A learning culture may be the only thing standing between your organisation and chaos brought on by disjointed hybrid working systems (yup, funky meeting backgrounds are a fan favourite, here to stay). You laugh, but seriously, developing a learning culture that is suitable to remote, in-office or hybrid environments, whilst coming face-to-face with adapting to the new world is hard!
COVID-19 has demanded that businesses react and adapt to radically changing conditions at a pace never seen before. Now, who knows how to do that without learning and development? (Hint: we’re not sure it’s even possible with L&D) After all, look at what the CIPD said on the subject:
“Many organisations have had to upskill or reskill staff quickly, owing to redeployment, or to support staff needing to work remotely. The ability to learn, adapt and continuously improve is vital in the face of such a challenge.”1
Not overkill now, is it? Maybe a little.
Today’s remote and hybrid workplace has brought the importance of a culture of learning into sharp focus. It has simultaneously placed new barriers between L&D professionals and learning utopia — but we believe they can all be overcome. In this article, we discuss what a culture of learning is, why you want one and how Video Arts can be your L&D saviour.
First, what is a learning culture?
A culture of learning places development and knowledge sharing at the heart of an organisation’s core values. In this environment, learning is transformed from a box ticking exercise into a day-to-day activity that improves life and performance at work.
A learning culture consists of the following defining characteristics:
(1) It’s organisation-wide: For a learning culture to succeed, everyone must buy into it. Managers can inspire employees and incite behavioural changes by setting the standard and through changing the role of management conversations. Nobody is exempt from this ideal of perpetual upskilling.
(2) It’s a safe space: Employees are encouraged not just to learn but also to experiment. Mistakes are part of the journey. A 360 feedback loop is present in any effective learning environment. Leaders and team members are forever enriched by open dialogue.
(3) It’s built on accessibility: An effective culture accepts that human resources are always stretched and makes content available on-demand. Guess what we’re going to say next. Correct. Video is ideal for allowing employees to work at their own pace. Furthermore, studies show that employees are 75% more likely to watch a video than read text.2
(4) Encourages growth mindsets: Prioritising the development of a growth mindset in the workplace benefits the effectiveness of your learning culture exponentially — after all, a growth mindset encourages continuous self-improvement through learning and intelligence.
(5) Oh, and it’s never-ending: The process of acquiring and sharing knowledge just keeps on going. This is a dynamic environment that never stops producing learning opportunities and enhancing employee potential.
How does an effective learning culture benefit your workplace?
If the benefits of creating a culture that makes learning central to daily operations are still eluding you then here are the four reasons why you want one:
Benefit #1: Err, money?
That’s right. A learning culture is going to have a direct impact on your bottom line. A recent study by Emerald Works suggests organisations that promote perpetual development are far more likely to crush their financials:
“…high-impact learning cultures are 10 times more likely to have sustainable impact on the four critical levers of business: growth, transformation, productivity and profitability.”3
Not sure what we can add to that.
Benefit #2: A competitive advantage
A motivated, engaged and informed workforce is an effective one.
Advances in technology — and the potential benefits they offer to your organisation — are not going to abate. An outfit that is always ready to embrace innovation is one that stands every chance of surpassing its competitors.
Furthermore, an organisation with a robust learning culture is also an adaptable one. It’s a sad reflection of the times we live in when business continuity can be seen as an advantage. But it is also a reality.
Benefit #3: Employees will want to stay
Who wants to leave a job that enriches their life?
When staff have the tools they need to successfully navigate their day, they are less likely to be looking at the door; when staff understand they work for an organisation that is as invested in them as they are in it, they are more likely to commit.
Employee retention doesn’t just make everyone’s life easier. It’s also good for business. Upskilling is almost always more cost-effective than recruiting in knowledge-based sectors.4
Benefit #4: It’s a breeding ground for innovation
Highly motivated staff with a skillset that transcends teams and roles are better at identifying opportunity. According to one study, companies with a strong workplace learning culture are a full 32% more likely to bring an innovative solution to market before anyone else.5
Suggested reading: We expect you’ll want to dig deeper into this topic. Trust us, these numbers are just the start. See this article on how to create a learning culture for more.
Video Arts can help you realise these benefits
Now is the time to come clean about why we are sharing all this (aside from the mere fact that we care about you deeply).
Video Arts specialises in TV-quality, humorous video content that can make creating a culture of learning achievable. We’re talking about BAFTA-winning comedians here. And don’t be fooled into thinking this is style over substance. This is heavy stuff made fun.
And with over 400 videos, 100 interactive courses and 18 collections — all available as iFrames to use with your existing content — we are tailor made for the remote and hybrid workplace. And guess what… we’ve just finalised and published an entire collection on everything about learning cultures! You don’t want to miss out…
All this is to say one thing: we can save you. Sorry, it’s just difficult to climb down from where we started. Get in touch today to find out more!
1Creating learning cultures: assessing the evidence p.3
25 Video Based Learning Facts That Make The Case For A Video Platform
3Back to the Future: Why tomorrow’s workforce needs a learning culture | Mind Tools for Business p.5
4Creating learning cultures: assessing the evidence p.4
5Why a Learning Culture Helps You Improve Your Company’s Bottom Line