The Future of Workplace Learning

19th June 2020

Continuous advancements in technology and emerging emphasis on automation will require the workforce to increase knowledge and build skills to stay ahead in the competition. Leading brands seem keen to future-proof their organizations by developing skilled teams that can grasp opportunities and enjoy higher productivity gains. What Learning and Development does - it finds thisdirection for the companies by redesigning ways to manage performance and foster continuous education. Let’s take a look at the factors that will influence future of workplace learning.

In near future the role of Learning and Development will be playing a critical role as organizations will be embracing adaptable learning to combat skill shortages. Companies will welcome a taskforce which can continually renovate their skills and improve productivity. Learning and Development will have to develop a talent strategy by leveraging advancements made in technology and learning methodologies to ensure their organizations remain competitive.

We are devising programs that are impactful but there have been expanding expectations among organizations and sweeping trends which emphasize long-term adaptability and sustainability.

We have made classifications that we believe will majorly influence the future of workplace learning in the coming days:-

1. Virtual Learning System

In-person interactions are a passé now with advancements in technology – in terms of connectivity, mobility, anywhere-anytime access, synchronization across devices, cloud computing, collaboration and social media tools. Remote working is also changing the face of learning platforms by removing them from physical locations to frameworks that foster continuous learning in a format that is flexible and agile.

2. Learner Choices

These days, information is free and floating with no boundaries whatsoever. There is information everywhere with information channels arising from all directions. The bottom line is to keep track of the information, convert it into effective content and deliver it in a way to facilitate learning and behavioral changes which can be beneficial for a growing workforce. Learning and development now must be innovative, thoughtfully designed and relevant to meet the needs of the next generation.

3. Collaborative Networks of Divided Workforce

Specialization is the future of work with an explosion of knowledge areas. It is becoming a challenge to gain constant knowledge and develop skills across a range of fields. This will lead to disaggregation of jobs into specific disciplines and will gradually give rise to decentralized networks of teams collaborating across diverse ecosystems to create output that is responsive and accurate. Accordingly learning and training need to reinvent and adapt continuously.

4. Becoming Future Ready

In a rapidly changing world, managers will have the onus to develop teams who can stay relevant to their domains, be proactive to the digital transformations taking place and look beyond the traditional role to stay productive.

To Summarize: -

Learning and Development has to shoulder the responsibility to bring in transformation by influencing the mindset of the learner. Through technology and planning, Learning and Development has to build a culture of collaboration and learning to bring to the fore the importance of sharing which can actually help in extracting knowledge and bolster learning.

Written By : Dr Sanjib Neil Chakraborty