Learning & Development, 2020 edition: Anywhere, anytime and any device

The Diplomat-Bucharest organized the fourth Edition of Learning & Development CONFERENCE on February 26th, 2020 at InterContinental Hotel, Fortuna Hall.

The event benefited from the support of Diamond Partner Wipro, Gold Partners PwC, ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants), Partners Vastint, Sea One, Wave, Dora – Happy Recruiter, with the support of ANIS – Employers’ Association of the Software and Services Industry (ANIS), ClujIT, FabLab Iasi and Pin Magazine.

The series of events dedicated to Learning & Development depicts the trends of personal and professional development and the available new tools and programs designed to assist businesses in supporting employee development and enabling the learning process within companies and institutions. The Learning & Development Conference is a catalyst of knowledge exchange for all the professionals active in training and development, learning and performance management and each manager in charged with the increasing of the workplace performance.

The discussion in the panel were moderated by Colin C. Lovering, International Business Partner – Brainovate Leadership Consultants and the key opinion leaders invited in the panel bring a complex array of expertise in people and business management.

The panelists sharing their insights and knowledge during the event were:

Teodora Todoran, Head Training Function, Europe, Wipro

Denisa Panaite Casu, PwC’s Academy Manager, business coach, Assoc. CIPD

Crina Ilie, People Function Leader, Europe, Genpact

Andreia Stanciu, Head of ACCA South-Eastern Europe at The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants

Oana Munteanu, Senior Manager, People & Organisation Leader, PwC

Iulia Hrihor, Training and Development Manager, InterContinental Bucharest

Ana Krasovschi, Head of HR, Carrefour

Roxana Milas, HR Lead Romania, Greece, Cyprus & Malta, Microsoft

Andrei Szatmari, Organizational Development Consultant, Robert Bosch Romania

Georgiana Andrei, Corporate Sales Director, Regina Maria

SESSION I: INSTILLING THE L&D CULTURE INTO THE ORGANIZATIONS

Learning and development (L&D) providers go beyond the tradition role of catering training programs to at the demand of managers and organizations. Now, The L&D professionals wear multiple hats within an organization and undertake strategic roles in the management, in planning, business development, employment performance and engagements and multiple other KPIs involved in the growth of an organization.

The session is dedicated to those who decide, develop and go the extra mile in L&D.

Colin C. Lovering, International Business Partner – Brainovate Leadership Consultants

“The series of events dedicated to Learning & Development depicts the trends of personal and professional development and the available new tools and programs designed to assist businesses in supporting employee development and enabling the learning process within companies and institutions.”

“During the past years, the HR professionals are gaining new tremendous roles and responsibilities within the organizational structure and business strategy to attract and retain the best qualified workforce,” he said. “The former traditional roles of the HR are now outdone. The learning and development professionals are taking now proactive roles in planning and developing complex training programs aligned both with the business objectives and the professional interest of employees. The role of the HR as payroll or holiday planning officer and evolved towards a deeper and therefore more complex and meaningful mission: to improve the organizational performance through a clear perspective on how people can develop.”

Teodora Todoran, Head Training Function, Europe, Wipro: We need to encourage people to be curious and to enrich the knowledge they have

“We are still experiencing the signs of a changing market. We see people wanting to learn new skills and we also see leaders promoting learning and development.”  “We are on a two-way street with huge traffic of information. We need to encourage people to be curious and to enrich the knowledge they have,” she added.

Denisa Casu, PwC’s Academy Manager, business coach, Assoc. CIPD: People get easily on board if your company has a ‘discovery mode’

“It has been a challenge from a consulting approach. It took a while to change the perspective when it came to internal client demand,” she said. “There are many changes, but we are focusing on four areas: knowledge, skills, motivation and environment. The idea is to create an environment for employees to become curious. We are trying to spread the knowledge as much as we can. (…) There is no perfect recipe that fits everyone. Learning KPIs are discussed with the leadership. People get easily on board if your company has a <discovery mode>”

Andreia Stanciu, Head of ACCA South-Eastern Europe at The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants: Let’s not do the training just to tick some boxes

“It is a fast-changing world and we don’t always sit back to acknowledge and reflect on these changes. We have to manage a lot of activities nowadays. We go to a lot of companies and we talk to them about learning and development. We have to convince people about getting a training. We need to take this attitude of constant questioning and find something relevant for them,” she said. “Let’s not do the training just to tick some boxes. Let’s use technology to work for us. (…) Managers are very tied to KPIs. If they don’t have a KPI for a training, it’s very hard to sell that training to them.”

