Generative AI (GenAI) is reshaping how organizations approach learning and development. It offers ways to make learning more personalized, efficient, and engaging. Marc Zao-Sanders, an expert in learning technology, offered insights on how L&D leaders can effectively implement this technology in the latest episode of L&D in 20.

Sometimes, creativity stalls because the right tools or prompts are missing. GenAI can help employees generate new ideas, simplify complex concepts, and explore fresh approaches to challenges. It’s a supportive tool for breaking through mental roadblocks and can be used to brainstorm solutions during team workshops or develop visuals to explain technical topics more clearly.

When prompted and implemented correctly, GenAI can enable personalized training by adapting content to individual skills, roles, and goals that match the individual learner. To take it a step further in prompting, adding in a brand voice or regional nuances that relate to your employees' experiences can make a difference in not just engagement, but retention of the information covered as well. This tailored approach ensures employees find value in the material. For example, an AI tool could suggest bite-sized courses on leadership skills for a new manager or deep-dive technical lessons for an engineer, specific to your organization.

AI can provide on-demand guidance and support without judgment, creating a safe space for employees to practice skills, explore ideas, or ask for feedback. It’s not about replacing human mentorship — it’s about adding another layer of support. An employee preparing for a presentation could use AI to refine their delivery or gather tips for overcoming stage fright. When we train AI to act like, and endorse it as a colleague or mentor, employees will begin to feel comfortable asking more personalized questions.

Rather than tracking how many courses employees complete, measure how new skills impact their work. Start small — pilot AI tools on tasks that directly contribute to business outcomes, and refine based on results. If your organization provides a service, use AI to train customer service teams and measure changes in response times or satisfaction ratings for quantitiative outcomes.

Understanding government and organizational AI policies is crucial from an ethical and safety point of view. New technology always comes with risks we need to be aware of, and AI is no different. Ensure any tools you use meet standards for data privacy and fairness, and are reviewed by the correct teams if they're a third-party product. Addressing risks upfront helps build trust among employees and leadership, and that starts with proper education. Partner with IT or compliance teams to audit tools and confirm they align with ethical guidelines. Then, build in AI ethics courses into your L&D programs. Go1 has multiple content providers offering AI courses today!

AI can handle repetitive tasks, like summarizing notes or analyzing trends, freeing employees to focus on more meaningful work. Offer training sessions to show how these tools can make daily tasks easier. Then, use AI to generate training session summaries as a takeaway to show the power of the tool straight away.

You can create truly personalized development plans at a faster rate with GenAI. Use it to identify gaps in skills and recommend specific training paths for each employee. AI could pinpoint an employee's need for negotiation skills and recommend a mix of videos, practice exercises, and reading materials.

It’s natural to feel unsure about AI, especially with its rapid advancements. One challenge is measuring intangible outcomes like confidence or curiosity. Using progress tracking and engagement metrics is a great starting point. Look for patterns in how employees apply their training at work and refine your AI strategies based on those insights.

Generative AI is more than a buzzword — it’s a tool to help employees thrive and organizations adapt. By starting with small, practical steps and keeping your team’s needs in mind, you can make AI a meaningful part of your L&D strategy.

For more on the topic of incorporating storytelling into business strategies and employee training, be sure to check out L&D in 20 Episode 3: AI use cases for personalizing learning and measuring impact with Filtered’s Co-Founder and CEO Marc Zao-Sanders

Episode 3 - AI use cases for personalizing learning and measuring impact

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From personalized learning paths to AI mentors, L&D leaders using GenAI will learn practical implementation tips in this article.

Practical tips for integrating AI into L&D strategies

Leading with integrity has never been more critical. As Generation Z is poised to make up 25% of the workforce by 2025, their expectations for ethical leadership are reshaping workplace norms. This generation prioritizes transparency, fairness, and purpose, challenging organizations to rise to the occasion.

Despite this growing demand, trust in organizational leadership remains alarmingly low. Only 21% of US employees strongly trust their leaders — a decline from 24% in 2019. This erosion of trust underscores the urgent need for leadership grounded in ethics and integrity. And for consumers, much is the same. Customers, partners, and the general public are increasingly demanding that businesses operate with transparency and ethical principles. 

When organizations lead with ethics and integrity, they create true trust at an individual and organizational level — both of which can contribute to an organization’s long-term success and sustainability. Of course, the opposite can be true, too — when an organization doesn't have trustworthy leaders who act with integrity, their success can be threatened.

