Higher vison on Learning & Development

Higher launches its own Academy

Higher & Company has a clear, corporate and integral vision on Learning & Development (L&D). This has lead to various successes in the field with their own L&D-products and services. The most important ground rule of the ‘Higher vision on Learning & Development’ is that every organizational investment in L&D should be cost effective, sustainable and timely in its contribution to the desired and structural behavioural change of people. This behavioural change is an important contributor to the desired development of the organization. Thus, the ultimate target is an organizational strategy leading to sustainable results. Your basis for success.
 

Practice what you preach
Offering products and services based on their specific, high profile vision on L&D means that Higher & Company has chosen to be a leading role model. Practice what you preach! In order to be congruent and complete at all levels Higher & Company has developed and launched its own internal HR Academy.
 

The Higher Academy
The ‘Higher Academy’ was created to effectively support the contribution and development of the (latent) qualities of Higher & Company staff members. It is, in fact, a logical result of the strategy and key-values of the organization: ‘creative’, ‘curious’ en ‘complete’

Structure and contents
The Academy focuses on around Higher & Company’s services: Development, Performance Management, Compensation & Benefits and Solutions. The two most important underlying theories are:
• Dave Ulrich on the position, contents and added value of HR in organizations;
• André de Waal on High Performance Organizations (HPO).
The concrete contents of the Academy are partly composed through staff and client input. All input is put to the test in terms of relevance with regard to Higher & Company’s strategy and services. This system enables Higher & Company to compose a new and interesting and interactive programme for every year, answering to the prevailing needs of the moment.

Blended and Action learning
Higher & Company is a believer of ‘blended learning’ because of its emphasis on learning and cost effectiveness. Blended learning is basically a smart combination of the best learning methods for the intended training targets.

In addition, Higher & Company has adopted the concept of ‘action learning’ as the most effective form of learning. ‘Action learning’ or ‘learning-by-doing’ focuses on the proper connection between knowledge, current issues and interaction and experience of staff members. Furthermore, there is always a direct link to relevant assignments. Thus, ‘learning by doing’ is made active and relevant. Existing, common cases from our consultancy experience are used to grasp and apply specific expertise (models, theories). A H&C consultant or an external expert will prepare a workshop on the theme to transfer the theory. Subsequently, the participants use this knowledge to discuss the presented cases in small groups. Thanks to this type of interaction, problems that appeared to be unsolvable are solved! Feedback is another essential part of action learning.

Learning = working and working = learning!
One more positive effect of action learning is the short link that is established between individual competence development and the performance management cycle.

Other learning methods that we like to combine with action learning, are classical training and education, E-learning, individual learning, coaching, mentoring and intervision.

For all:
All Higher & Company employees take part in the Higher Academy in order to effectively exchange knowledge and experiences and thus enhance and motivate each other.