In my last insight, I talked about the four Ds of rewilding:
- Distribution.
- Disturbance.
- Diversity.
- Death.
And I explained how I believed that these four words have equal relevance to resilience in the workplace, whether we’re considering our own careers or organisational success.
Last time, I looked at Distribution. Today, I want to explore Disturbance and its role in resilience in nature and at work.
Disturbance in Nature:
In nature, disturbance is a necessary stimulus for new life.
Even disturbances that, on the surface, appear catastrophic – a forest fire, for example - will clear the way for new life and even for different species to eventually thrive. (As I write this, I must add a word about the bravery and sacrifice of the incredible professionals fighting the unprecedented fires near Bordeaux and in Spain – and, of course, elsewhere. They are true heroes in these extraordinary times.)
Of course, most disturbances are, thankfully, on a much smaller scale. A predator might knock over a tree, roll in a muddy riverbed, or charge through undergrowth. A beaver might build a dam. A herd of grazing animals might strip an area clear of grass.
The trouble is that a lot of this disturbance is missing in environments which lack diversity and where particular species are missing. This can mean, for example, dark forests that support little life other than in the canopy.
Disturbance in Business:
At work, we are all impacted by what goes on elsewhere, both inside our organisations and beyond.
Every disturbance challenges the status quo. The weak, or those unable to adapt quickly to it, are threatened with extinction. More agile businesses adapt to the new situation and find new ways to thrive.
Like anyone who’s been around as long as we have, we’ve faced and overcome a lot in the last 20+ years. The financial crash, Brexit, the pandemic and, most recently, AI – to name just four major disturbances.
When the pandemic hit in 2020, we reacted quickly. We had to – because no-one was delivering training face-to-face.
So, we upskilled, and in a few months created a library of new experiential training materials that could be facilitated virtually.
What was interesting was watching how our customers responded. Some adapted as we had done and ended up thriving. Others stopped training altogether, assuming the challenge would blow over in a few weeks – many of those are no longer working in L&D.
Now, in 2026, we’re busy responding to what is probably an even bigger disturbance – AI. It’s important to be honest here. AI has the potential to threaten everyone who has a desk-based job – UNLESS you can do something it can’t.
Here’s what we’ve learnt so far:
- Human ingenuity and our understanding of the human experience still enables us to create learning interventions that AI can’t match in terms of impact. Much of what AI produces is passive, presentational and bit ‘yesterday’. So, we’re focusing more than ever on creating truly experiential learner-led content that delivers learning in extraordinary ways people remember!
- What AI can do is help us deliver those experiences in new ways – for example, by supporting the development of new app-based activities. We’ve already launched the Island of Opportunity and Murder at Glasstap Grange apps and we’ve a lot more on the way.
- People will only value what they understand they need. And here we’ve realised there’s much more we need to do to help and support trainers with the skills to transition from passive presentation to facilitating truly experiential learning. And this matters – anyone trusting their future to passive delivery is quickly going to find themselves replaced by the very tools they’re using to create their passive content. So we’re about to launch the Trainers’ Library Academy, offering a modular route to Trainers’ Library® accreditation and, perhaps more importantly, a way to ensure our members have the skills to make a real, measurable difference and deliver lasting change.
- In an increasingly alien world, people are really beginning to value human connection and community again. So, as well as using AI to help us develop new ways to facilitate our uniquely human designed content, we’re strengthening our community and providing even more ways for learning and development professionals to connect and learn together and from each other.
In a nutshell, in a less human world, we’re working to ensure that
Trainers’ Library® membership becomes an even greater symbol of excellence and a signal that our members can offer something powerful, different, and uniquely human in a crowded market.
So, now it’s your turn:
How have you, and are you adapting to disturbance and ensuring you don’t just survive in a changing world, but thrive?
I’d love to hear your stories so please do comment.