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L&D trends round-up: the 10 best articles to stay up-to-date with Learning and Development

17/04/2019
The start of a new financial year is a good time for businesses to rethink their L&D practices and to try some new approaches to transform their people and their business.So in order to help with this, we’ve decided to share a list of incredible articles on L&D that’s been curated by Simon Vuillamue and takes a look at some of the most-read articles from the past year.Over the next few weeks, we will be posting the full articles to help inspire your L&D practices- so stay tuned! 

#1 What can the customer experience tell us about the learner experience?

Some customer experience principles can help improve the learner experience. This article looks at the similarities and differences between the customer versus the learner experience.“The marketing industry and the training industry have much in common. It is only natural, therefore, that we look to the customer experience for ideas as to how we create a satisfying and effective learner experience for all.” 

#2 Five tips to improve learner experience

A really useful article with practical and easily actionable tips on creating a relevant learner experience.“What appears to be educationally relevant and simple for the designer may sometimes seem complicated from the learner’s point of view. In the digital era, the question “Is the teaching method suitable?” is no longer sufficient. It is essential to put oneself “in the shoes”of the learner, locate possible irritants and seek to eliminate them!” 

#3 Is micro-learning the future of training?

In this article, you will find out how to make the most of the flexibility of micro-learning as well as other digital learning formats in order to offer learning paths that create an impact over time. It also sets out 4 tips for creating strong micro-learning content.“Studies show that we retain knowledge for longer when it is taught repeatedly over a defined period. As such, creating shorter bursts (micro-learning) of learning over a long period of time is likely to be more effective for the learner than long hours spent digesting e-learning activities over a shorter period.” 

#4 Future Workforce Talent and Organisation: It’s learning. Just not as we know it.

This article from Accenture offers interesting research with insight into the role technology must play in learning and skills development as demands change in the workplace. It also outlines the potential economic impact of not implementing new approaches and methods to learning.“It’s a race between education and technology. As intelligent systems and machines reshape the nature of work, people will need entirely new skillsets. But the very skills that are growing in importance are not taught in classrooms. They are acquired through practiceand experience, often over long periods of time. Some large corporations are experimenting with new lifelong learning methods, but traditional education and learning systems are ineffective and inappropriate for the new skills challenge.” 

#5 Skill shift: Automation and the future of the workforce

In this article from McKinsey & Company we’ll take a look at whether corporate L&D organisations will be able to adapt to the demand for retraining as both technological and social and emotional skills become highly valued. Perhaps it’s time to explore new ways of establishing embedded learning by combining the power of Education institutions, Corportate L&D and Learning Communities (Alumni, Territories, Industries).“Responses to our executive survey show that companies plan to focus retraining efforts on skills that are deemed to be of strategic importance to the company, such as advanced IT skills and programming, advanced literacy skills, critical thinking, and problem-solving.They are more likely to hire from outside the company for less-complex skills.” 

#6 Companies are revolutionising how people work. Now they need to transform how managers manage

An interesting take on how the digital age has impacted the role of managers within organisations from Yves Morieux.“The challenge of the organisational revolution represented by agile and other new approaches is not that they make management somehow irrelevant or obsolete. Quite the opposite: they make management more important than ever before. But they also transform what managers—from the very top of the organisation to the frontline of the business—have to do and how they need to work. In some cases, they even redefine who needs to be a manager.”  

#7 Large Organisations Thrive Through Exponential Learning

How can we create the right mix for exponential learning? By following this recipe by Hayley Sudbury: Human interactions x Curiosity x Achievement culture x Learning companions.“When we share our knowledge with a colleague, they can also share this learning with their peers. Sharing market insights with one person may in fact magnify the learning to six or more people. Then, they may share their learning with five of their own peers.New technology has the potential to amplify learning within the workplace and reduce the effect of silos in large organisations.” 

#8 Yuval Noah Harari on what the year 2050 has in store for humankind

If you want to reflect on businesses and our learning practices, then this exclusive extract from Yuval Noah Harari’s fascinating new book, “21 Lessons for the 21st Century” is definitely worth reading.“Nobody can really predict the specific changes we will witness. Any particular scenario is likely to be far from the truth. If somebody describes to you the world of the mid-21st century and it sounds like science fiction, it is probably false. But then if somebody describes to you the world of the mid 21st-century and it doesn’t sound like science fiction – it is certainly false. We cannot be sure of the specifics, but change itself is the only certainty.” 

#9 Why Everything You Know About How Companies Learn Is About to Change

Chris Pirie, general manager of worldwide learning at Microsoft, gives an interview sharing his views on the way L&D leaders can support the learning and business needs of their organisations.“What learners want and what they truly need may be at odds. Learners have less time to learn and want access to instant and more customised learning experiences, their expectations of “just enough, just in time, and just for me” access, customised experiences, and rich selection of media are set by their consumer experiences. But real learning—acquiring skills, understanding new paradigms, and changing behaviours—takes time and costs attention.” 

#10 Talent Management In Japan: A Different Perspective

An interesting read from Josh Bersin that provides fresh insights on the L&D trends in Japan.“While today we read a lot about Japan’s low birth rate and lack of focus on work-life balance, my experience tells me this is a country that will transform itself in the next decade. The country’s focus on manufacturing expertise, management, and collective thinking in the 1960s and 1970s is likely to lead to a new culture of growth and innovation in the decade ahead.” 

In conclusion

We hope you find these reads as interesting as we have and that they’ll give you some fresh ideas to try! Remember to check back in each week as installments are published.