’‘As Surely as Ferris Wheel Keeps Turning We Keep Learning’’

As the end of 2019 approaches, it’s time to reflect on the previous year. Which were the most notable trends in the Learning and Development industry? What kind of problems Learners and Learning Professionals have been dealing with? How far have we got since January? What have we learned? How far did we get this year? Is that progress something that we should be embarrassed about or something we should be sharing with everyone?  The dreams we have been dreaming, the goals we’ve written down, our accomplishments, or projects just about to be finalized… No matter where we find ourselves at the moment, we should keep on moving forward. 

Talking about Learning and Development Trends for 2020 is impossible without mentioning one of the best events in the Industry, the HR360 European Summit of 2019. The event took place in Vienna, 4th – 5th June. This was the only event held for HR Leaders with Global and Pan-European Responsibilities who work for Europe’s biggest companies. Global HR Leaders, HR Consultants, and HR Practitioners talked about the biggest challenges organizations face today. Rapid changes in technology, in the global workforce, high rates of fluctuation, difficulties with finding and reinforcing talent, the lack of competent managers and leaders, low trust in organizations, new roles and responsibilities the  HR staff needs to take on are just a few problems we all are experiencing. HR is at a crossroads and the next few years will be critical for further development of HR Leaders and their organizations. ‘’There is one certain thing, we need to keep learning. Organizations won’t cease to learn and develop’’ –  closing remarks from Vienna.

Here are some of the most notable trends that will keep dominating the industry:

  • Dealing with Change

Change is the only certain thing in life. Shifts follow one another. Let’s put it this way: the dance won’t stop, but the music will change; we will hear new sounds that will make us think about creating new moves. Maybe just one at first, then a second one… We are moving and exploring new ways of dealing with change. Change will force us to unlearn what we’ve learned and to gather new info constantly..

  • Developing Leaders 

If there is only one thing that’s our greatest responsibility, then it’s educating and creating a new generation of leaders. Leaders, who will inspire trust through competence and character. It is important for leaders to develop their competence, strategic thinking, communication skills and decision making. Alss, they need to be aware of the influence their behaviour has on building and sustaining trust.

  • Developing Learners

Learning individuals, teams and organizations crave for success. Even though success is something personal, there is something in common: all who learn want to be valued, respected and trusted. They want to invest in their success and that motivates them to further perfect their skills. Time is precious for them and they require influences at a profound level.

  • Developing Learning and Development Professionals

The success of Learning individuals, teams and organizations starts with Learning and Development Professionals, their mindset and investment in their education. Developing a learner-centered mindset, the belief in potential and the success of their learners and the commitment in creating life-changing learning experiences will separate the best from the rest. However, becoming the best requires demanding training sessions and practice.

  • Learning  to work with Millennial workers

It’s not just our imagination. Millennials are really different, but that difference is shaped by the same forces that make them potentially exceptional workers. Organizations who learn to attract, engage, and retain Millennial workers will make significant advancement. Make sure to have a good plan for turning Millennials into the driving force of your organization.

  • Designing and Delivering Training

The process of designing and delivering trainings will be developed around one common goal – bringing out brilliance. Starting with WHO (learners and learning professionals) and WHAT (content), different models will be built to engage, connect and inspire. Learning strategies and tools will enable optimal learning, learning for greater meaning. Learning professionals will apply new methods to bring about creative solutions. 

  • Moving  from Knowing to Doing

We know. We know enough. In fact, we know so much that we don’t know what to do with it. And we do nothing. We need to move from knowing to doing. To resolve knowing-doing conundrum we must challenge ourselves with new approaches and methods. Maybe we need to take action right away. Adult learners are more likely to learn and change their mindset when they take action first and think about resolving the issue in the process.

  • Improving Learning and Development Effectiveness

Every single Learning and Development initiative will be closely connected with the results we want to get, financial and/or non-financial. The new generation of Learners will probably develop new metrics that will measure how much fun they have and how much fun they will have while applying and practicing new skills.

  • Building Learning Organizational Culture

Organizations of the future will be learning cultures. In these cultures learners feel safe to question everything, make mistakes and to experiment. Learning cultures empower innovation and long-term success.  Mutual understanding, respect and trust will rule in high-performing organizations. Crafting distinctive cultures will be the silent force that drives success.

  • Creativity and Innovation

The role of creativity and innovation will be to create and sustain competitive advantage and to become more like ourselves instead like everyone else. We will embrace an innovative approach in everything we do. Hiring will be more spontaneous and imaginative, onboarding processes will be more creative and enjoyable and trainings will more or less consist of fun games to play.

   Seems like quite an  exciting and challenging Learning and Development ride.  And just as the Ferris wheel keeps moving, we keep learning. And this is one trend which most certainly won’t change.

If you would like to learn more about upcoming learning and development trends, better yet, if you’d like to be a part of the new and improved generation of leaders, reach out to us so we can broaden our horizons together.