The landscape of workplace learning is in constant flux, shaped by technological advancements and evolving organisational needs. A recent Open eLMS discussion delved into these critical shifts, featuring host Emil Reisser-Weston and guest Robin St. Clair-Legge, Head of Learning Innovation at Huthwaite International. With over 30 years in training and development, Robin offered a seasoned perspective on the industry's enduring challenges and the transformative potential of artificial intelligence. The conversation challenged prevailing L&D practices, advocating for a focus on performance and a critical approach to both traditional wisdom and emerging technologies, reinforcing Open eLMS's commitment to driving genuine impact in corporate training.
- Leadership training often misses the mark: Despite being the largest L&D budget line, it frequently occurs too late and focuses on "what to do" rather than "how to do," leading to limited impact on productivity and a poor return on investment.
- "Sacred cows" like learning styles hinder genuine change: Over-reliance on concepts that suggest inherent, unchangeable traits can undermine L&D's core purpose of enabling new behaviours and skills, which is crucial for continuous improvement.
- AI requires "agency" for effective use: Users must possess the critical thinking and experience to evaluate and critique AI outputs, rather than blindly accepting them, ensuring AI serves as an augmentation, not a replacement for human expertise.
- Reduce friction for new behaviours: Successful implementation of new learning methods or AI tools depends on making the new way of working easier and more accessible than old habits, a key principle behind effective LMS adoption.
- L&D's true role is performance improvement: The industry must shift its focus from merely delivering content to understanding and addressing systemic performance issues within organisations, aligning learning with measurable business outcomes.
- Skepticism is vital for spotting hype: Be wary of new technologies presented with future-tense promises and a lack of proven, evidence-based results, especially in the rapidly evolving EdTech space.
- Curiosity and imagination are fundamental: L&D professionals must continuously question, experiment, and role-model a growth mindset to foster genuine learning and development, driving innovation in corporate training.
Rethinking Leadership Development: Beyond the Budget Line
Leadership training consistently represents the largest single investment in L&D budgets across many organisations. However, as Robin St. Clair-Legge highlighted, this significant spend often yields limited returns, failing to move the needle on productivity growth. A core issue identified is the timing of such training. Many individuals are promoted into supervisory or management roles, only to receive formal development nine months or more later. By then, behaviours – some effective, many not – are already embedded, often mimicking previous managers or simply being "made up" on the spot.
The discussion underscored that individuals promoted for their expertise in a specific role are then expected to transition into leadership without adequate preparation for fundamentally different skill sets. Robin advocated for a proactive approach, suggesting "aspiring leaders" programmes that equip individuals with the necessary skills before they step into a leadership position. This cultural shift within organisations would address the root cause of ineffectual leadership development, a challenge that a robust Learning Management System like Open eLMS can help manage by tracking skills, identifying gaps, and assigning pre-emptive training.
Furthermore, a critical flaw in current L&D approaches is the tendency to tell leaders "what to do" (e.g., "motivate your team," "be visionary") rather than teaching them "how to do" it. Effective leadership development, Robin argued, requires granular focus on practical behaviours, such as managing difficult conversations or understanding individual team dynamics. The essence of leadership, at its core, is about influencing others to achieve collective goals, a skill that demands practical application and refinement. Open eLMS supports this by enabling the creation of scenario-based learning, work submissions for manager review, and live learning sessions for practical skill application.
Challenging L&D's "Sacred Cows"
The conversation then turned to long-held beliefs within L&D that may be doing more harm than good. Robin explicitly challenged the widespread reliance on "learning styles" and certain personality profiles like MBTI and DISC. While acknowledging individual preferences exist, the guest argued that the misinterpretation and misapplication of learning styles can foster an expectation that learning should be "done for me" in a preferred format, rather than requiring active effort.
A more profound concern raised was that these tools, despite their intentions, often suggest an inherent, unchangeable nature about individuals ("you are this thing and cannot change"). This perspective, Robin asserted, is anathema to the very purpose of L&D, which is to enable change – to help people "do things differently and do different things." In an increasingly complex world, the ability to adapt and evolve is paramount. This aligns with Open eLMS's focus on continuous development and skills monitoring, ensuring employees are equipped for future challenges.
While receiving pushback on these views, Robin acknowledged that providing content through varied media (text, video, infographics) is beneficial for human engagement, not necessarily due to distinct "learning styles." He also championed the simplification of reflective practice, often perceived as an academic or complex skill. The "What? So what? What next?" model by Gary Rolf, a nurse educator, was presented as a universally applicable and remarkably effective tool for reflection, proving that even complex concepts can be made accessible and actionable. This simple yet powerful model helps individuals and teams learn from experience, fostering continuous improvement without unnecessary complication, a principle that can be easily integrated into e-learning modules created with the Open eLMS Learning Generator.
