Features

Why do AI and neuroscience matter for L&D?

Stella Collins

Stella Collins provides reassurance and guidance on those looking to use artificial intelligence in their learning design and delivery Neuroscience and AI both attract attention in L&D – some good and some bad. You might think AI is the newer kid on the block, but it’s been around longer than you think. Both disciplines have borrowed and learned from each other for years. Why does this matter to us in L&D? Because our primary role is to improve performance by…

Setting up learning for success

Paul Matthews

In the second of two articles on establishing successful learning, Paul Matthews examines collective responsibility In the first article in this series we looked at getting clarity on the wants and expectations of the various stakeholders involved in a staff development programme. If those wants and expectations involve employees changing the way they do their jobs, and that will usually be the case, a ‘team’ effort is needed for those objectives to be realised. This is one of the reasons…

Setting up learning for success

Paul Matthews

In the first of two articles looking at how to analyse learning need to establish successful training programmes, Paul Matthews focusses on setting expectations So, you are running a training programme… Why? Somebody has asked for it. Perhaps many people have. Who are these stakeholders and what do they actually want? Or more importantly, what do they expect? What they want and what they expect may well be a little different. If you want your work to be considered a…

Seven ways to encourage sustainability

Luke Smith

Luke Smith outlines some approaches business leaders can take to support sustainability in their organisations In today’s rapidly changing world, the need for sustainability across all aspects of our lives has never been greater. Hundreds of scientific studies, such as the one produced by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released this spring, have indicated that without significant strides toward a more sustainable world in the next decade, the global climate is projected to continue to change in ways…

How to build social capital

Sally Tanski

Sally Tanski explores the importance of leaders’ emotional intelligence in growing social capital If you’re a leader, or work with leaders, this situation may be familiar to you… You find it’s difficult to motivate team members, who seem disengaged and distant – and you realise how little you really know about them as people. Or maybe you’ve been struggling with an issue that seems unsolvable until you talk to a colleague over a cup of coffee, for the first time,…

Is goal setting really necessary?

Thom Dennis

Are you an expert in goal setting or do you prefer to freestyle? Thom Dennis explores the pros and cons of both Goals can guide how we behave and influence a number of factors from performance level to degrees of conflict to the success of leaders. If goal setting helps us to identify what we want to accomplish, create a plan of action, and monitor our progress towards a desired outcome, is there really a downside? Almost certainly a more…

Challenger banks leading the way in sustainability

Glenn Gillis

Glenn Gillis looks at the role challenger banks have in the search for a greener world and the role gamification has in changing attitudes Concerns about climate change are influencing consumer choices more than ever, with nearly three-quarters of Britons anxious about global warming. As sustainability becomes a top priority for customers, 92% of them are more willing to trust a business that supports action on environmental issues. This is shaping trends in the financial sector; a recent report found…

The impact of positive workplace culture

Luke Smith

Luke Smith looks at boosting productivity and customer experience by focussing on organisational culture A strong workplace culture is key to the long-term success of your business. A recent survey by McKinsey even found that businesses with strong, positive cultures yield 60% higher returns than their peers. The same report also found that companies with a positive workplace culture are more adaptable. This is particularly important today, as fast-paced markets are changing rapidly in the face of a global economic…

Embracing discomfort in difficult work conversations

Sara Hope

Bridging the gap in difficult conversations is tough. Here Sara Hope and Emily Cosgrove offer ways to make it a little less painful Difficult conversations are a part of being human. This remains as true in work as it does outside. The challenges we all face as we navigate our way through life can be seriously tough. Whichever side of the conversation we may be standing, talking with another person (or people) involved in, for example, behavioural issues, redundancy, bereavement, or…

The importance of purpose to Gen Z

Camilia Miccolis

Camilia Miccolis on why meaning matters in the retention of Gen Z staff and how L&D can help With Gen Z making up around 20% of the global workforce, and growing year on year, employers cannot ignore what this age group values most in the workplace. As a generation of entrepreneurial, digital natives, they are not typically swayed by salary alone, nor the hollow ‘perks’ of pizza parties and beanbags in a modern office. Instead, some things appear to drive…