Getting more from your learning investment

Organisations invest significant time and money in developing their people.
But how much of that investment translates into different behaviour and better performance?

CIPD continues to highlight learning transfer and impact as important challenges for L&D. Its 2025 guidance emphasises the importance of connecting learning to performance needs and business objectives, rather than focusing solely on whether people attended a programme or enjoyed it. CIPD: Learning evaluation, impact and transfer

The scale of the challenge is worth considering. CIPD's Learning at Work 2023 research found that only 8% of L&D teams prioritised the transfer of learning into the workplace, while just half had a process for assessing the impact of learning. CIPD: Learning at Work research

So how can organisations get more from their investment in learning?

1. Start with the outcome

It's tempting to start with the question:

“What training do our people need?”

A better starting point is to consider what needs to change.

Perhaps managers need to have more effective performance conversations. Maybe new leaders need to build confidence in their role. Perhaps a team needs to collaborate more effectively, or individuals need to become more confident at influencing others.

Start by understanding the performance gap and what needs to change. Then work backwards to identify what will help people get there.
Sometimes that will include a workshop or structured learning. It might also involve coaching, practical experience, peer learning, feedback, job aids or support from a manager.

The development approach should be shaped by the outcome you're trying to achieve.

2. Design for application

Knowing something is different from being able to do it.

People develop new skills through practice. They need opportunities to try things out, experiment, receive feedback and learn from what happens.

That means creating development experiences that connect learning to real work.

Give people the opportunity to practise a difficult conversation rather than simply discussing how to have one.

Let them apply a new leadership approach to a real situation they're facing.

Ask them to experiment with a different way of working and reflect on what happened.

The more relevant the learning is to the situations people encounter in their day-to-day work, the more opportunities they have to put it into practice.

The most effective development often involves a cycle of learning, trying, reflecting and trying again.

3. Make the workplace part of the development

What happens after a learning intervention has a significant influence on whether people apply what they've learned.

CIPD's 2025 research highlights the important role of line managers in supporting skills development. L&D may have direct contact with someone during a programme, but managers have much more opportunity to influence how new skills are used in the workplace. CIPD: The role of the line manager in supporting skills development

Managers can create opportunities for people to practise new skills, provide encouragement and feedback, and help them reflect on their progress.

This doesn't require managers to become L&D professionals. It can be as simple as asking someone what they're trying to put into practice, giving them opportunities to use it and checking in on how it's going.

Coaching, action learning, peer support, practical challenges and follow-up conversations can all help people turn new skills into everyday behaviours.

4. Measure what changes

If the purpose of development is to improve performance, evaluation needs to go beyond attendance, completion rates and participant satisfaction.

These measures tell you something about people's experience of a programme, but they don't necessarily tell you what difference it made.

Consider what you could look for afterwards:

* What are people doing differently?
* What changes are you seeing in their confidence or capability?
* How are their relationships or interactions changing?
* What impact is this having on team or individual performance?
* What evidence do you have that the development has contributed to these changes?

The answers will vary depending on the purpose of the development. For some programmes, it might be improved quality of conversations or decision-making. For others, it could be stronger collaboration, better performance or progress towards a specific business objective.

It won't always be possible to attribute a business result directly to one development intervention. However, defining what success looks like at the outset makes it much easier to look for meaningful evidence afterwards.

From learning to impact

Getting more from your learning investment starts with being clear about the change you're trying to create.

From there, development can be designed to give people the knowledge, skills and confidence they need, alongside opportunities to practise and apply them. Managers, colleagues and the wider working environment can then provide the support and reinforcement that helps new behaviours become established.

The journey can be thought of simply as:

Performance need → Learning → Application → Behaviour change → Impact

The value of development is ultimately seen in the workplace; in the conversations people have, the decisions they make, the way they work with others and the results they achieve.

What could you do differently to make sure more of your investment in learning translates into meaningful change?