Ethical leadership revolves around guiding an organization with a steadfast commitment to moral principles. 

At its core, ethical leadership embodies key values such as:

Integrity and honesty: Ethical leaders demonstrate a strong moral compass, acting with authenticity, transparency, and truthfulness at all times. They "walk the talk" and lead by example.

Fairness and justice: Ethical leaders make decisions and treat stakeholders (employees, customers, partners, etc.) in an impartial, unbiased manner. They strive to ensure equitable processes and outcomes.

Empathy: Ethical leaders show genuine care and consideration for the well-being of their team, organization, and broader community. They make a conscious effort to understand different perspectives.

Principled decision-making: Ethical leaders rely on clear moral frameworks and standards to guide their choices, even when faced with complex or ambiguous situations. They always consider the broader impact of their decisions.

Accountability: Ethical leaders take responsibility for their actions and the consequences they have, both positive and negative. They're willing to admit mistakes and learn from them.

Among organizations that demonstrate this kind of ethical leadership, Patagonia — the outdoor apparel company that has long been known for its commitment to sustainability and environmental protection — stands out as an example. 

In 2011, the company famously ran a Black Friday ad with the tagline "Don't buy this jacket," encouraging customers only to purchase what they truly need — directly in line with their morals and values around overconsumption and protecting valuable resources.

Ethical leadership isn’t optional — it’s a cornerstone of organizational success. 

According to Harvard Business Review, people at high-trust companies report:

74% less stress and 106% more energy at work

50% higher productivity and 76% more engagement

29% more satisfaction and 40% less burnout than people at low-trust companies. 

Plus, ethical leadership leads to a more physiologically safe workplace where people trust their leaders and their vision, feel comfortable voicing their opinions, and will ask for support.

Here’s what this means: When organizations lead with integrity and true ethics, their employees have greater well-being, leading to more engagement and productivity — a win-win for everyone.

Top ethical challenges facing businesses today

There are plenty of obstacles that test the character and decision-making abilities of organizations’ leaders. 

Corporate social responsibility: Balancing profit motives with environmental sustainability, community impact, and fair labor practices.

Data privacy and security: Protecting customer information and using data ethically in an era of increased surveillance and targeted attacks.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion: Ensuring fair and unbiased treatment of internal and external stakeholders regardless of race, gender, age, or other identifying characteristics.

Conflicts of interest: Maintaining objectivity and transparency when personal, financial, or political interests intersect with business decisions.

Ethical supply chains: Ensuring products and services aren't tainted by human rights abuses, unfair labor practices, or environmental destruction further down the supply chain.

Developing ethical decision-making and a culture of integrity

Learning and Development (L&D) plays a pivotal role in shaping ethical leaders. By designing targeted programs, L&D teams can equip leaders with the tools for principled decision-making, foster moral behavior, and build a culture where integrity thrives.

Some starting areas to focus on for L&D include:

Ethics and integrity training: Providing comprehensive training on ethical frameworks, case studies, and decision-making models to help leaders recognize and navigate complex moral dilemmas.

Ethical leadership development: Designing leadership development programs that emphasize self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and the ability to role-model ethical conduct.

Speak-up culture: Implementing initiatives that encourage employees to voice concerns, ask questions, and challenge unethical practices without fear of retaliation.

Accountability: Ensuring that the organization's performance management, recognition, and consequence systems reinforce and reward ethical behavior, not just results.

Ethical risk assessment: Equipping leaders with the skills to proactively identify potential ethical risks and vulnerabilities within the business.

When creating these programs, be sure to offer leaders several different channels for learning — like blended learning, mentorship, modules, podcasts, and more — in order to increase engagement and retention. 

Building a culture of integrity across an organization

Along with offering training to leaders and employees, we’d encourage organizations to incorporate ethics and integrity into other parts of business operations. 

Consider looking deeper into these areas and processes:

Onboarding: Embedding ethics training, case studies, and discussions into the onboarding process to ensure new hires understand the company's ethical expectations from the outset. For example, you can provide real-world scenarios that challenge new employees to apply ethical reasoning.

Communications and campaigns: Launch targeted communications, awareness campaigns, and storytelling initiatives that celebrate and highlight ethical conduct within the organization. For example, you might place posters or digital displays in common areas that reinforce integrity as a core value. Some companies even display a hotline number for reporting misconduct prominently in break rooms or onboarding portals.

