All eyes are on L&D. Over the last two years, you helped your organization adapt. You guided your people through pandemic protocols, remote work, and hybrid operations. You gained the attention of leadership. And now, you’re gearing up for more change ahead. Nearly two-thirds of L&D leaders surveyed for LinkedIn’s 2022 Workplace Learning Report said they’re focused on rebuilding or reshaping their organization in 2022.
L&D is a big role — and one that comes with a growing to-do list. Along with continuing to produce high-impact, quality learning experiences, L&D leaders also need to solve meatier challenges, like answering employees’ renewed calls for growth and purpose, and future-proofing the business. When change comes knocking, L&D teams answer and do what they do best. They adapt.
As you approach this next set of challenges — and opportunities — you’ll need fresh solutions to tie skill building to career paths, internal mobility, and retention, while also bringing a new sense of care to employee well-being, diversity, and inclusion. Check out these bright ideas from L&D leaders featured in the full Workplace Learning Report. Their advice may be just the spark you need for your next bright idea.
1. Experiment with new tools and formats
Learning leaders are riding a wave of massive change. Not only is L&D in the hot seat to help the business build skills for the future, but employee attrition is amplifying the need to deliver programs that engage learners and help them grow both personally and in their careers.
These turbulent times call for flexibility, and L&D innovators are experimenting with new tools and formats. Serena Huang, head of people analytics at Paypal, recommends designing measurement programs akin to clinical trials: “For instance, use two separate course-delivery formats (such as online and in-person) and then test knowledge retention after a given timeframe.”
Stella Lee, director at Paradox Learning, also sees an opportunity to experiment and pilot more varied L&D activities and tools, including personalizing learning content using recommender systems, pushing content via chatbots, sharing peer-based knowledge on collaborative platforms, and integrating curated, third-party content with custom internal in-house content.
"In the past couple of years, we’ve seen a plethora of AI-enabled ed tech products entering the market,” she says. “Combined with other emerging technologies such as virtual reality, augmented reality, cloud computing, and the Internet of Things (IoT), there are some innovative products out there to support workplace learning.”
L&D teams are turning to learning experience platforms (LXPs), for example, to measure and improve reskilling and upskilling programs. By tracking assessments, industry benchmarks, completion rates, and other metrics, L&D pros can fine-tune and continuously improve how learning opportunities drive engagement and retention.
2. Emphasize psychological safety in DE&I
A company’s culture can make or break the employee experience. And especially during this time of “The Great Reshuffle,” organizations that prioritize a culture of learning and growth are able to stand out and retain talent. According to Glint data, having opportunities to learn and grow is now the number one factor defining an exceptional work environment. On top of that, employees who rate their culture highly are 25% more likely to be happy at work and 31% more likely to recommend working at their organization. Learning powers culture, and culture powers engaged employees.
One area where L&D is having increased influence on learning and culture is diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I). Over half, (55%), of L&D teams fully own or share responsibility for their company’s DE&I strategy. As L&D teams get more involved in DE&I, learning initiatives will evolve — not only as a company-wide endeavor, but also as a personal undertaking and a path to individual growth.
But it’s also important to note that DE&I initiatives should be sensitive to varying cultural circumstances in different locations. “Diversity, equity, and inclusion programs are not a cultural ‘one size fits all’ around the world,” says Crystal Lim-Lange, CEO at Forest Wolf. “For instance, lots of companies have started rolling out DE&I training in Asia and found the Western approach doesn’t work. Asking people to reveal vulnerabilities openly, stressing politically correct language, or having unskillfully facilitated conversations can actually backfire, making people feel anxious, resentful, and unsafe.
“Diversity and inclusion is the foundation of psychological safety," Crystal says. “But it helps to pitch it as a path to higher performance. People are not interested in remedial action that’s going to shame them, but they are interested in opportunities to become better and more successful.”
3. Foster internal mobility by starting with an honest conversation
Building skills for the future is a top priority for organizations, with 72% of learning leaders focused on upskilling and reskilling employees, as well as digital upskilling. To address this need, many companies are embracing internal mobility — giving employees access to on-the-job learning opportunities, such as mentorships, gigs, shadowing, and new jobs.
Internal mobility programs not only reduce costs and hiring time, but they also encourage employees to grow — and to stay. Companies that excel at internal mobility are able to retain employees for an average of 5.4 years. That’s nearly two times as long as companies that struggle with it.
Amanda Kowal Kenyon, chief employee experience officer at Ketchum, understands the value of internal mobility and is working to modernize their employee value proposition, especially as it relates to career opportunity. “However long you’re part of our agency, whether it’s two years or 30, you will have an enriching career journey that will provide opportunity and growth,” she says. “This starts with open and intentional conversations about where you are now, what comes next, and how we can co-create a journey that’s very bespoke for you.”
This may be giving an employee a three-month project that closely aligns to their interests, or giving someone the opportunity to work with clients in different industries. “While we can’t always promise a change tomorrow, we can co-create a career trajectory that gets you to where you want to grow,” she says.
Final thoughts: Team up to bring your bright ideas to life
L&D teams are starting to work more cross-functionally, but there’s room to grow. As skills-based hiring becomes more important, L&D can work more closely with talent acquisition. The same goes for the people analytics team, which can be a strong partner to validate the business impact of skill-building programs.
Whatever your focus is — be it tools or technologies or programs — don’t go it alone. Partner with company leaders and your colleagues across HR to invite all hands on deck. Your next bright idea depends on it.
Topics: Culture of learning Internal mobility Learning technology
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