What LinkedIn’s Workplace Learning Report can tell us about the future
Combining learner’s experience with forward thinkers
Every year LinkedIn Learning releases their Workplace Learning report, and it’s no surprise that this year they are focusing on how AI powers L&D of the future. They observe a shared mission across the industry of ‘[helping] people and organisations rise to opportunity with speed and impact’ which is, as we know, crucial to the continued success of the field.?
Whilst the report hones in on some core areas alongside AI, like skills development, data and analytics there are two things I find particularly useful about Linkedin Learning’s Workplace Learning Report. Firstly, the fact they balance ‘learner’ feedback alongside L&D/HR professionals, and secondly, the ‘bold ideas’ shared by ‘top voices’ across the industry. Through analysing these two key areas alongside each other, it’s actually possible to predict a little bit more succinctly where we think L&D will be headed in the future.
Learners Vs L&D/HR professionals
In the report, LinkedIn Learning surveyed over 1600 L&D/HR professionals and over 1000 ‘learners’ from across the globe, and there were some interesting distinctions in what was important to each audience. To summarise the key focus areas for each group:
‘Learners’ had a clear interest in:
With L&D/HR professionals were focused on:
Whilst there are some clear correlations between the two groups, particularly around career development, learners are understandably more focused on personal growth, skill acquisition, and personalised learning experiences. L&D/HR professionals emphasise aligning learning with business goals, fostering skills agility, and emphasise the strategic role they can play in organisational impact. Bridging these expectations requires a nuanced understanding of individual learning needs and strategic alignment of L&D initiatives with broader business objectives.
If we’re looking ahead to the future, there are certain expectations that arise from individuals which will shape the way L&D can showcase impact. What is clear from the report is that ‘learning’ is associated more clearly than ever with career development. This means that learning isn’t seen as a nice to have by individuals, it is a necessity for enhancing future opportunities. On a practical level this translates into practical skill development or reskilling, and moves away from simply offering performance support. Unifying the two so individuals feel supported in their roles, whilst being able to advance is crucial here.
This is where personalised experiences come into play. What I would say is that ‘personalising learning’ seems to have been a topic of conversation for well beyond the decade I’ve been in the industry, but it’s never been something that organisations have truly been able to master. This is why the advent of Generative AI, and a clearer focus and investment on AI-powered technologies, is so exciting. It brings the possibility for true personalisation much closer to reality. Individuals have a certain expectation about the way they now experience their worlds, via apps and various technologies, that are seamless and predict individual behaviour. If your Deliveroo app, Uber or even your Sat Nav knows who you are and what you want, then those expectations about how you experience the world will translate into the workplace.?
领英推荐
Uniting with the forward thinkers
One thing that both the learners and the individuals who share their ‘bold insights’ in the report have in common is a belief that personalisation is central to the future. Geraldine Murphy , Global Learning Experience Manager at 喜力 highlights the shift that’s currently happening away from a ‘one size fits all’ approach to learning, in favour of more individual experiences. Leaning into AI as a competitive advantage is clear here, when technology can help you to provide real-time guidance, offer insights and develop clearer learning campaigns.
Beyond personalisation, the future rests firmly in skills. Several of the top voices represented in the report suggest that skills are more significant than role titles, whilst it’s also suggested that the ‘CLO’ title could shift to a ‘Chief Skills Officer’. Understanding how to provide upskilling opportunities and inevitably increase professional development opportunities has a firm place in the future, but what Stephanie Conway , Senior Director Talent Development at LinkedIn , calls out here is that if leadership were incentivised to become talent developers, as she asks us to: ‘Imagine a future where leaders are considered talent builders and they are rewarded for exporting talent to other departments in their organisation’.
Alongside talent mobility and increased retention, there’s also a nod to a new future: cross-industry talent exchanges. From my old employer 汤森路透 , their Head of Talent Development Chris Louie invites us to think bigger than cross-org mobility, and suggests a cross-industry talent exchange programme could work here. The key initiative here is vendor-customer collaborations: something L&D in particular could hugely benefit from. I can see a huge amount of potential here. Plus if we lean into the upskilling agenda outside of role titles, what could happen here is close to the ‘project’ based approach, flat structures which still seem quite novel in modern business.
What does this tell us about the future?
AI is going to be a catalyst for change and bring about a more personalised learning future. One that we’ve been crying out for over the last decade and beyond. The advent of generative AI and other AI-powered technologies can certainly be seen as a turning point for achieving true personalisation in learning experiences, meeting the evolving expectations of individuals accustomed to tailored digital experiences. As newer generations enter the workforce, this will only become more commonplace.?
In switching to this view, career development and upskilling will become the core focal point for L&D and HR, and the shifts toward more skills-based organisations will pick up a much-needed pace. We might also start to see novel ways of upskilling come through if we look beyond the conventional restraints of roles and organisational walls.
Returning to the strategic focus of L&D teams mentioned right at the beginning, it’s now more important than ever to fully understand what your business is driving towards and how you and your team are aligning into this. But above all, ensuring your people feel valued and like their growth is invested in will mean you’re futureproofing your organisation - and that’s a genuine impact.
What do you think?
As always, we are keen to hear your thoughts.?
Let us know in the comments or drop me a message on Linkedin.