In an era of rapid transformation, organizations are increasingly investing in learning and development (L&D) technology to upskill their workforce and boost employee engagement. But for many companies, engagement remains stubbornly flat, even as sleek new platforms roll out with big promises.

So, what’s going wrong?

Despite having more learning platforms than ever before, employees often feel disconnected from development initiatives. According to the 2024 LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report, “improving learner engagement” and “creating a culture of learning” are top focus areas for L&D, highlighting organizations’ efforts to align tech investment with actual learner activation.

Here’s the truth: Learning technology doesn’t drive engagement by default — strategy does.

People + Purpose + Platform: A Strategic Framework

One of the most common pitfalls I see companies make about learning technology is thinking that access equals engagement. Too often, organizations rush to select new tools without clearly defining the purpose it’s meant to serve. I’ve seen clients come in convinced they need separate platforms for onboarding, microlearning, compliance — you name it.

But often, it isn’t a lack of tools that holds companies back, it’s a lack of intentional design. Access without strategic alignment leads to tech fatigue, disengagement and wasted resources.

At the 2024 Training Industry Strategy Summit, I invited learning leaders to pause and reflect on a critical question: What business problem are you solving and how will technology help people solve it better, faster or together?

Asking this question can help leaders shift their perspective from technology access to strategic activation.

If you want to drive meaningful engagement, stop starting with features. Start with your people and your purpose. Here’s how:

1. People — Know your learners deeply

This goes beyond demographics. What are your learners’ real pain points, habits and motivations? Are they overwhelmed front-line workers? Are they managers craving peer support?

For instance, a remote workforce may need mobile-first, asynchronous tools. In-office teams might benefit from collaborative virtual classrooms. Without this context, even the most powerful platform won’t stick.

Learning technology should feel personally relevant, not just available.

2. Purpose — Link learning to business outcomes

Your learning tech strategy shouldn’t be “implement a new learning management system (LMS).” That’s not a strategy; that’s a software decision. Instead, define outcomes: Are you improving manager capability? Accelerating onboarding? Driving knowledge-sharing across global teams?

I like using a “to/by” statement to ground this exercise.

For example, one of my clients in the retail sector needed to upskill seasonal workers quickly. Instead of a full LMS overhaul, we outlined a lightweight, mobile-ready strategy with the goal: “to increase retention of new hires by delivering microlearning-based onboarding in the first 90 days.”

The result? Faster completions, higher retention and improved sales performance during peak season.

3. Platform — Choose tools that enable, not overwhelm

Only after you define people and purpose should you consider technology. When going into meetings with technology vendors, prepare to ask the following questions:

• Will this integrate with our current systems? Look at integration capabilities, data transferability and compatibility with existing tools and systems.
• Is it easy to use — for learners and admins? Consider the user interface, design, accessibility features and the learning-curve required for both admins and end-users.
• Does it have robust data and analytics? What is the quality of data, types of analytics, reporting functionalities and do they align with your goals?
• Will it still serve you in 3-5 years? Can this technology grow with you as your needs evolve, and will it remain relevant in the face of future trends?

You don’t need to know every tool on the market (I don’t think most of us can fully keep up with the sheer volume of new tech being released these days). You just need to know which one fits your context.

From Selection to Success: Designing for Engagement

Choosing the right platform is just the beginning. Real engagement comes from designing the entire experience — from rollout to reinforcement.

Step 1: Start with a clear vision

Ask yourself: What’s the learning experience we want to create? It can be helpful to use another “to/by” statement to define the outcome.

Step 2: Assess readiness and gaps

Use a needs assessment matrix to evaluate each new tech investment based on criteria including:

• Strategic alignment
• Current capabilities
• Resource availability
• Future industry trends
• Learner expectations

This exercise can uncover friction points such as systems that don’t talk to each other or content that doesn’t feel relevant.

Step 3: Select with intention

Build a cross-functional decision-making team that includes information technology, human resources, business leaders and, most importantly, learners.

Discussions with this group should cover items such as the scalability of new tech, analytics that will inform decision-making, post-purchase vendor support, and fit with your culture and values.

Step 4: Launch with empathy

After you launch, remember that adoption is not just about compliance — it’s about helping people grow their confidence in their new capability.

Build momentum by running user testing pilots and creating change champion networks. Embed learning into existing team rituals. And, importantly, tell stories of impact early and often.

A learning platform that doesn’t reflect your organizational culture will always feel bolted on. Ask yourself and your decision-making team:

• Does this tech support the behaviors you want more of, like collaboration or initiative?
• Does it reinforce your values, like inclusivity, agility or continuous growth?
• Is it adaptable to your evolving work environment?

One company I worked with had a great platform, but it existed in isolation. It wasn’t embedded in workflows and it didn’t align with how people collaborated. Once we started integrating learning into Slack, meetings and manager one-on-ones, adoption surged.

Technology doesn’t shift culture by itself, but it can be an accelerator of it if it’s aligned.

Learning Technology Is a Bridge — Not the Destination

In our rush to modernize, it’s tempting to get distracted by dashboards and feature sets. But real engagement isn’t about clicks. It’s about connection.

So, before your next tech investment, ask:

• What business outcome are we solving for?
• What do our people truly need to grow?
• Will this platform bring our strategy to life, or distract from it?

The answers to these questions will enable you to boost engagement by making smarter technology decisions — grounded in strategy, shaped by empathy and connected to people’s daily experience.