Performance management: Incorporating ethical considerations into performance reviews, promotion criteria, and recognition programs to incentivize and reward ethical leadership. You might offer small cash bonuses, points, or "shoutouts" at team meetings for employees who demonstrate ethical decision-making.

Culture: Collaborating with HR and compliance to establish clear, confidential channels for employees to report ethical concerns or misconduct, and providing training on how to use these mechanisms. EthicsPoint or Convercent are good examples of tools organizations can use that allow employees to report ethical issues anonymously. 

Go1 simplifies ethics training, offering accessible, high-quality content that empowers organizations to instill integrity at every level. From creating custom learning paths to accessing 100+ pre-curated playlists aligned to a broad range of skill development needs, your organization can make ethics training a simple and effective part of your everyday operations. 

Experience the future of learning with one, easy-to-integrate subscription. Schedule a demo with our team to explore Go1's innovative features and benefits.

Leading with integrity has never been more critical. As Generation Z is poised to make up 25% of the workforce by 2025, their expectations for ethical leadership...

Leading with integrity: Why ethics matter more than ever

Ethical leadership is essential for earning trust and ensuring lasting success. Discover practical strategies to cultivate leaders who act with integrity, driving meaningful and sustainable growth.

Today's businesses include up to four generations working side by side. Each generation brings unique perspectives, values, and communication styles, which Jennifer Dowdy highlights in Episode 2 of our podcast, L&D in 20. She emphasized the growing need for organizations to find common ground among Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millenials, and Gen Z to foster workplace collaboration and inclusion. But what does this look like in practice? Let's dive right in.

One effective strategy is to frame workplace programs around universal human values like respect, inclusion, and trust — principles that transcend generational and cultural differences. We'd recommend starting with diversity and inclusion training led by a third-party or objective source, team-building exercises that bring a sense of achievement, and open communication channels to share feedback.

By showing a commitment to these shared values, companies can create a more cohesive and harmonious work environment where everyone feels valued and accepted, which in turn improves employee satisfaction, retention, and ultimately, better business outcomes. Prioritizing a culture of respect, inclusion, and trust can help companies not only attract top talent but also drive innovation and success. Take it a step further with these next steps:

Develop a shared language: Working across different generations can often mean getting lost in translation. As a team, establish terms and concepts everyone understands and can easily find the definition for in a central place.

Focus on behavior over policy: While what's written in the books is important from a legal or HR perspective, for everyday employees, behaviors matter most. Emphasize everyday practices in positive behavior like active listening, apology frameworks, and creating space for others' viewpoints. Be sure to work with your leaders on modeling behavior that aligns with companies as well.

Inclusivity isn't a one-size-fits-all topic and one of the key challenges to cohesion among a generationally diverse workforce is understanding and navigating the differing expectations and perspectives you work with. It's also important for older generations to be open to learning from younger generations and vice-versa, as this can lead to growth and innovation within the workplace. By acknowledging and respecting the expectations of different generations, companies can create a more collaborative workforce that isn't trying to one-up each other or get the upper hand.

For example, Gen Z and Millenial workers may want to discuss issues like climate change or societal conflicts, topics older generations may find unconventional in professional settings. It's important for companies to create space for these discussions, as it can lead to a better understanding of each other's values and a more well-rounded approach to problem-solving. Additionally, incorporating technology and digital tools into the workplace can also appeal to younger generations, who are often more adept at utilizing these resources.

Baby boomers and Gen X may value more formality and hierarchy at work, requiring younger leaders to adopt differing leadership strategies. For L&D teams, this could mean providing mentorship and guidance to help younger leaders develop new strategies from what they've come in with. Teaching managers and employees to hold space for generational differences, ask questions with curiosity, and connect through shared experiences is vital.

Across all employee training, we recommend implementing training programs and workshops that focus on intergenerational communication and collaboration. By educating employees on the unique perspectives and strengths that each generation brings to the table, companies can break down stereotypes and foster an understanding work environment that sees the value of each generation. Additionally, L&D teams should provide opportunities for employees of different generations to work together and learn from each other. Have an HR team of mostly Baby Boomers? Have them collaborate with that Gen Z employee running social media for the next recruitment campaign. This improves teamwork, the sharing of ideas, and a sense of mutual respect among employees of all ages.

