Best-practice Learning & Development Survey and Theoretical Foundations

Employee development is an invaluable asset to organizations — find out why!

For companies, personnel development — i.e., employee training and further education — is becoming increasingly important. Due to permanent economical and social changes in this fast-evolving world, employee development is a key driver in keeping up an excellent workforce, and for value growth in any organization (Nda and Fard, 2013). 

Companies are now leveraging learning and development (L&D) more than ever, as the many business benefits of these initiatives have been investigated for decades. Over 20 years ago, McKinsey researchers already stated that opportunities for self-development had become expected by employees — and companies should invest in L&D to win the “war for talents” (Chambers et al., 1998). 

People strive for development, and employers should focus on nurturing it. Investing in employee development is seen as “the source of motivation, recognition, creativity, independence, self-management, recognition, encouragement, flexibility, team dynamics, and leadership” (Ólafsdóttir, 2008; Twumasi-Ankrah, 2012). When you help your people grow, everyone wins. Companies build out and retain top performers, foster innovation, and people reach their full potential.

But learning and development decisions should be backed by data. And to make data-driven, effective decisions regarding your internal development offers, you must understand your employees’ perspectives.

These are the three main factors you should focus on when building or elevating your L&D strategy:

1.  Organizational culture and benefits that promote employee development (Khan, Mishra, and Ansari, 2021);

2. Intrinsic motivation of employees to self-develop (Deci and Ryan, 2001);

3. Leadership that coaches, supports, and encourages self-development (Goleman, 2017).

In Leapsome’s best practice survey library, our Learning and Development questionnaire can help you collect the data you need to build out a path that is right for your individual company and employee development requirements.

We’ve developed our Learning and Development questionnaire based on the scientific approaches and research listed above. It includes the following 15 questions:

1. I have an opportunity to make a career at [Company].
2. I feel that I am making progress on my career goals and aspirations.
3. I am aware of the criteria I need to meet to earn a promotion.
4. In general, [Company] offers excellent learning and development opportunities to all employees.
5. With the learning and development budget [Company] provides, I can access the right resources needed for my career growth.
6. {Company] demonstrates through various training opportunities that employee development is an integral part of the company culture.
7. Team development and team alignment events are supported by [Company].
8. My manager takes my preferred career path into account when distributing larger projects.
9. I am motivated to further develop (new) skills during my daily work.
10. My tasks and projects give me the opportunity to grow professionally and develop new skills.
11. My peers and I value open feedback, as we strive to support each other's development.
12. My manager cares about my individual development.
13. My manager provides me with feedback, so I have a clear understanding of how I can develop.
14. My manager challenges me to reach my full potential.
15. The mentoring/coaching program at [Company] helps me to develop myself professionally.

To evaluate the results, we recommend using the various analytics tools you can find in Leapsome’s survey module. Further guidance on how to effectively use the tools can be found in this article.

Based on the findings from your surveys, you have the chance to take action (for example using action items) and create opportunities for your employees’ growth while increasing their satisfaction. Furthermore, your organization will benefit from retaining talent and building a strong workforce that is instrumental for your company's growth.

Literature

Chambers, Elizabeth G., et al. “The War for Talent.” The McKinsey Quarterly 3 (1998): 44.

Deci, Edward L., and Richard M. Ryan. “The” What” And” Why” of Goal Pursuits: Human Needs and the Self-Determination of Behavior.” Psychological inquiry 11.4 (2000): 227-268. doi: 10.1207/S15327965PLI1104_01

Goleman, Daniel. Leadership That Gets Results (Harvard business review classics). Harvard Business Press, 2017.

Khan, Sadaf, Shikha Mishra, and S. A. Ansari. “Role of Organizational Culture in Promoting Employee Development: A Review of Literature.” Linguistics and Culture Review 5.S3 (2021): 585-595. https://doi.org/10.37028/lingcure.v5nS3.1630

Nda, Maimuna Muhammad, and Rashad Yazdani Fard. “The Impact of Employee Training and Development on Employee Productivity.” Global journal of commerce and management perspective 2.6 (2013): 91-93.

Ólafsdóttir, Steingerdur. “The Role of Organizational Culture in Employees Work-Life Balance as an Aspect of Health.” (2008).

Twumasi-Ankrah, Christopher. Assessment of the Impact of Organizational Culture on Employee Creativity: A Case Study of Minkah-Premo & Co. Diss. Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, 2012.