Why and How to Make Employee Training More Challenging

The impact of “productive struggle” on learning

True or false: Openly berating co-workers is a great way to build positive workplace relationships.

If you’re rolling your eyes at how obvious that question is, you’re not alone. Unfortunately, many employees encounter workplace training that feels just as simplistic and uninspiring. From passive click-through e-learning courses to assessments that discourage critical thinking, overly easy training misses the mark—not just on engagement but on actual skills development.

By contrast, productive struggle is content that forces learners to grapple with appropriately difficult tasks. According to research, this method fosters deeper learning and better long-term knowledge retention. Challenging content encourages critical thinking, creative problem-solving, and active engagement with training materials.

So, how can you shift your employee training from easy to intellectually engaging? Let’s explore the science behind adding the right level of challenge, and learn practical ways to incorporate productive struggle in your employee training design.

What is productive struggle?

Productive struggle, also known as desirable difficulty, refers to the idea that learning is most effective when it’s effortful but achievable. Training activities that are too easy fail to engage, while those that are too hard lead to frustration and a sense of defeat that undermines motivation. Productive struggle finds the sweet spot, encouraging students to stretch their abilities without overextending themselves or giving up.

Benefits of productive struggle for employee training

Productive struggle isn’t about making things harder for the sake of it. Employees who are effectively challenged are more likely to be invested in learning—and to remember and master new skills. Below, explore a few ways that desirable difficulties boost training performance, according to cognitive science research.

Improve knowledge retention

Productive struggle makes your brain work harder, and employees are more likely to remember training they’ve actively worked to understand. By contrast, passive training—like simply watching a video or reading a slide—often leads to surface-level comprehension that fades quickly.

Increase learner engagement and motivation

People are naturally curious, and the brain is hardwired to find solutions to problems—including bridging knowledge gaps. That’s why thought-provoking content or questions drive engagement. Solving challenges and learning new things are intrinsic human motivations.

Not only that, but overcoming these challenges also triggers a release of dopamine, the brain’s natural reward chemical. When learners succeed after struggling, they experience a sense of accomplishment and mastery that motivates them to continue learning.

Deepen learning, critical thinking skills, and application

Challenging tasks demand higher levels of thinking necessary to master skills. It’s the difference between simply memorizing or recalling facts versus applying, analyzing, synthesizing, or evaluating ideas.

For example, memorizing a project management framework may provide a helpful foundation for learning, but using that framework to solve a complex timeline or resource problem challenges learners to synthesize information, think critically, and make decisions based on nuanced real-world constraints.

This transition from rote learning to applied problem-solving not only deepens understanding but also ensures that knowledge is transferable to practical scenarios.

5 ways to make employee training more challenging

So, what are some practical ways you can challenge employees to improve their training experience? Here are five ideas to take the difficulty level up a notch.

1. Assess learners’ existing knowledge before course content development

To create content and activities that are challenging—but not overly difficult—you need to understand your workforce’s current knowledge, skills, and abilities. Conduct a training needs analysis to identify what they already know. Use these insights to tailor the course design, ensuring it meets their needs and strikes the right balance in difficulty level.

2. Start training with a pre-test

Pre-tests challenge learners from the start by asking them to solve problems or answer questions before accessing the learning material. Not only do these activities engage learners by revealing knowledge gaps early on, but they also provide valuable data to tailor training to their skill levels.

3. Build adaptive learning paths

With fully customizable e-learning authoring tools like Storyline, you can build adaptive learning paths that adjust the difficulty of training content in real-time based on learners’ course performance and activity. This ensures that employees are challenged at their individual level, maximizing personal growth and development.

4. Create scenario-based assessments

Scenario-based assessments replicate real-world challenges and decisions, prompting learners to think critically and apply their knowledge in context. Whether it’s solving a customer issue, navigating a technical process, or making strategic business decisions, leverage scenario-based exercises to prompt learners to practice their skills in realistic, yet low-risk environments.

5. Space out learning with follow-up content

It’s easier to remember information immediately after acquiring it. Instead of ending training after a single course, try spacing out follow-up microlearning courses, exercises, or assessments over time. For example, an employee might complete a full-length online course today, take a microlearning course in a week, and tackle a challenging case study or assessment a month later.

The time gap makes information harder to recall, but each attempt reinforces long-term knowledge retention and retrieval.

Embracing productive struggle is key to unlocking effective training

Just as muscles grow stronger through targeted, incremental challenges—like lifting heavier weights or increasing endurance—our brains also develop when we tackle learning tasks that push us beyond our comfort zones. Easy exercises may feel satisfying in the moment, but they don’t lead to lasting growth. By developing appropriately challenging training content, organizations create opportunities for employees to stretch their cognitive “muscles,” fostering greater engagement and better, lasting results.

For more creative ideas on how to create engaging e-learning challenges, check out this post on e-learning gamification. After all, games are just another form of brain challenge!