Changing the dynamics of learning and benefiting from an IT-savvy workforce

Knowledge and skills are getting outdated faster than the rate of acquisition. To adapt quickly, continuous learning has become a core strategy for business survival and growth. The concept of having an effective learning culture has gained popularity in Asian organisations recently. 

According to a recent Oracle white paper titled “Seven Steps to Building a High-Impact Learning Culture”, most HR professionals know a learning culture is important to the health of the organisation, but few can say why – or even define what it means to have an effective learning culture.

A learning culture is a foundational set of organisational values, conventions, processes and practices that encourage individuals and the organisation to increase knowledge, competence and performance. Employees learn more effectively through a problem-solving methodology within the dynamic work processes. 

Today, high-impact learning organisations (HILOs), which are adopting this new concept in learning, are better at developing skills and talent. With a strong learning foundation in place, HILOs tend to significantly outperform their peers in several areas: market share, greater employee productivity, the ability to deliver quality products and better response to customer needs.

The latest generation of employees entering the workforce has grown up in a world of constant change and innovation. These employees want to learn continuously and expect that their employers value and nurture their potential. 

The mobile and transient nature of this new workforce also makes it easy for them to “jump ship” to companies that can offer them better development opportunities. Learning and development activities are a key component of a talent management plan that seeks to engage and retain the workforce.

Organisations in Asia should consider how to create high-impact constructivist learning programmes where IT plays a significant role to strengthen knowledge acquisition, leadership development and skills developments.

The first stage in engaging a workforce is to get to know them better, and technology solutions promote this by capturing and managing a comprehensive profile of each employee. This profile provides deep insight into the employee’s current capabilities and their potential aspirations for growth into other roles in the organisation.

Secondly, the organisation can develop and deliver a highly configurable learning experience that reflects the organisation’s culture, such as a successful learning programme that promotes higher levels of acceptance and adoption, brand awareness, and in turn, higher productivity and innovation.

These learning experiences address the learning needs of organisations throughout the entire employment cycle, from on-boarding, certification requirements, compliance mandates and job-related training to continued career development.

Lastly, it is about fitting the learning culture to the business strategy. Assessing individual contribution and performance level is fundamental to a person’s career growth. However, overall team success has also become a key barometer in the evaluation process. The right learning culture is key in driving business performance. 

Ultimately, what organisations focus on varies depending on their business strategy. For example, organisations that want to excel in product innovation should place more emphasis on empowering employees. Companies that place a priority on high employee productivity should focus on building trust.

All of these practices add significant value, but it is important for leaders to select the right practices for their business strategy to build a high-impact learning culture. This, in turn, enables employees with sufficient time to self-reflect, develop and encourage knowledge (and expertise) sharing in the organisation – all of which are increasingly crucial in today’s business world.

 

Shaun Han is vice president, Asean Applications, at Oracle Corp.