of learning, workplace learning, performance management, the training cycle and ethical practice.

The third part, “Making a Business Contribution”, examines learning and development in a number of sectors including the National Health Service and small and medium-size enterprises. In addition, it examines managing the learning and development function, producing and implementing a learning and development strategy, learning and development partnerships and adding value.

The final part describes challenges for the future; talent and career development; developing leaders and managers; and challenges for the profession. This agenda is needs to be considered in depth in order to increase the influence and contribution learning and development specialists make to their organizations.

Reviewed by John P. Wilson, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.

A longer version of this review was originally published in Industrial and Commercial Training, Vol. 42 No. 1, 2010.