MIT Sloan Management Review Article on How to Develop Continuous Learners

Leaders can help more employees upskill, reskill, and adapt to change by applying four key strategies.

Amid the ever-increasing frequency and complexity of job changes and career transitions people experience, the notion of “one life, one career” has given rise to the phenomenon of a “portfolio career” that comprises a variety of roles. Education is also expected to shift from front-end loading early in life to continuous development throughout one’s work life.

Acquiring and developing new skills has never been more important than it is today, when organizations are quickly adapting in response to disruptive forces in geopolitics, climate change, and technology. The World Economic Forum estimates that 44% of core skills will change by 2027, necessitating widespread upskilling and reskilling. Similarly, PwC research shows that 79% of CEOs globally are concerned that skills shortages will hinder their company’s growth.

About the Author

Wendy Tan, Ph.D., is a managing partner at the Flame Centre, a strategy and people development practice, and the author of Learning Agility: Relearn, Reskill, and Reinvent (Flame Centre, 2024). Joo-Seng Tan is an associate professor of management at Nanyang Technological University’s Nanyang Business School in Singapore.

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