Learning and Development – Transformation and Evolution in Times of Disruption

Learning and Development – Transformation and Evolution in Times of Disruption

As the world emerges from the pandemic, we believe the aftermath of this humanitarian crisis is yet to be fully witnessed. Businesses of all sizes have put the health and well-being of their workforce first and rightly so. However, bigger, metamorphic decisions about the financial impact of the ongoing crises are looming. The same would apply to the Learning and Development teams across the world.

Our dialogues with global experts and our clients have given us a glimpse into how this change will impact L&D priorities and how far into the future should we think about. The optimism remains strong, and most organizations will bounce back to full training calendars and business as usual in a matter of months. However, not without caution.

The predicted long-term impact on Learning 

Most L&D experts predicted that the way we work, learn, and adapt will need to adapt and evolve significantly. Globally, organizations and people would have learned lessons about the human ability to work in physical isolation while remaining technologically connected in a way we never thought was possible. Organizations and employees would have built trust and tools for an efficient distributed workforce, given that it would be the new normal. This would mean new training topics, new skills, and a whole paradigm shift.

Experts have warned that learner groups working remotely can face a reduction in the appetite to formally learn through structured interventions. Training their people to cope with the effects of working in isolation and forming bonds even when working remotely is just as important as training for skills.

Building agile learning strategies:

With many companies now looking toward reshuffling their L&D priorities, the larger focus is on adapting training to digital formats for better accessibility and building new training suited to the new work life.

Long-term vs. short-term priorities:

Building stop-gap training to substitute classrooms can be a short-term solution and unavoidable to keep essential onboarding activities going. Rushed solutions can be just so basic that when it is business as usual, you might be stuck with a lot of what you cannot use. Set yourself a budget. Setting a budget will help you prioritize and evaluate requirements critically.

Collaborate with the business:

Reach out to the business department heads, attend some of their business briefings, and look for renewed training support they might need in the changed circumstances. Some important topics are compliance training, data privacy training, and training to deal with working remotely. Not all training needs to be unwieldy, simple solutions and on-the-job support can be all that can make a difference sometimes. Connecting people and documenting and sharing best practices across teams at this time can do wonders.

Use technology but judiciously

Convert ILTs to a blended solution with vILT at its heart. While some of the training can be elearning, continue to have a few hours with the trainer so the quick fix solution can remain as robust as it was meant to be and trainers can add the essential human connect. MPS Interactive is converting a suite of vILT training to suit a newly adopted collaborative platform during the crisis.

Bring value-added, aspirational projects forward

Look at value-added activities that you have always wanted to do but not had the time to focus on, and bring them forward. For example,

• Were you thinking about analyzing data from the LMS, classroom, and user surveys (if any) to gauge participation and effectiveness? Most organizations have the basic data lying idle that can actually reveal deep insights about what learners really expect. 
• Did you want to sift through old programs ready for a re-launch or update? Often what seems exciting elearning now, maybe sitting on the LMS for years later as the novelty wears off. Could some of the games, programs be repurposed or plain relaunched?    
• Were you looking at developing templates, formats, and other reusable elements that could drive efficiency and consistency in learning program design?
• Was there that one aspirational learning technology or program that you always wanted to develop but always got pushed right back due to topical business priorities – bring it ahead and get excited about it, if time and budget permit.
• And, of course, did you want to reskill your learning and development team members about learning trends and technologies and understand your company’s business better. There will be no better time to re-group and look for opportunities to educate ourselves so we can collaborate better with the business and make a deeper impact.

These are only some of the outcomes from our discussions with our customers and experts. We look forward to hearing from you – how you have adapted and what support can we provide you. 

 – By Anisha Chauhan, VP – Learning Design at MPS Interactive Systems