Navigating the New Era of L&D: Inspiring Adaptability For A Brave New World

In the wake of COVID-19, the world of Learning and Development (L&D) has undergone a seismic shift. New trends are emerging, old obstacles are being overcome, and leaders are being asked to navigate uncharted waters. This article draws from the wisdom of three major reports to provide you, our leaders and coaches, with insights, inspiration, and practical tips to sail into this brave new era of L&D. With the added few twists from our own research and insights working with over 2000 organizations on our adaptability platform.

The ability for workforces to rapidly adopt and leverage new technologies, multiplied by the radical collaboration, will be key drivers of organizational growth for the next 3 years.

Reinventing Learning in the Post-Pandemic Landscape

The Ken Blanchard Companies' report, "A New Era for L&D: The 2023 Trends Report ," emphasizes the disruptive influence of the pandemic on the L&D industry. Yet, in this upheaval, new possibilities have arisen. The report highlights the opportunities that have sprung from the change in the work environment, notably the expansion of access to learning content and the building of knowledge and skills1.

"The pandemic has provided a unique opportunity for L&D professionals to innovate rapidly and navigate uncharted territories." – Ken Blanchard Companies

This report heralds a new era for L&D professionals – an era where traditional boundaries are being redefined and opportunities for innovation abound. The research shared in the report on training modalities is particularly interesting;

Historical Changes: Pre-pandemic, most training was done face-to-face. In 2023, the expected training modalities distribution is 32% in-person, 38% virtual instructor-led, and 31% self-paced. The pandemic has prompted an immediate shift from in-person to virtual training. As people have returned to the office and social distancing has lessened, in-person training has increased but is still not at pre-pandemic levels .

Selecting Modalities: Modalities should be selected based on learner and organizational needs. In-person or virtual sessions are preferred for building relationships and trust. Digital content is useful for establishing a leadership development framework. Collaborative learning platforms or virtual sessions are suitable for discussing the application of this framework at work .

Additionally, according to HubSpot’s 2022 Hybrid Work Report, “of the 57% of workers likely to look for a new job in 2022, more than 50% would stay with their current company if they had more opportunities for upskilling."

The Top Priorities for L&D Leaders

Gartner's "Leadership Vision for 2023: L&D Leaders " report outlines three key priorities for L&D leaders in the evolving work landscape:

1. Building a productive, highly flexible learning culture for a hybrid environment
2. Empowering employee-led growth
3. Building human-centric leadership

"The pandemic has accelerated the need for a hybrid learning culture, employee-led growth, and human-centric leadership." – Gartner

These priorities are not just guidelines, but vital tools for L&D leaders to proactively influence talent and business decisions. They are the compass that will guide us through the uncertain terrain of the post-pandemic world.

The Great Reengagement: Reviving Company Culture

Wisetail's "What’s New for L&D in 2023? " report discusses overcoming "old" obstacles in L&D. It emphasizes a shift from top-down training approaches to more organic methods for practicing new skills, communicating, and collaborating. The report also highlights the role of L&D in reviving company culture and enhancing employee engagement, a phenomenon it calls the "Great Reengagement".

"L&D plays a critical role in reviving company culture and enhancing employee engagement in the aftermath of the pandemic." – Wisetail

In this transition, it's imperative that leaders and coaches foster a culture that encourages learning, facilitates communication, and promotes collaboration. This is not just about enhancing productivity but also about rekindling the spirit of unity and engagement - and for me, imagination - within the organization.

Nurturing Human-Centric Leadership

1. Analyze Your Organization's Approach to Leadership: Start by evaluating your organization's current state of human-centric leadership. This involves assessing the existing HR support and collaborating with C-suite and senior leaders.
2. Enhance Leadership Development: Modify your leadership development programs to create opportunities for leaders to engage in vulnerable conversations. This shift in approach encourages openness and fosters a stronger team dynamic.
3. Lead By Example: As an L&D leader, assess your own strengths and areas for development in human-centric leadership. Look for opportunities to demonstrate vulnerable leadership within your own team.
4. Revamp Development Strategies: Adjust leadership and high-potential (HIPO) development strategies to spotlight successful human-centric leaders in key roles. This can help set a strong example for others in the organization.
5. Promote Diversity of Thought: Identify employees who can provide diverse perspectives to leaders. This diversity can facilitate a rich catalog of opportunities for leaders to demonstrate vulnerable and human-centric leadership in both high-stakes and low-stakes situations.