AI and the Imperative of Agency
The discussion pivoted to the transformative, yet often misunderstood, role of artificial intelligence in corporate training. Robin introduced a powerful concept: "You can't use an agent unless you've got agency." Here, "agency" refers to the user's ability, knowledge, and experience to critically evaluate and critique the output of AI tools. Given AI's known propensity for "hallucinations" or inaccuracies, this critical analysis is non-negotiable.
For Open eLMS, a leader in AI-powered e-learning solutions, this perspective resonates deeply. The company's Open eLMS Learning Generator, for instance, empowers organisations to create custom courses, videos, and gamification rapidly. However, the underlying philosophy is that these tools serve as powerful enablers within a broader learning journey, augmenting human expertise and creativity, not as standalone solutions.
Robin outlined a structured approach to integrating AI: positioning it as a tool at the "workplace transfer" stage of a learning journey. This involves first building a common language and understanding, followed by opportunities for practice, and then introducing AI agents to support real-world application. This "Purpose, Process, Practice" model ensures users understand what the tool does, how to use it, and how to apply it effectively.
The surprising impact of AI, Robin noted, lies in its ability to reduce friction in crucial areas like planning for customer conversations in sales or summarising meeting outcomes based on best practices. However, simply providing AI tools is not enough. Data from sales teams, for example, shows remarkably low daily AI adoption (around 14% in the UK and Western Europe), despite heavy investment in AI-enabled sales tech. This highlights a significant gap between the enthusiasm for AI and a practical understanding of how people learn and adopt new behaviours. Open eLMS addresses this by providing comprehensive support and intuitive design, ensuring that our AI-powered LMS and e-learning generator are genuinely easy to integrate into daily workflows.
Bridging the Gap: Performance, Not Just Technology
Robin further explored the disconnect between organisations eager to adopt AI and those that truly understand how people learn and change. He cautioned against the "fundamental misunderstanding" of L&D's role, where some might mistakenly believe AI can entirely replace human trainers or instructional designers. While AI-powered platforms like Open eLMS LMS offer unparalleled capabilities for content creation and management, they are designed to augment and enhance human expertise, not supplant it, making L&D professionals more efficient and impactful.
The challenge, Robin explained, is that if new processes, behaviours, or AI tools are more difficult to use than existing habits, people will revert to the old ways. This "friction" must be minimised. Organisations must actively support new behaviours, make support visible, and monitor usage to ensure adoption. The fear of job displacement, amplified by mainstream media, also plays a significant role in hindering AI adoption, particularly for entry-level roles that AI can now perform. Open eLMS's intuitive interface and dedicated UK-based support team are designed to minimise this friction, encouraging seamless adoption and maximising the ROI of your corporate training initiatives.
The discussion reinforced that L&D's ultimate objective is not merely to deliver learning content but to drive performance improvement. This requires L&D professionals to act as "performance improvement consultants," questioning the root causes of performance gaps rather than simply responding to requests for "training programmes." Often, the biggest driver of performance is giving people the time and space to do their work effectively, before even considering additional training. With features like custom reporting and Power BI integration, Open eLMS provides the data L&D managers need to identify these root causes and demonstrate the tangible impact of their efforts.
The Future of Learning: Curiosity and Criticality
Chaired by Robin St. Clair-Legge for over a decade, the World of Learning conference provides a unique vantage point on industry shifts. The biggest change observed, he noted, is the growing recognition that L&D's role is fundamentally about performance. This means moving beyond logistics ("how many days?") to a deeper inquiry into whether an issue stems from individual capability or systemic organisational problems.
When it comes to spotting industry hype, Robin offered a simple yet effective "tell": beware of vendors who speak in future-tense promises ("we are going to be able to...") without presenting concrete evidence of current, proven results. Novelty, by definition, is unproven. Furthermore, evasiveness in answering audience questions about practical implementation or challenges is a clear red flag. As an established EdTech leader since 2003, Open eLMS prides itself on delivering proven, practical LMS and AI e-learning solutions with transparent results.
The industry, Robin argued, still isn't taking seriously enough the granular "how" of learning and the tendency to focus on "shininess" over genuine value. Learners need to understand how a new technology or approach will specifically help them do their job faster, better, or to a higher standard. This is where Open eLMS excels, providing an AI-powered LMS that directly supports skill development and performance enhancement.
Ultimately, Robin's concluding message was a powerful reminder: always start by asking, "Is this a learning issue?" and "What do people need to be able to do differently?" Work backward from "what good looks like" to identify and reduce friction points that hinder adoption. Citing the phrase, "If you pit a good performer against a bad system, the bad system nearly always wins," he underscored that L&D must focus on creating an environment where skills can be effectively applied. This requires imagination, curiosity, and a willingness to challenge "best practice" in pursuit of continuous improvement. Open eLMS is your trusted partner in building such an environment, offering a comprehensive, one-supplier solution for all your corporate training and development needs.
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