Learning and Development (L&D), or the development of co-workers, is a factor that is often overlooked when determining the performance of an organisation. L&D is not only important for the performance of an organisation, but also employee retention, engagement, and well-being.
It’s time to invest in a culture of working learning. Research shows that 90% organisations are concerned with employee retention and the most effective retention strategy is providing learning opportunities. There’s no doubt that embedding L&D into a company culture is not an easy task. But, by allowing colleagues to lead the way, and create their own learning path, business leaders can learn valuable lessons.
Why is learning by colleagues important?
The main challenge is to ensure that your colleagues do not view learning as a final goal.
Putting their list of to-dos at the bottom. Leaders can use strategic business goals and priority to help drive alignment for building capabilities. It is not necessary to dictate how or what employees should learn. Instead, it should be based on the organisation’s priorities. L&D platforms and tools can empower workers to identify skills, develop learning techniques and ultimately take control of their learning journey.
We’ve had success at BT Group with a co-worker-led approach to learning that encourages.
Individuals can share their skills, knowledge and experiences. This promotes a
Teams are encouraged to learn from one another and from outside sources. It can be in the form of forums or communities that promote knowledge sharing across different business units, disciplines and industries.
Creating an environment for collaborative learning
The idea of collaborative learning is based on the belief that people learn more when they work together.
A common goal. It improves the quality of and diversity in ideas, offering new
Communication, teamwork, and problem-solving abilities can help you gain new perspectives and find solutions. L&D is a good partner in helping to create this environment by creating opportunities for colleagues to learn and interact. Why not encourage teams to discuss their lessons learned and successes on projects that require key skills in the spirit of transparency? This will create a culture of idea and experience sharing, which is essential for company success. These “Show the Thing” sessions could be recorded and categorized into bite-sized chapters, which can then be shared across multiple platforms.
This concept is based on the fact that we prefer to consume short-form content on our mobile devices rather than longer-form modules or courses on laptops. Micro-learning via apps gives learners easy and flexible access to information, thereby increasing their retention.
In addition, we’ve found that badges and leaderboards are motivating.
Learners can complete content, track their progress and share their success on platforms like LinkedIn. We’re extending our gamification capabilities for knowledge sharing by colleagues. They will be equipped with tools to create and deliver sessions, and earn points, which will allow them to gain access to exclusive training and certification.
Collaborative Learning, while extremely valuable from a developmental perspective, is not something that everyone can do. It requires a certain amount of confidence. We encourage colleagues to attend presentation skills training sessions to build their confidence and develop the necessary skill set to share their knowledge. They can also receive mentoring from L&D staff. Our learning spaces are being redesigned to facilitate collaboration, for example during design thinking sessions.
Nominating learning ambassadors
To drive engagement, organisations should involve their colleagues from the start in the design of L&.D initiatives. This will give them ownership over their learning experience. Learning-passionate colleagues can be ambassadors for their team and help drive learning initiatives. These ambassadors can be equipped with the right tools, resources and training, and rewarded for their efforts.
At every level, it is more important than ever to foster a culture that values learning. The importance of learning and development initiatives is not only for employee growth but also for the whole organisation. L&D should be viewed as an integral part of a business’s overall strategy. This is the mentality that organisations need to adopt going forward.
The first time this post appeared was on HR news.
