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Mentoring and Virtual Reality Among Latest ATD Research Topics

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Sun May 06 2018

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Each year, the ATD Research team produces more than a dozen authoritative, data-driven research reports focused on industry trends, benchmarks, and best practices. ATD’s analysts survey thousands of industry professionals and analyze the data, conduct interviews with talent development executives, and collaborate with well-known subject matter experts. The research team also publishes in-depth case studies; for these, ATD visits a leading company and profiles its talent development programs and leaders in depth. Below are highlights from some of the latest research.

Mentoring Matters: Developing Talent With Formal Mentoring Programs

When asked, most people say they’ve had a mentor before, although a majority of organizations don’t actually have a formal mentoring program. Mentoring Matters reveals that just 29 percent of responding organizations have a formal mentoring program in place—where there is a defined structure with clear guidelines and objectives. Thirty-seven percent reported having an informal mentoring program.

Study results show that mentoring programs can benefit everyone involved, including the organization. For example, mentees are most likely to receive professional development and a better understanding of organizational culture, while mentors benefit by developing new perspectives and new leadership skills. By offering formal mentoring programs, organizations have higher employee engagement and retention; these programs also help support the growth of high-potential employees. This report is sponsored by mentorcliQ.

Personalized and Adaptive Learning: Shaping Employee Development for Engagement and Performance

Effective learning isn’t one size fits all. Personalized and adaptive learning hold great promise as ways to reach learners with content that is tailored to their needs and preferences, and is relevant and engaging. Personalized learning provides instruction tailored to an individual based on the learner’s interests, experience, preferred learning methods, learning pace, job role, or other factors. Adaptive learning is a specific type of personalized learning that uses computer-based technology (including algorithms and artificial intelligence) to modify content to a learner’s needs in real time.

Personalized and Adaptive Learning found that more than three-quarters of organizations have experimented with personalized learning, which is especially effective for senior leader development. Although fewer use adaptive learning, the number using it is expected to grow rapidly in the next couple years, and it is particularly effective and impactful when used for developing newer employees and salespeople. The report is sponsored by McGraw-Hill Education.

UPS: Driving Results Through Virtual Reality and Simulation-Based Training

In this in-depth case study, readers get an insider’s look at UPS Integrad, an innovative training initiative created by the company’s learning organization to develop aspiring operators of its ubiquitous delivery trucks. The 10-year-old program is delivered at nine (and counting) dedicated facilities within the United States, as well as one each in Germany and England. More than 10,000 individuals have graduated from UPS Integrad to date.

The case study looks closely at UPS’s innovative learning stations targeted to specific skill sets, including a virtual reality station that teaches defensive driving skills such as awareness, visibility, and safety within a training environment that mimics the actual driving experience. The case study features interviews with learning executives who were deeply involved in Integrad’s initial development, pilot, and launch.

ATD Research also has published reports on dozens of other topics, including performance improvement, needs assessments, next generation e-learning, onboarding, and microlearning.

ATD Research titles are available in the ATD Store at discounted prices for conference attendees.

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