Finding Opportunity for L&D’s Greater Credibility and Success A Personal Journey

?????????????????? ????????????????? ?????By David C Forman

In business, if you don’t make or sell something, you are in a supporting role and part of overhead.? Support functions make important contributions to those fulfilling core jobs, but these contributions, as the name implies, are considered secondary.? This may not be accurate at all---just ask generals to win a war without planning or logistics or cooks—but this is a perception held by many.?

Most people would agree that L&D is a support function, and it is one of more than a dozen groups that typically assist organizations in various capacities (e.g., marketing, recruiting, finance, security, HR, and technology).? These supporting roles are largely defined by the needs and requirements of the times, but these can change.? Today, for example, social and economic conditions favor more agile, responsive, and vibrant organizations that can learn from their experiences, adapt, and quickly respond.?

And because learning is now so central to individual and organizational performance, there are, I believe, valuable opportunities for L&D professionals to provide more direct and strategic contributions.? I outline six steps from my own experiences that helped me, knowingly or unknowingly, make a similar transition over the years.? But first, to more fully understand the opportunities available to L&D professionals today, it is useful to look and learn from the past.

Back Then

More than a century ago, L&D was asked to perform supporting tasks during the industrial revolution driven by greater access to affordable power and electricity. ?During these times, economic advantage accrued to companies that mass-produced products cheaper and faster than ever before.? The production line was designed to ensure process consistency and compliance; and people, just like machines, performed the same tasks over and over again. ?While these working conditions were not the most stimulating, the economy prospered as consumers were able to afford products, cars, and homes that were previously unattainable. L&D’s job was to equip the workforce with needed skills to keep the production line humming.

L&D’s initial methods were derived from the most popular and widespread learning institution at the time:? schools.? Training and instruction on needed technical skills were usually conducted in school-like classroom settings or in on-the-job training (OJT) settings.? There was little concern for developing and engaging talent beyond the immediate skills necessary to power the production line. ?

Then, conditions shifted in the mid-Twentieth Century.? Economic advantage began to accrue to organizations that were services-oriented, information-based, agile, and innovative.? Quality, effectiveness, differentiation, and speed of response became more economically important than compliance, efficiency, and fidelity to a production process.?

These new market factors required people to behave differently.? Instead of following directions and executing the same tasks repeatedly, employees were now asked to think, make choices, respond quickly, and even challenge existing practices.? People were no longer viewed as replaceable parts in a production process but as valuable in their own right and the source of competitive strength.? ?Accordingly, greater attention was being placed on vibrant workplaces that could unlock and unleash talent to drive meaningful results.? In these situations, L&D’s role is no longer supporting, but essential for renewal, strategic contribution, and enduring individual and organizational success. ?

Valuing Both Individual and Organizational Learning

But it is not easy to change the way a profession has operated.? There is comfort in tradition. The L&D profession, for example, has been slow to embrace the more holistic development perspective that values learning from challenging experiences, respected colleagues, and risk-taking.? Impactful learning and development occur when people experience learning for themselves rather than being told what to do in classes and packaged courses. ?The 70-20-10 model, to its credit, recognized this broader developmental perspective, but most resources and funding continued to go to the formal training programs which comprised the 10%.? Traditions, based on the schooling model and the efficiency of instruction, die hard.?

Another impediment to L&D’s emergence from its silo has been its almost exclusive focus on learning for individuals and students, which is, again, a remnant of the school tradition. The notion of organizational learning was not yet in people’s conscientious, and was thought to be too complex an issue to address. But this changed with the realization that organizational characteristics and qualities (e.g., cultural values, change initiatives, strategic alignment, organizational structures, knowledge and expertise sharing platforms, innovation labs, wellness programs, shared accountability, and DEI initiatives) were significant, and that there were critical differences in how organizations, teams, and individuals learn, develop, and grow.? The writings and research of Kurt Lewin, Peter Senge, Ikujiro Nonaka, Chris Argyris, Gary Hamel, and Marcus Buckingham have all underscored the unique properties and impacts of organizational—not just individual—learning.? Consider these more contemporary examples as well.

·??????? Dave Ulrich’s research shows that developing organizational capabilities and improving how people work together leads to a return four times greater than just developing individual talent. ?It is no longer good enough to just focus on developing individuals.? Instead, the effort must be to improve the workplace (the organization) so that the workforce (individuals) is unleashed. ?

