Recently, we published a complete guide to learning culture and, while our guide is super in-depth, there’s still a lot to learn about…learning.
We’re all about sharing knowledge, which is why we thought it might be quite useful to compile a list of some of our favourite resources on the topic of learning culture.
So, without further ado here’s our list of helpful resources on the topic of learning culture.
#1 - 3 Ways to Combat the Corporate One-Size-Fits-All Approach to Learning Experiences
A snippet:
“The corporate world is a beast like no other. It’s where a huge chunk of our work as learning designers comes from, right? We’re the solution to their L&D needs. But for so many corporates, external learning design professionals have just become:
An echo chamber for the old-school execs who believe in “the way things have always been done” in corporate L&D.
A cookie-cutter, copy-and-paste production line: PDFs behind glass, dry seminars, and little to no practical follow-through.
One of the major frustrations I’ve encountered in my previous learning design jobs was the lack of flexibility and creativity in the design process.
Put a hand up if you can relate to this scenario:
Pre-defined template upon pre-defined template; formulaic structures; rigid and linear learning paths, dry, corporate content…
‘Standardization’ has been touted as an efficiency measure in learning design, but as learning designers, we know the cost of that efficiency – flexibility and creativity!”
Why we like it:
Heaps of good stuff here from Andrew Barry who discusses his journey as a learning designer and how the world of learning design has grown, changed, and evolved.
Also love his honesty about traditional learning and how it just doesn’t fit the bill.
#2 - Companies as Living Organisms
A Snippet:
“Top-down training is dead. Learning is a bottom-up process. You can’t force someone to learn something. You can only create the conditions for it to take place.”
Why we like it:
We love that this article talks about ‘living companies’ that have thrived and survived by embedding a learning culture.
The Link: https://curiouslionlearning.com/companies-as-living-organisms/
#3 - The Death of “Training” and the Rise of Cohort-Based Learning
A Snippet:
“Traditional ‘training by events’ is dead.
Companies are embracing the power of cohort-based learning.
Why?
Because employees don’t learn by PowerPoint.
They don’t learn by figuring things out alone.
They don’t learn by clicking through slides.
They don’t learn by watching videos.
So, they are saying no to the traditional way companies ‘train.’
Instead, people are turning to learning from each other. Reflecting on their experiences. Sharing observations with peers. Engaging in meaningful dialogue. Gathering in cohorts and learning from each other. Accelerating their careers armed with nothing but a Zoom room and a Slack channel.
They won’t be going back to ‘training events.’ Because they don’t want training. They want to learn.”
Why we like it:
Heaps of good stuff in here about the evolution of learning!
This article talks about the switch from traditional training to cohort-based learning. It also takes an objective look at some of the reasons why training fails (and what to do about it) as well as the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of implementing cohort-based learning models.
It also helps that the author has a writing style which makes this complex topic an easy read!
#4 - The Evolution of Workplace Learning
A Snippet:
“The pandemic has unquestionably transformed the learning and development landscape, giving organisations a taste, albeit out of necessity, of a world in which people learn online rather than face-to-face in the same room as their tutor.
Virtual classrooms and online learning were not invented this past year. They’re nothing new in the world of training and development, but the extraordinary circumstances of 2020 and 2021 have brought about a re-think.
The well-versed trade-offs between virtual, online and face-to-face are now being discussed with fresh insight in human resources departments and leadership meetings across the Middle East and beyond…”
Why we like it:
The article is very future-focused – but talks about the benefit of traditional methods within a learning culture.
It also talks about how workplace learning has evolved since the pandemic and why we’re seeing more of a virtual learning culture rather than face-to-face.
The Link: https://www.hsmemagazine.com/article/the-evolution-of-workplace-learning/
#5 - The Rise of The Learning Culture
A Snippet:
“In the successful learning cultures that we have observed, rigidity and rules-based thinking are replaced by a shared acceptance that change is both inevitable and necessary. Change happens because people make daily choices to do things differently, but leaders have to foster an environment in which people want to learn, can see the payoff, and are empowered to experiment and fail fast.”
Why we like it:
This one is also future-based learning culture stuff, but it touches on how corporates are shifting from focusing on pure results (and taking shortcuts to achieve the results quickly) to embedding a learning culture which allows time to step back, reflect and understand the changes within their work or industry environment.
The article talks about how organisations (particularly large corporates) are moving away from being purely results-focused, to prioritising a learning culture which promotes innovation and agility so they can respond to increasingly less predictable and more complex environments.
The Link: https://www.spencerstuart.com/research-and-insight/rise-of-the-learning-culture
