The Basics of Developing an Organizational Learning Culture

Companies that invest in the professional development of their employees benefit in many ways.  As employee motivation and productivity increase, so do profits. You create a workforce that is unstoppable at achieving your vision. But where do you start? You start by developing a learning culture in your company.

There are three main tasks that need to be completed in order to develop a learning culture. You must:

1. Identify the skills your team needs to do their jobs effectively;
2. Train your team in those skills; and 
3. Incorporate ways your team may develop and reinforce those skills.

Here's an example - You have taken the time to recruit a new sales force for your company. In their daily activities, each member of your sales team will be responsible for the following:

• Making presentations prospective clients;
• Sourcing solutions by working with your technical staff and contractors;
• Working with your technical staff and legal team to draft work scopes and contracts; 
• Negotiating the contracts; and 
• Maintaining good working relationships with clients.

Starting with the first step, identify the skills your team will need to do their jobs effectively. Using our example, at a minimum, it will be important for your sales team be trained in presentation skills, communication styles, building credibility, customer service skills, and negotiation skills. There may also be some industry-specific training you will want to provide for your team.

Once you've identified the types of skills they need to master, you will want to coordinate the actual training.  Do you have in-house training staff or will you need to hire an outside training professional? What is the priority for training? How quickly would you like to facilitate the programs? Are there any company-specific standard operating procedures that need to be incorporated into your training programs? When you work with a training and development consultant, he/she will ask the important questions so you can coordinate your training in a meaningful and organized manner.

Finally, it's not enough to provide the training, it's also important to reinforce the training. Create a library of resources for your team, conduct periodic refresher training sessions, and teach your managers how to coach and encourage their teams in the newly learned skills. As each member of your team develops their skills, they will feel a greater sense of accomplishment and worth. You will have created a learning culture foundational to your company's daily business operations, your employees will excel, and your business will prosper.