Plenty of organizations like to claim that they’re forward thinking, agile, and unique. But very few can prove it. And most end up with the same broken processes, frustrated employees, and stalled growth trajectories.
Nigel Paine is on a mission to change that. In his book The Great Reset: Unlocking the Power of Organisational Learning, Nigel shares his vision for transforming L&D into a strategic driver of cultural, leadership, and inclusive change.
In this recap, we examine the issues with individual performance measures and career paths, Nigel’s five values that underpin successful organisations, and the place of L&D in driving cultural change. How can L&D teams reset their thinking, elevate their practice, and embrace a bold vision for the future of learning?
Keep reading, or listen to our full, enlightening conversation now.
Listen now: The Great Reset: Unlocking the Power of Organisational Learning With Nigel Paine
The problem of individual performance measures
Nigel’s work centers on a core problem statement: our organizations have become too individualistic.
“You have your targets, your KPIs, your bonuses, your rewards, your personal review—it’s all based on personal performance. And therefore, people tend not to ask for help…or offer help. It creates organizations which have very shallow commitment.”
This naturally leads to people only worrying about themselves and their own careers. And L&D professionals have to build whole workstreams and progression paths just to retain staff.
“Alongside individuals, it’s time we got back to teams, groups, sharing, and helping—reinforcing the value of being in an organization. All of those things would encourage you to stay, and encourage the organization to operate more effectively, more purposefully, and with greater agility and resilience.”
Through a collaborative learning and work culture, people learn better and grow more together. And the effect on organizations can be profound.
“There’s this atomistic focus on the individual. You have your targets, your KPIs, your bonuses, your rewards, your personal review—it’s all based on personal performance. It creates organizations which have very shallow commitment.”
5 values for more effective, higher-functioning organizations
Nigel presents five values that he believes are crucial to effective learning, smarter work, and to building great organizations. These values are in no particular order.
1. Value relevant work systems and processes
“The key word is relevant. One question I love asking is, ‘what stops you from doing your best work?’” As Nigel explains, it’s not usually “the big stuff” that’s holding people back. It’s the need to fill out endless forms or perform odd additional tasks.
This issue is so common that most people have given up trying to fix it. Which is exactly why Nigel argues it should be fundamental value in any good organization. “Review work systems, and dump the ones that don’t work. And improve the ones that can be improved. Even just telling people you’ll do that takes a weight off their shoulders. It’s liberating.”
Remove those barriers, and your learning programs—and the company overall—become far more effective.
2. Value decency and human kindness
“A lot of people think that’s a bit soft,” says Nigel. “But I think it’s important. If you’re in an environment that you don’t feel is kind and decent, why would you share anything? Why would you admit to struggling, or offer others help?
“When you’re in a human place that cares about you, you share. When you don’t have human decency and kindness, you have obfuscation, you have hiding, and transferring blame.”
Once you have this as a core company value, L&D teams must find ways to recognize and nurture it.
3. Value teams and group work
As we saw above, Nigel feels that individualism has become a real problem. And much of this stems from the way we recognize and reward individuals first.
“I don’t believe you should have any individual targets. Have a team target. And let the team build each other’s strengths and competencies, let the team allocate responsibilities, and let the team take the rewards.”
A move away from overly hierarchical, individualized organizations lets people flourish and grow together. “Fundamentally, you feel that, whatever you’re doing, there’s this group around you. They have your back, and you have their back.”
“I don’t want to have deep thoughts on my own. I’d much rather share them with you. For some bizarre reason, we’re blocking that in many organizations.”
4. Value your team’s knowledge and expertise
“Most organizations have no idea what they know, or the depth of knowledge and expertise in their team,” says Nigel. This issue is all too familiar to L&D teams.
“[Organizations] reinvent the wheel, they learn things again and again, they forget what they know, and they don’t draw on the people who could do great work.” But if we can’t show it, we can offer little pushback.
“You’ve got to spend time trying to understand what the organization knows. Most will find that they know more than they thought they did, and they have better people than they thought. But they never asked.”
Processes like skills audits and mapping are so valuable. And of course, a good learning management system helps you reliably monitor skills gaps across the organization in real time.
5. Value agility and flexibility
Most modern businesses pride themselves on being agile and flexible. But, just as with decency and kindness, very few have any proof. And fewer still hold themselves accountable to getting better.
For Nigel, this value is reinforced through practice and good communication. “Review: We did it—how can we do it better next time? And how can we tell everyone else how we did it better? And how can we come to this decision faster? You’re constantly looking to improve, not just survive or fulfill the mandate.”
Teams need to bring each other in and create a collective obsession with working more effectively. It’s the only way to improve processes organization-wide, and to bring out the best in your people.
How L&D can lead this organizational change
Nigel argues that these five values “create an agenda” for meaningful organizational growth, which is exactly what most L&D leaders truly care about.
“As a Head of L&D, I would start with an analysis of these values. I would go to an executive and show that we need more connection and community in order to move forward faster.”
Start with whichever value you feel is most pressing, and explore how well your organization lives up to it currently. “If you say that you value agility and flexibility, what do you actually mean by that? What are the examples of agility and flexibility in the organization, and what are the frustrations? Suddenly, you have an agenda. And you end up with fundamental change.
“Most organizations won’t immediately say ‘yes’ and offer an unlimited budget. But at least you’ve got something to negotiate with. And then set your benchmarks to prove that you’ve achieved it. What are the leading indicators of an organization on the move? Or what would not have happened without this, and how far have we still got to go?”
About Nigel
Nigel Paine is a renowned author, speaker, and thought leader in Learning and Development. Nigel has established himself as a passionate advocate for innovative, people-centered approaches to organizational development. Nigel’s career spans senior leadership roles, consulting with global organizations, and teaching at institutions such as the University of Chicago and IE Business School.
As the author of several influential books, including his latest, The Great Reset: Unlocking the Power of Organisational Learning, Nigel challenges L&D professionals to think beyond traditional boundaries and embrace the profound potential of learning to shape culture, foster leadership, and drive inclusion.
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