Practical applications in employee training

If you're feeling inspired and ready to take action, here's some final advice, inspired by Jennifer Dowdy's insights from Episode 2 of L&D in 20:

Whenever possible, use real-world scenarios to address common generational challenges your team is experiencing, like conflicting communication styles or work-life balance expectations.

Incorporate interactive elements like role-play or scenario building into training whenever possible. This allows employees to practice resolving generational conflicts in a safe and hypothetical environment that they can recall for the real thing.

For more on the topic of cohesion among a multigenerational workforce, be sure to check out L&D in 20 Episode 2 with Jennifer Dowdy of Emtrain

Episode 2 - More than a checkbox: Unlocking value and professional growth through compliance training 

Embracing universal human values can go a long way for a multigenerational team. Find out how with this advice from Episode 2 of L&D in 20.

Creating cohesion in a multigenerational workforce

AI is more than a tool — it's a new team member

Josh Penzell, VP of AI Strategy & Innovation at ELB Learning, is encouraging everyone to shift their perspective on AI. Rather than treating it as a tool, he proposes that AI should be seen as a new team member. This perspective change could lead to more effective utilization of AI and open up new possibilities for its application. He went into detail on what this could look like for leaders in the learning and development space in our recent webinar, How AI can be a partner in employee development. (You can watch the recording at the end of this article).

"AI is not just a new tool. AI is your new team member," stated Penzell. He argued that AI is capable of operating more like a partner or colleague than a tool, providing insights and identifying patterns that a human might overlook.

This shift in perspective can help alleviate fears and concerns about AI taking over jobs and replacing human workers. Instead, AI can be seen as a valuable asset that can enhance human capabilities and improve overall efficiency and productivity. By viewing AI as a team member, businesses and organizations can foster a collaborative environment where humans and AI work together towards a common goal. This can lead to innovative solutions and advancements in various industries, from healthcare to finance to manufacturing.

"I think that the future here is every single individual being able to hire and create their own team at scale. And I want you to think about this. You have something that is behaving like a human. It has the whole human knowledge," Josh urged the audience. This more strategic view of what AI brings can completely change an individual's day-to-day efficiency with some prompt engineering and upskilling around AI.

By working alongside AI, individuals can learn new skills and improve their own abilities, leading to personal and professional growth. Humans can tap into new capabilities and use it as a tool to tackle complex problems and create innovative solutions. It's an always-on brainstormer and teammate that you can train to respond in a way that fits your role, expected outcome, or business. With the combination of human creativity and AI's analytical abilities, the possibilities for progress are endless. But it's on the individual to embrace the technology and use it ethically to enhance, not hurt.

Enhancing productivity and employee engagement with AI

Josh Penzell explained that AI doesn't necessarily mean job loss. Instead, AI can increase productivity by taking over automatable and mundane tasks that can bog down a day's work. Statistically, employees who use AI are more engaged and motivated, which ultimately boosts their creativity. Because when AI can handle mundane and repetitive tasks, employees have more free time to focus on the challenging and engaging work.

"According to McKinsey, only 5% of jobs can be fully automated. But 60% of jobs have 30% of automatable tasks, meaning that those are easy things for us to let AI do for us," explained Penzell. This means that while AI may be able to take over some tasks, it's not there to take over your job.

The ability to think about and understand one's own thought processes can really up the ante on how the way we use AI for learning and development.

This means that instead of simply performing tasks and completing rote actions, AI, if trained properly, can reflect on its own decision-making and adapt accordingly. It may sound intimidating or like something out of a sci-fi movie, but this has huge implications for industries such as education and training, where AI can be used to personalize learning experiences and provide individualized feedback. The future of AI is undoubtedly exciting, and with a focus on metacognition, it has the potential to greatly enhance our world in ways we can only imagine.

Despite the advanced capabilities of AI, Josh, like many AI experts, emphasized the importance of human contribution. He suggested that the best way to effectively use AI is to engage with it in a conversation, provide it with feedback, and treat it like a colleague.

"You have a tool, and the tool's only as good as you are. You're putting information in, it's giving you some sort of something out. But with AI, it's able to look at that entire case study. It's able to provide and notice things we might not have noticed or we might have overlooked," Penzell points out.

This is where upskilling your team on AI, and training them on how to engineer prompts that churn out the best results comes into play. With proper training, teams can use this new machine for everything from brainstorming topics that leaders around the world are investing in to building out a script for the next coffee chat your CEO is hosting. It's on us, as humans, to build these prompts, ask the right questions, fact-check everything, and put the guardrails on this new technology.

