What did we learn at Learning 2022 Conference?

Learning 2022 Conference is the premier event for learning leaders to gain insights, inspiration and best practices on learning strategies, technology, and emerging innovations in the world of Learning at the Workplace. The event was well attended with 800 corporate learning and development (L&D) leaders mostly from North America, and Europe. 

Some of our favorite sessions included the following: 

Keynote: Think Different

Duncan Wardle, Former VP of Innovation & Creativity @ The Walt Disney Company

Session: How to Make the Case for Investment in Next-Gen Learning

Juan Naranjo, Senior Manager Corporate Learning, Design & Development at Rogers Communications

‍

So what did we learn? 

We heard a few recurring narratives across the sessions and in conversation with L&D leaders that got us reflecting about how these trends will drive learning activities in organizations in 2023 and beyond. 

Getting more out of learning

The current recessionary backdrop means organizations are looking to get more out of learning. With budgets in hiring and benefits cut or frozen, there is an increasing demand to optimize for how work is currently being done within companies, whether that’s marketing budgets, or how L&D is conducted. We believe this is creating the environment for the business case for upskilling existing teams to improve their productivity and contributions. Especially in technical roles, where the cost of hire historically has been high, the option to offer internal mobility to existing employees to move into these roles post upskilling will become more attractive in light of prevailing organizational pressures during a recessionary period. 

Employee Engagement and Culture for Hybrid Teams

While learning has largely been viewed as providing a functional outcome for the company, many organizations are struggling with employee engagement and culture building in a hybrid or remote setting. We liked the term “collison moment” which Jake Gittleson from the McKinsey Learning Lab used to describe the convening of colleagues together to conduct learning as a way to build connection and culture. Employee engagement is moving up the priority list of executives who have noticed that teams have been burned out throughout the pandemic and may have never recovered. 

‍

Now in a remote or hybrid set-up, it’s much harder to connect with colleagues on a human level outside of virtual meetings where agendas are set. With the serendipity of the water cooler conversations gone, learning in cohorts within a company can serve as an international way to create that “collision moment” for team members to connect and learn something together. We see that in work with companies like Nestle, where teams leverage certain synchronous learning activities to convene virtual teams in the office. The co-location of employees not only improves learning outcomes but also builds community and belonging. 

Moving towards data-driven learning & development 

At both Learning2022 and DevLearn, another stop on our trip, we heard L&D professionals refer with urgency the need for the learning function to produce return on investment (ROI) metrics that highlight its contribution to the organization. We learned about xAPI (the Experience API) as an emerging data specification for workplace learning globally from advocates like Megan Torrance of TorranceLearning. Although the adoption of xAPI is still in its early maturity, data presented by TorranceLearning alongside with the Learning Guild research team showed that about 35% of surveyed Learning Guild members are adopters either in implementation or experimentation stages. 

‍

However, only 12% of L&D professionals reported having effective metrics for learners across the board for success, engagement, experience and skills. The lack of success metrics definition means it’s more difficult for L&D functions as compared to marketing, another function within the organization that has been pushed to provide data-driven insights on outcomes where clear metrics like cost per click (CPC), or open rates are available. This reflects our experience in working with functional teams across marketing, sales and HR to become data-driven that all teams within an organization are being asked to become data savvy. Data literacy has become a tablestake for all teams in competitive organizations. 

‍

Did you attend Learning2022 and want to share your thoughts? Feel free to schedule a meeting through this link to chat with us!

‍

This past quarter, we have been designing and delivering Learning Sprints to universities, government agencies, and organizations in the Philippines, and as a new year approaches, we are eager to share this dynamic and future-focused learning experience with institutions beyond our local borders. 

Email us at partner@eskwelabs.com and we’ll take our online Learning Sprints to the country you’re based in and the institution you call home.