National culture has become an overused and potentially damaging term in the world of learning and training, according to a new book.

Martin Sloman learning and development adviser at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and author of The Changing World of the Trainer - Emerging Good Practice said that the key to delivering effective training on a world stage is to adapt to context, of which national culture is just one small part.

Sloman said: "In the modern service-led and knowledge-driven economy, we are competing in similar ways. Once they have the disposable income, consumers are demanding the same goods and services throughout the world. Organisations, wherever they are located, are trying to move up the value chain in similar ways and the same workforce competencies are emerging.

“Learners may come from different starting points and bring different baggage to the learning environment - China offers one good example of this. However, national culture is only one variable that determines starting points and levels of receptiveness.

"'Context' is a far more useful term. Adjusting to the context in which learners operate is one of the skills of learning and development professionals. Too great a focus on culture is unnecessary, and runs the risk of obscuring more important issues. Background and life and work experiences are bound to lead to different starting points and different receptiveness but good trainers recognise and accommodate this reality."

The work is based on 58 case studies of learning and development across 19 countries.