How do you become a learning organization? 11 characteristics that bust the myth
When the environment changes but your organization remains the same, growth will quickly stagnate. A Darwinian “survival of the fittest”: organizations that can best adapt to ever-changing conditions are the ones that will survive, thrive and grow. Effective adaptability is crucial for any organization to remain competitive. The concept of the “learning organization” is often cited as the solution to encourage this adaptability. But what does that mean in practice? And how do you ensure that learning does not remain incidental at the operational level, but becomes truly strategic as part of your corporate culture?
So when are you a learning organization?
Imagine an organization where employees feel free to share ideas, where learning is not seen as something that must be done, but as something everyone does as a matter of course. A place where teams solve problems together and where mistakes are seen as opportunities to grow. A place where employees not only learn to do their jobs better, but where learning is a strategic tool for growth. That is the core of a learning organization.
This core is reflected in the following factors, which are also referred to in science:
- The degree to which employees feel free to contribute ideas without fear of being judged for mistakes (Ju et al., 2021).
- The extent to which knowledge is not only collected, but actively shared, used and integrated within the organization to contribute to innovation and improved performance (Tung & Khương, 2021).
- The degree to which employees continually reflect on their work and learn from each other, ultimately making the organization as a whole smarter (Goh et al., 2012).
These 3 factors refer to the degree to which collective learning takes place. Not for nothing does Josh Bersin talk about the relevance of a so-called “high impact learning organization. This is not a focus on training but on developing the organization’s capabilities. These can be measured with validated scales that map not only the learning climate within teams but also the sharing of knowledge across departments.
Building an organization in which learning and improvement are embraced and adhered to as a central value takes time and effort. After all, it is about people and their behavior. While many organizations recognize the importance of learning, in practice it is often limited to operational initiatives that lack coherence. Academies, training catalogs, e-learnings, with a training here, a knowledge session there. But a learning organization is not created by offering attractive learning programs. It exists by the grace of an intrinsically motivated learning demand or need. In short, it becomes a reality only when learning is collectively seen as the most normal thing in the world, woven into a culture of “that’s how we do it here.” In short, learning as a fixed and natural part of everyone’s daily practice.
Characteristics of learning culture and learning leadership
How do you get there as an organization? How do you make learning “everyone’s every day job”? If we dig a little deeper we see that learning organizations develop certain characteristics more strongly compared to organizations that are not yet adaptive enough. By working on these characteristics your organization will score higher on the aforementioned 3 factors. A demonstrably higher score, because we can measure this.
One characteristic, for example, is that people in learning organizations set goals for learning, also referred to as the ´growth mindset.’ This term, introduced by psychologist Carol Dweck, has increasingly found its way into the practice of learning & development in recent years. People with a growth rather than a fixed mindset dare to set goals that are difficult and challenging and of which they are not sure if they will achieve them. They take that risk for granted because the real goal is to gain new experiences.
To have or not to have a growth mindset, it has partly to do with “the nature of the beast,” but it can certainly be developed. Ultimately, this is all about behavior. Where managers play an important role in supporting the development of that behavior. For example, an employee who wants to work on his learning goals must feel invited and stimulated to do so. So what behaviors do you show as a manager to demonstrate a growth mindset? The behavioral anchors involved are well enough known; behavioral science plays a rewarding role in this. And because we know what it looks like, we know how to practice and teach it. So-called ´tinyhabits´play an important role here. We assume in this blog that you are familiar with this concept. An example of such a ‘tiny habit’ for fostering a growth mindset as an executive:
Example: integrating learning objectives into week start
- Trigger: begin or end each week start with 5 minutes of reflection on progress in learning goals. For example, set one micro-goal for the week and evaluate the next week start to see if you have achieved it. Focus on a positively stated goal, i.e., that which you would like to see more of.
- Why: It helps employees stay focused on personal and team growth and recognize successes, no matter how small.
- Action: turn learning into doing – just getting started. Learning does not happen by just talking about it, but by putting it into practice. Try out – it’s not about the result but about making progress. Fitting for a strategy that makes learning“in the flow of work” a success.
This blog is too short to detail each characteristic into matching behavioral anchors and provide practical “tiny habits. But providing an overview of all relevant characteristics is of course possible. Without exception, these characteristics involve team dynamics, organizational culture and leadership behavior:
- Setting goals to learn
- Having faith in your own development
- Feeling safe within the organization
- Being open to feedback
- Counting upon each other
- Being able to find meaning in your work
- Exemplary leadership behavior
- Being empowered
- Behaving inclusively
- On an equal footing
- Being on the same page about core values in the organization
Investing in a learning organization
Why would you want to invest in this as an organization? At the beginning of this blog, I mentioned that investing in a learning organization is related to an organization’s right to exist. But there is more. Both recent research and my own practical experience as a learning & development specialist show that organizations that put learning first perform better in complex and changeable environments. They are more innovative, more agile and achieve better results – both financially and in terms of employee satisfaction.
Therefore, the choice to continuously learn and grow as an organization is not just a matter of nice-sounding ideals. It is a strategic choice with concrete benefits.
Much research has been done in that area as well. To substantiate the benefits mentioned, I would like to refer to a few examples. For example, science shows the following correlations:
✅ Improved financial performance: organizations that encourage learning typically see increases in sales, profits and product quality (Goh et al., 2012).
✅ Greater innovativeness: learning organizations are better able to develop and apply new ideas (Tung & Khương, 2021).
✅ Increased employee satisfaction: employees feel more engaged and experience less stress when given the space to learn and grow. This even has a positive impact on staff retention (Ju et al., 2021).
✅ Greater agility in a dynamic market: a learning organization can adapt more quickly to market changes, which is essential for survival and growth in a disruptive world (Goh et al., 2012; Tung & Khương, 2021).
In other words, investing in learning is not only good for the people within your organization, it is essential for the continuity and growth of your organization.
Becoming a learning organization yourself
The choice to become a learning organization is a strategic one, not an operational one. It requires leadership that encourages curiosity and a culture where people feel safe to learn and grow.
These can consist of very practical steps you can take to truly embed learning in your organization. Think of hybrid learning programs to support concrete behavior change, as well as data-driven decision making to continuously monitor and improve the impact of learning initiatives. To determine to what extent your organization is already a learning organization and what characteristics your organization needs to work on to make it (even) better, The Better Company developed the Learning & Growth Scan.
Organizations that take this journey find that they not only perform better, but also create a culture where people want to work. And that is perhaps the most important outcome of a learning organization: employees who feel seen, heard and engaged because they are given the space to develop.
Because one thing is certain: the organizations that keep learning are the organizations that keep growing.
References
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- Goh, S. C., Elliott, C., & Quon, T. K. (2012). The relationship between learning capability and organizational performance. The Learning Organization, 19(2), 92-108.
- Ju, B., Lee, Y., Park, S., & Yoon, S. W. (2021). A meta-analytic review of the relationship between learning organization and organizational performance and employee attitudes: Using the Dimensions of Learning Organization Questionnaire. Human Resource Development Review, 20(2), 207-251.
- Tung, T., & Khương, M. N. (2021). Organizational learning and firm performance: A systematic review. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 71(4), 1230-1253.
