Within talent development is a group of leaders who are passionate about progress, pushing the profession forward to a new next. These executives envision a future in which learning informs all business decisions and organizations depend on talent development to achieve their goals. They understand that training exists not as a siloed activity but part of a greater learning ecosystem that supports the development of skills necessary for success in the future of work. They aren’t clawing their way to a seat at the table because they have one. They have worked hard to become businesspeople first and learning people second, realizing what is required of talent development leaders who are true business partners.
Are you one of those leaders? If so, you may find a tribe in ATD’s CTDO Next (ctdonext.td.org). CTDO Next is ATD’s premier membership for talent development executives who want to shape the profession’s future. This network of global learning leaders is passionate about transformations that are impacting the field. Through CTDO Next’s work, members (called Nexters) explore a variety of forward-focused topics—such as future skilling, the disruption of talent development, and TD leaders’ emerging role—with the goal to take a position and lead the profession.
In a typical year, CTDO Next members gather in person twice annually to advance their agenda by learning from thought leaders, sharing new practices, and discussing their proposed positions on a variety of issues. At ATD22 in Orlando, 30 CTDO Next members and invited guests convened at the Orange County Convention Center on Monday, May 16 for a half-day program.
ATD President and CEO Tony Bingham kicked off the meeting, recognizing CTDO Next’s fifth anniversary and those members in attendance who were founding members of the consortium in 2017. He described the ways in which ATD has pivoted to support the talent development profession in this new world of work.
Following Bingham’s charge, attendees tackled the topic of the learning ecosystem. Learning scientist and organization change expert Sandra Loughlin of EPAM led a conversation about the essential elements of a learning ecosystem today. Attendees learned Loughlin’s eight proposed facets of this ecosystem and suggested new considerations for the future of work and talent development.
True to CTDO Next style, the provocative conversations continued with Loran Nordgren’s keynote address on how to overcome the hidden forces working against innovation. Nordgren, professor of management and organizations at the Kellogg School of Management and co-author of The Human Element, presented the major sources of friction that oppose innovation and change. Participants learned practical ways to overcome those forces to bring new ideas into the world and become catalysts for positive disruption in their companies.
The program culminated with a group working session to define a position on TD’s role in the future of work. Integrating ideas from the afternoon’s conversations, CTDO Next Catalyst John Coné shepherded the group’s collective insights to produce action items and next steps for the profession.
The CTDO Next program during ATD22 was an example of CTDO Next at its finest: a network of like-minded learning leaders challenging the ways we’ve always done it to propose the ways we might do it next.
Learn more about how you or a TD leader at your organization can join CTDO Next, contact Ann Parker at [email protected] for more information.