This reflective essay examines the establishment of the Research Guild in King’s Digital, a department at King’s College London specialising in online and blended postgraduate education. The Research Guild is an internally created, mentor-supported community of practice designed to help professional services staff engage more confidently in educational research and scholarship. Using an autoethnographic approach and a systems thinking lens, I explore how the Guild emerged in response to a recurring pattern: teams highly effective at delivery but lacking time, infrastructure and perceived legitimacy to undertake inquiry. The essay describes how mentoring through the ALT ELESIG Scholar Scheme, a training needs analysis survey and three structured development pathways (literature review, conference participation and research projects) combined to make evidence-seeking feel more normal, safe and worthwhile. I highlight key outcomes and persistent tensions around time, equity and sustainability, arguing that staff development is most transformative when treated as a deliberately designed ecosystem of scaffolds, feedback loops and shared identity rather than a series of isolated activities.
Investing in human capital represents a key factor in maintaining a competitive advantage in modern business. Continuous employee training and professional development contribute to improved work performance, increased motivation, greater job satisfaction, and better adaptation to dynamic changes in the business environment. This paper examines the importance of employee training and development in companies in the Republic of Serbia, focusing on professional development and work efficiency. The research was conducted on a sample of 150 respondents employed in six companies operating in the transport, insurance, and technical sectors. Descriptive statistics and Pearson's correlation coefficient were used to analyse the data. The findings highlight the need for greater company involvement in employee training and development to respond more effectively to the challenges of modern business. The results contribute to a better understanding of the role of employee training and development in the strategic management of human capital.
سرمایه‌گذاری در سرمایه انسانی یکی از عوامل کلیدی در حفظ مزیت رقابتی در کسب‌وکارهای مدرن به‌شمار می‌رود. آموزش مستمر کارکنان و توسعه حرفه‌ای آنان به بهبود عملکرد شغلی، افزایش انگیزه، رضایت شغلی بیشتر و سازگاری بهتر با تغییرات پویای محیط کسب‌وکار کمک می‌کند. این مقاله به بررسی اهمیت آموزش و توسعه کارکنان در شرکت‌های جمهوری صربستان می‌پردازد و تمرکز آن بر توسعه حرفه‌ای و کارایی شغلی است. پژوهش حاضر بر روی نمونه‌ای متشکل از ۱۵۰ نفر از کارکنان شاغل در شش شرکت فعال در بخش‌های حمل‌ونقل، بیمه و فنی انجام شده است. برای تحلیل داده‌ها از آمار توصیفی و ضریب همبستگی پیرسون استفاده شده است. یافته‌ها بر لزوم مشارکت بیشتر شرکت‌ها در آموزش و توسعه کارکنان به‌منظور پاسخگویی مؤثرتر به چالش‌های کسب‌وکارهای مدرن تأکید دارد. نتایج این پژوهش به درک بهتر نقش آموزش و توسعه کارکنان در مدیریت راهبردی سرمایه انسانی کمک می‌کند.
