WHAT L&D GETS WRONG ABOUT OPERATIONS

Kketan Amarnath Waghmare
Feb 12
1 min read

L&D assumes operations have time to learn.

They don’t.

Operations run on judgment, not frameworks. Decisions are made mid-shift, under pressure, with imperfect information. That’s where most training fails.

I’ve seen programs applauded in rooms and abandoned on the floor. Not because they were wrong, but because they required remembering when the job demanded responding.

Operations aren’t anti-learning.

They’re anti-disruption.

The moment training slows work down, it gets ignored.

The shift for me came when I stopped designing for understanding and started designing for use. Learning that survives fatigue, staffing gaps, guest pressure, and real consequences.

That meant fewer models and more reality:

• Replaying conversations that already went wrong

• Stress-testing policies against bad days, not ideal ones

• Letting frontline leaders challenge the content openly

Here’s the uncomfortable truth:

If learning needs explanation during execution, it’s already too late.

Operations don’t need inspiration.

They need clarity they can trust under pressure.

That’s when training stops being theoretical — and starts sticking.

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