14 new opportunities for corporate Learning and Development


"Management was designed to solve a very specific problem - how to do things with perfect replicability at ever increasing scale and steadily increasing efficiency. 

 Now there's a new set of challenges on the horizon. How do you build organisations that are nimble as change itself?"

Gary Hamel

The ideas in this blog, shared throughout 2019 have aligned to this. How can corporate 'L&D' teams start to see new opportunities that are open to them?

The opportunity to move from serving the industrial mindset of developing compliant workers - to enabling organisations that recognise their employees as independent actors with unique contributions to make.

The opportunity to re-balance a focus on reacting to existing problems with the real work of shifting the underlying cultural norms of the organisation and its leaders.

The opportunity to put connections, relationships, participation and questions at the centre of our strategy and tactics.

The opportunity to move away from a transactional, content led approach to helping to create an environment built on enrolment  and autonomy.

The opportunity to move away from the crutch of Learning Technologies.

The opportunity to help leaders to inspire excellence in their people.

The opportunity to keep score of new things - the things that are now difficult, differentiating and valuable for organisations.

The opportunity to break down silo thinking and to demonstrate an alternative to bureaucracy.

The opportunity to identify and highlight group think.

The opportunity to facilitate uncomfortable conversations.

The opportunity to move beyond the digitisation of old thinking.

The opportunity to move beyond programme management work.

The opportunity to recognise learning as 'the work'.

The opportunity to see the work of L&D as providing leadership - and not just management.


I'll finish 2019 with another quote from Gary Hamel:

"You can't use an old map to see new land."

Here's to 2020 and all its new opportunities for L&D teams.


Paul helps L&D teams to contribute to more adaptable, human, future ready organisations

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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