Latest Research on Learning & Development
Research on corporate learning, upskilling, reskilling, training effectiveness, competency frameworks, and building a culture of continuous learning.
What the evidence shows
- Spaced repetition and on-the-job application produce far higher knowledge retention than intensive workshop formats.
- Manager involvement in reinforcing learning after formal programs is the strongest predictor of whether training translates to behavior change.
- Self-directed learning platforms see sustained usage only when learning is tied to visible career outcomes, not when it is simply made available.
Common mistakes
- Measuring training success by completion rates and satisfaction scores instead of by observable behavior change and business outcomes.
- Building large course libraries without curating relevance, leading to decision fatigue and low engagement.
- Treating learning as a separate initiative rather than embedding it into the flow of daily work.
25 Professional Development Activities, Ideas, & Games - Paycor
This article addresses the challenge of employee retention through professional development by arguing that structured learning activities are essential for keeping talented employees engaged and prev...
‘Training isn’t the problem – intent is’: Why HR must rethink learning in 2026 - hcamag.com
This article addresses a persistent structural problem in organisational learning and development: the prioritisation of training completion metrics over demonstrated workforce capability. The central...
How AI is Quietly Rewriting Performance Management - IoT For All
This article examines the growing role of artificial intelligence in transforming performance management systems within HR functions. The author argues that AI-powered tools are shifting performance m...
'Industry-first' | PwC overhauls AI skills development strategy in push for edge over consulting rivals - HR Grapevine
This article reports on PwC US's launch of the 'Learning Collective,' a redesigned AI skills development initiative described by the firm as an industry-first continuous learning ecosystem. The centra...
The Collapse And Rebirth Of Online Learning And Professional Development - Josh Bersin
This article, authored by Josh Bersin, addresses the disruption of the global professional development and online learning market — estimated at over $400 billion — driven primarily by the emergence o...
FedEx taps Accenture for AI training across 500,000-employee workforce - HR Executive
This article reports on FedEx Corporation's enterprise-wide AI education and literacy initiative, delivered in partnership with Accenture across a global workforce of more than 500,000 employees. The ...
CIOs take note: talent will walk without real training and leadership - cio.com
This article addresses the persistent challenge of attracting, developing, and retaining IT talent, with a focus on the Italian market and broader international trends. The author's central argument i...
How Gen Z is rewriting the rules of workplace learning - ETHRWorld.com
This article examines how Generation Z's workplace learning preferences are prompting organizations to restructure their learning and development (L&D) functions. The central argument is that Gen Z's ...
Why the frontline workforce needs better training – and why they’re not getting it - Training Journal
This article addresses the persistent gap between frontline workers' appetite for learning and the inadequate training provision offered by employers, with particular focus on the UK and shift-based s...
Addressing the Barriers Blocking Employee Development - Gallup
This article addresses the growing urgency of employee skill development in the context of rapid technological change and AI adoption. Drawing on Gallup survey data and external sources including Ligh...
Turning goals into growth: How Unilever’s Ilvan Yahdi uses OKRs to drive change
This article addresses the challenge organisations face in translating strategic intent into scalable outcomes, particularly in an era of rapid technological change. The author's central argument, pre...
Make Learning and Development a Talent Magnet - SHRM
This article addresses the growing strategic importance of learning and development (L&D) as a tool for talent attraction, engagement, and retention across the employee life cycle. The central argumen...
No metrics, no budget: Why HR must tie learning to business impact - ETHRWorld.com
This article addresses the persistent challenge HR and Learning & Development functions face in justifying learning investment through measurable business outcomes. The central argument, drawn from a ...
The great skills race: Why one in four workers have left their jobs - HR Executive
This article addresses the growing tension between employee expectations for learning and development (L&D) and employer responsiveness in a rapidly evolving technological landscape. The author's cent...
What does a (real) continuous learning culture look like? - HR Executive
This article addresses the persistent gap between organizational investment in learning and development (L&D) and actual workforce skill acquisition. The author argues that traditional training-focuse...
To boost employee engagement in the age of burnout, focus on skills-building - HR Executive
This article addresses the decline in U.S. employee engagement, described as reaching its lowest level in a decade, and argues that skills-based learning and development offers a viable organizational...
Organizations need to invest in manager development to spur growth, ethics & positive culture - Thomson Reuters
This article addresses the inadequacy of traditional corporate learning and development (L&D) programs for managers, arguing that a more personalized, continuous approach is required to support manage...
Cooper Farms serves up a plentiful platter of employee development - Cornerstone
This article examines how Cooper Farms, a family-owned agricultural protein producer in northwest Ohio with approximately 2,400 employees, addressed workforce training and development challenges by ad...
Strategies to encourage lifelong learning across a multigenerational workforce - HR Executive
This article addresses the challenge of fostering lifelong learning across multigenerational workforces in modern organizations. The author argues that HR teams must tailor learning strategies to meet...
Jeremy, Disney Cruise Line learning and development manager, guides crew into their next adventure - Disney.com
This article profiles Jeremy, a learning and development manager at Disney Cruise Line, as part of a recruitment campaign for a similar open role. The piece addresses the nature of learning and develo...
7 tips for an impactful development program - Culture Amp
This article addresses the challenge of creating effective employee development programs in organizations. Culture Amp's people scientists argue that employee development is the primary driver of empl...
A New Paradigm For Corporate Training: Learning In The Flow of Work - Josh Bersin
The article examines the evolution of corporate training from classroom-based instruction to modern digital paradigms, tracking four major technological shifts from the 1970s to present. Bersin argues...
Five questions with Kara Hannigan, Training and Organizational Development Manager, Human Resources Division - kcemployees.com
This article is a short Q&A interview with Kara Hannigan, the newly appointed Training and Organizational Development Manager in the Human Resources Division of King County (Washington State). The pie...
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