A Look Ahead: Learning in 2011

2010 left a distinct footprint thanks to budget cuts. As executives grapple with last year’s effects, they must prepare for the trends, challenges and opportunities this year will bring, and learning and development teams must provide the programs and resources to help companies thrive and remain competitive in years to come. Chief Learning Officer magazine spoke with three learning and development professionals who shared their opinions on how to make the most of current resources, meet industry benchmarks and create platforms for future success this year.

LARRY ISRAELITE
Vice President, Human Resource Development, Liberty Mutual Group
2011 is shaping up to be a pretty challenging year. The economy is going to miraculously rebound — overnight, apparently — and all of those boomers, with their 401(k) accounts fully restored, are going to retire, immediately and without warning. The demand for managers and skilled workers will far outstrip the supply, and our best employees are going to be swooped up by aggressive competitors, leaving job positions with no one available to fill them because unemployment is going to drop instantaneously. Learning and talent professionals must act immediately to minimize the impact of these changes.

I’m kidding. That’s not it. The real problem is our leaders. They don’t really know what they’re doing because we have undergone such a radical transformation over the past few years. Current management and leadership techniques are simply no longer relevant. In fact, if we don’t do something immediately, a revolution will occur, anarchy will prevail, and learning and talent professionals will be solely accountable for the downfall of business as we know it.

To say that 2011 will be a challenging year doesn’t even begin to tell the story if we believe only a fraction of what we read and hear. Is the hype any worse this year than in years past? A little, maybe. But what is worse — much worse — is the current business environment and, more importantly, the mood of the people with whom we work. Everyone is afraid of what the coming year will bring. And fear can cause us to do things we ought not do.