Has Learning & Development Changed Forever?

Recently, I found myself missing the week-long intensive Guiding Organizational Change qualification programs we used to offer. Small groups of experienced learning professionals gathered to explore ways to increase their capacity for helping their organizations change more effectively. Discussions were passionate, and the level of engagement was always high as we delved into applying the integrated approach to leading change in any changing organization.

I facilitated these programs at various locations around the world for decades. Leading these courses was one of the most satisfying and enriching aspects of the work I do. Bringing people together to share time and space while talking about ideas everyone was passionate about was hard to beat.

Way back in the dark ages of the late 90’s, I noticed an alternative approach to shared learning begin to take shape. I came across the early version of WebEx. Although video conferencing dates back to the early 1900’s when AT&T Bell Labs connected audio and video signals over phone lines, WebEx was one of the first commercial online video conferencing platforms. Intrigued, I tried using it for some short live programs. Given the slow connection speeds and somewhat limited capacity of the early software, I did not stick with it as a way to engage learners.

Clearly, I missed the boat. Over the past two decades, online learning has slowly but steadily made inroads into the world of learning and development. Today, there are more than one hundred video conferencing platforms, from Adobe Connect to Zoom. Over this past year, when the pandemic has forced most of us into isolation where we are working from home, online learning has exploded. Small group, face-to-face, learning environments have all but disappeared. Large group conferences have migrated to online platforms. Even one on one meetings are now held virtually far more often than in person.

Of course, there are pros and cons with these virtual gatherings. Proponents suggest they are cost-effective, great ways to build and maintain connections with people regardless of where they are located and allow for easy collaboration. Naysayers say they are exhausting, require time and effort to learn the systems well enough to benefit from all the features and leave us interacting with a screen on our own, depriving us of the kinesthetic essence of any interpersonal or group encounter. As with all technology devices and programs there are also the inevitable technical problems.

Many people cannot wait to get back to a work environment where face-to-face meetings and learning opportunities are readily available. Others are more than fine working interdependently using technology as the means of connection when it is necessary.

Learning and development activities require new skills if they are to be effective using online interactive technology. Both facilitators and learners have to adapt in order to get the most out of any online learning program.

Will everyone invest the necessary time and effort to ensure learning and development will evolve to become maximally effective using online platforms? Many already have. Others drag their feet and wait with bated breath for in-person collaborations to return.

The future of learning and development will not be an either / or scenario. It will be a both / and reality utilizing a fluid blend of both in-person and virtual programs. People have been using video conferencing platforms for decades, seeing incremental growth as platforms improved and connection speeds and bandwidth increased. All this past year of pandemic related isolation has done is to exponentially accelerate the increase in use of online learning.

So, has learning and development changed forever? Yes and no. Learning and development is always changing. We are simply changing faster now. When the time comes and it is safe to do so, face-to-face learning will once again become an option. We will be able to access the best of both worlds.

For now, I am adapting to these new online platforms to help organizations lead change more effectively. Rather than gather a group together in a meeting room, we are gathering virtually.

I am facilitating a Change Leadership Masterclass for HR Professionals for HRPA (Human Resources Professionals Association). We will meet virtually for 2 hours, once every two weeks from Feb. 24 through to May 19. We will explore my latest thinking on how to apply the integrated approach to leading change in your organization. Join us if you can.