Human Resources Development: Learning Theories and Training at Tesco

This report examines human resource development within Tesco Plc, focusing on learning theories, training methods, and evaluation techniques. It begins by exploring different learning styles (Activist, Reflector, Theorist, and Pragmatist) and their application in an organizational context. The report then delves into the learning curve and the importance of transfer learning in the workplace, illustrating how employees' skills and knowledge can be developed through training. Furthermore, it discusses the planning and design of training programs, including the assessment of training needs and the advantages and disadvantages of various training methods. The report also covers evaluation methods for training events and the impact of government-led skills development initiatives. Overall, the report provides a comprehensive overview of HR development, including the importance of training and development for an organization's success.

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Human Resources Development
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Lecturer’s Name

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Contents
Human Resources Development.................................................................................................................1
By.................................................................................................................................................................1
Date.............................................................................................................................................................1
Name...........................................................................................................................................................1
Lecturer’s Name..........................................................................................................................................1
Human Resources Development.................................................................................................................2
LO1 Understand learning theories and learning styles ...............................................................................4
Compare the different learning styles.....................................................................................................4
Explanation of the role of the learning curve and the importance of transfer learning to the workplace
.................................................................................................................................................................7
Assessment of the contribution of different learning styles and theories on the planning and designing
of a learning/training event.....................................................................................................................9
LO2 Ability to plan and design training and development.........................................................................10
Compare and discuss the training needs of staff at different levels of an organisation.........................10
Assessment of the advantages and disadvantages of the methods of training used in an organisation
...............................................................................................................................................................12
Use a systematic approach to planning training and development for a training event for new
employees in an organisation................................................................................................................13
LO3 Ability to evaluate a training event.....................................................................................................14
Prepare an evaluation plan using suitable techniques you are planning for.........................................14
How to carry out an evaluation of the training event you have planned...............................................15
Review the success of the evaluation methods used.............................................................................17
LO4 Understand government-led skills development initiatives...............................................................18
Explain the role of government in training and development and the growing emphasis on lifelong
learning..................................................................................................................................................18
Explain how the development of the competency movement has impacted on the public and private
sectors...................................................................................................................................................19
Assess how contemporary training initiatives introduced by the UK government contribute to human
resources development of an organisation...........................................................................................19
References.............................................................................................................................................21
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LO1 Understand learning theories and learning styles
Technically this project initiates the program of human resource development of the organisation
named as Tesco, Plc. The company is needed to train their employees in a perfect and
consecutive manner. (McGuire, Garavan and Dooley, 2012) The learning abilities of the
employees in the organisation should have to be emphasised as well as they can evaluate their
trained skills for the organisation. When an organisation gets some dedicated staffs for their
organisation, the company runs with much satisfaction. The workflow of the organisation goes to
the upward of the success. So that the procedure of training and development is much needed for
a reputed organisation.
Compare the different learning styles
There are some basic learning styles for an organisation by which the organisation can
improve the quality of the work of their employees. By the help of variant learning styles, the
employees of the organisation get able to access their talent and skills in a respective way so
that organisation as well as get the benefits from the market. (Saunders and Tosey, 2015)
Several kinds of learning styles are there through which the employees can make their skills
and knowledge for the sake of their work. The organisation needs all their workers to be
dedicated to the service of their consumers that is why every organisation wants their
employees to be wise enough that they can handle the different kinds of customers as well as
the customer services. (Rigg, Stewart and Trehan, 2008) Those variant learning styles are
discussed below which can improve the performance of the employees at the organisation.
Specified theories are there by which the learning procedure works with. Honey and
Mumford could define specific learning theories or styles by which an organisation can move
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towards betterment in the competing market of business. For Tesco Plc, there are such
relevant learning theories of Honey and Mumford. The learning theories are to be precise,
Activist, Reflectors, Theorists and finally Pragmatists. These all kinds of learning styles are
defined at the below of the text.
Activists
This is some learning style where the employees would discuss the different functions of
Tesco, as well as the abilities of the employees, would also be discussed here. To some
extent, this type of learning style is involved with a very practical forecast where the
employees will know how to work on different issues in the practical work field of the
organisation. (Ramnarayan and Rao, 2011) Along with this if the situation comes where the
company would try to introduce some new kind of grocery item in the market, the employees
will work on the research methodologies for the introduction of new product at the
competing industry of grocery items.
Reflectors
This specific type of learning procedure is involved to the matters of working style in the
field of work. As the employees can get the review of their work performance, they can work
on it to emphasise the skills they have. On the other hand, the employees can make sure that
they can expand their qualities which are involved in increasing the betterment of the
organisation as well as the personal talents which the employees have gotten already. In
Tesco, the employees can be able to get a lot of feedback from the consumers or the
customers of the company. (Vandeveer and Menefee, 2010) The colleagues of the workers
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can also provide the feedback and it also help to review the personal skills and talents and
those can be enhanced by the workers as well as; so that this theory of learning procedure can
help the employees to achieve the good will at the organisation.
Theorists
This particular type of learning procedure would help to analyse the workers that have
involved the employees in a specific job. In this learning program, the employees would be
given some strategic work to evaluate. Workers would find the difficulties for this specific
work and put their methodologies to apply there, and the work would be analysed critically
which would also help the employees to make decisions over that task. The employees will
reach to all the positive and negative approaches to the work, and then the work will have
proceeded towards the conclusion this whole procedure works over very minute and precise
analysis so that the expected conclusion would be easy enough for the employees who are
working on this specific work or task.
Pragmatists
Before initiating a wok, it is needed the planning procedure. How the work would be done in
the smoothest way, it can have. In Tesco Plc, the workers are needed to differentiate the task
properly at first. Then the planning procedure would be analysed critically so that the work
may go through the simplest method it can have. As the employees of the company can get
new as well as hard challenges in their work field, the employees would be habituated in
some kinds of works which are filled with such difficulties. But this learning procedure
would help to solve those difficulties by applying fruitful plans upon it.
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Explanation of the role of the learning curve and the importance of transfer learning to the
workplace
The learning curve is something which defines how the work of an organisation moves by its
workflow. In Tesco Plc, the employees have got their talents. Through the procedure of
training, the development of those skills is emphasised enough to face new challenges which
the organisation goes through. Illustration 1 shows the straight line curve, this curve shows
the consistency of learning in any person. It increases according to time and experiences.
When the employees of the organisation get criticised every time for their workings, they
will come to know about their skills they have gotten and enhanced those talents, knowledge
and skills for the betterment of the organisation. (Werner, 2014) As the organisation, here
which is Tesco Plc, comes to face new challenges as well as new issues and factors, the
employees are needed to face those issues so that a lot of experiences can be gathered by
them. Learning curve shows the aggregate learning process of an employee working in an
organisation. It serves as a tool showing track record of learners performance. In practical life
if the learning is not transferred than it will be of no use. Below is the role and importance of
transferring learning to workplace:
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Illustration 1: Straight Line Curve
(Source: Types of Learning Curve)

