Are Training and Development Professionals Needed in Learning Organizations?

       A learning organization is an organization that is continually expanding its capacity to create its future and provides methods that can be used to provide paths for organizational accomplishments (Kareem, 2016).  If an organization wants to expand its capacity, they should consider offering a benefit for the employee (the what is in it for them) factor and consistently seek innovation. Research has stated that a professional in the training a development should possess certain traits such as agreeableness, emotional stability, and extraversion (Sundstrom, Lounsbury, Gibson, & Huang, 2015). These traits can contribute to the expansion of a learning organization. To provide benefits and innovation to the employee organizations should consider a few variables. Per Sung & Choi (2013), the variables are organization size, market changes, technology trends, and incentive compensations. These variables are important factors to consider when developing beneficial and innovative training. The personality traits of the trainer closely relate to the characteristics of the trainee, which are according to Salas et.al., (2012), self-efficacy, goal orientation, and motivation to learn.

Kareem, J. (2016). The Influence of Leadership in Building a Learning Organization. IUP 

Journal of Organizational Behavior, 15(1) 7-18.

Sung, S. Y., & Choi, J.N. (2014).  Do organizations spend wisely on employees? Effects of 

training and development investments on learning and innovation in organizations. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 35(3), 393-412. 

Sundstrom, E.D., Lounsbury J. W., Gibson, L.W., & Huang, J.L. (2016). Personality Traits and 

Career Satisfaction in Training and Development Occupations: Toward a Distinctive T&D Personality Profile. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 27(1), 13-40.

Emerging Roles in Training and Development: Transformational Leadership

Research has revealed training and development professionals who employ three of the Big Five personality traits could handle various working environments (Sundstrom et. al., 2015). Training and development professionals are taking on the role of leader in many training settings (Helms, Arfken, & Bellar, 2016). They must lead in the class and in post training. Training and development professionals may need to assess their transformational leadership style; a transformational leader is one who supports, recognizes, corrects, and lays down expectations (Kareem, 2016). A training and development professional can exercise their mentoring skills within a transformational leadership style within the community of practice. A transformational leadership style correlates with the training and development competencies that require timely executions of responsibilities, dependability, and self-discipline (Sundstrom et. al., 2015). Being a mentor who is a leader and vice versa will play a factor in organizational learning as a whole. 

Helms, M. M., Arfken, D.E., & Bellar, S. (2016). The Importance of Mentoring and 

Sponsorship in Women’s Career Development. SAM Advanced Management Journal (07497075), 81(3), 4-16.

Kareem, J. (2016). The Influence of Leadership in Building a Learning Organization. IUP 

Journal of Organizational Behavior, 15(1) 7-18.

Sundstrom, E.D., Lounsbury J. W., Gibson, L.W., & Huang, J.L. (2016). Personality Traits and 

Career Satisfaction in Training and Development Occupations: Toward a Distinctive T&D Personality Profile. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 27(1), 13-40.

Three Methods a Trainer May Follow

     To facilitate roles such as coaching, collective learning, and mentoring, professionals in the training and development field have a plethora of methods they can utilize. We will discuss 3 of the 13 identified methods: Internship, Team-training, and Mentoring and apprenticeship. Ostrowski-Martin, Kolomitro, & Lam (2013) defined a training method as a set of systematic procedures, activities, or techniques. Coaching is typically delivered by managers and leadership. Coaching, unlocking one’s potential, can closely relate to the internship method which are trainings where the trainee is permitted to work in a position in which they are training for (Ostrowski-Martin, Kolomitro, & Lam, 2013). During an internship, training and development professionals can facilitate during the internship. Collective learning, the shared understanding amongst others, (Crossan et.al., 1999), can closely relate to the team-training method, the method of mutual knowledge within a team (Wheelan, 2005). A training and development professional can facilitate shared understanding amongst others to gain mutual knowledge hence collective learning within a team-training format. Mentoring which entails providing emotional support and feedback, Helms, Arfken, & Bellar, (2016) closely relates to the Mentoring and apprenticeship method which involves one-on-one partnership between a novice employee and a senior employee (Ostrowski-Martin, Kolomitro, & Lam, 2013). 

Crossan, M., Lane, H., & White, R. (1999). An organizational learning framework: From 

intuition to institution. Academy of Management Review, 24, 522-537.

