Malcolm Taylor on taking a human-focused approach to learning

Speak to the human

How can we rethink ‘learning and development’ to be more focused on the things people need to do and how best to support them with that? And how can the business case for a different approach be made successfully to leaders?

Malcolm Taylor is a pioneer in taking different and often disruptive approaches in learning and development. He is Head of Capability at the UK Health Security Agency, having recently moved from a role as Senior People Development Manager at the Met Office.

In this episode, we explore how organisational culture affects attitudes to learning and compliance, how to make a business case for change, and the power of communities of practice for social learning.

We chat beyond professional contexts too, talking about the power of sport for motivation, belonging and resilience.

We cover:

• How ‘learning’ needs to adapt to organisational culture and the characteristics of internal audiences.
• A shift away from formal learning, and the ‘sage on the stage’, towards a performance-based approach (Malcolm references the 70/20/10 model).
• Opportunities to disrupt – moving from a traditional pedagogical approach towards a performance-based one.
• Making the business case for a different approach, including discussion of gathering evidence and data about impact and value.
• Communities of practice – what, why and how!
• Malcolm’s own interest in ultrarunning and how it’s given him resilience and connection.

Speak to the human is a podcast by Acteon a communication and learning agency that harnesses behavioural insights to help organisations connect with their people and deliver positive change. Find out more at acteoncommunication.com.