Get on Board with Carving out a Learning Culture at Your Organization

Massive change is underway in enterprise learning and development which is being driven by the rapid development of technology enabled learning along with the growing number of millennials in the workplace. This revolution is causing learning leaders to confront and examine a number of key questions about the future direction of learning and development within their respective organizations.

How do we catch the wave of change in a way that we minimize the risk of either being overwhelmed by too much too soon or by being left behind? How, if, and when do we incorporate new learning technologies and methods? What kinds of new technologies and modalities should we be adopting? What does this mean about how the role of the learning professional is changing?

From HCI’s recent Talent Pulse report; Organizations are abandoning the strategy of learning and development solely for high-potentials and leaders to learning for all employees. Formal mentoring programs are expected to grow 131% over the next two years and there are plans in place to invest more in learning technologies such as, LMS and knowledge sharing platforms. (Read the full report: Learning Unbound: Agile Employee Development).

How is the vision changing?

Most strikingly it is in the concept that learning is no longer the exclusive domain of the high-potentials and senior leadership. Participating organizations reported that over the next two years there will be a conscious decision to opening up of their learning channels. HCI members also reported that learning through technology is expected to be among those methodologies deployed to entire populations. This may be more a sign of the times but upon closer inspection the Talent Pulse report found that action learning projects, access to mentors, and stretch assignments are expected to increase – which is certainly a harbinger of organizations adopting a more learning-centric culture.

So what does this mean for you?

It means that if you are reading this blog than you are likely interested in positioning your firm as an organization characterized by a culture of learning. And as with all things HR the phrase to which all change initiatives are pinned to rings true in this instance as well; It starts at the top.

Senior leaders and executives are going to be the engine that propels a culture of learning at your organization so if you aren’t in a position to leverage an internal learning champion from someone sitting in the C-Suite than your work transforming the organization is certainly going to be challenging. However – there is hope for those operating in a more process-driven Learning and Development (L&D) practice.

Because most developmental programs are focused toward on-the-job learning there are steps that learning leaders can take to build a culture of learning from the ground up. As HCI defines a strong learning culture as one that evolves the L&D function. This evolution can certainly spring from the day-to-day operations of L&D leaders and practitioners providing that this mindset is intentional in the design and implementation of programs and processes. In this environment learning is embedded into everyday activities, and L&D practitioners are viewed as learning consultants rather than gatekeepers of employee development.

One element of hands-on learning is to populate the L&D team with veterans from the business. As Carmen Allison, Vice President, Global Talent Development, Williams-Sonoma, Inc. recounts in a recent podcast interview, this relevant business expertise lends itself to meaningful experiential learning.

“I have a team of 16 individuals globally, and within these 16 professionals, 14 have come from parts of the business and moved into learning and development. And that is very purposeful to ensure that they are bringing their expertise and experiences to ensure that they are developing programs that meet the needs of the business.” she explains. When pressed to declare whether the HCI definition of a learning culture is viewed as a benefit within Williams-Sonoma, Inc., Allison firmly attests that the mindset of a learning culture is applicable to all organizations.

Human beings are inherently curious. We are wired to want to learn. The challenge to L&D is being able to tap into that desire and harness it for the greater organizational good.

Next week HCI and Bridge are pleased to welcome back Dr. Greg Ketchum to the webcast Catch the Wave or Get Left Behind: Harness the Big Changes Happening in Learning and Development and we invite all interested members to attend so as to learn more about this topic.