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

Simon VuillaumeDirector for International Projects, Cegos Group

The new year is a good time to rethink your L&D practices and to try some new approaches to transform your people and your business.

Today, I’ve decided to take a look back at some of our most-read articles throughout the year and to share a list of incredible articles on L&D that I have spotted last year.

May these articles give you some fresh ideas to try in 2019!

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

Some customer experience principles help improve the learner experience. Let’s look 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."

Read "What can the customer experience tell us about the learner experience?" (less than 3 min read)

#2 Five tips to improve learner experience

A very handy 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!"

Read "5 tips to improve learner experience" (less than 2 min read)

#3 Is micro-learning the future of training?

In this article, you will find out how to exploit the flexibility of micro-learning + other digital learning formats 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."

Read "Is micro-learning the future of training? (about 2 min read)

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

Interesting research on learning and skills, which are the new bottlenecks of the economic growth. Human Learning is a slow process by nature, but AI / AR / VR altogether with "new" learning models (apprenticeship, on-the-job, personalization...) will speed it up. The platform is burning with massive changes: soon 38% of time worked will be automatable "thanks" to intelligent technologies, but should the people whose job will be replaced by these intelligent technologies trust them to win the race?
For sure more than ever, becoming a lifelong learner is everybody’s challenge, and intelligent technologies can help; but can we seriously think that most people will be able to win the race against these exponential technologies? Shouldn’t we start discussing why we are demanding humans to follow the pace of techno?

"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 practice
and 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."

Read "Future Workforce Talent and Organization: It's learning. Just not as we know it." (less than 3 min read)

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

Will corporate L&D organizations be able to cope with the tremendous retraining needs? Maybe we could explore new ways to boost lifelong 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."

Read "Skill shift: Automation and the future of the workforce" (about 12 min read)

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

A very interesting new perspective on the role of the managers in the framework on digital revolution.

"The challenge of the organizational 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 organization 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."

Read "Companies are revolutionizing how people work. Now they need to transform how managers manage" (about 20 min read)

#7 Large Organizations Thrive Through Exponential Learning

The right mix for coping with exponential learning: Human interactions x Curiosity x Achievement culture x Learning companion

"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 organizations."

Read "Large Organizations Thrive Through Exponential Learning" (less than 3 min read)

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

An exclusive extract from Yuval Noah Harari's fascinating new book, "21 Lessons for the 21st Century". Definitely worth reading to reflect on businesses and our learning practices.

"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."

Read "Yuval Noah Harari on what the year 2050 has in store for humankind" (about 12 min read)

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

A very interesting interview of Chris Pirie is the general manager of worldwide learning at Microsoft, sharing his views on learning trends and on the way L&D leaders can support the learning and business needs of their organizations.

"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 customized learning experiences, their expectations of “just enough, just in time, and just for me” access, customized experiences, and rich selection of media are set by their consumer experiences. But real learning—acquiring skills, understanding new paradigms, and changing behaviors—takes time and costs attention."

Read "Why Everything You Know About How Companies Learn Is About to Change" (less than 5 min read)

#10 Talent Management In Japan: A Different Perspective

Fresh insights on the L&D trends in Japan, by Josh Bersin.

"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."

Read "Talent Management In Japan: A Different Perspective" (about 3 min read)

In conclusion

I'm sure you too have read many inspiring articles over the last few months.

I'd be happy to read your recommendations in the 'comments' area below.

Written by

Simon Vuillaume

Simon used to share his insights in this space when he worked at Cegos Group

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