The other day, I got a call from a client asking for a Training, which would convert competing teams into collaborating partners. Ever keen to design and train, I took the assignment. But while delivering the session, I discovered that while employees were thirsty for knowledge and keen to know more, the organisation rarely organised sessions for the mid-management, let alone the frontline staff.
L&D, What?
On further investigation, the commissioning HR Manager revealed that he had no Training schedule as such, and the organisation was innocent of ever having done a Training Needs Analysis.
This is no isolated organisation; outside the ambit of large corporations, mid-level companies rarely see L&D as even remotely strategic. It is not the smallness of the budget, which is a constraint, but the myopia of vision.
In a world defined by constant change, organisations know they need stronger Learning and Development (L&D) strategies. Yet many still rely on piecemeal training: a workshop here, a communication class there, a coaching module offered when problems arise. These one-off programs feel productive, but they rarely create real, lasting change. They boost awareness but do not improve behaviour. They spark ideas but do not generate impact.
Isolated training sessions treat symptoms rather than root causes. A team struggles with conflict, so they are sent to a “difficult conversations” workshop. But if the real issue is ambiguous goals, misaligned incentives, or leaders who avoid tough topics, the training becomes a band-aid, not a solution.
This creates the well-known knowing–doing gap: employees intellectually understand the skills, but the surrounding environment pulls them back into old habits.
Shoestring Learning
Often, the limited outlay for L&D is cited as a constraint. Even on a shoestring budget, it is possible to have an L&D strategy, which creates not just individual competency, but organisational capability; not just enhances domain expertise, but helps develop structural thought leadership.
If budget is a limiting factor, and the vision is not, then there are many workarounds. Explore the 70-20-10 model of training. It produces a strong business impact without eating into your budgetary outlay. Weave learning outcomes into the day-to-day work. Organise group Coaching sessions with in-house experts, reinforce through corporate messaging and so on and so forth. Microlearning, peer learning, mentoring, stretch projects, and reflective practices all turn learning into a habit. As Satya Nadella says, change the default ‘know it all’ attitude to ‘learn it all’.
To truly transform capability and performance, L&D must be holistic, systemic, and embedded into how the organisation operates. Training alone doesn’t change an organisation— learning focused systems do.
1. You Start With Strategy, Not Courses
L&D is anchored to the capabilities the business must build: innovation, digital fluency, resilience, customer centricity, or leadership depth. As Tim Cook puts it, ‘Learning is how we stay ahead.’
2. Leaders Model the Behaviours Being Taught
When leaders attend training, reinforce messages, and live the behaviours, employees take learning seriously.
3. Culture Reinforces New Behaviours
Peter Drucker had famously said, Culture has Strategy for breakfast. For an ecosystem of learning, a culture of curiosity, innovation and enterprise is critical. Employees can only apply what the culture supports—psychological safety, feedback, curiosity, and continuous improvement.
4. Systems and Processes Support Learning Transfer
Performance management, team rituals, coaching structures, and collaboration tools must reinforce the new skills—otherwise they decay.
Why Systemic L&D Outperforms Training Events
When learning becomes an ecosystem rather than a calendar of workshops, organisations see:
- Stronger leadership pipelines
- Higher employee engagement
- Faster innovation cycles
- Reduced silos and better collaboration
- Greater adaptability during disruption
Hence, the Bottom Line: Build an Ecosystem, Not an Event. Piecemeal training creates activity.
Systemic learning creates capability.
And capability drives culture, performance, and long-term competitive advantage.
This is how learning becomes not just a function, but a strategic engine for transformation.
