Colloquium Presentation_Ph.D Research Proposal
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Transcript of Colloquium Presentation_Ph.D Research Proposal
TRANSFORMING LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT PRACTICES INTO A STRATEGIC, VALUE-ADDING BUSINESS SOLUTION: A
CONCEPTUAL AND BUSINESS-MINDED FRAMEWORK
PH.D RESEARCH PROPOSAL
COLLOQUIUM
13 MAY 2015
CHARLES COTTER
STUDENT NUMBER: 21512884
INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND
• Phillips (2005) and Greer (2001), cite the critics of the HRM function who demanded more measurement, accountability and demonstrable strategic value
• KPMG (2015), HR leaders are facing a crisis of credibility among their senior peers
• CIPD confirmed that the most common change is for Learning and Development (L&D) professionals to become more business-focused
• PWC Global survey (2012), the reality of business today dictates that organisations will have to grow the talent that they need organically when finding it is constrained
• The “war for talent” is shifting – and is becoming the “war to develop talent” (Deloitte, 2013).
NEED FOR THE RESEARCH STUDY• McKinsey global survey (2014), 50% of the respondents indicated that they
see organisational capability building as one of their top strategic priorities, but many stated that their companies could improve substantially
• It has become a strategic imperative for L&D professionals to show the training Return-on-Investment (ROI)
• The traditional approaches to learning evaluation of Kirkpatrick (1998); Phillips et. al. (2007) and Brinkerhoff (2006) have been superseded by a more modern business imperative comprised of six levels
• It is apparent that there is a need to transform the current L& D practices to be more metric and measurement-oriented, as a credible means of demonstrating the strategic business value of these L&D interventions.
PURPOSE AND AIMS OF THE RESEARCH STUDY
• Research problem statement:
“Learning and Development practices exhibit the inability to actively contribute to business performance at a strategic level”
• Research objectives:
To determine the current strategic levels of L& D impact
To construct an internationally-relevant and multi-disciplinary applicable, Strategic Business Management-aligned, Learning and Development measurement tool (scorecard)
To develop business-valued processes to transform and re-position the L& D function to
become a strategic business partner
ABBREVIATED LITERATURE REVIEW
• Learning and Development (L&D) context and environment
• L&D challenges
• Status Quo of L&D
• Identified trends in L&D
• Assessing the impact of L&D activity
• Benefits of optimizing L&D practices
• Recommended, future-focused strategic imperatives of L&D
SOURCES OF LITERATURE REVIEW• L&D Professional Associations:
Association for Talent Development (ATD) – USA-based
Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) – UK-based
• Researchers:
Bersin by Deloitte and O’Leonard
• Global Management Consultancies:
Deloitte
KPMG
McKinsey
PWC
IDENTIFIED TRENDS IN L&D
• #1: Change to a strategic mind-set and alignment with business goals
• #2: Change to evidence-based, business metrics and predictive analytics
• #3: Change in learning architecture and design
• #4: Changed learning structures and roles
• #5: Enhanced skills set of L&D professionals
IDENTIFIED TRENDS IN L&D
• #6: Extended learning and knowledge management
• #7: Change to social and e-learning (70-20-10 model)
• #8: Change to learning organization culture
• #9: Changed process from (functional) ADDIE model to strategic, learning solutions business model
• #10: Change from a “skills buying” to a “skills building” HRM approach
RESEARCH APPROACH
• Exploratory: These trends will have to be interrogated in-depth, further and the resultant research outcome will be:
A measurement scorecard
The development of a conceptual, business-focused model to improve the business impact of L&D interventions
RESEARCH DESIGN, PROCESS AND METHODOLOGY
• Chapter Three (3) overview
• Research process
• Data collection
• Research sample
• Research instrument: Questionnaire
• Statistical method and process
• Reliability and Validity
DATA COLLECTION
• This research project predominantly will use a quantitative (positivistic) approach.
• Surveys will provide the PH.D researcher a picture of what many people think or report doing (the sample group), this picture is then generalised to the larger population.
• The primary research method that will be used is a structured questionnaire comprised of a significant number of closed-ended questions.
RESEARCH SAMPLE• Type: a convenience sample group, of approximately 3 000 Business and
L&D Managers and Professionals/practitioners
• Access: These will be sourced from various business contacts, databases, networks and social media platforms e.g. LinkedIn and business references from multiple industries, both locally and internationally.
• Location: The majority of these respondents will be based in South Africa, but will also represent North American, Australian and European continents.
• Representativity and generalization: The PH.D researcher is of firm belief that this sample will be representative of a cross-section of respondents.
RESPONDENTS• Positions: Respondent industries will be representative of both the public and private sectors
L&D and training managers; Training administrators and skills development facilitators; Line/business managers; and Academics/subject matter experts
• Form of communication: These respondents will be contacted directly by means of electronic mail through the completion of a self-administered questionnaire.
• Reach: The total reach of this research project will be in excess of 3 000 contacts.
• Response rate: The anticipated response rate is 10% and, consequently, a total sample group of 300 respondents are expected to participate in the PH.D research survey.
• Independent research variable: The current L&D practices
• Dependent variable: The resultant strategic, business impact and value on the achievement of business results
THE RESEARCH INSTRUMENT: QUESTIONNAIRE
• Subject to a comprehensive literature study, the 10 foremost characteristics of Strategic L&D will be identified.
