An organisation’s performance is the result of many factors, but one many overlook is the learning and development (L&D) of colleagues. L&D not only impacts the performance of the overall business but is also key to employee engagement, retention, and well-being.
With research revealing that 90% of organisations are concerned about employee retention, and providing learning opportunities is the number one retention strategy, it’s time to start investing in building a working learning culture. It’s no easy task, but with colleagues leading the way and creating their own path for learning, there are lessons to be learned for business leaders looking to embed L&D in their culture.
Colleague-led learning: What is it and why is it important?
One of the main challenges is making sure that colleagues don’t view learning as the final
activity at the end of their to-do list. Strategic business goals and priorities can be the north star for company leaders to drive shared alignment in building capabilities. This should not dictate what colleagues must learn, or how they should learn, but instead, dovetails their focus on what’s required to deliver against organisational priorities. L&D tools and platforms can be used to empower workers to identify key skills, build learning techniques, and ultimately take charge of their learning journey, making informed learning choices in line with business needs.
At BT Group, we’ve seen success with a colleague-led learning approach that encourages
individuals to share their knowledge, skills and experiences with their peers. This fosters a
culture of learning where teams are motivated to learn from each other as well as from external sources. This can take the form of communities or forums that encourage knowledge sharing between different disciplines, business units and industries – through interactive webinars, brown bag meetings or even signposting podcasts.
Creating a collaborative learning environment
Collaborative learning builds on the idea that people learn better when they work together
towards a common goal. It enhances the quality and diversity of ideas, offering new
perspectives and solutions through communication, teamwork and problem-solving skills. L&D can be a great partner for helping build this environment for colleagues, by implementing opportunities that require colleagues to interact with and learn from each other. In the spirit of transparency, why not encourage teams to share their successes and lessons learnt on projects requiring key skills – creating a culture where idea and experience sharing is a cornerstone of company success. These ‘Show the thing’ sessions could also be recorded, sorted as bite-sized chapters and shared across platforms, further amplifying its reach.
This concept links to the fact that more of us prefer to consume bite-sized content on mobile devices, rather than long-form courses or modules on laptops. App-based micro-learning provides learners with convenient and flexible access to content, increasing their retention of information.
We’ve also found that gamification elements such as badges and leaderboards motivate
learners to complete the content and track their progress, sharing their successes on platforms such as LinkedIn. We are extending gamification capabilities to knowledge sharing led by colleagues, to equip them with tools to design and deliver sessions and gain points in the process, enabling them to access exclusive training and certification benefits.
Collaborative learning, despite being extremely beneficial from a development perspective, may not come naturally to everyone as it requires a certain level of confidence. To build the skill set and the confidence they need to share their expertise, we’re encouraging colleagues to enrol in presentation skills sessions, in addition to getting mentoring support from L&D staff. We are also redesigning our learning spaces so they effectively facilitate collaborative learning opportunities, such as for design thinking sessions.
Appointing learning ambassadors
Organisations should also look to involve colleagues in the design and delivery of L&D initiatives from the beginning to give them ownership of their learning experience, driving engagement. Colleagues who are passionate about learning can act as ambassadors and drive learning initiatives within their teams. By equipping these ambassadors with tools, training and resources, and recognising and rewarding their efforts, this can also help inspire other colleagues on their journeys.
Fostering a culture of learning has never been more important at every level. Learning and development initiatives are a crucial element to not just employee growth, but to the entire organisation. It’s important to look at L&D initiatives as part of the overall business strategy and this is the mindset organisations should be adopting going forward.