Master Move AI

Why is Continuous and Lifelong Learning More Important Than Ever?

Verena: To turn today's challenges into opportunities. What challenges are we referring to?

• The megatrends of our time, including digitalization, the resulting concept of "New Work," globalization, the skills shortage, the changing expectations of Generation Z, the gender shift, and many more.
• Artificial intelligence and its increasing influence on the world of work and daily life. There are constant developments in AI that organizations must adapt to more rapidly, bringing forth innovations.
• Employees also need to develop future skills that will help them navigate the so-called "VUCA world" and adapt to these changes. Key future competencies that help employees deal with megatrends flexibly include openness, adaptability, willingness to change, digital competence (meaning the ability to handle digital tools), leadership skills, and a readiness to learn.

What impact does this have on companies' strategies?

Verena: To be successful in the long term and meet these challenges, companies need a continuous learning strategy that aligns with their business objectives. We are not alone in this view. We base it on a study by the McKinsey Global Institute (2023), which surveyed 1,800 publicly listed companies. Of these, 84% stated that continuous learning is a critical topic on their board agenda. This demonstrates that learning and development are indeed essential for corporate strategies. From an employer branding perspective, offering learning opportunities also increases a company's attractiveness as an employer, as highlighted by a study conducted by Tiba Managementberatung GmbH and the German Federal Association of Student Consultants (2021), especially for Generation Z.

Renata: Verena has already pointed out some important aspects of why it is crucial for companies to focus on the continuous development of their employees. This strategy helps companies achieve long-term innovation capabilities and competitive advantages. It also boosts employee satisfaction, making them more motivated and productive. In turn, this increases the overall performance of companies—a win-win situation for both sides: employees and organizations.

We are hearing more and more about New Learning – What exactly does it mean?

Renata: The developments we have already mentioned, including the COVID-19 pandemic, have significantly accelerated the topic of New Work. It has acted as a catalyst for professional development, leading to the emergence of New Learning. In New Learning, the focus increasingly shifts to the individual. Learning becomes more personalized and needs-based, yet also collaborative and practical. Much of it is becoming more digitalized, with AI playing an increasingly important role, and learning is gradually being integrated into everyday life. It is also crucial to focus on future readiness. Here, we come to the concepts of "reskilling" and "upskilling," two central ideas in New Learning.

"Upskilling" refers to the development and deepening of existing skills and knowledge to become more proficient in a specific field or to advance in one's career. "Reskilling" involves learning entirely new skills and competencies to move into a completely different field or take on new roles.

Verena: I would like to add that there is no single approach to implementing New Learning, no universal New Learning strategy that applies to all companies. It always depends on the initial situation, the company, and its employees.

New Learning also means that it is okay to fail. Do not get discouraged if you introduce a New Learning concept in your company and it does not work perfectly right away—this process takes time.

What influence does New Learning have on the way we learn?

Verena: For us, there are four key points here: practical, needs-based design, individuality, collaboration, and AI.
In the future, we should move away from multi-day training sessions that have little or no relevance to the everyday work of employees. We all know the scenario: an employee books a training session in February, attends in October, returns highly motivated to apply what they have learned in their daily work, only to find that there is no opportunity to put it into practice. Without the chance to apply the newly acquired knowledge, much of it is forgotten, and it does not become sustainably embedded. Therefore, our recommendation is to embed multi-day training sessions into so-called learning journeys that ideally span several weeks.

These learning journeys should ideally be conducted in a blended learning format: self-learning alternates with group learning or learning with a trainer. This way, learners can acquire theoretical knowledge independently, then immediately test it in their work environment, and subsequently exchange ideas with their learning group or trainers to gather feedback.
This is a crucial aspect of New Learning: applying what has been learned directly.

Equally important is to make knowledge available precisely when it is relevant and needed. For needs-based learning, microlearning is particularly suitable: short and concise learning units such as videos or web-based training sessions that can be easily integrated into everyday work.

New Learning also puts the learner at the center of the learning process. We consider what the employee needs to contribute to the company's goals, what learning formats motivate them, and we try to take their personal preferences into account. This requires a lot of communication with the learner.

Learning through social interaction is also becoming increasingly important in New Learning. Here, learners share their experiences within a group, actively acquiring knowledge through exchange. Implementation forms include a "Community of Practice" for collaborative knowledge-building, like the one we have at Tiba on the topic of change management.

