Team Building Rises as an L&D Priority for 2026

L&D executives want to see cultures of learning within their organizations. However, simply adding more courses to the learning management system isn’t enough. Many L&D leaders (40%) cite “fostering an organizational culture of learning” as a challenge, according to SHRM’s 2026 L&D Priorities and Perspectives report. Additionally, 17% of leaders cite this as their greatest organizational challenge. 

These numbers reveal an important truth for HR professionals supporting L&D efforts: It will take more than traditional approaches to boost L&D engagement. Access alone does not guarantee participation. Even when organizations invest in training resources, employees may struggle to find the time, motivation, or team support needed to engage consistently and apply what they learn on the job. 

A Shift to Team Building

L&D strategy is good at delivering learning systems that provide easy-to-digest content and mapping growth pathways for employees to help support engagement. However, leaders are looking to include developing managers as part of an overall strategy to build better teams. In the same report, 13% of L&D executives who selected management skills as a top priority identified team-building skills as top focus area, up from zero the year before. 

This increase demonstrates that L&D executives recognize both the importance of managers in disseminating information to their teams. It also shows executives see the gap between manager and employee stemming from current workplace realities that sever connection.

Learning is more likely to stick when employees feel supported by their managers and connected to their peers. Strong teams create the trust, accountability, and reinforcement that turn learning opportunities into meaningful development. 

“The fact that 13% of L&D executives named team-building skills as a focus area, up from zero the year before, tells us that more leaders are thinking about performance as a collective outcome, not just an individual one.” said Aaron Hollinger, senior researcher at SHRM. “By helping managers build stronger teams, organizations can create conditions that support skill development and collaboration across the organization.”

Based on this report, HR leaders should recognize that opening the gates to learning opportunities isn’t enough to spur engagement. Instead, they must build an environment of strong teams. In doing so, employees feel engaged in their work and connected to one another — and their managers. In turn, this supports further development through learning opportunities.