In Print -- Developing Employees Who Love to Learn

"Developing Employees Who Love to Learn"

By Linda Honold

Davies-Black Publishing, 208 pages, $32.95

Engaging: 4 Innovative 4

Usefulness: 4 Visual Aids N/A



Well, here's a twist: a book that tells us not how to become better trainers, but how to develop better learners. Linda Honold shows how any organization can implement a successful learning system that will improve employee performance and keep the business competitive.



Honold makes a strong case for investing in such an endeavor as she enumerates the benefits to the organization: The approach will help to attract high-quality employees (already inclined toward continually developing themselves) and thus create and retain a strong, resilient workforce. A symbiotic relationship will develop as individuals gain in tangibles, such as enhanced employment security, employability and increased wages, as well as in personal satisfaction and job enrichment. Another benefit: Imagine a workplace full of employees who embrace learning and want to develop new skills!



The first half of the book shows how to lay the foundation and create a system for supporting workplace learning. The second half is devoted to specific, explicit descriptions of assorted learning activities, their objectives, the learning styles for which they are appropriate. Similar in format to published designs for structured learning experiences (such as the Games Trainers Play series), many of these will be familiar to the seasoned trainer.



Honold puts them into a different context, however, showing how they can be adapted from their typical use in formal training programs to instead create other, more generalized learning opportunities. The professional interested in repositioning training efforts, recharging existing programs, or building a training program from the ground up will find an invaluable and encouraging resource.



COPYRIGHT Bill Communications Inc. 2001. All rights reserved.