Benjamin Laker is a globally recognized leadership & future of work expert, bestselling author, and architect of some of the most influential workplace transformations of the past decade. A Professor of Leadership at Henley Business School, he has redefined how organizations approach productivity, pioneering concepts like the four-day workweek and meeting-free days. His insights have influenced government policies worldwide, transformed organizational design at the world’s leading enterprise organizations, and led him to formally advise HM Treasury and present legislative recommendations to the U.S. Congress. A prolific writer, Benjamin has published extensively in Harvard Business Review and MIT Sloan Management Review, is a columnist for Forbes, and has authored six books. As a keynote speaker and media commentator for the BBC, CNN, and Bloomberg, Benjamin challenges executives to stop chasing empty metrics and instead design workplaces where people naturally thrive.
What will you be speaking about at the Learning Conference, and why is this topic particularly relevant right now?
I’ll be speaking about what I believe is the next major shift in the future of work: learning at the speed of work. Over the past decade, I have written about workplace ideas such as the four-day week, meeting-free days and job crafting, all of which challenged old assumptions about how performance happens. The next challenge is learning. AI is changing roles, decisions and expectations faster than traditional training models can keep up. So the question is no longer whether organizations offer enough learning. It is whether they have designed work in a way that helps people adapt, experiment, reflect and improve every day.
What do you think most organizations still misunderstand when it comes to learning today?
Most organizations still think learning is something people consume. They invest in courses, platforms and content libraries, then measure completion. But learning is not the same as access to information. Real learning changes how people think, decide, collaborate and perform. The misunderstanding is that learning is often treated as a separate activity, when it should be built into the design of work itself.
What distinguishes organizations that truly succeed with learning from those that only talk about it?
Organizations that truly succeed with learning redesign the conditions around work. They create space for reflection, experimentation, feedback and knowledge-sharing. Leaders model curiosity rather than certainty. Teams are allowed to test ideas, learn from what is not working and adapt quickly. Organizations that only talk about learning tend to add more content. Organizations that really learn change the way work happens.
If you could give just one piece of advice to create learning that actually drives real impact, what would it be?
Stop starting with the course. Start with the work. Ask what people need to do differently, decide differently or understand differently to create better outcomes. Then design learning around that. The future of learning will not be won by organizations with the biggest training libraries. It will be won by organizations that make learning part of everyday performance.
What are you most looking forward to about being part of the Learning Conference?
I’m looking forward to joining a conversation about the future of learning at a moment when the stakes are very high. AI is forcing every organization to ask what human capability is really for. I’m excited to explore that question with leaders, practitioners and organizations in Scandinavia, and to help close the conference with a message that is practical, optimistic and human.