“I’ll email you the joining instructions, update the SharePoint folder, and share the slide deck in Teams.”
In 1989, few people carried a mobile phone, Zoom, ChatGPT, or hybrid working. Blackberries were still fruit, Threads was just something on your shirt, and Amazon was a river, not a retail empire. There were no influencers, no reality shows “in the jungle”, and AI belonged more to research labs and science fiction than everyday working life.
As we are in our fourth decade as an established leader in the field, we’ve seen extraordinary shifts in how people learn, lead and grow. The technology, the terminology, and even the expectations have evolved beyond recognition, but the essence of what makes learning meaningful remains the same.
So, what’s really changed in the world of Learning and Development since then?
What’s in a Name?
Back then, it was simply called training, a word shared with army recruits and performing seals. Trainers ran workshops, and “delegates” dutifully attended. Today, the language has shifted: we speak of facilitators, coaches, and learning designers. Learners are participants or even co-creators. L&D has moved from delivering knowledge to shaping experiences, from teaching content to activating capability.
Experience
Despite Kolb’s learning cycle being around since the 1980s, early corporate learning was still “chalk and talk.” Overhead projectors and acetate slides ruled. The 1990s brought PowerPoint, and with it, trainers lecturing while delegates filled in workbooks.
The 2000s saw experiential learning gain ground, learning through experiment, reflection, and application. The focus moved from training people to do a job to developing people to thrive in change. More recently, “learning journeys,” “micro-moments,” and “immersive learning” aim to weave development into the flow of work, not just annual events.
Digital Learning: Boom, Bust and Balance
At the millennium, e-learning promised a revolution: “Why take people away from their desks when they can click through a module?” The arrival of generative AI has accelerated content creation, personalised learning pathways and on-demand coaching. It has made learning faster to produce and easier to access, but it has also raised a more important question: just because we can automate learning, should we?.
Yet the truth remains: technology excels at transferring knowledge. Behaviour change, however, still depends on trust, reflection, practice and human connection.. People still learn best through connection, dialogue, and shared energy. Tech is an enabler, not a replacement for presence and emotion.
Jargon & Fads
L&D has always loved a buzzword: Accelerated Learning, NLP, Emotional Intelligence, Competency Frameworks, Growth Mindset, Psychological Safety, and now AI for Learning. Some reshaped the field; others were old wine in new bottles. The challenge remains cutting through the noise to focus on what truly drives behaviour and results.
In 1989, outdoor adventure learning was popular, borrowing from military models. Since then, organisations have sought inspiration from sport, music, art, and increasingly, theatre.
Drama-Based Development
Maynard Leigh pioneered the use of theatre in management development. In 1989, role-play existed, but the idea of professional actors transferring their craft into leadership, presentation, or coaching was novel. Today, drama-based learning is mainstream, with companies offering everything from forum theatre to actor-led exercises that unlock potential.
Where Are We Now?
In 2026, organisations are more strategic, data-driven, and human-centred than ever. Learning is seen as a growth engine, not a perk. The question is no longer “how cheaply can we train?” but “how effectively can we develop people who stay, grow, and lead?”
Behavioural science, neuroscience, and AI analytics provide new tools, but the timeless ingredients remain: attention, connection, courage, and curiosity. Bureaucracy still threatens creativity, but the best organisations see learning as central to success, not a sideshow.
So, has L&D changed in 35 years? Absolutely. But the heart of it hasn’t: people still learn best when they feel seen, supported, stretched, and inspired. No technology can replace the moments when people challenge one another, reflect together, practise new behaviours and discover what they’re truly capable of..
