Creating an Enthusiastic Corporate Learning Culture

In their book, “Creating a Learning Culture,” authors Marcia Conner and James Clawson state, “The decision to invest in learning is defined by a set of values, expectations, and behaviors related to actively managing organizational learning. The learning-oriented corporate culture sets the context of everything the organization does. All leaders can create such a culture, and all leaders should — but how?” 

Conner and Clawson recommend five ways leaders can develop a learning culture.  

1. Value learning and model the desired behavior 

Employees are typically reinforced by modeling. For example, one of the benefits of classroom learning is that a participant who watches another participant successfully model a new skill or behavior has experienced an important learning tool.

Leaders in an organization who model their belief in the value of learning by promoting training and continual learning motivate and inspire employees to value the learning process as well. Ultimately, this leads to an enterprise-wide behavior shift and the development of a learning culture.

2. Ask tough questions   

Typically, organizations train for two reasons:

•   Government requirements, employment law or compliance required training

•   Business skills development or performance development training

Merely doing compliance training does not qualify an organization as having a learning culture. Leaders must question department heads and other managers to determine if compliance training is all that is currently being done. They must ask tough questions and listen to perhaps undesirable or unexpected answers. 

A true learning culture is driven by the desire to give employees the skills they need to construct understandings and develop skills relevant to solving problems. A key to growth in any organization is the ability to successfully meet challenges and solve problems.

3. Be consistent 

Don’t let developing or expanding your learning culture be a “project of the month.” Too often organizations embark on a strategic direction only to pull up short and move on to the “next big thing” that someone saw a TED talk about.

If this has been the culture of your organization, it must change. Consistency in your efforts to develop a strong culture of learning is essential. A learning culture is not a quick fix for the latest challenge, but the most effective and efficient way to respond to challenges and changes in your industry for the long term.  

4. Share best practices 

All organizations should look at what successful organizations are doing to stay ahead in these challenging times. Regardless of your products, services, or size, find out what “elite organizations” do to create and sustain their learning culture and model your organization’s behavior after their success.

Examine your competition and other organizations in your industry. Determine best practices of learning organizations and find strong learning partners who can share their knowledge with you. Additionally, always share your knowledge and best practices internally.

Organizations that capture, apply, and re-use knowledge and best practices among departments and divisions, and that have successful, collaborative team structures are best able to leverage their experience and talent for better business results. 

5. Develop new routines

Culture is the cement that holds an organization together. It is the behavior that results when a group arrives at a set of rules for working together. Furthermore, these rules can, and should, be influenced and modeled by the organization’s executives, leadership, and management staff which will naturally trickle down to the staff.

As you develop and expand your corporate learning culture, you must examine existing organizational practices and daily work routines to be certain that they support a high standard. Place a premium on the quality of resources you make available to your people to build a learning culture that allows each employee to develop to their maximum potential.

By doing this, you’ll move your organization closer to the fulfillment of its business strategy and goals.