Adjacent Learning: Using Insights from Outside the Organization to Develop Workplace Performance

Use insights from outside the business to rethink workplace learning in order to drive individual and team performance.

Workplaces are not the only setting where employees learn. They are learning constantly in all areas of their lives. The problem is that learning and development (L&D) practitioners don't know how to apply the experiences from outside the traditional business setting to improve employee learning and drive business results. Adjacent Learning is a practical guide which solves this problem.

Topics covered include acting, difference and emotion through to language, observation and storytelling and explains how these can be used to deliver more effective workplace learning. There is also expert guidance on the importance of employees understanding the 'why' and 'how' of learning, as well as why it's essential to consider experiences from other countries and industries to create diversity of thought which generates the best possible results. Reflection points and key takeaways are included in every chapter as well as interviews with leading figures in the L&D industry. This practical guide is also full of advice, tips and examples throughout to help L&D professionals design a robust learning strategy that will allow employees and the business to thrive.

David Hayden is a Learning Content Manager at the CIPD. He leads on the design and commission of a number of L&D and Organisation Design and Delivery focused products. David began his L&D career after taking responsibility for three Youth Trainees in 1988 as an Operations Manager. He has since worked and headed up, a number of corporate L&D teams and HR functions. David's background has been in distribution, retail, financial and public sector. He was Chair of the South Yorkshire CIPD Branch from 2012 for two years before joining the CIPD as an employee in 2014.

David also has a background in Lean and has worked as a Lean Engineer in a number of manufacturing and food organisations. Passionate about learning and exploiting all aspects of CPD, David's style is participative and inclusive. He gained a Masters in Online and Distance Education in 2020.