The landscape of corporate learning and development (L&D) is undergoing a profound transformation, moving beyond traditional education and credentialing to a more agile and integrated approach termed "Dynamic Enablement." This paradigm shift, detailed in Josh Bersin’s recent "Definitive Guide to Corporate Learning," positions L&D professionals as facilitators of immediate, context-aware support for employees within their daily workflows. This evolution is not merely theoretical; it is rapidly being embraced by technology vendors, driven by a burgeoning market need amplified by the accelerating capabilities of artificial intelligence.
The Rise of Dynamic Enablement: A New Frontier for L&D
For years, the concept of "learning in the flow of work" has been a coveted ideal within L&D. However, the newly defined role of "Dynamic Enablement" expands this notion significantly. It encompasses not just acquiring new knowledge, but also actively answering questions, delving into specific topics, connecting employees with subject matter experts, and providing just-in-time support. This proactive and responsive approach leverages internal expertise and readily available resources to empower employees precisely when and where they need it.
The catalyst for this accelerated market movement is the pervasive integration of AI. In the weeks following the release of the "Definitive Guide," numerous vendors have begun to pivot their strategies and offerings to align with this dynamic enablement model. This "lurching" toward a new market focus underscores the urgency and significant unmet demand for solutions that can deliver personalized, actionable support to a diverse workforce.
Understanding the Enablement Experience
Delivering an effective enablement experience requires a nuanced understanding of employee needs. When an employee encounters a challenge or seeks information, the support mechanisms can vary widely. These may include:
- Formal Training: Structured courses designed for skill acquisition and development.
- On-the-Job Learning: Practical experience gained through daily tasks and responsibilities.
- Peer-to-Peer Support: Knowledge sharing and problem-solving facilitated by colleagues.
- Managerial Guidance: Direct coaching and feedback from supervisors.
- Expert Consultation: Access to specialists for in-depth knowledge or problem resolution.
- Performance Support Tools: Resources and aids designed to assist employees during specific tasks.
- AI-Powered Assistance: Intelligent systems providing immediate answers, guidance, and content.
The core insight driving dynamic enablement is that no single paradigm fits all. The requirements for enabling an Uber driver, a middle manager, a software engineer, a sales representative, or a manufacturing worker are fundamentally different. Therefore, HR and L&D departments must curate and integrate an "enablement platform" that can adapt to these diverse use cases.
The AI Infusion: Accelerating Innovation in Enablement Solutions
The current market for dynamic enablement solutions is characterized by rapid innovation and intense competition. The ease with which AI can now generate content, analyze data, and provide personalized interactions has spurred a wave of new offerings. This has led to what Bersin describes as a "lurching" moment, where many interesting and potentially transformative solutions are emerging. It is crucial for organizations to carefully evaluate these options before committing to a single vendor.
Key Players in the Dynamic Enablement Ecosystem
Several companies are at the forefront of this dynamic enablement revolution, offering a range of innovative solutions:
Arist: Mobile-First Enablement and AI Performance Consulting
Arist, a company with which Bersin partners on HR training initiatives, has rapidly evolved from a mobile-first enablement platform to a comprehensive end-to-end solution. Initially focused on dynamically generating and delivering chunked training content to mobile devices, Arist has now integrated sophisticated AI capabilities.
Their "AI Performance Consultant" represents a significant leap towards autonomous corporate learning. This AI agent can interview operational staff, identify performance bottlenecks, and then autonomously generate targeted content to address these issues. This capability mirrors the self-driving car analogy, where the system proactively identifies problems and implements solutions without direct human intervention. Arist’s founders are lauded for their creative technological approach, enabling rapid advancements in the field.
Sana (Galileo Learn): AI-Native Learning and Dynamic Agents
Sana, now part of Workday, is recognized as a highly advanced AI-native platform. Founded in 2016 by Joel Hellermark, Sana’s mission has always been to revolutionize learning through AI, even utilizing OpenAI technology prior to the public launch of ChatGPT. Its early focus on corporate training has laid the groundwork for its current comprehensive offering.
Sana’s deep AI core has enabled the development of an end-to-end learning platform, accessible through Galileo on a per-user basis. The introduction of the Sana Agent platform further enhances its dynamic enablement capabilities. This agent acts as a dynamic learning, knowledge, and AI agent development tool. With Workday’s impending launch of Sana Enterprise, users will be able to leverage Sana Agent to directly access Workday data and transactions, solidifying its position as a powerful dynamic enablement solution.
