5 Reasons why Learning and Development is so Important for 2025 (and beyond)

As we end the year and start preparing for a new year, it is not uncommon to have many priorities listed for the next year. It could be the new shiny product due to launch. It could also be the targeted profit margins the organization needs to hit. Whatever they are, everything seems like a priority. This is when Learning and Development (L&D) might not even become a priority. However, this should be avoided as L&D is a crucial part of ensuring your organization's progress. These are five reasons why L&D is so important for 2025 (and beyond).

1. Navigating an Extremely Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous (VUCA) Climate

   
   

   The current climate around the world is undeniably VUCA. The world has been described as being VUCA for a long time now with no signs of reprieve. On a geopolitical front, international conflicts and regional tensions have been at an all-time simmering high. Countries have also been cautiously watching on as a second Trump presidency. The uncertainty as a whole has led to spooked markets and a less-then-favorable outlook for companies. It is, as the term suggests, truly volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous. And any organization that is not ready could be impacted one way or another.

   
   

   L&D allows an organization to face the challenges brought about by a VUCA climate. One major challenge brought about by a VUCA climate is dealing with problems that are brought about by other broader issues. For instance, global conflicts might not seem to have any impact on our organizations. However, it has resulted in supply chain issues that have led to cost increases. Such cost increases have consequently led to inflationary pressures that have also resulted in financial concerns amongst working folk. Such chain reactions are not avoidable, but learning to anticipate them would allow organizations to put early safeguards in place. A L&D structure trains organizations to anticipate such problems and devise countermeasures.

2. Keeping Up with Fast-Changing Trends

   
   

   Trends today are also emerging and developing at breakneck speed. When ridden on, trends offer organizations a good opportunity to quickly gain new customer bases. It also allows a strengthening of relationships with existing customers. Trends get people excited because of its novelty. However, once its novelty wears off, trends also lose popularity and possibly a fraction of its fans.

   
   

   Due to the fast-changing nature of trends, L&D is needed to make the best out of working with trends. L&D keeps an organization abreast of current trends. It also helps organizations know how to anticipate potential future trends. It could even help organizations be the trendsetters themselves. Trends might also bring about new processes which also require new skills. L&D helps organizations become skill-ready to work with trends. A most notable recent example is Artificial Intelligence (AI). When Generative AI (GenAI) suddenly gained popularity in 2021, organizations were caught by surprise. Less savvy organizations lamented the possible erosion of jobs, fearing that multiple job functions could be replaced by AI. However, this is not necessarily true and does not have to be. Instead, organizations can find ways to work with AI. An organization that has an L&D structure would utilize its learnt skills to work with these trends, finding ways to improve or even pivot.

   
   

3. Staying Future Ready

   
   

   Apart from short-term trends, there are also longer-term developments that could have an impact on organizations. These trends might not be visible at the present but are precipitated by small bursts of current developments. For instance, apps were not new when the iPhone was launched in 2007. It existed in the form of software that did not reside on a single platform. Instead, the software ecosystem was a fragmented landscape not pulled together by anything. Today, app ecosystems and digital stores unify the providence of apps, and that has formed the backbone of how consumers get the tools they need over the past two decades. The popularity of app ecosystems is an example of a longer-term development that organizations can capitalize to grow.

   
   

   To be able to grow alongside these longer-term developments, organizations need to have the necessary skillsets to both survive and thrive. Organizations that do not have these skillsets could lose the ability to reinvent itself both for competition and survival. An L&D structure helps organizations gain the necessary skillsets that would bring it from one business phase to the other. It ensures that the organization is ready to tackle disruptions and find ways to emerge ahead of its competitors.

   
   

4. Opens up Possibilities

   
   

   Some longer-term changes also result in complete changes to existing norms. Certain products or services might no longer be needed - instead, new services are desired. It might be obvious what services might be rendered unnecessary, but it is not always clear what might become important. Skills are needed to be able to spot such needs, even before customers themselves know it.

   To be able to spot such needs, organizations need to have the ability to find the novelty of things, all of which can then be fulfilled by good L&D processes. Organizations can consider asking themselves three questions -

   
   

   - How can we provide our product/service in a different way?

   - What are the gaps created our product/service that we should try to address?

   - Who are the other target audiences that could use our product/service?

   With L&D processes, organizations will gain knowledge on how to find answers to these questions. It will give organizations the ability to pick up new skills to fulfil the answers to these questions. These possibilities would likely require new ways of doing things, all of which can be addressed by the growth fuelled by L&D.

   
   

5. Allows Introspection

   Last but not least, it is always important to plug existing gaps. When a product or service gets launched, we might get carried away by its progress and forget the challenges faced before reaching this point. However, these challenges could emerge again and threaten to derail an organization's progress. Therefore, it is crucial to be able to look back and address these gaps. Upon finding these gaps, the next step is to find new ways of doing things so that these gaps can be closed. Having L&D structures means the organization can learn about new ways of doing things that can then be used to close these gaps and prevent them from opening again. L&D encourages a fruitful introspection process that results in new ways of doing things and preventing old problems from recurring.

   
   

   As has been established, having L&D structures allows an organization to emerge from past mistakes, deal with current problems and prepare for the future. If you are unsure about how to do this, one partner you can work with is Connverge. Connverge offers consultancy services that will journey with you to look into these areas. Employing a detailed step-by-step process, we aim to help your organization grow in your L&D efforts that would consequently provide the strong foundation needed for your organization's success. For more information, feel free to reach out to us today!