| PARADOX OF ORGANISING | Devolving to the line versus providing central direction and control |
What are the key conflicts and tension that L&D professionals experience in the context of devolution to line managers: What are the most salient or significant areas of tension and what explains these tensions? How are tensions with line managers addressed from “both/and” thinking? |
Develop the skills of L&D professionals to cope with the ambiguity of both/and” thinking. Enhance using training interventions the development of L&D professionals’ paradoxical mindset or a to shift from an either-or mentality to a both-and mentality. |
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| Definition: Tension manifest in whether L&D should be devolved to line managers?, or should it be centrally directed and implemented? |
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| Fostering collaboration and flexibility versus control and standardisation |
What tensions arise in the context of collaboration between L&D professionals and other HR actors including senior and line managers? What unique tensions arise in terms of collaborating with employees around development? |
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| Definition: Tension manifest in whether L&D role should be focused on collaboration with organisational actors versus focused on centralised control and coordination |
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| Implementing co-created L&D solutions versus L&D professional deigned solutions |
How does co-creation of L&D solutions work in practice? What are the key cultural, trust and climate factors that make co-creation work or not work? How do L&D professionals navigate paradox or tensions in the context of co-creation and how does it differ for different HR actors in organisations? |
Develop the skills of L&D professionals to take a non-dogmatic stance in co-creation processes. Encourage L&D professionals and these that they engage with in co-creation to remove the needs for clearcut answers and allow things to emerge. Develop the skills to ask questions such as What is really going on here?’ ‘What is the dynamic at play?,’ or ‘How can we unite two seeming opposites?’ |
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| Definition: Tension focused on whether L&D role should encourage co-created learning solutions or develop solutions within the L&D function? |
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| Focusing on operational versus strategic components of the L&D role |
How can L&D professionals utilize work behaviours that enable the performance and strategic roles? What challenge arise in transitioning from an operational to more strategic L&D role? To what extent are L&D professionals trapped in an operational mode due to the expectations of line managers and employees? |
Develop financial acumen skills to enhance strategic contribution of L&D. Network with senior echelon managers to better understand the organisations strategic agenda? Develop the capabilities of line managers and employees to implement L&D objectives. |
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| Definition: Significant tensions around whether L&D should focus on operational delivers of make a strategic contribution to the organisation |
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| PARADOX OF BELONGING | Is L&D about performance or learning? |
How do L&D professionals work within the learning and performance tension to achieve synergies? What demographic and human capital characteristics of L&D professionals shape their cognitions about learning and performance? |
Include training in L&D professional development programmes and qualifications that help them to embrace and live with paradox through accepting that these fundamental identity tensions and become comfortable with the discomfort of these tensions. L&D professionals need to develop the mindset that established L&D practices are not a one -size -fits all but need to be customised and adjusted to the practice context. L&D practitioners should become comfortable to operate within liminal spaces. |
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| Definition: Tension around whether L&D role is focused on enhancing the performance of employees or ensuring that they learn? |
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| Does L&D prioritise the ‘human’ or the ‘resource’. |
What are the specific conflicts that arise within the ‘human’ and ‘resource’ tension? How do L&D professional cope with this tension in their interactions with HR actors such as line managers and senior management? |
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| Definition: Tension focused on whether the L&D role is about developing the ‘human’ or the ‘resource? |
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| Tensions arising from L&D professional and manager identity |
How do L&D professionals cope with the paradox that arises from their professional and manager of L&D resources identities? How do L&D professionals transition to a manager of L&D role and leave behind the professional role? To what extent do L&D professionals relinquish their professional identity when they become L&D managers versus L&D practitioners? |
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| Definition: The tensions that arise for L&D professionals in context of professional identity versus the management of resources within the L&D function? |
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| Classroom L&D delivery versus self-directed approaches through technology |
What are the tensions involved in shifting from the classroom where the ‘trainer’ has control to where the employee has control through self-directed L&D? What tensions arise for the L&D professional in utilizing technology to deliver training? |
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| Definition: The classic tension central L&D identity that the classroom is best versus using technology to facilitate the self -directed learning of employees? |
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| PARADOX OF LEARNING | Is training about stability of change? |
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Respect the perspectives of both line managers and employees and avoid being dogmatic based on professional knowledge. Acknowledge in working with line managers that mutual understanding does not mean agreement, rather it allows for the respectful exploration of different ideas. |
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| Definition A fundamental tension around whether training promote doing things the right way or doing things differently? |
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| Does training focus on the present of the future role? |
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| Definition: Another fundamental tension for L&D professionals concerns the role of training and whether it is focused on performing the current role or preparing employees for a future role? |
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| Does training focus on the needs of the organisation or the labour market? |
How do L&D professionals navigate the tensions of developing employees in organisation-specific KSAOs versus those that are valuable in the wider labour market? What tensions arise in securing organisational resources for the development of employability skills? How do learning paradox tensions in general manifest themselves in day-to -work? |
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| Definition: A major tension which is focused on developing the employee to meet the needs of the knowledge, skills, abilities and other attributes (KSAOs) for the organsation versus developing those that are important in the labor market? |
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| PARADOX OF PERFORMIMG | Short-term versus long-term performance |
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Make use of polarity mapping especially in case of large L&D investments which seeks to balance costs and benefits so that measurement tensions can be resolved and lived with. Develop and practice ‘integrative thinking’ when it comes to measurement issues and consider alternative perspectives simultaneously. |
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| Definition: This tension is focused on whether training should emphasise immediate or long-term impacts? |
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| Learning driven measures versus business/ financial measures |
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| Definition: This tension is concerned with whether the L&D role should be concerned with learning or business and financial measures when assessing the contribution of training? |
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| Efficiency measures versus effectiveness |
What are the negative consequences of performing tensions for L&D professionals and their jobs including job dissatisfaction, stress and work relate health problems? To what extent can performing tensions become a source of change in L&D practices in organisations? |
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| Definition: This tension is concerned with whether the L&D role should focus on the efficiency of training processes and activities or impacts on individuals and organisations? |
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