Bimal Rath on the Changing Face of L&D Through Embracing Technology
Bimal is Co-Founder & Managing Director of Think Talent Services, a firm specializing in leadership development & talent management.
Prior to his consulting career, Bimal had deep corporate experience across different industries and geographies, including the USA, the Middle East, Africa, and APAC.
His last corporate position was as the HR Director for Nokia- Asia Pacific. He had previously held senior positions in Eicher, British Telecom, and Tata Sons.
He is also associated with the Center for Creative Leadership, USA, as an executive coach, with Duke Corporate Education as an educator, and also sits on the boards of several small to mid-size young entrepreneurial companies.
Q- How has Learning & Development evolved with the growing need for constant upskilling in a rapidly changing business environment?
The primary change has been in the technology (access) side along with a move towards shorter format content, including micro content.
One of the key changes, talking of content, is a significant move towards ‘learn and apply now’ kind of content. There is more and more focus on rapid upskilling and abandoning things that are not useful.
While this brings agility and more practicality, it also takes away from deeper learning in many cases.
There are aspects in every area that are core and need more nuanced, contextual understanding or sheer depth in subject matter. Without that, learning may remain superficial with no real value.
Q-What strategies best align L&D initiatives with both business objectives and employee growth?
There is no single strategy. A lot depends on the organisation design, current role of an incumbent and future roles. This is at an employee level.
At an organisation level, understanding ‘capability clusters’- current and futuristic- is essential to design robust L&D strategies.
Bringing the learner to the centre of learning is another aspect to ensure quick and meaningful learning and application.
Q- How are technologies like AI, AR/VR, and analytics reshaping corporate learning?
We are seeing innovation in several areas. Areas where AI or AR/VR applications are useful from a training perspective are emerging every day.
Shopfloor training for example is seeing significant application of newer technologies of a wide variety. So is retail and basic healthcare training.
Analytics is a different aspect. This is more about ensuring access to comprehensive data across various facets of L&D, which empowers smarter decision-making and more effective execution.
Emerging platforms and tools are driving this shift, with AI continuously enhancing its capabilities. We’re still in the early stages of this evolution.
Q- How can companies balance tech-driven L&D with the human aspect of learning?
It’s about being mindful and considering all aspects. Very often L&D designers and administrators get carried away by new technology or a ‘fad’.
At the end of the day, having clear metrics for learning outcomes, both for the organisation and the learner is what should drive initiatives.
It may be worth mentioning that work/role design, including what jobs can be better done by robots and /or technology over time, are considerations that every L&D professional must bear in mind.
That will drive both short-term and long-term learning needs agenda. Preparing employees to upskill and be partners with technological tools is another aspect to consider.
5. How are predictive and sentiment analytics being used to tailor learning experiences and enhance L&D outcomes?
These are now being used to customise learning journeys for individuals. The deeper the personalisation needed vis learning goals, the stronger the role analytics can play.
What is important though is to link the four elements: Learning needs (including user preferences), Learning goals, Business outcomes and the Cost/Quality aspects.
Analytics for the sake of analytics is not very useful. The design of the overall intervention must ask questions like—what data are we capturing and using for driving decisions in any L&D intervention and why? What impact improvement are we expecting and are we tracking it methodically?
6. Any concluding remarks
L&D practitioners have to invest in themselves as well if they have to be on top of their game. They must also have deep insights into design of organizations, design of work, and how things are changing in both, to be able to design meaningful L&D strategies.
Thank you, Bimal!
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