Learning in the Flow of Work – A New Paradigm of Corporate Learning
My free interpretation of Josh Bersin’s article*.
The global corporate learning market is worth over $200 billion and is evolving rapidly. While we often associate learning with training sessions and courses, it's clear that we are already living in a new paradigm — Learning in the Flow of Work.
What does this mean?
To understand it, let’s look at the evolution of corporate learning, from classroom-based training to computer-based learning, from e-learning to digital learning.
The corporate learning industry has existed for several decades, and it is one of the fields most influenced by new technologies.
Over the past 20 years, we have gone through four major evolutionary phases, each driven by technological and economic changes.
The 1970s–1980s: The Classroom Era.
Back then, learning happened in physical classrooms. The most advanced technology was an overhead projector and laminated flashcards, which trainers had to carry in stacks. These materials needed constant updates, which was inconvenient and costly.
The 1980s: The PC Era.
When computers were invented, trainers started recording video lessons and saving them on disks. To make the lessons engaging, they included infographics, animations, and interactive elements. Developing such courses was expensive, but companies still invested in them because they were easier to scale.
Some companies built huge content libraries, but as computers became more advanced, the complexity of educational programs increased as well.
Even though these courses were useful, they only worked on a single computer, and tracking progress was difficult. The introduction of computer networks led to the creation of the AICC standard, which later evolved into SCORM technology. SCORM allowed tracking learning content in various formats, monitoring learners’ progress, and assessing their results. This, in turn, triggered the development of Training Management Systems, which later became LMS (Learning Management Systems).
The 1990s: E-learning Becomes the LMS Flagship Product.
In the 1990s, web browsers emerged, giving birth to the term e-learning.
Content designers realized they could create learning materials in HTML and Flash. This led to a boom in content development tools and LMS platforms. In the early 2000s, Josh Bersin himself built a business helping companies choose and implement these tools (www.elearningresearch.com).
At that time, key concepts included "online university" or "course catalog." Courses were designed by instructional designers, consisted of multiple modules, and followed a linear format with visuals, audio, and sometimes video.
As these products entered the market, demand for LMS skyrocketed (now worth over $5 billion). Every company wanted its own online university.
Pioneering LMS providers — CornerstoneOnDemand, Centra, Click2Learn, Interwise, NetG, Plateau, Saba, Skillsoft, SumTotal — practically replaced previous training tools.
It was an exciting time! In 2000, Cisco CEO John Chambers famously said,
"E-learning will make email look like a rounding error."
It seemed like this new world of online learning would completely change our mindset. Some companies even considered shutting down their corporate universities.
Of course, there were challenges:
Content creation was expensive.
Videos were glitchy.
Mobile internet was slow.
Early LMS platforms were far from perfect.
However, demand drove innovation, and soon, almost every company launched its own corporate e-learning portal.
Google Changes the Rules, but Learning Providers Don’t See the Potential.
Then, in 1998, Google was born.
Suddenly, it was easier to search for information on Google than to navigate through a long course. Employees started asking for search functionality in their LMS platforms, but handling such vast amounts of content was difficult.
What did learning providers do?
They pivoted toward talent management. The economic boom led to a "war for talent", and companies wanted learning solutions that supported employee growth and development. LMS seemed like the perfect solution.
Within a few years, companies like Authoria, Cornerstone, Saba, SuccessFactors, SumTotal, and others focused on integrating LMS with HR tools to align learning with job roles, performance management, and competency models.
Meanwhile, L&D managers kept talking about Google as the "next big learning platform", and the iPhone started changing content consumption habits. Yet, the corporate learning market was still stuck in the "course-based paradigm", where most online content resembled traditional e-learning.
The Rise of Talent Management and HR Investments.
Between 2005 and 2010, we saw a rapid expansion of integrated talent management systems. LMS providers found it harder to sell standalone platforms, so they bundled multiple systems into a single platform.
However, this was mostly a marketing gimmick—the learning process itself didn’t really evolve.
Meanwhile, the consumer technology revolution was happening:
2005 – YouTube
2006 – Twitter
2007 – iPhone
These technologies changed how people interacted with content. Creating videos, which once seemed complex, became easy and mainstream. Employees started learning on their own through platforms like Khan Academy, Lynda.com, and YouTube.
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) like Udacity, Coursera, NovoEd, and EdX emerged. At the same time, most companies still had outdated LMS platforms designed for first-generation e-learning.
Video & Continuous Learning.
Initially, the idea of video-based microlearning was met with skepticism. Would people actually learn this way? Would the content be good enough? How would it be edited?
Soon, these doubts disappeared.
One early adopter, British Telecom, gave employees small video recorders and asked them to film solutions to complex customer problems.
Soon, companies like Jambok and Wisetail built video-sharing platforms, and the idea of user-generated learning videos took off.
At first, video production was challenging (Flash was a terrible player), but the iPhone made it easy. With YouTube’s growth, instructional designers began accepting user-generated educational content—something they had previously dismissed.
This marked a paradigm shift.
The Rise of Learning Experience Platforms (LXP) & Microlearning.
The term "microlearning" emerged in 2009. Suddenly, there was an explosion of podcasts, videos, and articles — content that people could watch, listen to, or read on the go.
An average employee has only 24 minutes per week for learning.
Thus, microlearning is crucial, but it must be relevant to job roles, competencies, and the company’s learning model.
As companies embraced microlearning, new market segments emerged:
General learning platforms – Curate content, provide assessments, and offer recommendations.
Adaptive learning tools – Distribute and promote content based on individual performance.
Josh predicts that in the next few years, many of these solutions will merge, leading to the next-generation LMS platforms.
The Shift to Learning in the Flow of Work.
Unlike entertainment platforms like Netflix or Spotify, corporate learning isn’t about consuming content endlessly — it’s about acquiring skills and applying them at work.
A LinkedIn survey of 4,000 L&D professionals found that:
The biggest challenge is lack of time for learning.
58% want to learn at their own pace.
49% want to learn in the flow of work.
This is the future of corporate learning—embedding learning tools directly into work processes.
Some companies already integrate Salesforce, Outlook, Slack, and GitHub with AI-driven learning recommendations.
Corporate learning is a $200 billion industry, and those who adapt will lead the next phase of evolution.
The key takeaway?
We won’t fully leverage new technologies until we change our mindset.
*A New Paradigm For Corporate Training: Learning In The Flow of Work
September 16, 2021.