Aditi Arora, Head Learning and Development and Employee Engagement, SBM Bank in a recent interaction with Higher Education Review, shared her views on how an effective Learning and Development program contribute to employee engagement and organizational success, how personalized learning paths can significantly increase engagement and more.

Aditi is an experienced L&D professional with exposure of having worked in diverse industries. She has expertise in conceptualizing and developing L&D initiatives for improved productivity, building capability and quality enhancement. Aditi is deft at people management, creative thinker, & decision maker who effectively balance the needs of employee with the vision and values of the organization.

Employee engagement is crucial for organizational success and retention. In your view, how does an effective Learning and Development program contribute to employee engagement and organizational success?

The first and foremost consideration in designing the L&D intervention or program is the alignment with business strategies & goals. Both the business as well as the Learning & Development team should have a clear understanding of the objectives about the intervention. The program will not serve the requirements of the organization without clarity on these objectives.

It is highly important that both the organization as well as the employees benefit from the intervention. The needs of the business, the learning & development goals as well as the work profiles of the employees should be in harmony in order to ensure that the program garners interest as well as engagement. Furthermore, the learning initiative should be designed in such a way that it must be compelling enough to resonate with the target audience as well as relevant to their specific roles.

Furthermore it is crucial to consider how the program will not only impact the business but how it would influence employee behavior, and how the organization will respond to these changes. These considerations are paramount since it helps the programs in achieving its intended purpose. Another most important aspect is regular reinforcement. Periodic reiteration is crucial for reinforcing the key takeaways post the completion of a development or training program. Continuous reinforcement is critical as it helps in retaining the learning. Since human memory is short and people tend to forget much of what they have learned within a few days continuous reinforcement plays a major role.

What adds value to the intervention is the incorporation of action learning projects. Here the participants apply what they have learned in real-world tasks. It is crucial for them to communicate both the personal as well as the professional benefits of the program, to the employees as well as the business in order to secure buy-in from numerous stakeholders. In short, regular communication, practical application as well as ongoing reinforcement are crucial to ensuring that Learning & Development interventions truly serve their purpose & drive meaningful impact.

How can personalized learning paths significantly increase engagement by allowing employees to pursue skills and knowledge that are relevant to their career aspirations?

The emerging workforce today is neither confined to a narrow specialization nor a single area of interest. Employees require a diverse set of skills in order to successfully complete projects & tasks with efficiency & excellence. Employees today should focus mainly on acquiring complementary skills which add value to the broader vision of the company as a significant portion of transactional work is now being handled by AI.

The true contributions of employees today lie in the value they can get through innovation & strategic thinking. Since Artificial Intelligence & automation take over routine tasks, the ability of the employees to think strategically, solve problems creatively as well as approach tasks from a new perspective is vital today.

Categorizing or grouping employees into standardized training programs as well as assigning them the same modules is not effective since it does not account for the diverse learning styles, mindsets as well as the job responsibility every individual brings to the table. Since every employee has different needs, learning methods & goals, a one-size-fit all approach is not the right choice anymore.

Information is readily available in today’s digital age at the snap of a finger. Employees are no longer dependent on formal training interventions for acquiring knowledge. Hence, each learning plan should be personalized with the employee being mentored properly to ensure clear expectations are set. From there, the specific skill sets needed for their roles can be cultivated & refined. Ultimately, the complete focus should be on fostering unique strengths of individuals & equipping them with the skills which not only align with their current tasks but with the organization’s evolving needs.

In your opinion, what emerging trends in learning and development do you think will shape employee engagement in the next few years?

Employees today have a strong desire to continuously learn and acquire new skills. Be it mastering advanced Excel or delving into more complex tools which include data analytics of Power BI, employees are eager in improving their knowledge of the skills that is needed in their day-to-day roles. And, these skills which are essential for their daily tasks are increasingly in demand, today. Microlearning – a method to deliver content in small nuggets will remain key approach, to support this. However, the Learning & Development team should focus on creating opportunities for continuous, accessible learning in order to truly foster a learning culture within the organization. This can be achieved via microlearning interventions & by encouraging employees to share their skills as well as knowledge on collaborative platforms. These initiatives not only improve curiosity of employees but they also empower them to take ownership of their learning journey instead of relying only on scheduled training sessions. By curating a culture of learning, an environment where employees can naturally develop and expand their skill sets while on the job, which helps in driving both organizational as well as personal growth.