Seismic: Leading the Sales Enablement Charge
Seismic stands as a prominent leader in the vast and rapidly growing sales enablement market, a sector valued at an estimated $4-6 billion annually and experiencing double-digit growth. This market addresses the critical need for equipping sales teams with the necessary content, tools, and knowledge—including product updates, pricing guides, competitive intelligence, and sales strategies—to succeed.
While Seismic is a key player, it operates within a competitive landscape that includes companies like Allego, Mindtickle, Highspot, and Showpad. The absence of Salesforce’s direct entry into this specific niche, despite its extensive "Agentforce" initiatives, is notable. Arist also competes in this space, offering a range of options for organizations seeking robust sales enablement solutions.
Docebo: Next-Generation LMS with AI-Driven Skills Intelligence
Docebo, one of the few publicly traded Learning Management System (LMS) providers, has made aggressive strides into AI-native learning and enablement. Their recent innovations include AI tutors, AI-native authoring tools, and templated AI assessments, all designed to complement their existing business in revenue-generating training and corporate L&D.
A significant recent development was Docebo’s acquisition of 365 Talents, which bolsters its AI-driven skills intelligence capabilities. This integration allows for the identification of skills within content and the construction of a comprehensive corporate skills taxonomy, enabling learning deployment aligned with specific skill needs. Major European corporations such as SNCF and Airbus are already leveraging Docebo’s platform, highlighting its effectiveness in creating contextually relevant learning experiences. The platform addresses the fundamental question: "I need to learn more about XYZ, what do I need to know?"
LinkedIn Learning: AI Coaching for Enhanced Skill Development
LinkedIn Learning has become a trusted resource for L&D leaders and a major corporate content provider. Their recent launch of LinkedIn Learning AI Coaching marks a significant entry into the dynamic enablement space. This feature provides users with an AI-powered coach to assist in their learning journey.
The AI Coaching system enables users to discover relevant content and engage in AI-driven role-playing scenarios. This interactive approach helps users practice skills, build confidence, and interact with material in a more dynamic way. While offering a "heavy touch" enablement experience, it addresses crucial use cases for leaders, new managers, sales professionals, and individuals entering new domains. Although not as customizable as some other platforms, LinkedIn Learning is incrementally integrating dynamic enablement features.
Uplimit: Performance Support Through Practice and Feedback
Uplimit positions itself as the performance support AI that many L&D technology stacks have been missing. The platform is grounded in the principle that learning is best achieved through doing and practicing, rather than passive content consumption, challenging the outdated notion of fixed learning styles.
Uplimit focuses on technical and sales training, where skill development is inherently practice-based. The platform guides learners through realistic projects and AI-powered role-plays, providing scaled, personalized feedback. Learners build proficiency through iterative practice and expert-graded exercises, supported by AI. For L&D teams managing cohort-based programs, Uplimit offers scalable personalized coaching for communication, scheduling, and just-in-time support, without proportionally increasing headcount. Fast-growing companies like Databricks utilize Uplimit for its effectiveness in skill development.
Degreed: AI-Native Content Generation within LXP Frameworks
Degreed, a pioneer in the Learning Experience Platform (LXP) space, has long advocated for performance enablement. Their recent integration of AI-native content generation into their platform is extensive and significant.
The Maestro Studio, Degreed’s next-generation platform, empowers L&D and sales enablement teams to create custom AI-based experiences, including coaches, simulations, and role-plays, without the need for constant course updates. For existing Degreed users, Maestro acts as a contextual coach and tutor. It analyzes a learner’s skill profile, past learning history, and pathway progress to deliver targeted suggestions and feedback directly within their learning pathways. The platform is also incorporating adaptive assessments and coaching, providing real-time support to employees.
Perceptyx: Integrating AI Tutors with Employee Engagement Data
Perceptyx, a leader in employee engagement surveys, has acquired Lyceum, a company specializing in AI tutor development from existing content. This integration aims to provide employees and leaders with dynamic enablement tools to address workplace issues.
For instance, if an engagement survey reveals that a manager is exhibiting micromanagement tendencies, the data can directly inform their coaching needs within the Perceptyx platform. An AI agent, powered by Lyceum, could then prompt the manager with questions like "What could I do better?" and access the company’s leadership content to provide personalized coaching for improved leadership skills. This trend signals a broader convergence where traditional employee experience and survey platforms are evolving into front doors for enablement, blending feedback mechanisms with actionable learning resources.