The Role of Adaptability in Navigating the L&D Landscape

Among the tools available to leaders and coaches in this new era, our platform for adaptability people analytics, brings strategic insight and value. With a science-backed assessment of Adaptability Quotient (AQ ), a measure of how well an individual, team, or organization can adjust to change. Our platform is specifically designed to help employees adapt and adopt new skills and embrace new technologies.

Why is this important? In our hybrid, ever-evolving world, adaptability is no longer just a desirable trait; it's a survival skill. The ability to adapt to change, to learn and unlearn rapidly, and to embrace new technologies is what will define success in the coming years. And that's where our people analytics and the largest community of AQ Certified Partners in the world comes in.

Here's how you can leverage AQai :

• For Coaches: Use AQai's analytics to identify areas where employees might struggle with change and adopting new technologies, learning new skills, and navigating hybrid work processes. Tailor your coaching strategies to address these areas and help employees develop their adaptability skills.
• For Leaders: Use AQai to assess the adaptability, change readiness and re-skill index of your teams and your organization as a whole. Use the insights from AQai to make strategic decisions that enhance the innovation, wellbeing and talent retention of your organization.

In the face of rapid change, adaptability is our greatest ally.

Unleashing Imagination: The Next Phase of the Employee Life-cycle

As we transition from a knowledge-based economy to an imagination-based one, our perspective on employee development needs to evolve. The traditional focus on knowledge retention should give way to a broader emphasis on fostering and retaining the power of imagination. In our modern world, where knowledge is becoming vastly more accessible through technology and artificial intelligence, the true differentiator lies in our ability to imagine, innovate, and solve the complex problems of tomorrow.

In the past, the value of an employee was often measured by the breadth and depth of their knowledge and experience. The more information they had at their fingertips, the more valuable they were perceived to be. This model worked well for a time, now with the advent of technology and AI has drastically changed the landscape. With knowledge now just a voice command away, the value of simply knowing something has diminished. We live in a world where anyone can now build a complex app in a day, with simple prompts in natural language, iterate and deploy a functioning tool. It is pervasive and will transform every industry within the next 2 to 3 years. What's crucial now is not just what we know but what we can imagine and do with that knowledge. How quickly we can unlearn, and relearn.

This shift to an imagination economy places a premium on creativity, innovation, rapid experimentation and adaptability skills. It's no longer enough to merely process and regurgitate information; employees must now be able to interpret, extrapolate, and create from the information they have. They must be able to imagine new ideas, devise innovative solutions, and foresee the implications of their decisions.

In this new paradigm, L&D professionals are tasked with nurturing the imaginations of their employees. This means encouraging curiosity, promoting creative thinking, and creating a culture where original ideas are celebrated. It also involves providing opportunities for employees to exercise their imaginations, such as through cross-departmental sprints, innovation challenges, and cross-functional projects.

Moreover, it's not just about fostering imagination in the first place – it's also about retaining it. Over time, it's easy for routine and complacency to stifle creativity. L&D professionals must actively work against this by continually providing fresh stimuli, challenging assumptions, and promoting a growth mindset. They should encourage employees to step outside their comfort zones, learn from other industries and disciplines, and approach problems from new angles.

A high AQ indicates a readiness to embrace change, learn new skills, and adapt to new technologies – all of which are crucial in the imagination economy.

As we move into the imagination economy, it's vital that we shift our focus from retaining knowledge to unleashing imagination. This will require rethinking our approach to L&D, but with the right mindset and tools, we can nurture the creativity and adaptability that will drive our future success.

Building the Future: Practical Tips for Leaders and Coaches

After spending time diving into these three great reports, here are some practical tips for leaders and coaches:

• Foster a Learning Culture: Encourage continuous learning and development within your organization. Provide access to learning resources and create opportunities for employees to build and develop new skills.
• Empower Employees: Encourage employee-led growth. Give your employees the autonomy to drive their own learning and development.
• Human-Centric Leadership: Focus on people. Build leadership strategies that put your employees' needs, well-being, and development at the forefront.
• Enhance Engagement: Foster a culture that promotes communication and collaboration. Use L&D strategies to revive your company culture and enhance employee engagement.
• Develop Employee Adaptability: Use the AQai platform to assess and enhance the adaptability of your employees, your teams, and your organization.

There is no doubt the world of L&D is changing, and it's changing fast. But with the right tools, the right strategies, and a focus on adaptability, we can navigate this new landscape and build a future that's not just about surviving but thriving.

Welcome to the brave new world of L&D. Let's embrace it together.