New Learning also focuses on informal learning, which often occurs casually in everyday life. Conversations between employees, social media posts, and podcasts can also be forms of informal training.

Renata: Regarding the last point, the influence of AI. Since AI can increasingly take over our tasks, it may be that we learn something today that AI can do tomorrow. As a result, the skills learned may no longer be relevant. Therefore, training concepts must be continuously updated, as the required competencies change rapidly.

Among these required competencies, mastering AI tools is also crucial in the context of New Learning. It is even a new skill to learn how to work effectively with AI: Which AI tools support me, and which ones might be more of a time drain?

How does artificial intelligence specifically support Learning and Development?

Renata: AI can take on many tasks in Learning and Development. For example, it can quickly and accurately analyze data and work with algorithms, which would be too complex for humans. Based on these data analyses, AI can generate initial suggestions for individualized learning paths. Areas like team building, emotional intelligence, or creative skills cannot yet – or at least not fully – be replaced by AI. While we can certainly get support from AI in these areas, the final implementation and realization still rest with humans.

How do you think learning and development can be made future-proof?

Renata: First of all, it is important to approach this strategically, with a focus on the company's goals and personnel strategy. It is crucial to identify where your employees currently stand and where you want to go as a company. This brings us back to the topics of "reskilling" and "upskilling." Additionally, it is important that learning always includes transfer and practical application opportunities, as Verena already emphasized.

In general, it is essential for companies to be open to change and transformation in order to explore new paths in learning and development. When companies offer the right opportunities, they quickly find employees who value these initiatives and become internal multipliers, driving innovation forward.

That is a great point. How can the willingness to learn and the motivation of employees be fostered?

Verena: What comes to mind are "game-based learning" and "gamification."

"Game-based learning" means reinforcing what has been learned through play or learning by playing. In the digital world, this could be a mission that needs to be completed in order to learn a new IT tool in a playful way. Simulations and role-playing games have similar effects, and we often use them at Tiba.

"Gamification" is another method to motivate learners. It includes game-like elements in training, such as points, badges, or leaderboards. Additionally, digital escape rooms can be created. Some of our readers may have participated in a live-format escape room. In the digital version, the goal is still to solve tasks or answer questions in order to eventually find the way out.

Another motivating approach, relevant for many learning styles, is "microlearning." I mentioned this earlier. These are short, concise learning units on a specific topic – like videos or podcasts – that can be used as needed and applied in daily work. With the right editing or design, microlearning can also effectively engage the younger generation.

Last but not least, knowledge acquisition through social interaction also boosts motivation. There are interesting formats like the "Community of Practice" we mentioned earlier. There is also "Learning out Loud," "Lunch and Learn," "Flipped Learning," and many more. Often, these collaborative formats discuss topics from the workplace. However, it is also possible to focus on subjects that employees are passionate about in their personal lives.

At Tiba, we have a great format called "TOST," which stands for "Tiba Online Space Days." The individual slots are spread over several weeks, and anyone interested can reserve a slot to present and discuss a specific topic. This "self-teaching" can be highly motivating as well.

The key is guiding employees towards this self-directed teaching and learning. It is a process that takes time, but it is worth it!

Fitting to the topic of time: What do you suggest when learning and development fall short due to time constraints?

Verena: That is a very good question. We all know the problem of limited time in everyday work. In general, it is extremely important for the management to have a positive attitude toward learning and development and for it to be a high priority within the company – a long-term learning strategy is crucial.

Another helpful approach is the informal learning I mentioned earlier. This can easily be linked to existing routines. For example, you could listen to a short podcast episode on your way to work or read posts from different "learnfluencers" on social media during a coffee break.

What we are currently trying out with our own team at Tiba is one hour of "team learning." Every Thursday, we meet for one hour to learn together about AI and Learning & Development. In the first five minutes, we briefly outline which sub-topic we want to focus on for the next 25 to 35 minutes. Each of the three participants contributes their own points, followed by a self-learning phase. We then share the knowledge we have acquired with each other. In the end, it is just one hour per week, but it brings enormous benefits.

What final message would you like to leave with our readers?

Renata: Learning and development require time, and failure is part of the process. Not every learning method is suitable for every company or every individual. Therefore, collaborative and self-directed learning should be integrated into the company's learning culture. The key is to build and strengthen a positive learning culture.

Verena: Be open, try out different formats, and create a work environment that makes room for New Learning!

Thank you for these fascinating insights!