How to use organizational learning to transform your company

Jaime Ramos
Updated on

Organizational learning is the use of learning materials within the corporate environment to promote the professional qualification of a team of employees.

Whether you’re  a CEO, a manager, or an employee, adopting a lifelong learning mindset is key to personal and  professional success. Going hand in hand with lifelong learning is organizational learning.

 The concept of organizational learning comes from the idea that employees can gain new knowledge and skills through work.  

In this article you’ll learn:

  • What is organizational learning
  • Why is organizational learning important
  • How to promote organizational learning
  • 4 tips on how to apply organizational learning in your organization

Understand the concept of organizational learning

Organizational learning can be defined as any and all forms of obtaining knowledge, training, and development within the organizational environment. 

The organizational learning theory focuses on the creation of knowledge and the use of that knowledge within an organization.  As a result, innovative solutions are created in an effective and practical way.

This learning happens specially when employees interact with one another to solve problems, so it’s  important to foster a learning culture within an organization that prizes knowledge sharing.  It can help develop both hard and soft skills – such as communication skills, team problem-solving skills, emotional intelligence, leadership traits, and much more.

It’s a great way to scale professional development and  promote a collaborative workforce envirionment.

How to promote organizational learning within your company 

It’s impossible to promote it without developing a company culture that prizes knowledge sharing and encourages employees of all levels to learn continuously through projects and mentorship.   

Here are some ideas on how to promote it! 

Encourage knowledge sharing

Develop a culture that values  interaction amongst employees, so that acquired knowledge can be shared in a positive and effective way. The exchange of experiences not only fosters learning, but also favors the creation of a collaborative environment.

Promote constructive feedback

Encourage the act of constructive feedback around projects and deliverables,  allowing teams to reflect and create an opportunty to understand and learn from each other. 

Foster Lifelong Learning 

A Lifelong Learner is an individual who never stops learning. In recent years, lifelong education has become a strategy widely discussed by CEOs around the world.  Encouraging employees at all levels to continue their education is  key to increase employee satisfaction and to create new opportunities for workforce and business growth. 

Invest in learning that happens anywhere

 COVID-19 pandemic propelled companies around the world into an inevitable future: the ever-increasing digitization of learning. As new generations of employees (Millennials and Generation Z) demand a learning path that fits their fast-paced routines, the advance of technology has emerged as an opportunity to enable learning anytime and anywhere – whether through videos, courses, digital materials, podcasts, and more.

Why is organizational learning so important?

Including organizational learning in your business  has many benefits. Some of these include increased employee satisfaction, higher customer satisfaction, lower turnover rates, increased productivity, professional development at all levels, and greater organization growth. 

Businesses that encourage and invest in learning become more competitive in the marketplace and are better able to react quickly to changes in their industry.

Measure Organizational Learning! 

If you want to measure the results of implementing organizational learning in your company, invest in benchmarking research.  Observing and comparing employee performance can be an important tool for implementing changes that will improve your operation. 

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