It has been recognised that due to the vast shifts in economical, technological and social factors over the last few decades, businesses must evolve and adapt to meet new challenges and opportunities, or risk being left behind.
We have often discussed how training is paramount to the success of a business. Although this statement is true, a one-off, quick fix solution will no longer fulfil your employees learning needs or give your business the competitive edge it requires within the constantly changing market.
Developing a learning culture
A learning culture is the collection of organisational factors, values, practices and processes. Within an organisation it is paramount to develop a strong learning culture, doing so will enable a strong competitive advantage. Developing a positive workplace culture built around learning will provide benefits such as:
Improved employee engagement
This will have a direct impact on productivity, employee retention rates and customer satisfaction.
Enhancing creativity and innovation
It has been stated that companies that encourage employees to learn something new and take risks have increased creativity and innovation.
Improved motivation
Employees that are constantly learning and developing are increasingly motivated to work harder as they can apply new skills and knowledge to ultimately improve their role.
Developing a strategy for sustained learning
In order to develop a learning culture, you must first decide upon a strategy that effectively meets the needs and requirements of your business and employees. Developing a continued training and learning strategy will ensure you have a clear vision and focus in order to meet goals and targets. When completing a strategy for sustained learning there are factors that must be considered, these are:
When completing a strategy for sustained learning there are factors that must be considered, these are:
Communicating plans effectively
In order for a learning culture to be instilled, training and development should be mandatory for all employees. It is therefore important to communicate all training plans with employees so they not only understand what is required of them but the importance of sustained learning and how their contribution will ultimately enable the business to grow.
Assessing skills gaps
Within your business, you must assess the skills gaps that may exist within your employees and research opportunities for development and growth effectively.
Delivery of learning solutions
At this stage, it is paramount to ensure you successfully understand the training needs and requirements of your employees. There are many ways in which workplace training can be conducted, for example, some individuals prefer shorter, condensed learning experiences. In this instance, Microlearning would be a recommended method. However, for more visual learners virtual reality programmes would be a preferred method. By offering a variety of options to your employees you will ultimately see a better response rate as all employees will be working to the best of their abilities.
Measuring training effectiveness
Evaluating employees training results will enable you to clearly understand how well the training programmes have met individuals needs and goals, what effect it has had on employee performance and ultimately the benefits it has provided for business growth.
Once these steps have been taken, you will begin to see a clear and concise plan of action to create a learning culture within your business.