Build Business Resilience Through Learning
Step 5: Minimise Business Risk and Increase Performance with Continuous Learning
This is the fifth article in our 6-part series on how small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) can build a resilient business through learning. This article explores how to build business resilience to minimise business risk and increase performance by making learning continuous.
Minimise Business Risk and Increase Performance with Continuous Learning
According to recent research by Intellum, many leaders and managers still believe employee training begins with onboarding and ends with annual compliance. However, the evidence suggests that this one-off approach fails to support employees—or the business—in the long term. For example, a study by Axonify found that up to 70% of employees do not apply what they learn from one-off training to their daily work.
By contrast, continuous learning programs are far more effective. These programs include repeated sessions, coaching, or peer support, and have been shown to drive sustained behaviour change and long-term impact. In fact, 92% of employees believe well-designed training programs positively affect their level of engagement.
To build true business resilience, learning must be habitual, relevant, and ongoing. Here are three reasons continuous learning matters
1. Business risks evolve and so must your people
Continuous learning is essential for managing evolving business risks. As the RiskViews blog puts it:
A study published in Business Ethics and Leadership supports this, showing a significant link between organisational learning and risk management maturity.
When implemented effectively, an LMS-enabled learning culture helps businesses move beyond checkbox training—creating reinforcement loops that actively prevent risk and build organisational strength.
2. One-Time Training Fades Quickly; Spaced Repetition Improves Retention
According to the Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve, people forget up to 70% of new information within 24 hours if there’s no reinforcement. That’s why training that happens once—and is never revisited—tends to have minimal lasting impact.
By revisiting key concepts through microlearning, regular refreshers, or follow-up tasks, businesses dramatically improve retention—making the investment in training far more effective.
3. Learning in the Flow of Work Is More Practical and Impactful
Employees are much more likely to apply what they learn when they can use it immediately, in the context of their daily responsibilities. That’s why just-in-time learning—delivered when and where it’s needed—often outperforms traditional, scheduled training.
When learning is woven into work, it becomes more relevant, more engaging, and more deeply embedded into team culture.
Josh Bersin’s research, “A New Strategy for Corporate Learning: Growth in the Flow of Work,” highlights why this shift matters:
- In a study of over 1,000 organisations and 100+ practices, Bersin found that relevance of learning and growth in the flow of work are top predictors of business outcomes, employee engagement, and retention.
- Bersin explains that employees are burned out, overworked, and time-poor, making it essential that learning be aligned with real work challenges and delivered in context.
- Top-performing organisations now treat learning not just as training, but as a growth function—emphasising career progression, stretch assignments, and learning embedded in everyday workflows.
To build a resilient business that can adapt, recover, and thrive through uncertainty, learning must be treated as an everyday advantage—not an annual task. Whether you’re managing regulatory risk, digital change, or leadership gaps, making learning continuous strengthens your people and protects your business. It’s not just smarter training—it’s a smarter strategy.
Next up: Step 5 – Use data analytics to build business resilience
References
- Axonify. (2018). Axonify Finds No Improvement in Corporate Training in Second Annual State of Workplace Training Study.
https://axonify.com/news/axonify-finds-no-improvement-corporate-training-second-annual-state-workplace-training-study - Samuel-Owusu, L. (2024). 2024 Employee Training Statistics: The Value of Good Training. Intellum.
https://www.intellum.com/resources/blog/employee-training-statistics - RiskViews. (2024). Continuous Learning Is Critical to Adapting in an Evolving Risk Landscape.
https://riskviews.wordpress.com/2024/05/15/continuous-learning-is-critical-to-adapting-in-an-evolving-risk-landscape - Nwaibe, C. I., Ogbuefi, J. U., & Egbenta, I. R. (2022). Organizational Learning and Risk Management Maturity: Systematic and Meta-Analyses Approach. Business Ethics and Leadership, 6(3), 68–76.
https://armgpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/BEL_3_2022_7.pdf - Marken, E. (2025). Preventing Risk Through LMS-Enabled Compliance Culture. eLearning Industry.
https://elearningindustry.com/preventing-risk-through-lms-enabled-compliance-culture
Part of the “Build Business Resilience Through Learning” Series This is Article 5 of 6 in our series designed to help small and medium-sized businesses identify and prioritise the learning areas that will deliver the greatest impact in terms of business continuity, team capability, and agility under pressure.
Previous Articles:
Step 1 – Define Your Business Objectives and Risk Areas
Step 2 – Choose an LMS That Aligns with Your Needs
Step 3 – Empower managers to lead and track learning
Step 4 – Why Managers Matter in Building Business Resilience
