Organizational Learning Culture: What, Why and How

When business leaders talk about organizational culture their objectives vary. Some aspire to establish a performance culture, or one that focuses on innovation. Others speak of collaborative cultures or those that revolve around customers (customer-centric) or employees (people-centric). There are many more options. Not the least of which is a learning culture. 

Like the many CEOs who opt for a learning culture specifically, astute leaders know that learning and development (L&D) are critical keys to success in establishing any positive organizational environment. Consequently, a culture of learning might be viewed as the foundation for just about every other type of organizational culture.

A culture of learning might be viewed as the foundation for just about every other type of organizational culture.

The idea of organizational culture can seem a bit nebulous, like some complex and invisible cloud that characterizes a company. It needn’t be so mysterious.

Korn Ferry’s view of culture is simple, declaring it to be “how work gets done” in an organization. Further, they explain that company culture “is deeply embedded in your people’s values, assumptions, behaviors, and attitudes,” shaping “how people work together and perceive their work environment.” 

Gallup defines culture as “the unique way that your organization lives out its company purpose and delivers on its brand promise to customers,” acting as a means of differentiating firms from their competitors.

What executives say about the value of organizational culture:

• 8 in 10 rank culture a top-five driver of company value
• 91% agree that company value increases with corporate culture improvements
• Leaders in top firms attribute 30% of their organizations' market value to culture

Source Korn Ferry

That differentiation creates value when distinctive organizational cultures support stronger teamwork, positively affect customer perceptions and satisfaction, enhance innovation, encourage workforce diversity and inclusion, and drive overall business performance.

Workers are

3.7x more engaged

when strongly connected to the workplace culture

Organizations with positive cultures reap talent benefits, too. Gallup research finds that workers who feel strongly connected to their employers’ cultures are: 

• 3.7x more likely to be engaged in their work
• 5.2x more apt to say they'd recommend their employer as a great workplace
• Two-thirds less likely to feel significantly burned out
• 55% less likely to be actively seeking work elsewhere

The Association for Talent Development (ATD) defines an organizational culture of learning as “one in which employees continuously seek, share, and apply new knowledge and skills to improve individual and organizational performance. The importance of the pursuit and application of learning is expressed in organizational values and permeates all aspects of organizational life.”

Chief Learning Officer adds: “Organizations that excel in fostering a culture of continuous learning place a strong emphasis on innovation and creativity as part of their core values. They understand that encouraging employees to continuously learn and adapt to new knowledge and skills is crucial for staying ahead in rapidly evolving industries.” 

What an organizational culture of learning looks like can vary widely, but typical characteristics might include some of the following: 

• Close alignment of business and learning strategies
• Focus on development of growth mindsets (see Atana’s Kickstarting a Growth Mindset)
• Commitment to continuous, or lifelong, learning for employees and leaders 
• Open, effective communication practices
• Collaborative approaches to learning
• Encouragement of knowledge sharing by employees and opportunities provided to do so
• Greater agility and resilience of the organization and its workforce
• Emphasis on creativity and innovation
• Performance management practices that support learning through continuous feedback

Companies that establish and nurture learning cultures reap powerful benefits—many of which support development of performance, customer-centric, and other cultures within the overall business enterprise. Deloitte research reveals that creating such powerful learning environments can result in firms that are:  

• 92% more apt to be innovative
• 58% better prepared to satisfy future demand
• 46% more likely to bring new products to market before others
• 37% more likely to report higher employee productivity levels  

Firms with powerful learning environments are

92%
more innovative

• 34% more effective at responding to customer needs
• 26% better at delivering quality product

Organizations continue to be challenged to increase the agility of their workforces and respond effectively to ongoing, rapid change. In addition, the World Economic Forum warns that “six in 10 workers will require training before 2027, but only half of workers are seen to have access to adequate training opportunities today.”

Acting now to establish learning cultures or strengthen those already in place is a decisive strategy with widespread potential benefits for organizations—one that positions firms to prepare for future needs and compete effectively.

Following are suggestions to aid in building or enhancing your organization’s culture of learning: 

1. Enlist the active participation of senior leaders. Creating a learning culture begins with a decision and commitment at the top level of the organization. Executives’ visible support and advocacy are crucial. Leaders’ service as teachers of others in the organization delivers a powerful message and offers opportunities to model the importance of learning. (Read more in Atana’s Unlocking Human Brilliance Against All Odds) 
2. Set goals. Determine the learning culture characteristics important to your organization and build action plans to put those elements in place. Include measures that will afford accountability and reflect progress. If your company already has an established learning culture, consider objectives to expand or enhance key components.
3. Coordinate learning strategies with business strategies and practices. Ensure that the objectives of your organization’s learning efforts closely support business performance goals. In addition, audit organizational policies and practices to help tighten that strategic alignment and eliminate any unintended impediments to learning.
4. Make learning engaging and easy to do. Institute dedicated times to learn for all and be sure to include in managers’ and leaders’ schedules, too. Choose high-quality, relevant, and engaging learning products for formal training programs. Also enable knowledge sharing, informal, and on-the-job opportunities that support collaborative learning within the flow of work. 
5. Rethink performance management. Audit your organization’s performance management system and practices to eliminate time-consuming formality and documentation requirements. Instead, strive to create opportunities for informal, frequent, continuous, and constructive feedback delivery—and train managers to boost their proficiency in this type of learning-based approach. 
6. Dedicate time and resources to nurture and continuously improve your learning culture. Any type of organizational culture is a dynamic, constantly evolving entity. Under L&D coordination, assign responsibilities for involvement across business functions to emphasize inclusion of all in designing and maintaining a vibrant culture of learning. 

Atana supports learning cultures by combining engaging, award-winning content with embedded behavioral assessments. This approach takes learners from intent to action, delivering measurable improvements in employee behaviors and attitudes.