UNLEASH America: Redefining the L&D promise to employees
Session two: We look at the L&D strategy of a drinks giant and why employees are integral to that process.
Why You Should Care
Get a taste of the insight as we cover one of the second learning breakout sessions at this year's America show.
In the first few months of 2020, organizations large and small the world over decided if not to prioritize learning and development (L&D) over their bottom line concerns, then certainly to give it parity with C-Suite discussions over budget and headcount.
Everything changed, not just for what L&D could deliver for employees, but businesses as a whole and what they promised their workforce.
What an organization like PepsiCo has shown is that not only can you be honest with your employees about the need to change, but you can also show them the roadmap of where your business wants to get to, and then empower them to go on the journey with you to create better L&D experiences.
Bryan Nowacki, senior director of global learning operations at PepsiCo, showed the crowd in this, the second of the day’s breakout session tracks, that a digital-first approach really can take you anywhere you want to go.
His first few questions to the audience: How do we enhance that learning experience beyond hours and completions?
How do we create a vibrant learning culture in a digital-first environment? And more crucially, what business benefits would it actually give you?
For Nowacki and PepsiCo, the win was clear in two ways: a digital learning strategy meant a personal learning experience; and the ability to build skills faster.
He borrowed a refrain from learning expert Bob Mosher that we in L&D know very well – the idea of learning at the point of need.
Although, easier said than done it seems. Less than a third of the 7000 learning pathways created in Degreed (the organization’s chosen learning experience platform) are visible to PepsiCo learners – people are either not sharing them or forgetting them.
Working together
Nevertheless, Nowacki is clear on what needs to be done to ramp up your efforts, as he noted: “The big unlock is having the operating model in place to manage all the [different] technologies in your organization.”
He closed with a five simple takeaways to help drive the tech-led learning experience.
- Leaders must set the example. Adoption requires a cultural shift, led from the top.
- Watch the iceberg. New tech is just the tip of the iceberg – process and measurement is just as important in making it stick.
- Play across. Cross-team collaboration creates scale and awareness.
- Clean your house. Ruthlessly rationalize your content.
- Nurture. The learning ecosystem changes rapidly, so make sure that you adjust to changin market trends.
The new world of work is about negotiating a new deal with employees. Along with flexibility, wellbeing and benefits, an L&D strategy is now no exception to this.
If you want more from UNLEASH America but can’t make it to Las Vegas, check out our website and our social media channels
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Editorial content manager
Jon has 20 years' experience in digital journalism and more than a decade in L&D and HR publishing.
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