Digitising the old approach isn't "Transforming Learning and Development"

"The very essence of leadership is that you have to have vision. You can't blow an uncertain trumpet."

Jason Walker

What if "moving the curriculum online" wasn't the real challenge at all?...

Five alternative challenges for restless Learning and Development leaders:

1. Leading with new Confidence

'Learning' means enabling change - with and in the organisation. Choosing to take responsibility for change is the definition of leadership work. The age old Learning and Development question of "When will we be given a seat at the table?" is a hangover from the industrial management model - based on scarcity and positional power. Learning and Development can lead by choosing to take new responsibility - rather than waiting to be granted more 'authority'.

2. Connecting to a new work Context

There have been two unstoppable forces at play in business which fundamentally shift the context within which the Learning and Development function must create value. These shifts have been highlighted and accelerated further by the COVID-19 pandemic crisis:

The shift away from the 'industrial' business model - whereby a business only created value through control, standardisation and repeatability. The goal was cost reduction through increased efficiency and productivity with people managed as 'interchangeable parts' within the system. Individual skills in individual roles were there scarce and differentiating - and therefore valuable.
Today - businesses create value through the quality of their interactions and connections.

and

The shifting 'social contract' between a firm and its employees - whereby work was only a simple transaction of time (and output) in exchange for a salary. (It still is in many cases of course...)
Today - the new expectations of (many) workers include an ambition to master their chosen field, the autonomy to put their knowledge and judgement to work and the freedom to build networks that help.

The work of 'L&D' should align to and, accelerate the new opportunities these two shifts present for people and for businesses.

3. Developing a new, ambitious Narrative

The status quo story that underpins the focus of 'legacy' corporate Learning and Development is that performance change comes from engaging with a centralised cycle of 'topics and content'. Again, this is a hangover from the industrial version of business value creation when everything that needed to be known was already known by Management. The ongoing focus in Learning and Development (conscious or otherwise) on:

"Learners" and "teachers";
Tactics and tools over organisational goals;
Providing access to 'content' over creating the conditions for learning;
Gaining attention for 'initiatives' over the change they seek to make

All reinforce a narrow, reactive positioning of a function which serves the status quo.

If the Learning and Development team seeks to grow its influence and its impact then it needs to lead through a new, more compelling and ambitious 'story'.

4. Alignment of 'Learning and Development' with new organisational goals

The priorities of the Learning and Development function should connect directly to what is now differentiating and therefore valuable for the business and the brand. There are a number of different 'lenses' the Learning and Development team can use to re-prioritise their focus - once the organisational context is clear:

Will we create more value by developing individuals, teams or the organisation as a whole? - or all three?

Will we create more value by enabling and accelerating 'Productive' learning (for the 'now') or 'Generative' learning (enabling and accelerating a new future for the business) - or do we need to enable both?

What different types of work in the organisation create the most value now - and how might this change looking forward? - 'Routine' work, 'Complex' work, 'Discovery' work - or a combination of these across the organisation? How do we balance appropriate support across these different types of work?

5. Re-thinking what now guides Prioritisation

What might you add and remove from this list of ideas - for new, 'post-pandemic' priority goals for the Learning and Development function?

Accelerate sustainable organisational growth

Enhance our competitive advantage

Lead the culture and capacity to solve our customers' problems

Shift focus from 'events' to continuous learning through work

Build capacity and conditions for more innovation and performance improvement

Facilitate self-directed learning

Provide context and help people to take control of their learning and their career path

Encourage and role model the value of reflection

Measure our contribution through the quality of our stakeholder relationships and strength of our network

Deliberately move the business away from a 'training organisation'

Connect people with people, experiences and resources

Facilitate discovery

Energise people, focus them and enable them to succeed

Collaborate to define organisational readiness (for now, and for the future)

Coach and support every manager to lead and role model continuous learning


Paul works alongside Learning and Development leaders who recognise its confidence, context, narrative, alignment and prioritisation that really holds them back...

www.jocelynconsultingltd.co.uk