THE LEARNINGCOG BLOG

As we close out the year, we took time to reflect with our team on what they’re seeing across organisations when it comes to learning, leadership, and development.

One theme came through loud and clear: the way organisations think about learning is changing fast.

The feedback revolution

Many organisations are moving away from slow, infrequent performance reviews toward faster feedback cycles and more meaningful, human conversations. Feedback is becoming less about forms and ratings, and more about dialogue, reflection, and growth in real time.

This shift is creating space for better relationships, clearer expectations, and quicker course correction, all of which matter in complex, fast-moving environments.

Tools like my360goals are supporting this shift by enabling ongoing, real-time feedback and clearer goal alignment, helping organisations move away from static reviews and toward continuous development.

From training to culture

Alongside this, we’re seeing a clear move away from learning as a standalone “programme.” Instead, learning is becoming embedded into how organisations operate day to day.

Feedback isn’t an event or a box to tick. It’s part of how work gets done. Development happens through conversations, coaching moments, and shared responsibility, not just workshops.

When learning becomes cultural rather than transactional, it sticks.

The skills organisations are prioritising

These shifts are reflected in the skills most in demand right now:

Self-awareness

Leaders and team members alike are being asked to better understand their own impact, triggers, strengths, and blind spots. Self-awareness underpins effective feedback, strong relationships, and sound decision-making.

Coaching-style communication

There’s a clear move away from directive management toward curiosity-led, coaching-style conversations. Asking better questions, listening deeply, and creating space for reflection are becoming core leadership capabilities.

Managing people’s development

Managers are expected to actively support growth, not just performance. This means setting clear goals, providing regular feedback, and helping individuals take ownership of their development.

Team effectiveness

High-performing teams don’t happen by accident. Organisations are focusing on how teams collaborate, handle conflict, make decisions, and build trust. Team effectiveness is about clarity of purpose, strong communication, and shared accountability.

Giving and receiving feedback

Feedback is becoming a core skill in its own right. The ability to give clear, timely, and constructive feedback, and to receive it openly, is essential for continuous learning and improvement.

What’s striking is how human these capabilities are. They’re less about technical expertise and more about how people show up, communicate, and help others grow.

Looking ahead to 2026: the feedback revolution

For managers, leaders, and HR teams, the feedback revolution will be a defining priority over the next few years.

By 2026, feedback will no longer sit solely within performance management processes. Instead, it will be woven into everyday leadership and people practices, shaping how goals are set, progress is discussed, and development is supported.

For managers, this means moving from being performance judges to performance coaches. Regular check-ins, clear expectations, and timely feedback will replace infrequent, high-stakes reviews. Managers will be expected to build trust, notice patterns early, and support growth in the moment.

For leaders, the challenge will be cultural. Feedback norms are set at the top. Leaders who role-model openness, curiosity, and responsiveness to feedback will create environments where learning feels safe and continuous, not punitive.

For HR teams, the focus will shift from administering systems to enabling capability. HR will play a critical role in embedding feedback into ways of working, supporting managers with the right tools, and ensuring feedback drives development rather than compliance.

The organisations that succeed in 2026 won’t be those with the most sophisticated frameworks, they’ll be the ones where feedback is frequent, expected, and genuinely useful.

What this means in practice

For managers:

• Holding regular, informal check-ins rather than relying on annual reviews

• Giving feedback close to the moment, while it’s still relevant

• Using questions and coaching techniques to support reflection and ownership

• Linking feedback clearly to goals, priorities, and development

For leaders:

• Role-modelling openness to feedback — upward, downward, and peer-to-peer

• Talking openly about learning, mistakes, and course correction

• Reinforcing feedback as a tool for growth, not judgement

• Creating psychological safety so honest conversations can happen

For HR teams:

• Designing feedback processes that support continuous conversations

• Equipping managers with simple frameworks and practical tools

• Shifting success measures from completion to quality of conversations

• Embedding feedback into performance, development, and team ways of working

The future of learning isn’t more content, it’s better conversations.