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Role of Learning Curve
Learning curve is not constant as it rise or fall with pace of learning and experience. It is a
graphical representation and a great tool for identifying the effect of any learning. Learning
curve plays an important role to identify key aspects of learner's development in a graph. It
also shows the common aspects of effective learning.
Importance of Transferring Learning to Workplace
Tesco Plc conducts learning sessions for employees to benefit them with knowledge and
share there experience in particular skills. The importance are described below-
1. Increase Knowledge of Employees- By transferring learning management is
increasing and improving the knowledge of employees.
2. Proper utilisation of Resources- It helps to proper utilisation of organisation
resources as by transferring learning to work place organisation saves money and
resources on training as it costs much.
3. Increase Productivity – Transfer of learning at work place increases the productivity
and profitability of organisations.
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Illustration 2 shows the positive accelarated curve, it shows that learning is difficult at the
beginning. But after gaining experience and spending time, it gradually increases and speed up
learning. When new task is assigned to an employee, he find it difficult at beginning but after
getting used to it his learning in that task gradually improves. More experiences are gathered, the
employees can enhance their skills of work by the mean of these difficult issues. In a case of
gathering experiences by the works and different issues and factors, the employees would know
how to face these difficulties further in their field of work. On the other hand, the learning curve
can be fluctuated by the procedures of working upon different issues in the work field. When the
company can face severe issues in the market, it would try to work on these factors by their
employees. For Example, an employee who is constantly improving and developing his learning
curve will rise upwards shows the positive result on the other hand if he is not able to learn any
thing his learning curve will show declination. How the employees can work over difficulties in
the field of work, Tesco Plc can reach up to the opportunities in the market they would expect to
have. As Tesco Plc know its strength, weaknesses, threats as well as opportunities, the positive
faces can be improved by its thorough development of the workers in the field of work. There are
variant training methodologies by which an organisation can enhance their workers' workforces
in the field of work at the market. An organisation always faces different issues at the market so
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Illustration 2: Positive Accelarated Curve
(Source: Types of learning curves)

