The 3 Reasons Why a Healthy Organization Needs an Intelligent LXP

Three years ago, HR industry analyst Josh Bersin observed that thousands of companies were looking to “put their learning management system (LMS) in the basement.” That one remark made an LMS look like the technological equivalent of a flip phone. The new solution — a learning experience platform (LXP) — was far smarter.

Fast forward to 2022 and the need for LXPs is even greater. Jobs, workplaces, industries, and whole ways of doing business are changing faster than ever before. To keep up with these changes, learning and development (L&D) has to evolve — and LXPs are a catalyst for that evolution.

Three big reasons explain why LXPs have become necessary to ensure your business survives and thrives in 2022 and beyond.

1. The skills your employees need are changing faster than ever

According to the 2022 Learning Workplace Learning Report, LinkedIn members’ skills for the same occupation changed by about 25% between 2015 and 2021. At this pace, the skills required for the average job will change by at least 40% by 2025. 

Johanna Bolin Tingvall, global head of learning & development at Spotify, has called this “the Fourth Industrial Revolution,” and said the only way to prepare for it is to emphasize and accelerate workplace learning: “We’re getting older as human beings and the lifetime of companies is getting shorter, which puts a responsibility on all of us to upskill and reskill more often.”

But how can you possibly prepare everyone to upskill and reskill when every member of your team needs different skills? That’s where an LXP can help. 

LXPs are more focused on the user and their needs compared to traditional learning experiences. Learning leaders can use LXPs to curate personalized learning paths tailored to each of your specific learner’s needs, learning styles, goals, and interests.

Committing to personalized learning with the help of an intelligent LXP won’t just raise learning engagement or increase retention; it’s also the best way to identify and give your employees the resources they’ll need to succeed as their jobs transform. 

2. The best way to retain employees is to help them grow with you

The business world is facing a retention crisis. Employees left their jobs 37% more frequently in 2021 than they did in 2020, at the height of the pandemic. In fact, November 2021 broke the record for the number of new hires since 2015.

When surveyed, 25% of newly employed workers said they switched jobs because they had no way to advance further in their career at their current job.

Employees stay at companies with internal mobility 41% longer than companies without much internal mobility. Unfortunately, however, creating internal mobility can be difficult — only 28% of global companies believe their internal mobility programs are effective. 

What’s wrong with these programs? Research from the World Economic Forum suggested that by 2022, 54% of employees would need significant upskilling and reskilling to remain competitive. Setting career paths for your employees is a good start, but it’s not enough. You need to help them learn the skills to actually follow those paths, too.

LXPs can do that and have a huge impact on employee retention in the process. A report by Glint found that employees who are provided with regular, consistent learning opportunities are 3.5x more likely to believe their company can help them meet their career goals.

At a time when jobs are transforming and the future has never been more fluid, employees need a source of stability. Personalized learning can provide it.

3. In the new workplace, culture is king — and LXPs help you cultivate it

LinkedIn interviewed professionals who recently switched jobs for the 2022 Global Talent Trends Report. When asked what their top priorities were when considering where they wanted to go next, 40% said “colleagues and culture” were among their top considerations.

When asked how employers could improve culture, 59% said the most important thing to do was increase professional development opportunities. 

As LinkedIn’s Chief People Officer Teuila Hanson puts it, “Company culture is swiftly evolving, and to keep up, organizations must innovate and think progressively. We have this singular opportunity to create the culture and circumstances that will allow each employee to do their best work and to lead their best life.”

Final thought: Inspire learners with the power of managers and community

LXPs can help you build a positive culture in several ways.

First, personalized learning is an excellent way to demonstrate care for employees, especially if you get your managers involved. Ninety-one percent of employees say it’s very or extremely important for their manager to encourage learning and experimentation, and employees who see good opportunities to learn and grow are 3.6x more likely to be engaged.

Second, LXPs also drive engagement by supporting a culture of lifelong learning. LXPs are constantly innovating, especially around social and community-based features, which create space for learners around the world to grow and develop skills together. 

Not everyone wants to be an early adopter, and even the flip phone still has fans. But it’s time to embrace the new acronym — LXP — to ensure your organization’s thriving culture and future success.