From self to society: the impact of learning

Change isn’t a choice – how you respond is. The event kicked off with Trudi West, Professor of Leadership and Psychology at Hult International Business School. In what she calls ‘itchy armpit moments’ – situations that make us feel a little uncomfortable – we can experiment with emotional experiences to tune in to our ongoing (and often unconscious) stream of thoughts and feelings.  

Through practical exercises, she invited the audience to reflect on what they were feeling. One such exercise (conducted in two minutes of complete silence) concluded in nervous laughter and a few red faces in the room. Creating experiences that make you uncomfortable so the learning goes deeper and lasts longer is a key concept in experiential learning. By experimenting and reflecting on these experiences, we understand ourselves and our decisions better.  

Sacha Luthi, Group VP of People and Organizational Growth at Grundfos joined Hult Ashridge’s Joan Berglund in conversation to explore how organizations can ensure impact through their learning interventions. Impact should be part of the discussion from the outset, and organizations need to make sure that any assumptions they make can be tested.  

While acknowledging that quantitative data is important, they also discussed less measurable aspects i.e. qualitative data to understand culture, mindsets, engagement, and psychological safety. Practically, this could mean interviewing your leaders to hear their stories and perspectives to uncover the organizational ‘inner voice’ – a reflection of culture.  

Impact is the change we see, and value is the worth of that change. Patricia Hind, Professor of Leadership and Management at Hult, made this distinction, as well as that between individual value (elements like progression and satisfaction), and organizational value (financial measures, brand reputation, culture, etc.). 

When it comes to evaluating value, Hind says program design has to align with strategic organizational needs. And for change to be realized, individual and organizational energy is essential alongside a learning intervention. It’s also important to take care with the temptation to identify causality between learning interventions and outcomes instead of drawing correlations. 

On this topic, impact measurement remains a key challenge for L&D. While proving direct causality between learning and impact is a perennial challenge, how can we meaningfully push forward the boundaries of impact measurement.

Anna Odumodu, VP Custom Solutions at Hult Ashridge, introduced the Hult Ashridge Process for Impact – otherwise known as HAPI – a process emphasizing early impact conversations with clients and participants. HAPI uses digital assessments and practice reinforcement throughout the learning journey, ensuring program alignment with organizational goals, and equipping L&D with data-driven insights.

The Chief Academic Officer at EF Corporate Learning, Dr Christopher McCormick, amused the audience with the German expression ‘die eierlegende wollmilchsau’ – which translates literally to ‘the egg-laying wool-milk pig.’ A close enough English translation is probably jack-of-all-trades – the point is that the pace of change requires everyone to be everything.  

The World Economic Forum found that 46% of employers indicated that organizational culture and resistance to change was the greatest barrier to organizational transformation. Considering what might interfere with global engagement, McCormack says if you can speak to people’s motivation, you increase the chance of engaging them.  

This may vary by culture. Is it more important to explain why the learning matters, or what they can do with it? Do your people prefer self-directed or group learning? Knowing these elements will determine how receptive people are to change. 

The trend emerging from the USA to minimize DEIB and ESG commitments is a complicated one, particularly for federal contractors in the US. Many L&D leaders are in ‘expecting’ mode – the next moment of truth will come with budgets for 2026/27. 

Matt Gitsham, Debbie Bayntun-Lees and Hari Mann – all members of Hult faculty – argued the business case for DEIB and ESG still stands. Not only do diverse teams perform better, but incoming talent wants to see representation, and there are concrete examples of shareholder activism protecting DEIB initiatives at Apple and Costco. Bayntun-Lees highlighted that some companies are reframing DEIB programs, or integrating them into mainstream programs. There’s also an element of scaling back on external communications while the internal commitment may remain the same.  

In an uncertain and complex landscape, HR can exert their influence in building L&D and recruitment capabilities; aligning performance and reward; defining benefits; and leading organizational culture and values. 

In a story of real world impact, Daniela Redondo, Executive Director at Coca-Cola Brazil Foundation shared the transformative work they have carried out in the country – increasing the employability of disadvantaged young people and connecting them with job opportunities.

In their 25-year journey, they have impacted over 600,000 young people, and aim to reach 5 million by 2030. As part of its approach, the organization applied a ‘shared value mindset’ and mapped and leveraged their partnerships (including with EF) to accelerate their impact.

José Manuel Barroso captivated the room with his unique perspective from his experience as former Prime Minister of Portugal, 11th President of the European Commission, and Chairman of GAVI, The Vaccine Alliance – among many other roles.

In conversation with Adam Portlock, President of Hult Ashridge, he discussed how geopolitics is shaping leadership priorities in what he calls ‘the age of resentment’; the need for organizations to remain adaptable to mitigate against risk in an uncertain environment; bolstering cultural capabilities to navigate the information surplus; and ensuring an organizational understanding of technology advancements.

As the conversation drew to a close, he shared his own passion for education and lifelong learning – encapsulating the impact of learning from self to society.