Learning Culture and Organizations Alike

A culture of learning is necessary for organizations to thrive successfully. Employees aim to seek, share and apply new knowledge and skills to improve their personal and organizational performance (Build a Culture of Learning, 2021)

Characteristics that develop a strong learning culture include qualities of a well-aligned business with learning strategies for their employees, organizational values, and an atmosphere where learning is entwined with where it becomes a part of a daily routine (Build a Culture of Learning, 2021)

Nigel Plain, a prominent figure in the learning and development community has discussed his latest book: Workplace Learning: How to build a culture of Continuous Employee Development (James, 2019)

In this discussion, one-way Learning and Development can align with their business are by bringing light to most issues such as holding onto the traditional one size fits all approach to an inclusive learning culture, to be successful, organizations need to create learning solutions that are aligned with the rest of the world (James, 2019).

In my current company, I work at Thomas Publishing as a Content Analyst where our culture committee has redefined the company’s core values to align with its learning culture to be inlcusve, have curiosity, and get things done. Here is a snapshot of these values below that I helped create along with others in our Culture Committee:

Inclusive: We believe that different perspectives and experiences are an asset to innovation. A fresh set of eyes and an open mind are vital keys to driving better business decisions. We take extraordinary measures to ensure all people and ideas are welcomed onto the team.

Curiosity: We ask “What If...?” and constantly push the boundaries of what’s possible. We pursue continuous improvement and encourage an unrivaled sense of vision and execution. We ask questions and continue to seek opportunities to learn, discover, and innovate. We don’t fear the unknown.

"WeGetThingsDone" attitude: We’re focused on being the very best at what we do. We accomplish this by working collaboratively until the job is done. Our team can overcome challenges, find solutions, and deliver excellence. We don’t just meet expectations, we exceed them.

References

Build a Culture of Learning . (2021, May). Retrieved from Association for Talent Development : https://www.td.org/education-courses/learning-culture#:~:text=A%20culture%20of%20learning%2C%20or,improve%20individual%20and%20organizational%20performance.&text=Having%20a%20culture%20of%20learning,hallmark%20of%20high%2Dperformance%20organizations.

James, D. (2019, October 4). Developing A Learning Culture & Organisation with Nigel Paine. Retrieved from Loop: https://www.looop.co/blog/insights-into-learning/developing-a-learning-culture-organisation-with-nigel-paine