When your team is trained and confident in their AI skills, productivity advancements will begin to flow in and new use cases will emerge. And Josh has you one step ahead with this custom GPT he's programmed to assist L&D professionals in applying concepts from this webinar!

For more on how AI can be a partner in creating employee development opportunities, don't miss the full webinar with Josh Penzell

How AI can be a partner in employee development

Learn how AI can be a valuable asset to your team, enhancing productivity and employee engagement while opening up new possibilities for employee development.

How can AI be a partner in employee development?

Learn how you can put AI to work as a partner on your team, enhancing productivity and engagement while opening up new possibilities for employee development.

Compliance training often carries the stigma of being mundane and obligatory, with employees seeing it as a chore. However, as Jennifer Dowdy emphasized in Episode 2 of our podcast, L&D in 20, this underappreciated yet crucial part of workplace learning holds serious upskilling potential that goes beyond any regulation or legal adherence. By approaching compliance training as an opportunity rather than a regulated business requirement, your employees will do the same.

Step away from out-of-the-box compliance training

Traditional compliance training, often supplied by your legal, cyber, or HR vendors, focuses heavily on rules, policies, and scenarios that might feel detached from employees' daily work lives or the specifics of your business. So while it's crucial information, we're big believers that no employee training should be one-size-fits-all, and that includes compliance training.

To make compliance training feel more personal to your organization, consider:

Embeding growth opportunities: Infuse elements such as conflict resolution, communication, and bias awareness into compliance modules. For instance, teaching employees how to pause and check their biases during workplace interactions serves both organizational and personal benefits, and adds a more tactical element to the training. Take it a step further and add in examples that are most relevant to your teams based on region or industry.

Adopting the "Pill in Peanut Butter" strategy: As Jennifer Dowdy described on L&D in 20, just like hiding medicine in a treat for pets, compliance training should blend regulatory requirements with engaging and practical content, ensuring the "medicine" is consumed effectively, and in a way that's enjoyable and memorable. In practice, this could look like gamifying the experience with streaks or prizes or even making sure the trainings are visually and aurally appealing.

Behavioral insights play a crucial role in compliance training as they help employees understand the reasons behind regulations and how their behavior can impact the organization. Rather than exclusively addressing regulations, the best compliance programs focus on the behaviors and attitudes that underpin them. Behavior is often at the heart of why compliance issues arise, making skill-building an essential layer.

For example, in the finance industry, compliance training could include scenarios that reflect real-life situations where employees are tempted to cut corners. By incorporating these specific examples, employees can better understand the potential consequences of their actions and develop the necessary skills to make ethical decisions.

Similarly, compliance training for a retail company may include scenarios related to customer data privacy and security breaches, empowering employees to actively protect sensitive information and avoid potential legal ramifications.

As the team responsible for employee development, it's imperative that you focus on the most relevant areas and bring it to the employees' attention directly to address these behaviors head on. By focusing on behavior and providing relatable examples, compliance programs can mitigate risks and promote a culture of ethical and responsible behavior within an organization.

Tackling ethically ambiguous areas of compliance

But not every compliance training it cut and dry. Teaching employees how to navigate ethically ambiguous situations, however complex, is at the heart of impactful compliance training. When done right, these trainings can empower employees to make ethical decisions and prioritize inclusion and trust in their actions.

How can you incorporate these more ambiguous areas into your compliance training?

Try case studies and real-life examples that can better illustrate the complexities of ethical decision-making. This allows employees to see the potential consequences of their actions and the impact it can have on others.

Interactive and scenario-based compliance training can provide employees with a safe space to practice navigating these situations and receive feedback on their decisions.

Emphasize the importance of speaking up and reporting any potential ethical violations, as well as providing employees with a clear and accessible reporting operating procedure within the training to refer back to and practice.

Addressing the harder, behavioral parts and the actions that brigs us to compliance training in the first place ensures that employees understand the significance of the training, while picking up the necessary skills to handle complex situations effectively.

Ultimately, incorporating personal experiences, offering behavioral insights, and addressing even the hard and ambiguous topics in your compliance training can help create a culture of accountability and ethical behavior within the organization that goes far beyond the compliance training room.

