Faces of HR: Vaclav Koranda on how to navigate between learning units under HR and BU

Having experienced learning units under both HR and the BU, Vaclav Koranda, Vice President of Human Resources, Member of the Board of Directors, T-Systems Malaysia, shares with Low Yee Ching what businesses should note when choosing either path.

Q How do you think learning units differ when under the HR unit and the business unit?

I have had experiences with both setups. Each of them has different advantages and disadvantages in terms of management, cost, etc. When learning is managed directly by the business units, you can save some administration cost because it can be simply taken care of by existing admin forces.

On the other hand, there will be less transparency on the company level and it will be more difficult to achieve synergies and link learning objectives to the overall company strategy.

Q What is one word of advice you would give to businesses who are considering either option?

I think that businesses should consider a change in this area very carefully. They should weigh all the pros and cons with regard to the nature of their business, their HR strategy, and what they want to achieve.

For some, especially smaller companies, it will be more practical to manage learning from within their operations. As for bigger - and especially multinational - companies, the advantages of a centralised setup may prevail.

Q What do you think the organisational structures of learning units will look like in the future?

AI can enhance traditional LMS (Learning Management System) software, to enable it to take over many of the traditional learning management tasks, including development and career path planning.

Q What do you want delegates to get out of your session during Learning & Development Asia 2019, Malaysia?

I hope that we will have some good sharing with the delegates regarding how learning is managed in their companies, and their experience with different approaches and setups so that everyone can take away ideas and inspirations they can implement to further enhance learning in their organisations.

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Catch Vaclav's session at #LearningDevelopmentAsia this 25-26 September 2019 happening at Aloft KL Sentral as he explores the difference of the L&D function from both the business and HR perspective.

As a special promotion for our readers, use the promo code "LDAFOHR10" to enjoy 10% off your ticket price.

Visit the event website to check out the stellar speaker list and reserve your seat! Or you can simply email our friendly colleagues at adrianr@humanresourcesonline.net and reggieo@humanresourcesonline.net to find out more.

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