Encouraging Learning Culture In The Workplace: Importance, Strategies, And Benefits
Developing a Learning Plan for Employees
Developing a learning plan, for all the employees is important. It will help them to learn new things at work and complete the tasks efficiently.
- Talking to the employees regularly, about their problems at work.
- Making sure, they learn new things in interesting way that will give them the wish to learn more.
- Creating a plan for the employees, through which they can work smoothly, and save time.
- Making sure, the environment is friendly, thus the employees will work and learn together.
The workplace should be reviewed regularly by a qualified person, so that they could review their current potential, work performance, environment, and can give them the perfect way to learn new things.
The work of employees must be kept up-to-date. Now, one can see the weakness and strengths, therefore, making a quick learning plan for all the employees. For example, one employee has good learning input, but bad work output, and another employee has bad learning input, and good work output. Thus, they can help each other.
- Information must be given to the employees, in a way of their understanding.
- There should be a question and answer round, to get feedback, and clear doubts, of the employees.
- The manager must act like the team leader, helping the employees, to move forward quickly and efficiently.
- Employees with different talents and communication must be grouped differently, so that they play an active role while communicating.
The company had invested a lot, in other companies, but most of the companies failed, and thus the invested money was no longer received. This led to the financial crisis of the company, and thus, it was unable to pay the employees. The employees, with anger, decided to case a file, in the court. Now, the company is in great problem, as it faces the pressure of the employees, as well as the court.
Implicitly, the company decided to call all the employees, and have a meeting. The director of the company assured the employees that the problem was just for a small time, and that it would be fixed soon.
Explicitly, the company decided to withdraw other investments, so that they could pay the employees, and the court case would come to an end.
Thus, the company dealt with an implicit-explicit situation smoothly and without any problems.
Monitoring of the team should be done by a professional, or team leader (Laudon and Laudon, 2016). Reports must be submitted on a regular basis. Individual performances must also be observed so that the company will get to know, how the learning procedures should be for a team and for each individual employee.
One must encourage learning culture in a work team. Learning culture means, to help every worker learn the facts of which they have no knowledge. One should know how to create a learning culture.
Training for a particular work, and the development plans must be compulsory for all the workers, in the organization.
Employees, who are quick learners, should be given special recognition, and should be given the chance to lead the team (Ponnuswamy and Manohar, 2016).
After training, feedback must be taken from the employees, which will help to know the ways to make it easy for everyone to learn.
Monitoring and Reviewing Workplace Performance
Special offers should be made available for the employees, as it will encourage them to learn.
The benefits of encouraging learning culture are as follows.
- Work efficiency is increased, which will yield better results, thus greater profits.
- Satisfaction of the employees is increased, and the annual turnover is decreased.
- There will be improvement of mindset, among all the employees.
- An increased sense of knowledge sharing among the employees
- The ability of workers to adapt to various changes is increased.
Adult Learning, or adult education, is a way of engaging adults in a sustained and systematic way of activities, which are mostly self-educating. This is a way to possess the new mode of attitude, knowledge, values or skills.
There is a philosophy that reflects adult learning about teaching and learning. It is based on the supposition that adults can learn, and also they want to (Leberman and McDonald, 2016). Adult learning is designed in such a way that helps everyone to learn, either what they need, or what they want, by giving all the necessary opportunities, technologies, graphical study etc.
Coaching is a way that helps employees to learn and to enhance unique skills. It usually focuses on a single individual over some limited time period, which helps them in developing effectively.
Mentoring usually involves the utilization of similar models and the same skills and set of questioning, hearing, simplifying, and revaluating linked with coaching (Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart and Wright, 2017).
Mentoring and coaching are different, but can have same results. Their approach are little different, but they both use discussion and practice as their method of teaching.
Consultation is very important in a team project. It helps us to clear our doubts regarding a particular task, which will then help us perform the task efficiently.
In a team work, there should be constant communication between tem members. It is done so that the job may be done perfectly and without and mistakes (Taufek, Zulkifle and Kadir, 2016)
Communication is important as it provides us knowledge with the current status, work done and work changes. Without effective communication, the preferred outcome could not be obtained.
Consultation is also an important entity. Listening to others, giving attention, will provide to the fact that the work is done properly and correctly.
The main difference is that, most of the people are present in a workplace, but very less is truly present, that is they are giving their full attention, thus increasing productivity. It shows the true efforts someone is giving in order for the company to gain profit.
