The ultimate aim of all CIPD research is to assist our members in making a practical difference within their organisations. Accordingly we have developed research streams which consider how learning can be supported, accelerated and directed towards an organisation’s needs.
In April 2004 we published an important new research report Helping people learn which considered how we can move from a strategy based on the delivery of training to one based on support for learning. Full details are set out on the research summary page. In April 2005 we produced a change agenda Training to Learning which presents general guidance on managing the transition and a tool of the same name which develops these ideas further.
In November 2005 we extended this site to develop a virtual network of trainers. This is intended to involve a wider community of practitioners in the development of our CIPD research activity and to help translate our findings into practice in the workplace. To date over 3000 learning, training and development specialists have enrolled in the network. For further details on how to join please contact Liz Dalton.
In June 2008 we launched a new research project on Web 2.0. This has been defined in the following terms in a new discussion paper, which we have commissioned from Graeme Martin and Martin Reddington.
"Web 2.0 is different because it is a read-write web providing a democratic architecture for participation, encouraging people to share ideas, promoting discussion and fosters a greater sense of community. In summary, it has been described as aa 'People-centric Web' that stimulates conversations, interpersonal networking, personalisation and individualism."
In their discussion paper the authors offer a glossary of Web 2.0 terms and an analysis of their applications. We would welome your views on where Web 2.0 may be going and what it could mean to you.