One of the more valuable (and perhaps underrated) features of compliance and ethics conferences is the opportunity they create for real-time benchmarking. There’s something uniquely powerful about being in a room (whether physical or virtual) with compliance professionals from diverse organizations, industries, and backgrounds, all grappling with similar challenges and sharing their approaches in real time.
Last year, I wrote about some of the benchmarking data that we obtained from a prior PLI Compliance & Ethics Workshop. (https://ideasandanswers.com/benchmarking-insights-from-plis-advanced-compliance-ethics-workshop/) At the 2024 workshop, we continued the real-time benchmarking tradition by polling participants on critical aspects of their programs, including training effectiveness and delivery methods. The benchmarking results offer practical insights that I’ve found genuinely helpful – and I hope others will too. The Compliance and Ethics Essentials program is coming around again (June 26-27 in NYC and virtually), so it seemed like a good moment to reflect on some of what we learned last year.
The Power of Peer Benchmarking
While traditional C&E surveys and benchmarking reports offer valuable insights, real-time benchmarking adds a unique dimension through immediate feedback and spontaneous discussion. When a question is posed about training approaches and we watch responses populate the screen live, it sparks instant dialogue. Someone grappling with employee engagement can quickly connect with a peer whose hybrid strategy is gaining traction. These organic exchanges and moments of shared learning are invaluable. They’re (part of) what makes participating in conferences so worthwhile.
Current State of Compliance Training: What Peers Are Doing
The October 2024 PLI conference revealed some interesting insights into how organizations approach one of our field’s most persistent challenges: creating training that actually engages employees. The panel on training and communications, led by the wonderful Angie McPhail and Randi Roberts, included some thought-provoking and insightful polling questions.
Training Approach Characteristics
When asked what one word best describes their current approach to ethics and compliance training, participant responses revealed significant opportunities for enhancement:
- Consistent (48%) – Nearly half prioritize standardization and reliability
- Collaborative (22%) – Strong emphasis on teamwork and engagement
- Reactive (11%) – Acknowledging a responsive rather than a proactive stance
- Boring (11%) – Honest self-assessment of engagement challenges
- Innovative (9%) – Few consider their approaches to be truly cutting-edge
The fact that 22% of respondents describe their training as either “reactive” or “boring” is the kind of insight that leads to productive conference discussions about practical solutions. And, while consistency (48% of respondents) is – of course – very important in compliance training and communications, it doesn’t sound particularly exciting!
Delivery Methods: The Hybrid Revolution
Perhaps the most telling polling result came from the speakers’ question about effective training methods. When asked which method is the most effective for E&C training, participants responded as follows:
- Hybrid approach (59%) – Nearly 3 out of 5 organizations
- In-person (20%) – Still valued for complex topics
- Online modules (17%) – Convenient but limited as a standalone solution
- On-the-job training (3%) – Underutilized but potentially powerful
This strong preference for hybrid methods indicates growing sophistication in training design and recognition that different content, audiences, and objectives require different approaches. It’s particularly notable that despite the convenience and scalability of online modules, only 17% consider them most effective alone – a finding that validates what many compliance professionals suspect about purely digital approaches.
The Measurement Challenge
Assessing training effectiveness is a challenge for many compliance professionals, and this panel’s benchmarking offered a snapshot of how organizations are approaching it:
- Training completion rates (54%) – Still the dominant metric
- Knowledge retention and assessments (15%) – Moving toward meaningful evaluation
- Employee feedback/surveys (15%) – Seeking participant perspectives
- Behavioral changes and incident rates (7%) – The gold standard, but rarely used
- Other (9%)
The data highlights a critical disconnect: although many recognize the limitations of using completion rates to measure training effectiveness, over half of respondents still rely on this basic measure. Just 7% of respondents have advanced to tracking behavioral impact, which is likely the most meaningful indicator of training effectiveness, yet also the most difficult to implement.
Cultural Impact: Room for Growth
When the panelists asked about the impact of training on corporate culture, the responses reflected both measured optimism and room for improvement:
- Moderately effective (52%) – Solid but not exceptional results
- Neutral (22%) – Significant portion seeing limited impact
- Highly effective (19%) – Fewer than 1 in 5 rate programs as highly effective
- Slightly effective or ineffective (6%) – Small but concerning minority
- Not effective at all (1%)
These results demonstrate a notable confidence gap. While most organizations believe their training has at least a moderately positive impact, fewer than one in five rate their C&E training and communications as highly effective. We have, in other words, enormous opportunity for improvement.
Better Approaches
One of the benefits of live benchmarking is the opportunity to learn directly from how peers are addressing shared challenges. Some of the ways that organizations can move (and are moving) beyond traditional approaches to training include:
- Microlearning and Spaced Reinforcement – These methods break training into smaller, more manageable segments delivered over time. This helps reduce cognitive overload and supports better retention through repetition spaced across intervals.
- Role-Based Customization – Tailoring content to specific job functions and risk exposures, dramatically increasing perceived relevance and practical application.
- Scenario-Based Learning – Using realistic decision points that create emotional engagement and build critical thinking skills rather than rote memorization.
- Social and Collaborative Elements – Incorporating peer-to-peer learning that leverages social influence to shape cultural norms and creates accountability through group participation.
A Note about the Survey Data
It’s worth noting the potential for selection bias in the PLI survey results. Because PLI offers continuing legal education (CLE) credits, its compliance and ethics programs tend to attract a higher proportion of compliance lawyers than non-lawyer professionals, which may influence the data. In addition, all respondents are (presumably) already working in the C&E field – another factor that likely shapes the responses. While we might hope that training is viewed even more favorably by those outside the field, I suspect that may not be the case.
From Data to Action
Benchmarking data gathered at the PLI C&E conferences helps illuminate both where we stand collectively and where opportunities for improvement remain. While most compliance professionals recognize the limitations of completion-based metrics, more than half still rely on them. This persistence reflects not a lack of awareness, but a need for ideas, practical guidance – and, undoubtedly, resources – for implementing more meaningful approaches.
Similarly, the strong preference for hybrid training methods signals growing sophistication in program design, while the candid admission that much training remains “boring” or “reactive” underscores the need for innovation.
As noted by Angie McPhail, who is Senior Director in the Integrity & Compliance Group at Junior Networks and was one of the speakers who led this PLI panel, “Effective training doesn’t just inform – it reflects your culture, embraces innovation, and drives real behavior change. That’s how you move from check-the-box to meaningful impact.”
The compliance field continues to evolve rapidly, with rising regulatory expectations around training effectiveness and growing technological capacity for delivering engaging, measurable learning experiences. Staying current with these developments—and learning from peers who are navigating them successfully—has never been more important.
For more information about PLI’s Compliance & Ethics Essentials program (June 26-27, 2024, in NYC and virtual), visit https://www.pli.edu/programs/compliance–ethics-essentials/412798.
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