·??????? Amy Edmondson was doing research on her dissertation when she uncovered the work of Clayton Foushee.? He studied the impact of fatigue on error rates for airplane pilots.? As expected, Foushee saw that as individuals got tired, they made more errors.? But when he further analyzed the data, he found something unexpected:? Tired teams of aviators made fewer—not more—errors. ?Edmondson then took this unsuspected finding to her analysis of the medical profession, and it emerged again.? There was something different about teams that she calls “an emergent property of a group, not a personality difference.”? This, in turn, led her to identify “psychological safety,” which can be defined as: “Feeling safe within the team to take interpersonal risks, to speak up, to disagree openly, to surface concerns without fear of negative repercussions or pressure to sugarcoat bad news.” Since this discovery, psychological safety has been identified as a critical ingredient in high performing teams and its significance has been verified by over one thousand different studies in different contexts.

·??????? Project Aristotle was undertaken by Google to identify the qualities of its highest performing teams.? The Google founders believed the answer was simple:? It would be the teams with the smartest people.? But the data showed that the performance level of individuals did not matter, nor did tenure, team size, or extroversion of its members.? The major distinctions, it turns out, were less about who was on the team than how the team operated together.? The most significant factor was psychological safety.? Project Aristotle, by the way, was named in honor of the great philosopher’s statement that “the whole can be greater than the sum of its parts.”

So, L&D going forward must address both individual and organizational development if it is to become more than a support function.? One without the other is an incomplete and misleading picture.? But to be a credible and respected strategic contributor, one more step must be taken.? L&D must drive business results.? Outcomes matter.? If not, resources are wasted and the organization loses momentum, alignment, and focus.? These three factors, known as The Trifecta (Forman, 2023), are necessary to jump/shift L&D to being a stronger strategic contributor:? 1) Improve the workplace, 2) unleash the workforce, 3) drive meaningful outcomes.? Its People, Culture, and Meaningful Results, all interacting, learning, and working together.?

My Personal Journey:? Six Paths to Becoming a Strategic Contributor

But how do we demonstrate these capabilities and become a respected strategic contributor? ?My own personal journey, spanning forty years, may offer some clues. ?While I have not always been right or successful; I have been fortunate enough to make inroads that didn’t seem possible.? My experiences have ranged from being a learning scientist, evaluator, product developer, author, chief learning officer, and president of a performance consulting company, working with such clients as IBM, FedEx, Apple, Dupont, Ford, Target, Microsoft, Prudential, Allstate, and Boeing. ?From these many experiences and projects all over the world, perhaps the most notable was leading a team to work with Apple on the release of the Macintosh in 1984.? I still have an original Mac sitting nearby in my bookcase.

It is important to recognize that my paths are not for everyone.? The L&D profession is a big tent, and there is room for people with a variety of interests, backgrounds, and aspirations.? Yes, new opportunities are presenting themselves, but some may choose not to take them.? There will always be room for excellent individual practitioners, coaches, clinicians, trainers, and consultants to provide insights and value to people.? Their contributions are superb.? But I do believe that for others who want to address new challenges, broaden their organizational impact, and become trusted and respected business leaders; there are new and exciting opportunities on the horizon.? ?These six pathways helped me on this journey over the course of my career.?

1.Embrace L&Ds Adjustments and Change.

“Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it.”????????????????????????? George Santayana

L&D’s journey over the years is a positive and compelling story.? The supporting role played in the past was appropriate and vital to economic success and the quality of life for consumers and future generations.? The profession would not be where it is today without these prior contributions.? Be an advocate for this journey, the evolution of the profession, and the adjustments that are being made as markets and global conditions change.? ?

Practical advice:? There will be colleagues who continue to think of L&D as a support function and do not value its contributions.? This is a normal reaction when changes and transitions are in process.? The best way to try to shift their perspective is to be data-driven, evidence-based, and think like they do.? In my book, Fearless HR, I devoted over 100 pages to views that I knew people had about (in this case) HR, such as:?? HR doesn’t add value to the business, or HR is a weak discipline with poor tools and soft measures, or HR is a dead-end, stodgy career.? I then proceeded to summarize the relevant data, research findings, and noteworthy examples that told a different story and concluded by including tools and templates to address each question.? While not everyone changed their minds, these facts and evidence did impact many.

2.Become a Better Business Person.

“I don’t consider myself a Chief Learning Officer at all.? I am a business leader who focuses on talent, culture, and results.”?????? Fortune 50 Chief Learning Officer.

