In a rapidly evolving business landscape, fostering an environment that encourages continuous learning is no longer just a choice, but a necessity. As a business owner or manager, investing in the growth and development of your team members is a strategic decision that can yield remarkable benefits. By identifying skill gaps and areas for development, businesses can align employee goals and performance with those of the wider organisation.
At its core, the concept of Learning & Development (L&D) embraces the idea that individuals possess untapped potential waiting to be discovered and built upon. By providing opportunities for learning, upskilling and team building, companies can nurture personal and professional development across teams and the business itself.
What is Learning & Development?
Learning and Development (L&D) is a traditional HR strategy that is specifically focused on helping people learn new skills so that they’re motivated and productive at work. A L&D strategy is usually created by a business’ HR department, and communicated by the HR Manager. However, in a smaller business, it can be implemented by anyone from a Director to a Head of Department.
It is important to get the best out of a workforce to drive successful business performance. This can be achieved by developing a wide variety of skills and capabilities. In a recent survey by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development it was discovered that L&D strategy is extremely aligned with the needs of the business in a quarter of organisations (Annual Survey Report, Learning and Development 2015, CIPD) demonstrating the importance of L&D on the overall business strategy for many companies.
Team Learning and Development
Team Learning and Development provides an extra layer to an individual-centric L&D strategy. Team L&D is specifically focused on helping people learn new skills in teamwork so that the team can deliver the highest performance possible. In all organisations, this approach can be applied to short fixed-term project teams or any management teams tasked with a shared objective.
Benefits of Learning & Development
- Enhanced Employee Skill Sets. L&D programs provide opportunities for employees to acquire new skills, expand their knowledge base, and stay up-to-date with industry trends, increasing their expertise and value to the organisation. The more effort you put into the development of staff, the more they can bring to their role every day.
- Employee Engagement. L&D initiatives foster a sense of engagement and investment among employees, as they feel valued and supported in their personal and professional growth.
- Improved Performance and Productivity. By equipping employees with the necessary tools and knowledge, L&D initiatives enhance individual and team performance, leading to increased productivity and overall success.
- Talent Retention and Attraction. Organisations that prioritise L&D create an environment that attracts top talent and retains valuable employees. The opportunity for growth and development motivates individuals to stay committed and contribute to the organisation’s long-term success.
- Adaptability to Change. L&D programs enable employees to develop adaptability and resilience, equipping them with the skills necessary to navigate and embrace change. This enhances the organisation’s ability to respond effectively to market shifts and industry disruptions.
5 Ways Learning & Development Can Improve Team Performance
1. Improves Team Dynamics
Poor team dynamics can undermine the success of a project and reduce morale and engagement. As a result, the group may not explore options effectively and will more likely make the wrong choice. It is vital that a group understands how it can develop, therefore pre-empting any problems that could arise. Understanding each others’ preferences allows us to read our colleagues better, interpret their intentions more accurately and adapt our behaviour through training to the best mutually beneficial outcome.
L&D in Action – At Team Tactics we take an interest in the collective potential of all team members so that they can grow as a whole. Our Team L&D experiences determine the importance of team dynamics within the workplace through a variety of different activities.
Most Popular Event – It’s A Rat Trap – an excellent team building activity to encourage teams to work better together. This activity requires teamwork, problem solving and collaboration.
2. Builds Team Leadership Skills
Good leadership within a team tends to result in a motivated team with a clear direction, while also having the ability to accept responsibility for mistakes or wrong decisions. The ability to lead effectively relies on a number of key skills, but it is also important to consider that different leaders have very different characteristics and styles. Team leadership development focuses not only on the impact that the leader makes on the team but also the way that the team responds to the leader, this can be achieved through skills development.
L&D in Action – Our team leadership challenges aim to develop emerging leaders to help them motivate, enthuse, build respect and have the ability to adapt through training to changing circumstances.
Most Popular Event – Game of Zones – The Futuristic Zone, Ocean Zone, Medieval Zone and Industrial Zone test teams to their limits as they race against time to complete interactive and fun challenges in this iPad treasure hunt. The variety brings out natural differences between individual leadership styles and presents the opportunity for some seriously active learning.
3. Adds Value To Existing Team Building Events
Team building events have long been recognised as a valuable tool for fostering collaboration and teamwork within organisations. They provide an opportunity for team members to connect, build relationships, and enhance communication skills. However, when combined with Learning and Development (L&D) strategies, team building events can offer even greater value and a significantly higher return on investment.
While traditional team building events focus on creating a fun and engaging atmosphere, Team L&D takes things to the next level by incorporating explicit learning opportunities. By integrating structured learning activities into team building events, organisations can maximise the potential for growth and development among their team members.
4. Improves Communication Skills & Self-Awareness
Within a high performing team, team members feel inspired and understand that what they are doing is of great importance. In high-performing teams, differences are addressed quickly, requiring a level of maturity. L&D helps team members to understand their position, roles and responsibilities, and how they offer immense value to the organisation. When disagreements do happen, staff understand how to resolve situations productively to help reach the end goal.
L&D In Action – Learning and development enables teams to develop their self-awareness, their understanding of others and to identify opportunities to turn good into great. Teams will share a clear vision of what they want to achieve and how to accomplish this goal together.
Most Popular Event – The Bigger Picture – Designed to allow participants to express themselves, The Bigger Picture provides a fun way to align vision by creating the necessity to understand each other’s interpretation of the vision clearly.
5. Increases The Chance Of Future Team Success
We all love a good ‘light bulb’ moment, they often provide us with valuable revelations about an inspiring idea that can be put to practice in the workplace. New ideas and creativity are the driving force for innovation and enable a successful future. By investing in L&D strategies, organisations increase the likelihood of future team success by promoting the development of new ideas and fueling innovation.
L&D In Action – A wide selection of our team building events require team members to flex their creative thinking skills and work together to create something unique. Placing your team in situations where they have to collaborate effectively will help to improve their performance in the workplace massively.
Most Popular Event – Robot Wars – In this exciting event, team members must work together to create, customise and name their own robot to compete against their colleagues in a multitude of challenges. Only one team can win!
Strengthen Your Workforce With Team Tactics
Employee learning and development not only provides benefits to the individual, but also to the business, helping it to continue running effectively. Staff are the key asset in driving businesses forward demonstrating the importance of constant development of team members. From graduate development, on-boarding programmes, induction training, board level strategy development to training development, team learning and development has a versatile approach which can be used in a variety of areas of businesses.
At Team Tactics we apply our extensive experience to a number of different team building activities. Our events foster collaboration, teamwork, determination and drive to achieve goals together as a team. With almost 30 years’ experience providing unique corporate events throughout London and the rest of the UK, we have built a strong portfolio of events with guaranteed success. Get in touch with our expert team today for more information on how you can transform your team!
