Reimagining Learning & Development

IDC InfoBrief

REIMAGINING LEARNING &

DEVELOPMENT: THE ROLE OF
HUMAN EXPERIENCE MANAGEMENT
IN DELIVERING PERSONAL GROWTH

IDC #EUR146363420
Sponsored by

June 2020

Authors:
Alexandros Stratis
I D C #EU R146363420 1 Nathan Budd
Reimagining Learning & Development

IN THIS INFOBRIEF

Why Learning & Common challenges

Development matter today with L&D

Creating a new Setting out clear

L&D experience L&D objectives

Reaping the benefits of

modern L&D strategies Recommendations

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L&D MAT TER T ODAY | CO MMO N CHA LLEN G ES | L& D O B J E C T I V E S | L &D E X P E R I E N C E | L&D BENEFITS | R E C OM M E ND A T I ONS

Reimagining Learning & Development

WHY LEARNING
& DEVELOPMENT
MATTERS TODAY

In 2019, IDC research estimated

90%
that by the end of 2020,

of all organizations will have adjusted project plans, delayed

product or service releases, or lost revenue from lack of IT skills,
resulting in $390 billion of lost revenue annually worldwide.

Even prior to COVID19, the growing gap between

capacity, talent and business objectives was staggering.
With the global pandemic shifting the focus from
recruitment to development, in order to close the skills
gap, Learning & Development (L&D) is a fundamental
area of concern for all businesses globally.
The difference now, is that L&D has been rapidly
elevated to a function that may well determine
whether a business survives or thrives in the future.
And one that is most certainly an indication of the
investment being made in human experience by
employers.
This is as much about changing face of all business
sizes and locations, as it is about dealing with
unforeseen circumstances. The world of work was
already moving through rapid change, and this is now
Therefore, creating a robust L&D programs,
set to accelerate.
tools and technologies, should aim to connect
IDC FutureScape Future of Work 2020 these medium-term strategic and operational
predictions “by 2024 goals with the concurrent training objectives.

two-thirds
of employees in high-performing
A learning and development
program needs to cover a
range of dimensions including
G2000 enterprises will shift from vision, process, technology
static roles and processes to dynamic,
multidisciplinary, outcome-focused application, and strong use of
reconfigurable teams”. skill assessment.

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L&D MAT TER T ODAY | CO MMO N CHA LLEN G ES | L& D O B J E C T I V E S | L & D E X P E R I E NC E | L &D B E NE F I T S | R E C OM M E N D A T I ON S

Reimagining Learning & Development

COMMON CHALLENGES
WITH L&D TODAY

Failing to keep MISALIGNED

MANDATED
pace with wider WITH Disconnected
RATHER THAN
developments EMPLOYEES’ and irrelevant
BESPOKE
and innovations NEEDS

NOT No LMS tracking

Lacking in MISSING
INTEGRATED or management,
insights and ANALYTICS AND
WITH OTHER resulting in silos of
integration INSIGHTS
HCM SYSTEMS limited learning

Too much DATED

DIFFICULT TO Poor user-
content CONTENT,
ACCESS AND experience and
overwhelms DELIVERED ON
NAVIGATE interface
employees PREMISE

Quite regularly, the development objectives
between the enterprise and the employee are not
aligned or may not be equally supported by the
learning infrastructure within the business.
Too often the organization “throws content” at the
problem, overwhelming the employee, making
navigation complex and often turning them away
from exploring L&D resources.
Programs critical to personal growth and role
development may be not available or authorized; or
it may be difficult to identify in the context of rapidly
evolving skills and fluid structures and the various
3rd party providers and content being consumed.
Learning Management Systems (LMS) and learning
content, too often remain incompatible, unrecorded
and inflexible.
L&D is fundamentally challenged by the rapidly
changing needs of the business AND by the rapidly
changing needs of the individual. Even across an
employee life-cycle, needs vary and evolve. With so
many businesses addressing L&D in silos across
business department and function areas, this
complexity is even greater.

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L&D MAT TER T ODAY | CO MMO N CHA LLEN G ES | L& D O B J E C T I V E S | L & D E X P E R I E NC E | L &D B E NE F I T S | R E C OM M E N D A T I ON S

Reimagining Learning & Development

SETTING CLEAR L&D OBJECTIVES

01
IDC research shows that the
Worldwide IT education and training services spending
alone, will surpass $22 billion by the year 2023. Even with the
Skills in Context
expected COVID19 impact, this is a multi-billion USD industry
that gains in importance during these times.
L&D is turning more strategic as it becomes central to the COVID19 response. For example, in their effort to
adjust to the new reality, businesses look to deploy more virtual learning, while reskilling and new business
priorities are now top of mind.
Investing in L&D tools that enable the business to do just that is business critical and will be part of the recovery
and return to some normalcy.

02
By 2022

33% of G1000 companies will offer

agile, dynamic, and artificial
intelligence (AI)–driven learning pathways
AI & Analytics- as the primary approach to career
Led L&D development and succession planning.
Considering COVID-19 impacts, these will become far more aligned to virtual and remote based learning
priorities. For these organizations, talent is a source of competitive advantage.
Deploying software that can use AI, analytics and experience data (EX) to tailor made employee development
will form the core of this competitive advantage and bolster the “employer brand”.