Before L&D professionals can be successful in their new role, they must gain the respect of their business colleagues. ?The best pathway to enhanced respect and credibility is to demonstrate to colleagues that you are committed to improving the business and advancing the organization’s strategy and competitive positioning, just as they are.? Your goals are their goals.? Your measures are their measures; and that we are ‘all in’ on this commitment together.

Several key behaviors that demonstrate this commitment to become a stronger business person are:? 1) see the bigger picture of the market and socio-economic factors that impact the business, and understand both the intended and unintended consequences of organizational actions, 2) know the organization’s most critical measures and financial goals, 3) model the organization’s values, and 4) be accountable for both individual and shared results.? These behaviors move L&D professionals out of their silo and into the realm of shared, not separate, accountability with other colleagues for organizational achievement and success.

Practical advice:? It is also necessary to speak the language of the business.? Translate outcome and result measures to money.? Consider the example of unwanted turnover of key personnel.? There are several ways to present this information:? 1) we are losing 18% of our key people, 2) for every person that leaves, the organization loses two times his or her fully burdened salary, or 3) when we lose one good person it costs the organization $350,000.? ?The third option is the most impactful because business leaders see its direct impact on the bottom line.? ?Many L&D benefits are calibrated in the softer measure of time.? It is relatively easy, however, to monetize time savings so that colleagues can see their more immediate ramifications.

3.Act with Alacrity and Take Risks.?

“Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you are standing still.”? Will Rogers

There are two types of organizations today:? The quick and the dead.? The speed of change is a defining characteristic of these times, and organizations that are hierarchical, layered, and control-driven are too slow and cumbersome.? When L&D was a supporting function, structured processes and compliance were necessary to keep the production line running; but these same qualities are disadvantages now.? Vibrant organizations embrace change, test the limits, and take risks.? While the old Facebook mantra of “move fast and break things” may not be the best advice, it does suggest a vastly different mindset that favors responsiveness and agility over efficiency and control.

Practical advice: One leading CEO keeps track of the number of experiments being conducted in the workplace.? If people are not challenging conventions and experimenting with new approaches, he becomes worried that the organization is not keeping pace.? Interestingly, research shows that even if an experiment is not successful, the very act of trying new ways of thinking and working leads to faster responses to the future that does present itself.? Another useful practice is to reward people for taking “intelligent risks” that fail.? Amy Edmondson has studied the science of failing well in “The Right Kind of Wrong (2023).? She rightly points out that some failures are just sloppy and bad; these are not to be highlighted.? But intelligent failures, especially those that explore new territories, can be hugely instructive.? They are, as Garry Ridge of WD-40 has said: “true learning moments,” and they should, in fact, be celebrated throughout the organization.?

4.Re-envision Learning, Talent, Outcomes, and Change.??

“The greatest danger in times of turbulence, is not the turbulence, it is to act with yesterday’s logic.”?????? Peter Drucker

Words matter, especially ones that have various historical meanings.? Learning is no longer about training and instruction for individuals, talent is not limited to stars and hi-pos, outcomes go way beyond activities and what is easy to measure, and change is not to be avoided but embraced.? Social capital is as crucial as human capital, and terms like ‘talent management’ suggest that controlling and directing talent is the preferred outcome.? If maximizing the human potential of organizations (so that ordinary people can do extraordinary things) is desired today, it does not come from controlling and micromanaging people and teams.?

Practical advice:? Think of the Trifecta as today’s new logic.? As we have said, there are three things that a strategic contributor must focus on:? 1) a vibrant workplace that 2) unleashes talent at all levels, 3) to drive meaningful (not trivial) business results.? A close friend and colleague of mine took this journey.? He started out his career as an L&D professional; and then through his own pathways and accomplishments continued to make significant contributions throughout the organization.? He is now a member of the senior executive team for a leading global industrial company.? His title is Chief People, Culture, and Capabilities Officer…..the Trifecta in action.? ??

5.Learn Quickly and Deeply.?

“The illiterate of the 21st Century will not be those that cannot read and write, but those that cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”?? Alvin Toffler

There it is, again:? Learning is essential to building the capabilities of individuals and organizations in a fast-changing, uncertain world.? If we don’t learn and adapt, we wither. ?Mr. Darwin and other evolutionary scientists recognized this truth a long time ago.? Now, businesses and organizations need to recognize the same reality.

