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Adapt or die! This has long been the mantra of management experts and business strategists as “the blueprint for survival”. But as organizations face rapidly changing conditions in an increasingly turbulent world, it’s this antiquated advice that should die. Organizations need to do more than just adapt to survive. . . they must evolve to flourish.
When we adapt, we become victims of circumstance and simply react to change that is already in motion. In contrast, when we evolve, we initiate change to liberate ourselves from our circumstances and become masters of our own destiny. Organizations that evolve become more agile, more ingenuitive, and more intelligent. Forward-thinking leaders understand that, to create a climate in which all of this is possible, they need to make learning a cornerstone of their culture. Or rather, they get better at getting better.
To illustrate this further, consider the effects of organizational change through learning and development initiatives. In 2019, companies spent $83 billion on employee training hoping to facilitate organizational change. Yet, The Association for Talent Development has reported that, of the time, energy and money companies put into training, 95% of the participants enjoy training but only 37% learn the material. Of that 37%, only 13% of the training participants apply what they’ve learned, and only a mere 3% of training impacts the organization.
What these numbers tell us is that roughly 1 out of 33 companies successfully achieve the desired change through learning and development initiatives. These elite organizations have discovered a new way of thinking about learning and development. From small businesses to global entities, these companies have set themselves apart from the competition, yet they all share one thing: corporate cultures that value people and how they learn.
What are these companies doing differently?
Leaders of these inspiring organizations continually ask themselves three questions: 1. "How can I significantly increase my organization's ability and desire to learn?" 2. “What problem am I trying to solve?” 3. “What tools or resources are available to help me with the first two questions?”
1. How can I significantly increase my organization's ability and desire to learn?
Some leaders believe they can simply “change” culture by mandate and sheer will. However, this change strategy rarely works. Leaders seldomly affect organizational outcomes directly. Rather, leaders make decisions and set policies that shape the culture of the people working in the organization, who in turn determine organizational outcomes.
Successful leaders understand that an organization is more than an aggregation of individuals. Traditionally, organizational effectiveness and performance are thought to be based on individual contributions. As a result, decision-makers key in on training programs designed to develop individual competencies. They do this erroneously believing that organizational change will occur once the individuals in the organization develop those competencies. This narrow approach does not address an organization's culture, infrastructure, or systems, (and interacting elements contained within those systems). Different leadership styles, authority (as defined by the organization), business units, policies, responsibilities, experience, and conflicting priorities all contribute to organizational behavior and performance. Misalignments of the desired training outcomes with the infrastructure can be a major stumbling block to change and can prevent individuals from implementing the desired change. Training that doesn’t account for these systems is like teaching someone how to fly but then tying their hands behind their back and telling them to land the plane. Then, after crashing, asking them why they were not successful after they had received such good training.
Leaders’ “indirect influence” on organizational change requires that structures and systems be designed to encourage a self-sustaining and learning culture that supports individual contributors.
*Pro Tip- sometimes it is hard to recognize flaws within ourselves and the policies/practices we’ve created. 360 assessments are a great tool to give perspective and help gain peripheral vision.
2. What problem am I trying to solve?
Once leaders have removed barriers created by culture, policies, and infrastructure, training can be a powerful tool to improve performance and change an organization. However, training is only a solution to a problem if you know exactly what the problem is. Successful companies ensure training programs address root-cause performance deficiencies at the individual, unit, and organizational levels.
Too often training programs are theoretical and too generic. Unfortunately, because organizations are so complex, training is rarely a neatly defined process with specific problems waiting patiently to be solved. One of the most difficult questions to answer is “what am I trying to improve?”
When choosing a training program, consider the value of an in-depth Training Needs Analysis. Symptoms can distract us from the root-cause or actual problem, and lead to priority confusion. Success lies in properly assessing priorities and working backward to determine gaps between where you are and where you want to be. Once gaps are identified, define precisely what behaviors and/or skills are missing that would make a positive impact in your company. Next, assign ownership of the problem to the individuals, groups, or units that would most benefit the organization if trained. Last, training is only useful if it can be practiced and utilized on the job. Be careful to ensure the training program is engaging and relevant to the work the participants do.
*Pro Tip – On average, training ROI is greater when companies outsource their Training Needs Analysis. Experts from 3rd party L&D firms know the right questions to ask and are not hindered by internal bios. This allows for greater objectivity from both an outsider’s perspective and internal points-of-view.
3. What tools or resources are available to help me with the first two questions? One of the challenges of training is ambiguity. Problems are rarely simple and straightforward. As such, they require much consideration and scrutiny,. The study of organizational behavior and learning theory has provided us with terrific insight into how adults learn in an organizational setting.
First, if the training is boring, not applicable to the employees’ jobs or just “corporate’s latest fad,” the employees will disengage and the efforts to create a learning culture will fail. Evolved leaders understand that the delivery of the training is just as important as the training itself.
*Pro-tip- investing in a professional trainer significantly improves retention, transfer, and recollection. If your budget won't allow for a pro, try a train-the-trainer course.
Second, the responsibility of creating a learning culture cannot be delegated to technology. Some organizations have become over-reliant on computer-based training with canned online courses distributed by a learning management system. To cement the elements of learning into your organization's culture, successful leaders ensure learning is rooted in their organization's daily routine and constantly reinforce the value of learning. Leaders who try to offload the responsibility of an “always learning” culture onto technology are missing a huge opportunity. The role of technology is to assist in training and development not become solely responsible for it.
*Pro-tip- To gain entry to more resources, consider hiring a business coach or consultant as they have access to resources that might not be available otherwise.
In conclusion, leaders, trainers, and HR teams must be willing to evolve. Every organization has the potential to develop a learning culture. It takes forward-thinking leaders who value their people and how they learn who are willing to hold themselves accountable for behavioral change and business results. Evolved, healthy organizations understand the need for a comprehensive review of their systems to ensure they are in concert with their training and business objectives. To warrant maximum return, leaders must relentlessly advocate and support training initiatives. If training isn’t getting the desired results, leaders should look at themselves first and ensure the training addresses the actual problem or root-cause and not the symptoms. If you want to improve performance and change your organization, stop adapting and start evolving-or rather Get better at getting better!
For more comprehensive and in-depth information on creating a learning culture, visit PeopleCoreInc.com and be sure to click here for our free learning culture assessment tool.
