Future-Proofing Learning at Your Organization
By Mary Monastyrsky, Consultant @ Thoughtium
Published November 2023
I'm not one to follow most trends, but I've found myself chasing them when it comes to learning and development. I was looking for the “perfect solution” that would have the biggest impact on employee development and the business. So I tried building intensive, months-long senior leadership journeys with every bell and whistle, from sophisticated assessments to live simulations. Then I pivoted to learning tech, creating self-paced microlearning-based pathways that could reach everyone. Clients from startups to F100, audiences from 10 to thousands, mechanisms from one-on-one to totally virtual, I have run towards many “shiny toys”.
Throughout it all, I learned the latest and greatest thing was not always the right thing. Especially with rapid market and workforce shifts over the last few years, what was great in L&D in the past may not be helpful in the future. And L&D teams have more pressure than ever to get learning right. 78% of companies regard L&D as a top C-Suite priority, but 4 out of 5 organizations are lagging in every L&D area (The Josh Bersin Company, 2022).
This is the moment for L&D practitioners to demonstrate their readiness for the future. But what can we focus on that will have real impact, instead of focusing just on what looks good right now?
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3 ways to future-proof learning
Be Intentional in the Learning Mix
Prioritize getting the mix right, not having everything in the mix.
Build the Skill of “Learning to Learn"
Cultivate learning agility to best empower employees to develop the skills they need.
Focus on "Soft" skills as the hard skills
Build your L&D team’s ability to grow complex, human-centered capabilities.
Whatever comes our way in the L&D space in the near future, if we focus on these three things, we can excel at meeting the needs of our learners and of your organization.
Be Intentional in the Learning Mix
No one can deny that the number and types of digital L&D technologies have exploded in recent years. One recent study by a learning technology think tank analyzed 400+ separate learning tech providers across 35 distinct functionality categories, from Career Planning to Gamification to Generative AI (Human Resources Executive, 2023). And yet, the massive amount of learning options available hasn’t notably influenced employees’ learning preferences. People’s top three favorite ways to learn are watching videos, learning from peers or coworkers, or attending a live class (Degreed, Inc, 2023).
What we have seen as truly effective learning is getting the learning mix right, not having everything in the mix.
To create sustainable L&D for the future, we can focus on creating learning & development opportunities that bring the right elements together based on the scale and complexity of the development needs, learner preferences, and desired business impact. If learners need to grow significantly and in highly complex ways, do not underestimate the power of including live sessions. Creating space to learn from an expert and from peers can expedite development. For lower-complexity, smaller-scale development needs, consider leaning into newer approaches, such as micro-learnings or self-paced learning pathways tailored to the audience. Regardless of approach, be thoughtful in how the pieces come together.
Build the Skill of “Learning to Learn”
The amount and speed of change across the world of work are unprecedented, causing equally rapid change to required skills. Employers estimate that 44% of workers’ skills will be disrupted in the next five years (World Economic Forum, 2023). This, in turn, means that employees are facing – and will continue to face – the need to learn new things more quickly than ever before. The best way we can drive skill-building in the future is not by addressing every skill, but instead by investing in the skill of “Learning to Learn”.
Building the skill of “Learning to Learn” can be done at multiple levels. At the organizational level, we can cultivate a learning culture through growth mindset enablement and establishing greater team psychological safety. At a programmatic level, we can thoughtfully structure learning experiences in a way that celebrates the process of learning in the flow of work. Consider creating learning progressions with a regular cadence of self-reflection, peer learning, and on-the-job application so employees can explore learning in various ways.
Focus on “Soft” Skills as the Hard Skills
Events of the last few years such as Russia invading Ukraine, the George Floyd protests, and of course COVID-19 have brought conversations around DEI, mental health, and well-being from after-hours into working hours. Our prediction is that these topics have and will continue to bring “soft” skills – ones that empower effective collaboration, connection, and leadership – to the top of L&D’s priorities. “Self-efficacy” and “Working with others” skills make up five of the top ten 2023-2027 reskilling and upskilling priorities for employers (World Economic Forum, 2023). However, our challenge is that these “soft” skills are generally more challenging and require more time to develop than knowledge-based or technical skills.
We need to build advanced capabilities as learning practitioners to drive complex “soft” skills development. Ensure your team is proactively studying emerging workplace topics and connecting them to competency and skill gaps. Also, we and our L&D teams can build the capabilities needed to design and deliver complex learning interventions that focus on behavioral change.
a thoughtium case study
One of Thoughtium’s closest clients approached us to reimagine their existing senior leader development program for their post-pandemic environment. They recognized that their business and workforce were becoming increasingly dynamic, requiring their leaders to better balance business performance and authentic leadership.
We collaborated with the client to evaluate the prior leadership programs and identify future business needs. We all realized that these leaders needed next-level leadership capabilities that required highly complex behaviors and significant mindset shifts. Meaning that a typical, workshop-focused learning program was not going to cut it for the new leadership requirements.
What resulted was an extended, cohort-based learning progression built for lasting change. It began with a two-month immersive experience that included a thorough leadership assessment, personalized one-on-one coaching, and live learning sessions. This was followed by six months of facilitated, small-group coaching sessions, where leaders applied learnings, shared progress, and exchanged advice. To bring this to life, our team included expert coaches, facilitators, learning designers, and input from business leaders. This learning progression empowered lasting behavior change by driving incremental growth over an extended timeline, personalizing development to each learner’s unique needs, and ample opportunities for application with meaningful feedback.
It might be tempting to chase the latest and greatest learning trends that promise a big impact for lots of employees right away. But like fashion trends, we don’t want to look back five or ten years from now cringing at the learning trends we tried on, but ultimately did not work. Apply these three approaches to ensure your L&D team delivers the timeless impact that your organization and employees need.
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