L&D professionals should be good at learning quickly and deeply, but it is easy to default to what is easy to teach, not what is essential to learn.? As the half-life of knowledge shrinks to two years in technical and medical domains, for example, it is less important to convey that knowledge than to continue to learn and anticipate the new knowledge and insights on the horizon.? Learning how to learn quickly is certainly a crucial survival skill.? Learning deeply (and not superficially) is just as important and this rarely comes from instruction or training, but experiencing and learning from the situation oneself.? Albert Einstein once said: “I never try to teach my students anything, I only try to create an environment in which they can learn.”?

Practical advice:? ?There are several ways to describe these “learning how to learn quickly and deeply skills.”? IBM talks about ‘propensity to learn’ as a key hiring and development goal.? Others have called them enabling skills, but I prefer Meta Skills, because they are higher level skills that facilitate and speed learning of new knowledge and skills.?? Seven practical Meta Skills are:

·??????? Curiosity:? Ask questions, don’t accept stock answers, search beyond the obvious.? The six whys (continuing to ask ‘why’ did this happen) is a great tool to get at root causes of problems.

·??????? Anticipating Change:? Think about possible not just probable futures, study external factors and look for trends, practice solving different scenarios, get ahead of the curve by taking action sooner.

·??????? Systems Thinking:? See the bigger picture, look for connections, identify dependencies, and move beyond silos.

·??????? Rapid Synthesis:? Pull together information quickly, ask experts in your professional network, look at a wide variety of corroborated sources, make decisions quickly.

·??????? Influencing Others:? Be interested and attuned to others, extend trust, clarify expectations, follow through on commitments.

·??????? Reflection:? Listen intently, learn from experiences, leverage positive outcomes, modify negative results.

·??????? Resilience:? Keep positive, continue to persevere, learn from mistakes, adapt and respond again.

6.Be Fearless.

“The secret to getting ahead is getting started.”??? Mark Twain

For L&D to become recognized as a strategic contributor; bold, decisive, and fearless actions are required.? These actions send a signal to colleagues that actions and times are very different. ?But being fearless is not being reckless.? Far from it.? Fearless is being prepared and committed to the new role and reality by embracing the first five roads described in this article; and then having the courage to begin the journey with conviction and strength.? ?

Practical advice:? The question, then, becomes how to get started.? Choices must be made because it is impossible to be fearless about everything.? A useful framework is to focus on the significant few as opposed to the inconsequential many.? It is easy to get distracted by many actions that don’t really matter.? Instead, focus of the critical elements of strategy and the metrics that do matter.? Pick several, not 15 or 20, initiatives that are closely aligned to strategy and key outcomes.? A car out of alignment wanders all over the road.? So will an organization, unless it takes the right actions.

These six paths have served me well over the years.? I have come back to these experiences and lessons, again and again, because of their value and the benefits received from traversing these bumpy roads.?? But we are not done yet; there is one more stop on this journey.

The Way Ahead:? Artificial Intelligence and Yogi Berra.?

“The future ain’t what it used to be.”? Yogi Berra

This whimsical saying by Yogi Berra rings true, as there is always something new and different on the horizon.? Always.? Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been called the fourth industrial revolution.? It connects digital devices of all types and is the fusion of digital, biological and physical technologies.? These new smart systems are able to sense, comprehend, act, and learn; and are considerably more powerful, pervasive, and self-executing than traditional rule-based technologies.?

AI will impact the way we live, interact, and work in ways that are difficult to fathom.? Even just focusing on the digital technology aspect of AI, the consequences will be considerable.? For the L&D profession, many administrative and operational tasks previously performed by people will become the province of smart systems, just as automation disrupted jobs in previous industrial revolutions.? It is inevitable.

Given the fact that administrative and operational tasks are strong candidates for redefinition or obsolescence, the two roles that are likely to be ascendent going forward are those of strategic contributor and relationship builder (Forman, 2023). ?And this is good news for the L&D profession.? As we have seen, with the growing centrality of learning in the current economy, the pathways discussed in this article are moving in the strategic contributor direction now.? And for those L&D professionals who want to concentrate more on individual coaching, teaching and advising; the relationship role is a great fit, even in the AI era.? While personal advice can be generated with AI systems, it is difficult to automate deep personal connections, understanding, and thoughtfulness.? Coaching and mentoring may become even more valuable in a world of turbulence, new technologies, and uncertainty. ?

So, Yogi Berra, the Hall of Fame New York Yankee catcher and amateur philosopher, had it right.? The future is always changing and different.? The good news is that the L&D profession is well positioned for the changes ahead. ?There are exciting opportunities to seize and choices to be made at these crossroads. ?Yogi, as always, had something to say about this as well: “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” ??If you do, I hope you enjoy the journey as much as I have.