SDL is relevant to any workplace where learning is required. As such, SDL is relevant to any industry, profession or organization of any size. Ideally, SDL is particularly relevant in the following situations where:
- Learning must occur quickly in response to performance problems, sudden changes in business strategy or in fields where information and knowledge change quickly (e.g., information technology, sales and marketing, etc.).
- Employees have special or unique individual career development needs.
- It is not cost-effective for an organization to develop formal training programs to meet unique employee learning needs.
- Employee engagement is an issue or concern.
- Formal organizational start-up training efforts are not sufficient or adequate to meet minimal training needs of employees.
In the first instance, SDL enables employees to respond immediately to a perceived learning need that they have recognized as the result of a change in their work environment. For all intents and purposes, it is a form of just-in-time training.
In the second instance, SDL enables employees to address a specific skill or knowledge deficiency or weakness they need to eliminate or minimize if they hope to be promoted into a job or position they desire. At this level, such deficiencies and weakness tend to be very personal, i.e., unique to the employee.
Thirdly, it is both economically and practically impossible for an organization to respond to all employee learning needs. At some point additional organizational resources can no longer provide a ROI.
Fourth, employee involvement in their own learning has been shown to increase employee engagement. SDL would be a costs-effective way to address this concern.
Fifth, many start-up training programs are unable to respond in a timely fashion to the many demands for training put upon them. SDL would be a way of temporarily meeting high-priority, on-going training needs.