03
According to IDC FutureScape:
Worldwide CIO Agenda 2020 Predictions, by 2023, driven
by the mandate to deliver engaging, agile, continuous
L&D and Employee learning - fueled workspaces, 60% of CIOs will implement
Experience formal employee experience programs.
Reskilling, upskilling and increasing cross function collaboration, becomes a key objective for success, not only
for the HR department, but for the entire business.
Especially after COVID19, organizations will have no other option than to turn L&D to a central node of the
employee experience and their ability to deliver good content, that is both personalized and relevant will be
crucial for their employer brand.

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L&D MAT TER T ODAY | CO MMO N CHA LLEN G ES | L& D O B J E C T I V E S | L &D E X P E R I E N C E | L &D B E NE F I T S | R E C OM M E N D A T I ON S

Reimagining Learning & Development

CREATING A NEW L&D EXPERIENCE

Aligned and agile L&D is the way forward

is to create organizational capacity
The principal purpose of learning and development plans
that empowers the business to achieve its objectives, or improve the process in which it
does so, either in terms of speed, cost and overall efficacy. In addition it needs to be agile and responsive to
both internal and external factors.
To do that, the L&D organization must align its priorities and investments to the strategic goals of the
organization. Engaging with LoB leaders is paramount in designing an L&D plan.

Spending on L&D needs to be adaptive

Organizations in the United States spent more than

$83 billion
on learning and development in 2019 alone.
Many businesses set development objectives annually when the
performance review process kicks off, or as part of top-to-bottom
initiatives on annual basis.
This hardly captures the current operational needs, nor is it
personalized and agile enough to reflect employee interests and
needs, either short or medium term.

Emphasis on UX and best content

A common challenge that emerges with L&D experience is lack of access
across multiple devices, clunky interfaces and the inability to integrate the
LMS systems with existing HCM infrastructure and other IT tools.

35%
of organizations will be running active
that
employee experience programs
incorporate modern and enjoyable
digital experiences and support brand affinity.
Making LMS part of this is crucial for the business.

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L&D MAT TER T ODAY | CO MMO N CHA LLEN G ES | L& D O B J E C T I V E S | L &D E X P E R I E N C E | L&D BENEFITS | R E C OM M E ND A T I ONS

Reimagining Learning & Development

REAPING THE BENEFITS OF

MODERN L&D STRATEGIES

01 Offering proactive and

personalized Employee Experience

A key benefit that emerges from a modern L&D strategy supported by the latest software tools is a new vision
of user experience, personalized and proactive. Users can receive nudges, use gamification and adjust training
to their needs and schedule. Easy access through single logins, completing training tasks across devices and
being in control of their employee experience in a unified, easy to use environment.

02 Creating a people focused

employer brand

Often the employer brand may appear generic and driven by mandate
and legislation. Changing that requires steps in multiple directions; with
L&D, the workforce needs to feel that their development is tailored to
their needs and capabilities, it is bespoke but also inclusive and makes
them part of a team. That way, an employer brand that values the
workforce can take hold.

03 Reducing the skills

gap and attrition

At times of crisis, talent scarcity, or even recession, the impact of

skills gaps and the turnover of valuable employees can be crippling
to any business.

40%
According to the IDC DX Leader Sentiment Survey 2018,

of businesses worldwide listed

the lack of digital skills and
inability to develop them as a top
barrier to Digital Transformation. L&D can reduce skill gaps, lower attrition
and allow businesses to maintain their momentum towards DX.

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L&D
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Reimagining Learning & Development

CALL TO ACTION:
WHAT YOU CAN DO TODAY

Plan your skills roadmap and Build your L&D in alignment Use your experience data,
figure out what type of skill with your workforce’s needs the analytics insights and the
sets, roles and job types will be and capabilities. Personalized feedback from your Line of
important for your business in growth plans are critical for Business leaders to tweak
the years ahead. A robust skills driving employee loyalty, and adjust the L&D strategy
assessment is instrumental in brand awareness and a you have in place. It needs
designing your L&D strategy comprehensive employee to be flexible, dynamic and
moving forward. experience. Any misalignment adaptive for it to yield results.
can lead to loss of talent and It also needs to be inclusive
revenue. and gather feedback from all
employees throughout each
important employee lifecycle
moment (e.g. by making use of
embedded feedback surveys
and so on).

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Reimagining Learning & Development

About IDC
International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services,
and events for the information technology, telecommunications and consumer technology markets. IDC helps
IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community make fact-based decisions on technology
purchases and business strategy. More than 1,100 IDC analysts provide global, regional, and local expertise
on technology and industry opportunities and trends in over 110 countries worldwide. For 50 years, IDC has
provided strategic insights to help our clients achieve their key business objectives. IDC is a subsidiary of IDG,
the world’s leading technology media, research, and events company.

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