Digitization and automation of training and development in organizations: chances, challenges, and application examples

Abstract

This article in the journal “Gruppe. Interaktion. Organisation. (GIO)” provides an overview of the manifold digitization and automation possibilities that current technological developments provide for training and development and discusses the opportunities and risks of their use. To remain competitive, efficient, and productive, organizations need to ensure that their employees continue to learn and develop. However, training all employees in all necessary competencies requires a lot of resources. To be able to use these resources optimally, the developmental needs of the employees must be determined continuously and accurately so that these can be addressed in a targeted and adequate manner through suitable training and development activities. These administrative processes of training and development are also resource-intensive. For this reason, organizations made use of a variety of technologies in the past to make training and development and the associated administrative processes more efficient and manageable through digitization (e.g., by providing digital learning materials). In this article, we highlight the diverse digitization and automation possibilities that current technological developments offer and illustrate them—structured along the process of personnel development—with examples from research and practice.