Strategy
Uniting HR and L&D: A strategic imperative for future-ready organisations
We must ensure HR and L&D have a say in tech and change management discussions, writes Ted Miller Attend any board meeting today and it’s almost certain that the agenda will prominently feature discussions about the latest technological advancements and their potential impact on the company’s future. But amid the discussions on artificial intelligence integration and data analytics, one critical voice is conspicuously absent: Human Resources. Too often, HR is marginalised in discussions about technological integration and change management, despite…
HR teams are overwhelmed. But they can’t put L&D on the back burner
How to free up time and resources for HR teams to effectively prioritise L&D programmes, by Jeremy Walsh Human resources departments are often small, lean teams responsible for a growing list of responsibilities. But in many organisations, HR’s workload has become too much to handle: 95% of HR leaders report feeling overwhelmed and 81% are experiencing burnout, according to a report from Sage. Overburdened and understaffed teams find it challenging to handle their daily tasks, leaving HR leaders with little,…
Leaders are approaching skill building all wrong
It’s time to change “What’s in it for me?” to “What’s in it for them?” Stuart Cheesman explores an employee-centric approach UK leaders will be fully aware of their organisation’s skills gap, and HR’s struggles at filling the void. And with the World Economic Forum, stating that 50% of all employees will need reskilling by 2025, learning and development (L&D) initiatives have never been more important. An ‘employee first’ approach to skill building bolsters inclusion, a sense of community and organisational growth…
After the implosion: 9 ways to rebuild employee trust after a crisis
Rebuilding workforce trust is challenging but achievable through proactive leadership and genuine engagement: learn how with these tips from David Ross These feel like increasingly tense times. Terms like ‘permacrisis’ have gained greater visibility as the world faces conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, global existential challenges including climate change and AI, and a litany of other significant, interconnected economic, social and environmental problems whose lack of resolution has not inspired great confidence. Trust is critical. Trust is such an importance currency…
Joining the dots . . . on how L&D can drive impact through continuous development
Do you want to think more broadly and engage more people in the L&D process? Get ready to unlock the potential of continuous improvement, writes Martin Couzins Return on investment is the Achilles’ heel of learning and development. It is hard to prove and yet people still talk about it and still want it. Rather than chasing something that is so elusive, try a different tack. Focus on continuous improvement. Why? Because it frees you up to think more broadly and…
UK workforce productivity stagnates as adult training declines
Revamping human capital strategies and transformational change in people practices is needed to boost productivity – Hugh Billot shares a human capital barometer The UK has seen a significant decline in adult education and training says the Institute of Fiscal Studies. My barometer of human capital performance (below) confirms the case. Workers in general are now less productive than in the past. Almost on all critical measures of human capital performance the outcome is poor. There has been a slump…
The missing link in L&D: Why action-learning deserves a comeback
Isobelle Keith looks at the learning intervention that time forgot The learning and development profession faces many challenges. Learning transfer from traditional training hovers at a dismal 12% (Collins 2023), and despite the billions spent on leadership development, the results don’t always bear out (Haslam et al 2024). Add to that the pace of technological change and the rapid advancement of AI and it’s clear that workplace learning needs a revolution. “There can be no learning without action, and no…
Leading beyond the pyramid: Crafting a culture of agile, empowered decision-making
Henrik Ekelund champions a shift towards decentralised decision-making in today’s fast-paced business environment Organisations today are struggling with decision-making more than ever before. In an era where technological innovations and global macrotrends are redefining the way we do business, the traditional hierarchical models of corporate governance are proving to be not just inadequate but a barrier to success. The old ways of command-and-control leadership slow down progress and stifle innovation. They create and reinforce silos and prevent those further down…
How to build a fairer leadership pipeline for everyone
Sarah Danzl discusses how organisations can create more equitable leadership opportunities Organisations have made some progress in building more representative boards and C-suites, with the latest Women in the Workplace report from McKinsey & Co finding that it’s at the highest level since the report began. Yet, we still have a vacuum at the lower rungs of the career ladder, notably in middle management and director roles. For every 100 men promoted from entry-level to manager, 87 women were promoted…
The strategic L&D blueprint: leveraging LearnOps for competitive advantage
Ryan Austin does a deep dive into the transformative potential of LearnOps as an approach to aligning L&D with organisational strategy in this epic feature In today’s evolving business landscape, aligning learning and development (L&D) with organisational strategy is essential. To achieve this alignment, L&D professionals must embark on a strategic journey articulated through several critical steps, encompassing the adoption of a Learning Operations (LearnOps) approach: a framework that optimises learning operations to drive business outcomes. A proactive stance is…
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