Creating a learning culture – these structures ensure successful learning in the company

The courage to develop

Many companies are currently facing a major challenge. On the one hand, you want to react to the changing demands of the environment and continuously train your workforce, but on the other hand you simply lack the time resources to act appropriately in this regard. This balancing act between actually wanting to develop and doing without due to the constantly driving pressure of the order books can quickly lead to an unwanted vicious circle: doing without further development first leads to demotivation, then to a loss of manpower, which in turn exacerbates the personnel situation and ultimately leads to even greater time pressure. This may work more or less successfully in the short term, but such a concept will fail in the long term. That’s why we think Courage to develop!

But even if you have plucked up the courage and want to continuously train your workforce, the necessary structures must first be in place in the company to promote learning and not hinder it. We will show you below which aspects should be taken into account in order to create a sustainable learning culture.

Learning while working

Learning can take place in the company in various ways. When we imagine a learning situation, we quickly think of a school-like frontal situation in which one person explains various things to a large group. However, learning does not only take place in situations in which we actively decide to learn something. Especially in our everyday working lives, we often learn without actively deciding to learn something. For example, we follow work instructions and internalize them after repeating them several times or adapt our behavior after observing our colleague.

This is precisely the first aspect that can promote the company’s learning: precise work instructions and optimized work processes. A company should always question its work processes and openly discuss ideas for optimization. All employees should be listened to and feel that their concerns are taken seriously. However, employees should also always receive feedback and feedback on their work performance, as this has been proven to enable individuals to continuously develop. This is the only way that the workforce and the company can benefit from each other.

But employees should also be able to support each other. Learning from each other during working hours should always be encouraged. A culture of mutual help provides a healthier learning environment than one of constant competition. Respectful, open interaction is crucial here. This culture must be exemplified by managers in order to anchor it throughout the company.

Further training and learning from others

Learning happens while working, almost unnoticed and automatically. But of course, a comprehensive learning culture also means that employees can continue their education on specific topics in internal or external training courses. It is important that employees can actually apply what they have learned during their working hours. Without this practical relevance, the positive effect of further training for the company fizzles out. It is therefore important either to check in advance what benefits further training can bring, or to adapt the position afterwards so that the person can use their new skills profitably.

As soon as knowledge has been generated, it should be disseminated within the company in the best possible way. A learning culture therefore also involves not only ensuring that individuals can expand their knowledge and skills, but also that processes and structures are created in which this knowledge is stored and made accessible to all interested parties. In this way, valuable knowledge can be retained in the company, even if important key personnel fluctuate.

But learning from others does not only have to happen within the organization. A learning company also learns from its environment, for example from other companies, representatives, associations, trainers, coaches… Part of a learning culture is not just staying within your own company, but actively seeking exchange with the environment and thus being inspired by new ideas.

Conclusion

If you want to establish a comprehensive learning culture in your company, it is not enough to send your employees to a training course once a year. Learning is part of the corporate culture and encompasses most processes, structures and relationships within the company. The training network is currently identifying the structures in our partner companies that promote and hinder learning. In this way, we are jointly creating a culture of further training within the industry and in the individual companies.