For more on the topic of creating the most engaging compliance training, be sure to check out L&D in 20 Episode 2: More than a checkbox: Unlocking value and professional growth through compliance training with Jennifer Dowdy of Emtrain 

Compliance training is more than a requirement. Learn how to make more engaging and valuable for your employees' growth and skill development.

Flip the script on how employees perceive compliance training

Legacy systems in learning and employee training (or outdated systems with high-maintenance systems that a company may use) are pretty common. In fact, on average, 31% of an organization’s technology is made up of legacy systems.

While these legacy systems can often seem to offer safer, more comfortable ways of operating — given their familiarity — they can be pretty damaging to organizations and the employees that use them.

In this article, we'll discuss some of the challenges of outdated L&D legacy systems. Plus, we’ll explain why modern tools are a better solution for your business and employee training programs.

Five challenges of legacy learning systems

Legacy systems often rely on traditional classroom-based training or outdated learning platforms. These systems struggle to provide the flexibility and accessibility that modern workforces demand, like:

Mobile learning, microlearning, or in the flow of work content delivery

Access to learning materials outside of scheduled training sessions

Personalized learning paths based on individual needs and preferences

Multimedia content or interactive learning experiences

Older learning systems typically lack sophisticated analytics capabilities, which are crucial for measuring the effectiveness of learning programs and driving continuous improvement.

The ability to track detailed progress and engagement metrics

Tools for measuring the impact of training on job performance or business outcomes

Tools for identifying skill gaps across the organization

The ability to generate comprehensive reports for stakeholders

Legacy systems often struggle to keep pace as organizations grow and evolve. These systems can be rigid and difficult to adapt to, which hinders an organization's ability to respond to ever-changing needs:

Storage limitations that restrict the amount of content or user data that can be managed

Difficulty supporting multiple languages or regionalized content for global workforces

Struggle to manage complex organizational structures or multiple business operations

An inability to connect seamlessly with your critical business systems

Legacy systems often have outdated, unintuitive interfaces that can frustrate employees and administrators alike. In fact, 67% of employees are so frustrated with legacy systems, they said they’d be willing to take a pay cut if it meant having access to software and technology that'd be twice as good as it is now.

That’s because legacy systems usually have:

Clunky navigation that makes it difficult to find relevant content

Poor accessibility features for users with disabilities

Inconsistent experiences across different devices (desktop, tablet, mobile)

Limited or non-existent social features for peer-to-peer interaction

Absence of gamification elements to increase engagement

Slow loading times and frequent technical glitches

Keeping legacy systems operational can be expensive and resource-intensive. In fact, updating legacy systems has dramatically increased over the last five years, with almost two-thirds (65%) of businesses now investing more than $2 million in maintaining or upgrading their legacy systems, twice as much as five years prior. This is due to:

High costs for specialized IT staff to maintain outdated technologies

Difficulty finding replacement parts or compatible hardware

Frequent downtime for patches and updates, disrupting learning activities

Why do modern tools and methodologies matter?

With the right modern tools and the discarding of legacy systems, organizations can:

Rapidly pivot when needed: Businesses are constantly changing — from technological advancements to market pressures. Modern tools, unlike legacy ones, allow organizations to quickly adapt when needed.

Increase engagement and productivity: Modern tools often offer a better user experience with personalized, relevant, and accessible content delivery — all of which can increase engagement among employees. In fact, the majority (77%) of US employees report feeling frustrated with the legacy technology systems they’re using at work and even agree that up-to-date technology could boost their productivity.

Continuously improve the learning experience: One of the biggest advantages of modern training tools is the ability to track learning progress and outcomes, instead of only relying on feedback surveys. In assessing these insights, organizations can regularly update and refine their training approaches for a better, more effective experience.

Leverage curated content: Modern tools use algorithms to recommend tailored content and create personalized learning paths. Legacy systems, on the other hand, often offer a one-size-fits-all approach, which is less engaging and effective.

Include interactivity: Modern tools incorporate engaging elements like gamification, simulations, and microlearning. These features make learning more dynamic and hands-on compared to the often static content of legacy systems, improving knowledge retention and application.

Going beyond legacy learning systems with Go1

While legacy systems can often feel familiar and comfortable, they can cause serious damage to organizations and employee experiences — from poor scalability and flexibility issues to user frustration and decreased productivity and engagement.

With the right modern tech stack, organizations can seamlessly transition from legacy systems to highly relevant, flexible, and user-friendly tools that offer a variety of learning formats, feedback mechanisms, and more.