Disprz: AI-Native Platform with an Impact-First Mindset
Disprz offers an AI-native learning platform providing comprehensive solutions for onboarding, performance enablement, upskilling, reskilling, career mobility, and compliance training. The platform’s design emphasizes business outcomes over mere learning completion rates.
Disprz distinguishes itself through its integration of dynamic content development, robust analytics, and automated performance coaching. The company has established a strong presence in India, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East, and is actively expanding into North America and Europe, making it a noteworthy player to monitor.
Cornerstone: Skills-Based Talent and Learning with AI Advancements
Cornerstone provides a suite of skills-based learning and talent products designed to foster workforce agility and sustain performance amidst evolving work designs and roles. Their platform aims to elevate learning, development, and performance management through personalized experiences aligned with business and individual goals. The upcoming rollout of Cornerstone Galaxy, their new skills-based talent and learning system, is highly anticipated.
For many years, Cornerstone has offered microlearning content, dynamic content development tools, job aids, and a broad partner network to integrate learning into the workflow. The forthcoming release of Galaxy is expected to incorporate AI-native learning capabilities, promising further innovation in the dynamic enablement space.
360 Learning: Collaborative Learning and Democratized Content Creation
360Learning champions a collaborative learning model based on the principle that "everyone is a teacher." The platform empowers subject matter experts—across sales, IT, teaching, and other fields—to create courses and share knowledge without requiring instructional design expertise.
While initial skepticism about subject matter experts creating content is common, many organizations report that this approach leads to high-quality content, increased organizational agility, and improved performance. The market for knowledge sharing through democratized content authoring is expanding rapidly, with platforms like Syllog offering specialized solutions for rapid content authoring and personalized training in sectors such as manufacturing, engineering, banking, insurance, and technology.
Frontline Enablement: Specialized Solutions for Frontline Workers
A distinct and emerging market focuses exclusively on the enablement of frontline workers. These platforms often leverage AI and specialized methodologies to address the unique needs of this critical workforce segment.
- Axonify: A pioneer in frontline enablement, Axonify utilizes principles of brain science and AI to deliver adaptive training tailored to individual roles and knowledge levels. The platform reinforces critical behaviors through spaced repetition, ensuring long-term retention and application.
- Kahuna: This company focuses on operational training and in-depth skills validation, particularly within industries like oil and gas, energy, manufacturing, and distribution. Kahuna’s recent recognition as a Workday Gold Innovation Partner highlights its ability to enable frontline workers in skill recertification and up-certification.
Unique Enablement Providers: Niche AI-Powered Solutions
Beyond broader categories, a wave of niche AI-powered enablement solutions are emerging with hyper-specific applications:
- IMMERSE: This platform utilizes AI and live enablement experiences to enhance language fluency and communication confidence. It addresses the limitations of traditional language proficiency assessments by providing practical, performance-based development.
- Feedly: Luxury retail group Chalhoub Group integrates Feedly into its AI-enabled L&D stack to translate external market signals into continuous, role-relevant learning moments, helping employees stay current and make informed real-time decisions.
- Glean: Originally an AI-powered search engine, Glean now provides real-time content discovery and access through platforms like Microsoft Teams and Slack. It functions as a comprehensive work platform, offering seamless access to information and potentially serving as the ultimate enablement tool.
The Market Convergence: Collapse of Traditional Categories
The proliferation of dynamic enablement solutions signals a broader market trend: the collapse of traditional L&D and HR technology categories. The distinct boundaries between Learning Management Systems (LMS), Learning Experience Platforms (LXP), Microlearning solutions, Frontline Enablement platforms, and Employee Experience Platforms (EXP) are blurring.
As organizations integrate AI-powered tools like Microsoft Copilot into their workflows, existing platforms are being re-evaluated for their ability to offer dynamic, AI-driven support. The underlying principle is that enterprise AI solutions are shifting from passive tools to active "builders" and facilitators.
The Future of Enterprise AI and Enablement
Dynamic Enablement represents a strategic fusion of expert-validated content (proprietary company IP), external knowledge resources, and carefully crafted experience design tailored to specific employee roles. In the evolving landscape of enterprise AI, where organizations are increasingly acting as "builders" rather than just "buyers," a thorough examination and experimentation with these dynamic enablement solutions are paramount. The ability to provide immediate, relevant, and personalized support within the flow of work will be a key differentiator for organizations seeking to foster agility, drive performance, and empower their workforce in the age of AI.