• From these characteristics, respective sub-factors were identified. These sub-factors will serve as the basis of the construction of an itemized questionnaire.
• A four point Likert-type scale will be utilised, ranging from a descriptor of 1 = strongly disagree to 4 = strongly agree.
• The researcher will use the theoretical guidelines of Babbie (2005) as a checklist to ensure the proper and correct formulation of research questions/items.
• Questionnaire construction guidelines will also be consulted as well as the benefits of the questionnaire instrument.
• The questionnaire will also be tested with a pilot group before distribution to the larger research population.
THE STATISTICAL METHOD AND PROCESS
• Quantitative methods
• The statistical procedures that will be performed in the proposed research study can be regarded as descriptive and inferential statistics.
• The different descriptive statistics used in the proposed, PH.D study include:
Means; Standard deviations; Factor analysis and Frequency distributions/percentages
• The inferential statistics used in the proposed PH.D research study include analysis of variance (ANOVA).
• In general, the purpose of ANOVA is to test for significant differences between means. ANOVA is similar to the t-test, but this is used when there are more than two groups to compare.
• ANOVA testing will be utilised to draw inferences regarding the sub-group comparisons of the research
sample.
RESEARCH TIMETABLE/PLAN Research task/function
Responsibility Duration Expected completion date
#1: Completion and submission of research proposal
Researcher (Charles Cotter) 2 weeks 4 May 2015
#2: Review and approval
Research Supervisor (Prof. P.D Gerber) 2 days 6 May 2015
#3: Submission to NWU
Researcher (Charles Cotter) 1 day 6 May 2015
#4: Presentation of colloquium
Researcher (Charles Cotter)Researcher (Charles Cotter)
1 day 13 May 2015
#5: Approval of research proposal
NWU 2 months July 2015
#6: Commencement of research and completion of Chapter 1
Researcher (Charles Cotter) 1 month August 2015
#7: Review of Chapter 1 Research Supervisor (Prof. P.D Gerber) 1 week August 2015
#8: Completion of research (Chapter 2)
Researcher (Charles Cotter) 4 months November 2015
#9: Review of Chapter 2 Research Supervisor (Prof. P.D Gerber) 1 week November 2015
#10: Completion of research (Chapter 3)
Researcher (Charles Cotter) 2 months January 2016
#11: Review of Chapter 3 Research Supervisor (Prof. P.D Gerber) 1 week January 2016
#12: Completion of data collection and analysis and writing of research (Chapter 4)
Researcher (Charles Cotter) 5 months June 2016
#13: Statistical analysis Professional service: Statistician 1 month June 2016
#14: Review of Chapter 4 Research Supervisor (Prof. P.D Gerber) 2 weeks June 2016
RESEARCH TIMETABLE/PLAN #15: Completion of data interpretation
and writing of research (Chapter 5)
Researcher (Charles Cotter) 3 months September 2016
#16: Review of Chapter 5 (part 1) Research Supervisor (Prof. P.D Gerber)
2 weeks September 2016
#17: Completion of recommendations and writing of research (Chapter 5)
Researcher (Charles Cotter) 2 months November 2016
#18: Review of Chapter 5 (part 2) Research Supervisor (Prof. P.D Gerber)
2 weeks November 2016
#19: Consolidation of PH.D research report
Researcher (Charles Cotter) 1 month December 2016
#20: Language Editing Professional service: Language Editor
1 month January 2017
#21: Writing of article for publication in academic journal
Researcher (Charles Cotter) 1 month February 2017
#22: Submission of final Thesis Researcher (Charles Cotter) 1 month March 2017
#23: Assessment of Thesis NWU appointed external assessor/markers
2 months May 2017
RESEARCH BUDGETResearch Cost Item
Budgeted amount
Research-related data and telecommunication costs R3 500
Transport costs (to NWU campus) R1 500
Professional Service: Statistician R10 000
Professional Service: Language Editor R3 500
Printing and binding of Thesis R3 500
TOTAL R22 000
PROPOSED THESIS STRUCTURE
• Conceptual overview and focus:
Overview of current L&D processes and practicesDetermining the characteristics of strategic L&DBusiness management requirements of L&DMeasuring the current strategic business impact of L&D Identifying the strategic gaps of current L&DConstructing a conceptual model for a L&D ScorecardRecommendations of how to re-position the L&D function to
become a strategic business partner and solutions-provider
• Chapter Layout
SIGNIFICANCE/EXPECTED OUTCOMES OF THE RESEARCH STUDY
• In the best interests of L&D managers to build a business case to justify their right to existence and secondly to pull the plug on ineffective L&D interventions and practices.
• From the perspective of business managers, funds allocated to training can be better utilized, if they can envisage a quantifiable return on investment and can better harness L&D as a strategic lever of gaining a competitive advantage.
• The benefits of L&D serve as the backdrop to this PH.D research study, because they shed light on current levels of business performance, they guide and inform decision-making to improve the status quo and also help to make recommendations that can enhance the effect of L&D interventions and practices.
• The research anticipates finding low levels of strategic impact of L&D programs.
• Furthermore, the researcher will construct a strategically-relevant, L&D scorecard and develop business intelligence and recommendations on how to transform and re-position the L& D function to become a strategic business partner.