The post-pandemic paradox
According to our study, learning and development was at the forefront of business’ strategy before the pandemic with 74% of HR DMs stating L&D opportunities were delivered regularly. This stat fell to 62% of HR DMs during the height of the pandemic, perhaps as many businesses felt there were more urgent priorities.
While 40% of HR DMs stated that their approach to L&D opportunities has remained the same between March 2020 and now, just shy of a third (32%) of HR DMs believe they have seen a contraction in the number of opportunities within their organisation, with around the same amount (28%) seeing an expansion.
This split down the middle for those organisations that have differed due to the pandemic in their L&D strategies is interesting, but there are clear reasons for expansions and contractions, with some organisations falling on one side or the other depending on their unique situation.
These apparent contradictions make more sense when we see them in the context of endings and beginnings. Traditional methods of learning delivery, like people taking time out of their day job to attend ‘training’ sessions often delivered by external agencies, waned. Meanwhile, the rush to rapidly address strategic skills gaps through the adoption of learning technologies and learner and local learner communities (departmental, team-based, Communities of Practice) grew. In other words, we are in a time of transformation for learning. As in all forms of transformation, there will always be growing pains, but the direction of this growth - from an emphasis on formal learning to the adoption of continuous, employee-driven learning as the fuel for organisational culture and growth - is both necessary and beneficial.
Those organisations which recognise and work with the grain of this transformation will prosper. However, those that fail to do so risk doubling down on traditional learning strategies, which will increasingly look dated and less effective.