Ana Krasovschi, Senior Manager, People & Organisation Leader, PwC: People are much conscious about learning and development

“We have changed our L&D approach. We need to teach people how to learn by themselves. Practice learning is a must in our organization,” she added. “We shifted the responsibility of learning to everybody in the organization. It’s a shift that takes time, but we see that people are much conscious about learning and development.”

Andrei Szatmari, Organizational Development Consultant, Robert Bosch Romania: The L&D professional needs to have a deeper understanding of the learning methods

“The profile of any L&D professional is complex. He has to put in the extra mile, he needs to create something relevant”. “The L&D professional has to be brave. We have to challenge what we have been doing so far. We need to rethink how we approach things. We need to try out new things and we shouldn’t be afraid to fail. We get valuable experience even from a failure. The L&D professional should be able to influence the managers. The L&D professional needs to have a deeper understanding of the learning methods.”

SESSION II: L&D, CATERING TO ALL LEVELS

In the new context, the organizations must sync with the new features of the work environment and also, the employees need to stay updates and reconfigure the skills according to the new demands of the business world. Those who lag, are left behind. Technology is the perfect enabler of adjusting the right practice to the theory and in the same time, accelerates the process and invites to continuous transformation and innovation. Learning and development is a strategic business process and a competitive advantage for companies vying for the best performance, skilled and loyal employees.

Crina Ilie, People Function Leader, Europe, Genpact: Curious, Incisive, Courageous, Integrity are the key words for our culture framework

“Our Genome project started in November 2018, targeting employees reskilling. Within this program, skilled employees or experts, no matter what position they hold, are able to help other employees learn those skills” (…) “We went on a huge internal marathon with the existing L&D departments. After identifying the focal points, we asked the employees what kind of knowledge they need. We had a lot of big challenges in this transformation. The first one was adoption. We wanted to create a culture for employees where they will feel welcomed. Curious, Incisive, Courageous, Integrity are the key words for our culture framework.”

Oana Munteanu, Senior Manager, People & Organisation Leader, PwC: There is a strong connection between L&D and wellbeing

“Emotional skills are very difficult to develop. There is a debate about how important informal education is in finding employees”. “There is a strong connection between L&D and wellbeing. Wellbeing benefits are literally exploding,” she added. “Creativity is very important, and you can’t be creative if you are tired or under pressure. We must create the time for education, self-development, wellbeing inside the working schedule.”

Iulia Hrihor, Training and Development Manager, InterContinental Bucharest: Training helps people understand their role in the organization

“We can’t force anybody to learn or to develop. We are focusing on finding solutions for every problem we encounter, but there are people reluctant to everything.”  “It’s really important to understand that training is not about doing your job,” she added. “It helps people understand their role in the organization. Some people are used to the idea that they will keep their job until retirement, and it is hard to change that mentality.”

Roxana Milas, HR Lead Romania, Greece, Cyprus & Malta, Microsoft: We have the moral duty to support the education system as much as we can

“The L&D model of engaging the entire organization is fantastic. It becomes a live organism when everyone is engaged and involved. “We have the moral duty to support the education system as much as we can,” she said. “We are investing quite a lot in education in Romania. It’s not only about training pupils. We took the challenge of training the teachers. Educating the teachers also helps the schooling system.”

Georgiana Andrei, Corporate Sales Director, Regina Maria: We are teaching managers how to identify employees with burnout potential

“Everyone is talking about stress, but let’s not see stress only as a bad thing. What we’ve been doing in the healthcare system was talking on how we can push the prevention discussion forward. We are now starting a project for managers and teach them how to identify employees with burnout potential. We need to look at people holistically. One very important aspect is mental health of employees.”

THE LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE is a catalyst and an enabler of knowledge exchange for all the professionals active in training and development, learning and performance management and each manager in charged with the increasing of the workplace performance.