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that the organisation is needed to train as well as develop the talents and skills of the employees
the organisation, here Tesco Plc has. Once the employees are trained for the issues they are about
to face, after that, they have to face the challenges in the practical field of work. As the
development period runs, the employees get to know what are their strength and weakness
according to the company; then the organisation needs to emphasise their skills and talents for
challenges, the knowledge and wisdom of the workers are also meant to be expanded. On the
other hand, the employees have gotten much negativities in their workforces; the development
methodology is all about to suppress these factors of the employees so that in a case of practical
work, they do not miss any issues that can be beneficial for the organisation. Ultimately the
factor of training and development procedures are all about to make the workforces being
smoother as well as fruitful towards the services. Transfer learning is the proces by which
what one have learned in the related topic can apply it to some different substitute. For example
if an employee has learned to recognise computer system, he can use transfer that learning to
recognise mobiles and smartphones. Transfer learning is important in the areas where there is
subtle difference in the problem and can be solve with by using same learning and change it
according to the problem. For example, a computer engineer with the help of his learning can
contribute help the desiging team with graphical design softwares etc. An organisation like Tesco
Plc runs by the quality services towards the consumers. Tesco Plc is grocery retailing
organisation, and it always needs to emphasise the services they provide in general. Workers
would find the difficulties for this specific work and put their methodologies to apply there; the
work would be analysed critically which would also help the employees to make decisions over
that task . In Tesco Plc, the workers are needed to differentiate the task properly at first. Then the
planning procedure would be analysed critically so that the work may go through the simplest
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method it can have. As the organisation can improve its way of work, the reputation of the
organisation would be increased; now it is the definite program where the learning curve of the
organisation would differentiate the programs and procedures of the workforce. (Weldy and
Gillis, 2010) This particular method of work provides the workers with a specific chance where
they can magnify their capabilities of work, new challenges they would face, would not be much
difficult that they cannot survive from this. Like many challenges, the employees face, the
experience of the work field they would be able to gather. And now it is the time when the
learning curve of the graph of work can matter, and the organisation can reach up to the scale of
its expectations by the applied knowledge, talents and skills of the employees. Tesco Plc has put
a huge observation upon these kinds of procedures for their organisation.
Assessment of the contribution of different learning styles and theories on the planning and
designing of a learning/training event
In a case of the theories of variant procedure of learning styles, it helps Tesco Plc to
differentiate the workforces that the organisation has gotten for its staffs or employees. There
are several types of learning theories which the organisation can reach up to the target they
have got. The basic knowledge about the different learning styles and theorise are very much
crucial to various king of learning. Theory of Behaviourism confined to observe and measure
the behavior of employees. Learning style is different for different kind of work. Theories of
learning define learning types, structure and theoretical explanation while learning style
describe how effectively learning can be transferred to work place. Learning can be defined
by any outward expression of new behaviours and context-independent. For Example in our
organisation there are four departments which are Production, Marketing, HR department
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and Customer Care. The employees working in these departments are have different
background and different learning needs, They have proper knowledge about there work and
only learn things which help them to progress in there work. For Example behaviour of
employee is different with different people. Organisation can observe with whom his
behaviour shows positivity and with whom his behaviour shows negativities. As the
organisation of Tesco Plc tries to improve itself by their workforces, the organisation is
needed to train their workers in a well and decorated manner so that the service f the
organisation may not fall (Clarke, 2016). Different people have different learning styles,
some learn from the environment surrounding them while some learn through training and
development. For Example, The training and development department faces many employees
who have different style of learnings. Employees from marketing department prefer practical
learning and from employees from design department prefer theoretical learnings. They also
face many employees who grasp knowledge quickly, while some employees take more time
in learning. Thus, proper training to those who faces difficulties in learning are provided by
organisation such role playing, virtual reality training, mentoring, etc to improove his speed
in learning. There are some employee who perform well in training but forget to use it in real
situations, for them perodicaly supervision and guiding is provided by the supervisor or
manager. The ultimate target of an organisation is to set the goals first and then it is all about
to work on it so that the organisation can touch the target line by the help of their employees.
This is the cause that a company is needed to train their employees well enough that they can
reach the organisation up to its aspiring point. First thing for the training and development
methodology is to train the employees by the mean of the skills and the talents they have got.
After that, the employees should have to project their skills in the practical field of work.
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