RedThread Research State of L&D 2026: High-Performing Organizations Are Rewriting How L&D Works

New 2026 L&D trends study: Strategic Influence Is Down for the Third Straight Round, but the Top 25% Tell a Different Story

WOODSIDE, Calif., June 3, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- RedThread Research, a human capital research and advisory firm, today released its 2026 State of Learning & Development report, the third installment of its biennial study surveying 770 employees and L&D leaders. Organized around RedThread's L&D Strategy Framework, the study examines the function across five dimensions: Direction & Vision, Development Experience, Operations & Governance, Technology & Data, and Stakeholder Alignment.

Across all five dimensions, the pattern is clear: most L&D functions are still operating at a distance from the work. But in organizations where that distance has collapsed, the results are dramatically different. The top 25% (high performers based on RedThread's four-metric index) are more embedded in the business, closer to where decisions get made, and it shows. They score at least twice as high on every dimension of learning culture, are far more confident in their data decisions, and draw on a wider set of stakeholders to shape strategy.

"Some leaders are looking at their role not as a strategic pillar that needs to be invited to all of the tables, but rather as a strategic-tactical team on the ground that enables things wherever they are," said Dani Johnson, Co-Founder and Principal Analyst at RedThread Research. "Our hypothesis is that L&D becomes a tactical operator that enables things in the organization, rather than a standalone silo on the side."

Strategic influence is declining - but the story is more complicated than it looks

The study finds that L&D's participation in business strategy discussions has dropped for the third consecutive round - a trend that, on the face of it, raises concerns for the function's relevance. But conversations with leaders suggest something more complicated. Many have stopped fighting for a strategy seat and started closing capability gaps directly - working with the functions they serve.

Meanwhile, the way employees actually develop is moving in a direction L&D doesn't control. The methods employees rely on most for development, such as manager feedback and stretch assignments, are largely ones L&D doesn't own or control. For the first time in the study's history, none of the traditional L&D-owned methods ranked in the top 10, pushing the function to rethink how it enables learning where it actually happens.

Tech spending is shifting along with the function's role and skills

When asked where they plan to invest in development technology over the next two to three years, L&D leaders put performance on the job at the top of the list - ahead of content creation and management. "A lot of the technology has focused on managing and creating experiences," said Dani Johnson. "And now, for the first time ever, we're focusing on performing more on the job. That is a very positive step."

Three new skills are also emerging for the function that weren't distinct in prior rounds, and they point to a role that looks less like a traditional L&D practitioner and more like a business operator. What those skills are and what they signal about L&D's future are explored in the full report.

Explore the Insight Further: Sign up for RedThread Research membership to access the full report.

Join the RedThread Community: In a landscape defined by rapid change, staying ahead requires access to the right insights and expertise. Companies and individuals can explore these findings further by joining the RedThread research community or the Tech Consortium. Visit http://www.redthreadresearch.com or email [email protected] for more information.

About RedThread Research

At RedThread Research, we get it.

Sure, we're experts in performance, people analytics, learning, and D&I – and we're well-versed in the technologies that support them. But we're also truth-seekers and storytellers in an industry often short on substance, and too full of #!%. Our mission (indeed, our very reason for existing) is to cut through the noise and amplify what's good. We look for the connections (or red threads) between people, data, and ideas – even among seemingly unrelated concepts. The result is high-quality, unbiased, transformative foresight that helps you build a stronger business.

To learn more, visit http://www.redthreadresearch.com

SOURCE RedThread Research