{"id":6858,"date":"2025-01-13T10:07:26","date_gmt":"2025-01-13T10:07:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thebettercompany.io\/?p=6858"},"modified":"2025-02-24T08:17:07","modified_gmt":"2025-02-24T08:17:07","slug":"how-to-become-a-learning-organization-11-characteristics-that-bust-the-myth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thebettercompany.io\/en\/how-to-become-a-learning-organization-11-characteristics-that-bust-the-myth\/","title":{"rendered":"How to become a learning organization, 11 characteristics that bust the myth"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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How do you become a learning organization? 11 characteristics that bust the myth <\/h4>\n

By: Michella Riupassa<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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? <\/p>\n

So when are you a learning organization?<\/strong><\/h5>\n

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. <\/p>\n

This core is reflected in the following factors, which are also referred to in science:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. The degree to which employees feel free to contribute ideas without fear of being judged for mistakes (Ju et al., 2021).<\/li>\n
  2. 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 & Kh\u01b0\u01a1ng, 2021).<\/li>\n
  3. 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).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    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<\/a>. 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. <\/p>\n

    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. <\/p>\n

    Characteristics of learning culture and learning leadership<\/strong><\/h5>\n

    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. <\/p>\n

    One characteristic, for example, is that people in learning organizations set goals for learning, also referred to as the \u00b4growth 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. <\/p>\n

    \"growth<\/p>\n

    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 \u00b4tinyhabits\u00b4<\/a>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: <\/p>\n

    Example: integrating learning objectives into week start <\/strong><\/h5>\n