The rate at which an organization learns may be the only sustainable competitive advantage. . . . If you are learning more rapidly than the competition, you can get ahead and stay ahead. (Garvin & Edmondson, 2008)

Every organization faces some kind of competition. Manufacturers compete for market share and for talent. Retail businesses compete for space and for customers. Hospitals compete for patients, staff, and government as well as private funding. Colleges and universities compete for faculty, students, and for funding. Government agencies compete for funding and talent.

This competition can come from global, virtual, and newly formed rivals. Airbnb is shaking up the hospitality industry. Uber is providing an alternative to taxis. Coursera is challenging popular notions about a college education. Health care providers from around the globe are attracting patients with lower cost surgeries and treatments. New competitors in every sector are cropping up daily.

Marcia L. Conner and James G. Clawson in their chapter in the book, Creating a Learning Culture, write this about competition and learning:

Today it seems that organizations need to be able to do more than just adapt: they must become agile in the face of constantly changing conditions. And if organizations are to respond intelligently, they must make learning a central part of their strategy for survival and growth. If they do not, the future looks more and more bleak; it will just be a matter of time. If, however, leaders and the people within the organization are learning all the time, faster than competitors, and applying the right strategies at the right times, the organization has hope. (p.326)

“Learning all the time” means making learning part of the culture of an organization. This means  that learning (using Schein’s definition of culture) is one of the underlying assumptions of the organization, that everyone is expected to continually develop their knowledge and skills, that learning is valued and expected at all levels of the organization, that learning is ingrained in the routines and rituals of employees. Asking questions and giving feedback is just what people do. Sharing successes and failures is done openly and without risk of disapproval. Employees tell stories that dramatize what they are learning. Action learning permeates all team activity. Performance reviews are focused on learning and capacity building. Managers encourage their direct reports to acquire new knowledge and skills and apply that learning in the organization.

These are signs of a learning culture. A learning culture isn’t a program; it’s all of these things and more. An organization that is creating and maintaining this kind of culture is ready to compete in the world today and in the future.

Stephen J. Gill, Ph.D., is an independent consultant with over 25 years experience in employee training, performance improvement, and organization development.

Recently Published

Key Takeaway: Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing investment by making professional financial insight and portfolio management accessible to everyone. AI-powered robo-advisers, such as Betterment and Vanguard, are democratizing investment and providing tailored advice to a new generation of investors. With 31% of gen Zs and 20% of millennials using robo-advisers, the financial industry is adapting […]
Key Takeaway: Nasa’s Artemis program is set to return astronauts to the Moon and establish a permanent orbiting laboratory by the end of the decade. As humanity’s footprint expands, a new field emerges: astroforensics. Space presents a unique and harsh environment for forensic investigations, with altered gravity, cosmic radiation, extreme temperatures, and oxygen-providing climate systems. […]

Top Picks

Key Takeaways: Stock market enthusiasts often claim to predict financial market trends with great accuracy, but this is not possible due to the uncertainty and unpredictable nature of the environments in which we make daily decisions. Human cognition tends to favor a reductionist approach to information processing, sometimes called “tunneling,” which can lead to biased […]

Trending

I highly recommend reading the McKinsey Global Institute’s new report, “Reskilling China: Transforming The World’s Largest Workforce Into Lifelong Learners”, which focuses on the country’s biggest employment challenge, re-training its workforce and the adoption of practices such as lifelong learning to address the growing digital transformation of its productive fabric. How to transform the country […]

Join our Newsletter

Get our monthly recap with the latest news, articles and resources.

Login

Welcome to Empirics

We are glad you have decided to join our mission of gathering the collective knowledge of Asia!
Join Empirics