In an evolving landscape, learning & development professionals face the challenge of ensuring an organization’s workforce can learn and change and adapt to the requirements of the workplace of the future.

Commissioned by the Irish Institute of Training and Development (IITD), Learning & Development In Organisations: Strategy, Evidence, and Practice provides a comprehensive and thematic overview of the thinking, research evidence, and practice of strategic L&D in organizations. It covers both strategic and operational practice dimensions, helping students of L&D and HRM to acquire a deep understanding of the field and informing the practice of L&D professionals by identifying the best available evidence on L&D practices and by providing them with guidelines for action. It builds on the core operational building blocks of L&D to take a strategic perspective, emphasizing the contribution of L&D to organizational and financial performance, and supplementing research with real-life case examples drawn from organizations across the world.

Each chapter contains:

  • Concise explanations of key concepts found within the field of L&D
  • Critical reflection exercises that help the reader to engage with key concepts and debates within the field
  • A best available evidence to inform practice feature to summarize the results of meta-analysis and systematic/integrative reviews in a manner that is accessible to practitioners
  • Three case studies as examples of application to practice relevant to the chapter’s content
  • Recommended further reading that allows the reader to enhance their understanding of the chapter content

Three key sections cover different aspects of L&D:

  • Section One: Concepts and Context of L&D in Organisations: Chapter 1 discusses the concepts of L&D, the external and internal context of L&D, and the key dimensions of strategic L&D in organizations. Chapters 2 and 3 introduce readers to the key theoretical and conceptual foundations of strategic L&D and its key components, including strategy processes, roles, and resources;
  • Section Two: Theory and Practice of L&D: Chapters 4 to 14 explain the main theories, concepts, models, and practices that underpin strategic L&D in organizations. This section covers a wide range of issues that L&D practitioners need to better understand the design, delivery, and evaluation of L&D in organizations;
  • Section Three: Developing the L&D Professional and the Future Role of L&D: Chapters 15 and 16 cover the changing roles of L&D practitioners in organizations, their competence development, professional ethics, and the future of strategic L&D, including potential new roles and forms of L&D.

Welcoming the book, Sinead Heneghan, IITD’s CEO, said, “IITD is very pleased to be associated with this book and would like to extend our sincere thanks to all who have been involved in producing such an up-to-date, reader-friendly book which is aimed at all those who work in, or indeed have an interest, in the area of L&D. In particular, we applaud the work of Professor Thomas Garavan in conducting the research that underpins the book and also would like to thank all the member companies of IITD and other L&D professionals who participated in the research. We believe that Learning & Development In Organisations: Strategy, Evidence, and Practice will set the agenda and become an invaluable resource for L&D professionals in the future.”

Learning & Development In Organisations: Strategy, Evidence, and Practice, by Thomas Garavan, Carole Hogan, Amanda Cahir-O’Donnell and Claire Gubbins is published in print and ebook formats by Oak Tree Press and is available from good bookshops and Oak Tree’s website, www.SuccessStore.com.