Innovation in Learning and Development
“We’ve seen before that tough times can actually be the spark that fosters innovation. Therefore, it’s possible that in future years the most interesting L&D developments may emerge from the sectors currently experiencing the greatest challenges.”1
As a result of innovative thought, the world of learning and development is changing. Lots of companies are looking for a new approach to people development in response to changing demands; some companies need to operate within a tight budget; others need to offer learning across multiple continents, facing language and cultural barriers. They are also adjusting to new technologies and theories about learning styles.
Many of these innovations are rooted in digital technology; keep reading to get a sense of the ever- changing world of people development!
Avatars 
Scenario-based learning can be really useful in people development, as it brings characters and situations to life without having to resort to that thing we all hate – role play. Some education providers, such as the University of Law, have added avatars to their scenarios in order to add relevance to the learners. It brings a human element to learning, and lets people play out possible approaches – both good and bad – without repercussions.
Gamification
People often think that gamification means learning whilst playing a game. And while games are a popular tool for learning, in people development gamification is the process of adding a levelling or gaming element to existing content. For example, learners can build up points by completing online modules in order
to move on to the next level. This helps with learner engagement, making learning a little more fun, and including that vital human element – competition!
Social learning
People spend around one to two hours a day on social media sites absorbing blogs, videos, articles, ads, opinions and news, so it makes sense to utilise the social world for learning.2
If you share learning in the social world, then your fans and followers will do the hard work for you, sharing the content online with their own networks. All it takes for you to multiply your audience is for (at least!) one person to get excited and share what they have learned.
Mobile
You may be tired of hearing about the dominance of mobile, but it just can’t be overlooked. Apps can have multiple functions; they can be simple games that help with memory and retention of learning, they can provide factual information, lists or instructions, they can be predominantly visual with accompanying narratives.
Whatever content you need to deliver, an app could probably help you do it. Easy-to-access, 24-hour, bite- sized access to learning is what mobile offers – and it’s also what today’s learners expect.
But don’t worry if you don’t have the resources to immediately adopt some of these new technologies – according to the CIPD Spring 2016 Employee Outlook Survey, coaching and on the job training are still considered by employees to be the most effective ways to learn.3 What digital learning excels at is providing instant, mobile access to knowledge in a world where people expect information at the touch of a button. As the CIPD asserts:
“Clearly technological interventions need to be appropriate for the context, content and learner, but they can play a critical role in enabling flexible learning when and where learners want it, and help advance a learning culture through facilitating knowledge- sharing and social learning.”
It’s unlikely that learning technology will extinguish the need for traditional training methods in the near future, but its use is still expected to grow considerably.
Of course innovation in L&D is not limited to technology; there could also be changes in cognitive psychology, new approaches to coaching or behavioural neuroscience.
What is important is that L&D professionals are aware of these developments so that they can tailor their delivery to meet the expectation of 21st century learners.
CIPD, Learning and Development Annual Survey Report 2015, pg. 2
2 CIPD, Learning and Development Annual Survey Report 2015, pg. 11
3 CIPD, Learning and Development Annual Survey Report 2015, pg. 15-16
