Employee skill development has never been more crucial. But new times call for new ways of learning. Explore these strategies to break free from traditional training methods – and foster a thriving learning culture within your organization.
There is little doubt that learning organizations have an edge. Providing employees with ample opportunities to grow – through reskilling (learning new skills) and upskilling (building on existing skills) – leads to increased productivity, competitiveness, and profitability. And it doesn’t stop there. Research shows that there is a clear link between development opportunities and the desire to stay long-term at a workplace.
Read more: Upgrade the Employee Journey – and Get a Head Start in the Quest for New Talent.
But for skill development to truly make an impact, it’s crucial to rethink old strategies and move beyond traditional classroom training. So, how can we build a culture where learning is a natural part of everyday life? Here are five creative strategies to try in your workplace.
Five Ways to Think Outside the Training Box and Create a Learning Culture
1. Microlearning and Nanolearning – Breaking Learning into Manageable Portions
Is it time for the annual IT security training? Cramming information is neither fun nor effective, so break the learning into smaller, more digestible portions. Microlearning is a format frequently used in today’s digital learning platforms, which involves delivering material or tasks in short, standalone lessons.
Nanolearning takes this concept a step further – imagine a 2-minute video on how to enable two-factor authentication or a quick quiz on recognizing phishing emails. It’s a flexible way to learn that can easily fit into the daily routine.
2. Social Learning and Mentorship – Learning From and With Each Other
Social learning happens through collaboration and interaction, whether it’s a colleague showing you how to use the new order management system or your team brainstorming solutions to a tricky problem.
When everyone contributes to both learning and teaching, learning becomes a part of everyday work – the core of a learning culture. This could also involve experienced colleagues acting as mentors for new hires, employees shadowing each other’s departments, hosting a book club once a month, or sharing useful tips in a chat channel or intranet. With small (and inexpensive) measures, your company can ensure knowledge flows both within and between teams, boosting both camaraderie and engagement.
3. Gamification – Level Up Your Learning (Literally Speaking)
Earn rewards and cheers, collect points, and level up... Gamification involves borrowing mechanisms from games and applying them in various contexts in our everyday lives. Just think about all the apps and web services designed to trigger the brain’s reward system: “Just 300 steps left to reach today’s fitness goal.” “You’re close to earning points for a free coffee.” Or: “Great job! Just fill in your job experience, and your profile will shine.”
Another well-known example of gamification (and the related concept of nudging or “behavioral cues”) is "the world’s deepest bin," where a regular bin was equipped with sound effects that made it sound like a bottomless pit. The result? People found it more fun to throw away trash, and the bin filled up with twice as much rubbish compared to others.
In skill development, gamification is also a winning strategy. Activities that might otherwise seem dull (like trudging through a dry company policy) can be designed as quizzes, games, or challenges with distinct levels, encouraging feedback, and digital badges that motivate employees to complete tasks and reach set goals.
3. MOOCs and TED Talks – Open Lectures Online
Have you heard of MOOCs – Massive Open Online Courses? Offered by top universities like Harvard, Stanford, and Swedish institutions, MOOCs are open to everyone and completely free to access – anytime, anywhere. It’s a smart way to upskill your staff flexibly and cost-effectively.
Another great option for online learning is TED Talks – an excellent way to gain fresh perspectives and ideas in a quick, easily digestible format. Want to explore topics like the keys to effective communication or outstanding customer service? Watch a talk and then bring the team together to discuss the new insights you’ve gained.
4. Flipped Classroom – Reversing the Learning Process
Flipped classroom, as the name suggests, “flips” the traditional learning process by allowing participants to acquire knowledge independently before building on it together in a group setting. For example, imagine warehouse employees learning new safety procedures. Instead of attending a traditional class, they could watch a video or recorded lecture on their own and then meet to discuss and practice the procedures in real-life scenarios. It’s an efficient and engaging way to promote learning.
Finally: Make Learning a Core Part of the Company’s Strategy
Building a learning organization means creating an environment where development and learning are natural parts of everyday life – it’s about fostering a cultural shift, not just a quick fix. Here are four essential strategies for success:
- Integrate learning into the company’s overall strategy and goals. Organizations that succeed in creating a learning culture have a clear understanding of why learning matters. They are led by engaged leaders who lead by example, and they cultivate an atmosphere that encourages curiosity, critical thinking, and innovation.
- Make learning relevant and meaningful. Ensure that all learning activities are purposeful, aligned with both the company’s and employees' needs, and directly connected to daily tasks.
- Encourage knowledge sharing. Don’t let knowledge remain siloed with individual employees.
Invest in platforms – both physical and digital – where colleagues can exchange insights, whether by sharing takeaways from training or brainstorming solutions to common challenges. - Embrace mistakes as learning opportunities. Oops, that didn’t go as planned… Foster a culture where it’s okay to share both successes and failures. This allows everyone to learn and prevents the same mistakes from being repeated.
Finally: Make Learning a Core Part of the Company’s Strategy
Has your team decided to provide employees with the best conditions to thrive? Fantastic! To support you in this journey, Flex HRM offers a full suite of tools to manage every stage of the employee experience. Onboarding and offboarding, skill development and courses, performance reviews, key HR metrics – all of this (and much more) is contained in Flex HRM Employee. Curious to learn more? Feel free to reach out to us!
