Continuous learning is the mantra that individuals and organizations embrace to deal with disruptions, technological shifts and changing workplace landscapes. For employers, upskilling has consistently been among the top priorities for several years, and this thrust will only increase in the future. To understand the latest trends impacting the L&D operations, we spoke to Sachin Khurana, Chief People Officer at Happiest Minds Technologies.
Contemporary L&D demands and expectations
Sachin says that Happiest Minds needs to be at the forefront of any disruption as they facilitate complex transitions and transformations for global customers. To stay ahead of the curve, a continuous focus on capability building is vital to driving key business functions, goals and values. Furthermore, the rapid pace of technological evolution also necessitates frequent reskilling and upskilling.
Any organization that wants to grow must be committed to the growth of its people to ensure higher satisfaction, build a talent pipeline, and outperform competitors. While building technical competencies is essential, it is equally important to prioritize managerial, leadership, executive, and team capabilities. At Happiest Minds, learning and capability development programs are core business agendas because they are indispensable to how we operate.
However, building impactful learner journeys and experiences is easier said than done.
Simply knowing which competencies and areas to focus on is the first challenge many learning professionals encounter, as this requires having a future-oriented mindset that can identify the needs of tomorrow.
Next, making learning an inherent part of the employee experience is tricky, as it is often viewed as something beyond the regular KPIs and BAU metrics. Sachin observes that in service-based firms, team leaders tend to focus on clients and projects more than team members.
Finally, making learning exciting and relevant for people requires a deep knowledge of learning pedagogy, approaches, technologies and EdTech solutions. Building the right environment that allows people to learn at their own pace while still delivering the same value for everyone can also take some trial and error.
No matter which stage of the L&D journey your organization is at, you will face obstacles, and it is important for HR practitioners and L&D professionals to build the right learning culture, perspective and
buy-in for smooth implementation. One key piece of the puzzle involves mid and senior-level leadership, as setting the right example can significantly impact the program’s purpose and engagement.
Creativity and innovation through L&D culture building
Business leaders can leverage a learning-driven culture to recognize successes, appreciate innovation and foster creativity. Learning programs can give people the platform and the space to work on creative solutions and present them to larger audiences. Sachin shares that learning can also provide a much-needed pause from the everyday demands of work, resulting in higher self-awareness and reflection, leading to more strategic and innovative thinking. Learning can also be a great way to stay updated about the latest technology trends and utilize the latest innovative tools for maximum efficiency.
At Happiest Minds, they organize BLITZ – an annual tech festival, a large event with many stalls, presentations and ideas to solve real-world challenges. The winners present their ideas to the entire organization, and their solutions are recognized for their creativity and innovation.
While you can determine how to divide your learning interventions based on in-house resources and external training partners based on diverse factors, it is important to consider the purpose of learning while fixing the training duration for different roles. At Happiest Minds, the ratio of external vis-à-vis internal training is around 50:50, but it can vary based on role, investment and intensity.
Depending on the seniority, niche, function, performance and future progression, the organization creates relevant and personalized learning journeys that enhance learning outcomes by building transformative capability programs. For example, entry-level professionals undergo a three-month training program to improve various technical and soft skills, which is then supplemented by one month of specialized training based on the role and domain. Similarly, balancing the business needs along with more organizational and human development needs that inspire people is critical.
Designing effective upskilling and training programs
To win the talent war, organizations need to start building internal capability to harness the required skills without delay. Sachin shares that their focus is on building talent internally and investing in people as 60% of all leadership positions are filled by existing employees. Depending on the skill and learning format, both large-scale programs with hundreds of learners and smaller boot camps can work effectively. However, most L&D professionals struggle to articulate the value of these programs to senior leadership, as their impact is not one-dimensional.
A reasonably effective method to measure the outcome of your program, particularly if it is in its nascent stage, is to measure individual skill development. With behavioral and leadership capabilities, the review period can be longer, but knowing the starting point, mid-term destination to recalibrate and intended final goals is important. Another critical aspect of learning programs is comprehensive feedback. For
example, at Happiest Minds, a delivery manager gets feedback from the customer, manager, project stakeholders, and team members to help them understand how to improve their output, says Sachin.
As the organization steps into the next phase of its capability building to focus on delivery management, consulting and architecture competencies, its flagship I3 (Ignite Inspire Innovate) Talent Transformation program and focused boot camps will drive IT transformation skills for the workforce, making them ready to take on global challenges. It will also have a comprehensive training program for first-time managers to help them navigate changing expectations, KPIs and roles.
Much like the learners, designing learning programs is a continuous journey for HR leaders and L&D professionals as there is always some skill and knowledge update necessary to thrive. Finding this rhythm by creating synergies, forecasting future talent needs and designing people-friendly experiences can help organizations cultivate a culture conducive to continuous upskilling.
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