Has the CIPD highlighted a transformational change for L&D?

Last year the CIPD’s L&D Survey showed a significant wind of change blowing through corporate L&D departments.  Respondents were asked to select their 3 top factors for success for today’s L&D professional from a list of 10. Traditionally, top of the list would have been Training Design and Delivery but this time this was only 4^th - with less than half the scores of the top 3.

• A clear winner, selected by 56% of respondents, was Commercial awareness
• Second, selected by 42%, was The ability to work collaboratively across the organization
• Third with 40% was The ability to influence the organisation

It is increasingly clear that, faced with continuous volatility and change on every front, many employers are realising that the ability to learn faster than the competition is now the key differentiator of organisational success.  For many L&D functions, whether centralised or distributed across the business, this paradigm shift is gathering pace and it will be transformational.  Traditionally, the L&D operating model has been largely reactive – the meeting of tactical training needs as they are ‘lobbed over the fence’ by the business.  In that model, the L&D practitioner can get by pretty well with traditional design and/or delivery skills.

However, the new order of things will require L&D to play a more pro-active,  strategic role. To do this effectively will require an increased focus on professionalising the function’s approach, policies and practice. Indeed, the Foreword to the CIPD’s Survey report made this observation:  ‘Our findings suggest that learning and development functions are increasingly professionalising their approach.’