- The main task here is for the employees.
- Improving the engagement of the employees by giving special concessions, employee of the month award etc
- Making the goals of the employees clear, so that they are always focused on their work
- Communicating with the employees effectively, and taking continuous feedback.
- Recognition for the best work, so that others may be influenced.
Leadership is very important skill in today’s work life. Leadership does not mean taking credit for everything and be proud always, instead it means helping one’s fellow colleagues when they are unable to understand something (Donate and de Pablo, 2015). Leadership is given to such a person who has enough knowledge to lead the team, and take responsibility if any problem is caused. The main task of a leader is to lead, to help, to watch over teammates, to make sure that no problem arises.
Strategies for Creating a Learning Culture
The environment, in which a person works, is a great factor. For example, a workplace, in which most of the employees are careless, focuses on other things but not work, is harmful, as another person present there will not be interested in learning, but on enjoying (Fraj, Matute and Melero, 2015).
The work environment should be full of ambitions people, willing to learn new things which will help them do their work more efficiently. Moreover, a second person present there will also feel the urge to study, and be prosperous.
Learning culture is an assembly of organizational protocols, utilities, processes and practices. They encourage the employees, as well as the organizations, to develop competence and knowledge. An organization, which has a learning culture, continually encourages learning, and trusts the fact that all the systems affect one another (Figueiró and Raufflet, 2015).
The workplaces must be monitored and reviewed frequently, so that the learning environment is persistent. Thus it will give the employees the wish to learn new things, and hep them to prosper.
Monitoring should be done by a senior executive or manager, and it should be done from time to time.
The problems should be identified quickly and smartly. If a problem remains, one must consult the rest of the team, or the manager. Identification of the problem is important, as the main work depend on the base of the problem. Communication between the team members and leaders is beneficial (Nambisan, Lyytinen, Majchrzak and Song, 2017).
The solution to the problem should be done quickly, as there is a limited time.
Records must be kept of every single work done, as it may be needed for future conflicts. Also, it might be a beneficial study to the new employees, to understand the work.
The records must be managed well, and should be properly arranged, so that no time will be wasted in order to find old records.
The learning in a workplace should be organized and structured. Learning classes should be fixed and if there is a problem among employees, it should be resolved quickly. Therefore the employees will have the wish to learn more.
The learning provided to the employees should be work based. It must focus on work speed, accuracy, topic details, problems faced, and ways to overcome the problems. Employees can also learn through their fellow colleagues, if they face any problems. Outside knowledge must also be provided, such that the employees may be up-to-date.
Benefits of Encouraging Learning in the Workplace
Regular contact should be made with the line manager for talking about all the key points, including things needed for smarter, less time consuming and efficient work.
Contact must also be made with the employees regarding their work, and reviews must be taken for their performance and skills, their needs, to gain much profit.
Based on the development needs of both the employees and managers, the needs must be fulfilled. The employees can now work without any interference and the manager can manage the team, and individual employees with full motivation. Planning of work should be done properly, such that work can de cone efficiently.
Development of learning plans, both for individual employees and teams must be done.
Teams must help other teams, if their work is done.
Employees with same development needs must be placed together and they could learn from the other employees, with different needs, and vice versa. The employee with much knowledge should be given a work to teach his fellow colleagues.
The manager should also contribute, and review the ways of learning.
A specialist should be assigned to each team, so that they could review the work done, time required, efficiency and accuracy. Thus they could come to a conclusion of the things required by each employee, and can organize a learning plan for them. They could talk to the director about the development needs of the employees, and the profit they could make from this development.
There should be an award for the employee of the month, who has done the maximum work and given all their efforts. Other employees will look up to the employee of the month and they will consult him/her for their doubts and queries. Moreover it will be an award with special perks, which most of the employees will want to get. Thus everyone will work hard.
Feedback is also important, as it will help to understand the needs of employees to do great work.
Monitoring of workplaces and learning activities should be done, so that improvements can e made according to the needs of the employees. Therefore they can learn more, and accurate, which will reflect in their work done.
Recording of workplace learning is important, as to know if the organization systems and procedures are being followed. Therefore one can know the favourable outcome of a work given (Ramsey, Blaauw, Kearney and Staff, 2018).
Records must be reported to the manager or the director for further consultation. The right decision can increase the company’s profit, thus greater pay for the employees. They can even get an international recognition for their work.
References
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