Learning & Development Between Trends & Efficiency.

From the times when skills were passed on from parents to kids or from experts to the few devoted learners, transfer of knowledge has been one of the trickiest aspects of any business. 

How much time to dedicate to training from one side and how to transfer the knowledge in the best ways possible from the other side has always been an endless dilemma.

Tools and techniques have evolved and now we are in the best times where the development is linked to performance and career path through the right infrastructure and interlinking systems. Similarly, software has reached a very satisfying level of efficiency to secure optimal results.

However; the knowledge and skills building, still have a long path to go. 

A lot of tools and techniques have been explored and deployed, and each one of them brings some value from one aspect or another. But the main issue remains in the right blend of the tools and their convenience to the complex environment in which they are being deployed. 

The biggest problem is that these trends come in waves, rising and falling for all the wrong reasons, often completely ignoring the fundamentals and the importance of contextual application.

There are many points that need to be addressed to unveil the multidimensional aspect of development and its extreme complexity. 

It is a must to explore new tools and techniques, but it is crucial to keep and build on the fundamentals and make sure that the contextuality of the plan is kept as a priority.

• Most of the “experts” in the field especially the providers, tend to focus on their products and services and they make them a trend.

They also tend to make everything else seem void. 

That is extremely dangerous and it compromises the dynamics of development to serve the marketing and commercial aspect of their products. This creates a false belief that if someone does anything else, they are doing it wrong. 

• Despite the fact that many of these tools are great, they need to be added to others and not replace them. 

Fundamentals are to be always built first, this surely doesn’t mean that they are not subject to improvement. 

• Some tools just don’t serve the level or the skill that is being developed, yet some trainers push to make sure they are being “in” and following what is trending. 

This is a dangerous syndrome that puts the real development plan in jeopardy. 

Let’s look at a few examples:

• Gamification and experiential learning are highly engaging tools, but they can never replace real-life scenarios or the complex, often ‘less exciting’ and mentally demanding discussions that delve into the depth and practical application of the topics being explored.

• The 20/80 rule, where trainers are encouraged to speak only 20% of the time, is a valuable guideline. However, there are situations where a more lecture-based approach is necessary to clarify complex ideas. This can be especially true when the topic is intricate, the group is at a beginner level, or the trainer needs to motivate the participants or manage the group’s energy. In such cases, a different balance of interactivity may be more effective.

• Many other great rules and techniques need be more contextualized.  

The most important factors for the success of the learning & development journey are: 

• Never forgetting the fundamentals, they should be the base.
• Always trying to evolve but not with the intention to delete predecessors.
• Making sure to have the trend take the weight of a trend and treating it as such, and not confusing it with a foundation tool.
• Understanding the importance of the blend of various tools for a complete learning experience. 
• Never judging some “boring or tough” tools as old fashioned or inefficient, they might be the most important needed ones in some aspects. 
• Using the tools that match the context and the team level. 

What I am trying to insist on is the need to have the “AND” not “OR” and not be pressured by the trends at the expense of the real development journey.