PROJECTME: A FILMED LIVE-STUDIO SELF-DEVELOPMENT LEARNING EVENT INFORMED BY EMPIRICAL RESEARCH INTO HUMAN RESOURCE PRACTITIONERS’ LEARNING-FOR-TRANSFORMATION NEEDS

Abstract

It is important that the investment managers make into the self-development of their employees identifies and targets the actual needs, and that real learning occurs that is observable in positively changed behaviours. This research identifies the self-development priorities of Human Resource (HR) managers and presents the findings from an innovative learning event called ProjectMe; a filmed innovative learning experience that involved project teams, an expert panel, presenters, live audience participants and live-streamed on-line participants in real-time. This involved using a recent organisational issue which was presented to two project teams to solve, presenting their recommendations ‘live’. Over-laying the organisational issue was a self-development issue, in this instance, “The right amount of ego”, which aimed to highlight the role of ego in individuals and teams, and challenge everyone to evaluate how that impacted on self. The multiple perspectives represented by the different learners provided excellent refractions of understanding, because so many perspective-giving vantage points offered learning opportunities for using reflective feedback which raised accountability, thereby taking people to the last step of transformation: action. As part of ascertaining what self-development HR practitioners needed, the results of a survey that asked them what it was they wanted to develop in themselves towards achieving their personal and/or professional goals are presented. The survey was sent via the Human Resource Institute of New Zealand (HRINZ) website to 790 practitioners, with 90 responses. Additionally, so as to make a methods contribution via this study, an expert panel of six was engaged in a role-play and statistical simulation (adapting Q methodology for a mock training needs analysis). Key words: learning, Q methodology, self-development, transformation.