With these building blocks, the learning culture in your organisation is like a home.

Of course, you don't want your organisation to babble on and eventually nap. Because if you keep doing what you've always done, you'll get what you've always got. With this dynamic society, that is soon no longer enough. So you need employees who are willing to learn, dare to experiment and can keep the organisation future-proof. In short: a thriving learning culture, in which growth, knowledge sharing and learning are central, is the elixir of life for every organisation.

In another blog, we have already given practical tips to create a positive learning culture to implement. But first, take a step back before purchasing all kinds of useful systems and setting up procedures. Prevent all smart interventions from seeping away and slipping between the fingers just as quickly.

Make sure that the learning culture is really supported with conviction by everyone, from high to low.

How do you lay a solid foundation on which to build a learning culture? 

That's why we'll give you a few important building blocks in this blog.

1. Human leadership

You've probably experienced it before: a manager can make or break a team. There is no barometer for good leadership, but there is actually no need for one. The quality of management is usually very evident in staff turnover, absenteeism and the corners of the employees' mouths. If you want a healthy learning culture, choose leaders who know how to motivate and inspire people.

A coaching approach, clear vision and attention to team dynamics and personal competence are the ingredients that make a development-oriented manager must have inside. They don't have to be gurus who (think they) know everything better. Preferably not even. Especially, managers should just be people who are open to feedback and are not afraid to be vulnerable. For a thriving learning culture, it is particularly important that a manager values, trusts and dares to give employees autonomy. Then very nice things can happen!

2. Open and transparent

If you want to create a vibrant learning culture in your organisation, openness and mutual trust are a prerequisite. Employees need to feel valued and know that it's okay to make mistakes or ask questions. A golden rule is therefore not to talk about each other, but to talk to each other. Of course, you can give feedback, as long as it is done respectfully. Of course, positive feedback is always allowed, if not: research shows that it is the growth mindset encourages, and that's exactly what your learning culture needs!

Managers play an important role model here. If they communicate transparently, reward desired behavior and bring people from different layers of the organisation together, this radiates to other employees. It is important that they are aware of this.

3. Share new knowledge

Developments are happening very fast in every area. Technology, labor market, global politics and customer needs: what is still true today may be obsolete tomorrow. So cherish the early adaptors in your organisation. You may know them: these are the people who love to follow trade magazines closely, are open to new developments in the organisation, like to research things and dare to experiment. Encourage them to do this. Give these pioneers enough tools to do this, and sometimes let them make mistakes in the process. That's just part of the thing when you're at the front of the queue.

However, the acquired knowledge and experience must then be passed on quickly and clearly to other colleagues. So make sure you have good internal communication and knowledge sharing. Appoint the pioneer as a source of information for employees, and share the new information and insights on the knowledge platform, in a newsletter or during a work meeting.

4. Out of the comfort zone

Of course, clarity is necessary, but don't define the functions and tasks of your employees too rigidly. After all, you learn the most when you occasionally go out of your comfort zone and explore your limits. Then you'll discover new things and make connections you haven't seen before. Task rotation, for example, is one of the ways to take a new look at your own organisation.

Because not all of us are blessed with early adaptor-genes, need an extra boost for some people to play the Pippi. Emphatically invite colleagues who usually stay in the cold to participate in a project group or a course that is not immediately obvious. And for a really broad view, look outside the organisation, by encouraging employees to visit a colleague in your network for work.

5. Invest in employees

Investing consciously in your employees is essential for a thriving learning culture. That starts with annually reserving sufficient budget for the 'staff' heading in your budget. This includes not only salary and related items, but also training and knowledge sharing. Put money into a LMS and an attractive online academy, develop internal classroom training courses that meet the needs, and purchase good external courses. Get well-informed about subsidies and fiscal space. Sometimes more is possible than you think!

However, just a bag full of hard euros won't get you there. In addition to making enough money, set aside time for the development of your employees. Personal attention is really the lubricant to keep people really motivated to grow, develop further and thus keep your organisation future-proof. Therefore, hold individual development meetings at least a few times a year and record the wishes and agreements in a personal development plan (POP). Do you notice that certain training courses are poorly attended or not completed successfully? Investigate the cause of this by talking to your employees or holding an MTO about this topic, so that you can make timely adjustments!

Need more ideas that can stimulate the learning culture in your organisation?

Of course, Pluvo has all the technical knowledge you need to build an attractive and appropriate knowledge platform. But we've also built up a lot of experience and lots of tips and tricks to help you boost the learning culture in your organisation. For example, plan with a free demo, where you can get acquainted with the various options for your organisation or call +31 (20) 560 5001.