The biggest challenge facing the 'Learning and Development' industry is defining the change it actually wants to make in the world


"Strategy is turning the resources you have into the power you need, to win the change you want."

Marshall Ganz

"If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there."

Lewis Carrroll

I believe the biggest challenge facing the 'L&D' industry is to define the change it actually wants to make in the world.

For work. For organisations. For leaders. For teams. For individual workers.

What's the context?
What are the problems to solve?
What are the strategic choices?
What impact will we make?

The default 'L&D' narrative remains focused on training delivery, operations and logistics. The pot of gold at the end of the rainbow seems to be affirmation and acceptance from the industrialists. The overriding objective? - to land contributions to 'business critical' projects.

Seemingly, there is little ambition beyond reinforcing the 'on time / on budget / on spec.' mindset required by status quo organisational systems.

Ironically despite this obsession with execution and delivery tools and programs (I include 'courses', 'content', 'channels', 'technologies', 'platforms', 'measurement methodologies',  'tracking' and 'comms.'), 'L&D' continues to struggle to build engagement with those who in theory should benefit most.

Meanwhile, here are some strategic cultural and leadership challenges faced by many organisations that instructional design alone won't solve:

1. Defining and leading the conditions and expectations for a deliberately learning organisation. For its leaders, employees and teams.

2. Coordinating a continuous learning strategy that aligns an organisation's culture, business value and the work to be done. 

3. Supporting and refining work as it happens today alongside space to generate new ideas and opportunities that can change the business for the better for its customers and employees.

4. Enabling connections to the people, experiences and opportunities inside and outside the organisation that help employees to do better work.

Paul helps 'L&D' teams to create their own map and to go beyond serving only 'productivity' and busyness
I work as a thinking partner and advisor with mid sized, value oriented companies going through significant change. I help you to build new capability and mindsets through shifting your approach to organisational development.

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