Go1’s extensive offering of upskilling and compliance courses cover thousands of topics using a variety of formats like microlearning, interactive courses, podcasts, practice labs, and more. Plus, our software partners with over 70 LMS and HRIS systems to deliver courses directly through existing tools. Go1 can help any organization transition from a legacy system to a modern, scalable, and user-friendly one in no time.

Ready to see Go1 in action? Book a personalized demo to discover how our software can transform your L&D strategy.

What are the challenges of outdated learning systems and how can modern tools improve employee engagement, productivity, and the overall learning experience?

Identify and overcome legacy systems in employee training

More and more organizations are realizing that the best resources for learning and development (L&D) are the people who are already in the company. By identifying, empowering, and integrating subject matter experts (SMEs) into the L&D process, companies can create a more robust and cost-effective approach to professional growth.

In this article, inspired by our guest, Mindscaling’s President and Founder, Shawn Hunter on Episode 1 of our podcast, L&D in 20, we’ll explore the importance of utilizing internal expertise, discuss methods for identifying and empowering your SMEs, and look at the benefits and cost-effectiveness of this approach. We’ll also cover how to measure the impact of internal expertise versus external training, because no L&D program is complete without an analysis.

When your team members see their knowledge and skills being valued and utilized, they feel a sense of worth and belonging. This recognition not only lifts their spirits, but deepens their commitment to the organization as well. And we all know that happy employees that feel involved are better for the company. This involvement sends a powerful message that their contributions are truly valued.

And let's not forget, colleagues are more likely to listen to someone they know and share experiences with. They can bring a unique perspective that external trainers often can't match, with insights grounded in company culture, processes, and challenges, making the learning experiences more relevant and practical. Plus, familiarity builds trust and credibility, ensuring that knowledge transfer is more effective and impactful.

Cost savings of training lead by internal expertise

For many organizations, especially smaller and midsized businesses, budgets are tight, and every penny counts. By harnessing the expertise that already exists within your company, you can implement L&D initiatives without breaking the bank. This means more frequent and tailored training sessions, keeping your workforce up to date with the latest skills and trends. And you'll be able to respond more quickly to changing business needs, giving your company a competitive edge.

Shawn Hunter, President and Founder of Mindscaling and our guest on Episode 1 of L&D in 20, underscores the worth of internal expertise in establishing a self-sustaining L&D ecosystem. He shares, "So, all of a sudden you've now populated your learning and development curriculum with the experts inside your own organization, who will then go out and be ambassadors for what you've created. And bonus points: It doesn't cost very much." This is really a win-win for most organizations.

By empowering internal experts, organizations can cultivate a culture of continuous learning and development where contributions are encouraged and knowledge is freely and eagerly shared.

Identifying subject matter experts in your organization

To get started on finding the right employees to contribute to L&D programs, it’s important to understand what makes someone a great subject matter expert (SME).

They have a deep understanding of their area of expertise, and continue to seek out new information to learn and hone their skillset.

They have strong, often-celebrated leadership skills people admire. If they're a people manager, you'll notice their team is happy and productive as a result.

They have a passion for sharing what they know with others. They’re not just knowledgeable — they’re excited to help others learn and grow.

One way to spot these valuable team members is by asking their peers who they look up to, think of first when asked about influence, and who is a remarkable public speaker. Who better to identify a subject matter expert than colleagues who seek them out for advice? Performance reviews can also help identify SMEs. Managers and supervisors can provide recommendations based on their observations of an employee’s competencies and contributions.

Let's not forget the power of the pen — or keyboard. Writing skills are a must for SMEs, who often craft training materials, manuals, and other documents. The ability to write clearly, concisely, and accurately is essential because while the L&D team will help guide these internal experts, you want them to own their storytelling. SMEs should be able to organize and present information in a way that's easy to understand and navigate.

When you create an environment where employees are encouraged to share their knowledge, you're not just boosting the company's bottom line. You're also nurturing higher levels of engagement and morale. By recognizing and rewarding these individuals for their contributions, you're inspiring others to follow suit, creating a culture of active participation in learning and development.

"So then when they go back to their colleagues and they rave about, the workshops they went to and the asynchronous learning and mentoring they had. The job rotation and all of these different practices that you implemented into your curriculum. All of a sudden, they also become ambassadors," Shawn Hunter shared on the podcast.