Helms, M. M., Arfken, D.E., & Bellar, S. (2016). The Importance of Mentoring and 

Sponsorship in Women’s Career Development. SAM Advanced Management Journal (07497075), 81(3), 4-16.

Ostrowski-Martin B., Kolomitro K., & Lam T. (2014). Training Methods: A Review and 

Analysis. Human Resource Development Review. Vol 13, Issue 1, pp. 11 – 35

Wheelan, S. (2005). Promoting effective team performance through training. In D.E. Sims, E. 

Salas, & C.S. Burke (EDs.), The Handbook of Group Research and Practice (pp.407-426). Sage.

Three Common Themes of Training and Development Professionals

     The training and development professional can ascertain many roles across one’s career. Three themes are the roles of facilitating in three areas: enacting the coaching approach Swart & Harcup, (2012), embedding collective learning Swart & Harcup, (2012), and mentoring Helms, Arfken, & Bellar, (2016). Coaching is defined as the process of unlocking a person’s potential to maximize their own performance (Whitmore, 1996, p.8). I call it strategic empathetic unscripted questioning (S.E.U.Q.). This role differs from training in that training is to create sustainable changes in a person’s behavior and cognition so they can possess the competencies they need to perform the job (Salas et. al., 2012). Swart and Harcup (2012), state that coaching used in a variety of organizational settings does have an impact at the organizational level.

     Collective learning, the second theme, also known as group learning is a shared understanding amongst others and taking shared action (Crossan et.al., 1999). In comparison to various training methods, collective learning can also be compared to team-training which is one of the 13 identified training methods discussed by Ostrowski-Martin, Kolomitro, & Lam (2013) utilized by training and development professionals to assist in the transfer of learning. Team-training is a group of individuals that behave interactively, to either improve mutual knowledge within the team or to train the team on a specific job-related job function (Wheelan, 2005; Craig, 1996). The third theme research recognizes is also listed as one of the 13 identified training methods, which is mentoring (Ostrowski-Martin et., al.,2013). Mentors provide emotional support and feedback, share information about navigating organizational standards, strive to increase performance, and focus on the personal and professional development of the mentee (Helms, Arfken, & Bellar 2016). Training and development professionals are expected to create changes in a person’s cognitive behavior to be able to perform the job states (Salas et. al., 2012), therefore, by creating changes in a person’s thinking, the training and development professional can act as a mentor to the participants they are training. All three themes require a degree of agreeableness (one of the Big Five personality traits) (Sundstrom et. al., 2015). Multiple training and development roles involve fostering a supportive interpersonal relationship (coaching and mentoring) and the ability to train a team to collectively learn (collective learning or team-training) (Arnesen et al.,2013). How can you relate to these three themes?



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& Development Profession Redefined. Alexandria, VA. ASTD Press.

Helms, M. M., Arfken, D.E., & Bellar, S. (2016). The Importance of Mentoring and

Sponsorship in Women’s Career Development. SAM Advanced Management Journal (07497075), 81(3), 4-16.

Ostrowski-Martin B., Kolomitro K., & Lam T. (2014). Training Methods: A Review and

Analysis. Human Resource Development Review. Vol 13, Issue 1, pp. 11 – 35

Swart, J. & Harcup, J., (2012). “If I learn do we learn?’: The link between executive coaching

and organizational learning. Management Learning, Vol 44, Issue 4, pp. 337 – 354

Salas, E., Tannenbaum S., Kraiger K., & Smith-Jentsch K. (2012). The Science of Training and

Development in Organizations: What Matters in Practice. Psychological Science in the Public Interest. Vol 13, Issue 2, pp. 74 – 101

Sundstrom, E.D., Lounsbury J. W., Gibson, L.W., & Huang, J.L. (2016). Personality Traits and

Career Satisfaction in Training and Development Occupations: Toward a Distinctive T&D Personality Profile. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 27(1), 13-40.

Wheelan, S. (2005). Promoting effective team performance through training. In D.E. Sims, E.

Salas, & C.S. Burke (EDs.), The Handbook of Group Research and Practice (pp.407-426). Sage.

Whitmore, J. (1996). Coaching for Performance. London: Nicholas Brealey.