Avoiding the L&D Activity Trap

Learning and Development (L&D) has a value problem, not because it isn’t valuable, but because it struggles to prove it. And when L&D can’t prove impact, it doesn’t just lose credibility. It loses influence. It's time to be explicit about the problem. It’s called The Activity Trap, says Harry Chapman-Walker, CEO, Kallidus, and it’s undermining the value of L&D.

Proof Matters

For years, L&D has been measured on what’s easy to count: courses delivered, completions, engagement. The industry has optimised for activity. But business leaders don’t invest in activity. They invest in outcomes. That gap - between what L&D does and what the business values - is what we call the Activity Trap. It’s not a new problem. But it’s becoming impossible to ignore.

Most L&D teams know their work makes a difference. The issue is proof. Reporting that 80% of employees completed compliance training doesn’t answer the question executives are asking: did anything actually change? Did risk reduce? Did performance improve? Did the business move forward?

That matters more than ever. 77% of executives say compliance complexity is hurting growth. And yet, in many organisations, success is still measured by completion rates rather than whether risk has actually been reduced. When those answers are unclear, L&D is pushed further from strategic decision-making - not because it lacks impact, but because it lacks visibility.

Identify Problems

At the same time, AI is accelerating content creation at an unprecedented rate. More courses, more content, more activity. But without a shift in how success is defined, AI doesn’t solve the problem - it amplifies it. More activity, faster, is still just activity.

The organisations pulling ahead are taking a different approach. They are starting with business problems, not learning requests. Reducing compliance risk. Improving retention. Increasing productivity. Driving revenue performance. Then working backwards: what needs to change in behaviour? What capability is missing? What intervention will actually move the needle?

This shift is also being driven by a wider workforce challenge. Employee engagement has fallen to just 21% globally - a signal that participation alone isn’t the issue. The real question is whether learning is relevant enough to change behaviour and improve performance.

Business Partner

This is where L&D becomes a true business partner - not by delivering more, but by delivering what matters. This shift doesn’t mean activity metrics disappear. They still have a role. But they are no longer the story. The story is impact.

L&D has the opportunity to move from cost centre to value driver, but only if it escapes The Activity Trap. That challenge is the focus of a report we’ve just launched with Fosway. Connecting what L&D delivers to what the business actually cares about means starting smaller, with clear outcome-led priorities, aligning with business goals from the outset, and measuring what changes, not just what happens. Because in the end, the question isn’t how much learning was delivered. It’s whether it made a difference.

Learning Technologies 2026

Kallidus is taking part in the upcoming Learning Technologies Exhibition & Conference, London, 29 to 30 April. Meet the team on stand J40.

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