Once you've identified 'who,' you'll move onto the 'how.' Transforming our subject matter experts (SMEs) into effective learning facilitators is a crucial step in leveraging internal expertise in L&D initiatives. To get there, we need to provide a structured framework that offers autonomy while ensuring alignment with our broader goals. The key is to give our SMEs the responsibility and authority over their areas of expertise, allowing them to share their knowledge in a way that's both engaging and effective.

While SMEs contribute their deep domain knowledge, L&D professionals can provide specialized support in areas such as instructional design and learner engagement. This collaboration ensures that training programs aren't only informative but engaging and aligned with best practices in employee development we well. By offering guidance, L&D can help SMEs develop the skills needed to become effective facilitators, ensuring a seamless knowledge transfer and a blooming partnership.

Don't forget to make sure your new internal experts have access to technology, learning platforms, and a system of ongoing feedback just as any faciliator would. By investing in these resources, organizations can ensure that SMEs feel supported and valued. Regular check-ins and content reviews can help identify areas where SMEs may need extra support, keeping learning initiatives on the right track.

It's a delicate dance to let SMEs spread their wings while keeping everyone moving in the same direction. We've found that maintaining a strong, clear link between their work and the company's big picture is key. When you set the stage with clear expectations and keep internal SMEs in the loop on how their contributions are making a difference, we're not just upskilling our workforce — we're building a team that's truly invested and motivated.

Three ways to integrate internal expertise with existing L&D programs

There are many ways you can integrate your SMEs into your employee training programs, but incase you're feeling stuck, we'll share some of our ideas to get you started. You could start by organizing structured sessions led by subject-matter experts. This is the most straightforward way of adding in content and can take various forms, such as workshops, webinars, or interactive presentations, allowing SMEs to share their specialized knowledge directly with their colleagues.

If you have multiple employees who have stepped up and said 'yes' to participating in learning programs, try introducing personalized mentorship programs. Pairing eager employees or those with skills gaps with experienced mentors can provide tailored guidance and support for employee development. Mentorship programs facilitate knowledge transfer and help mentees gain insights that are specific to the company's goals and culture through internal leaders. This can significantly enhance retention of learned skills and lead to career growth.

A third option for integrating your stand-out SMEs into L&D initiative is through knowledge hubs. In a knowledge hub, SMEs contribute to the creation of training materials, digital resources, and knowledge bases directly, acting like a member of the L&D team. This can really beef up training programs and add a perspective that feels relatable to other employees if done right. This could look like articles, videos, podcasts, or interactive modules. By weaving in those SME insights, your content can have a fresh take and be in sync with what your employees need.

The impact of internal vs. external expertise on employee learning programs

Measuring the impact of internal SMEs versus external expertise will involve assessing metrics like information retained, employee engagement levels, motivation to act, and satisfaction with training. There are a few outcomes you can expect to see rise if you include internal experts in your training:

Internal experts often bring a deeper understanding of the company's unique challenges and culture, making the learning experience more relevant and practical. This relevance can lead to higher knowledge retention and more immediate application of skills.

By tapping into in-house talent, you save time and money. You'll have a more tailored approach to training that's relatable to employees, a time-saver for the L&D team who normally has to be or find the expert, and no one has to upskill the expert on the organizational values — they should already know it!

When our own people step up to lead the charge in training, they get to share their expertise, but their colleagues get to learn from someone who truly understands the company's culture and needs. An external expert can't fabricate this connection.

If you choose to introduce internal team members to your L&D trainings, it's important to be mindful of potential pitfalls as well, like bias or gaps in knowledge. Employees may lack an objective approach to training, especially if they've never been this involved in it before.

The perfect blend for employee learning and development is meeting in the middle. We recommend sticking to objective, third-party-regulated experts for content that can pose a serious risk to the business or employees if not taught in a specific way. In moments like these, leave it to the external experts. Our team here at Go1 can help you deliver learning and compliance training from well-known and highly sought-after content providers. But for those moments when some storytelling built into the employee training can engage your team best, or you know employees need a surprise guest to reenergize them on a specific topic, add your internal SMEs to the mix.

For more on the topic of incorporating internal experts in your learning programs, be sure to check out L&D in 20 Episode 1: Building empathy and trust on teams with Mindscaling’s President and Founder Shawn Hunter

Episode 1 - Building empathy and trust on teams

Find out how introducing internal expertise into your training programs can empower employees, save costs, and boost engagement.