STEPS TO CREATE AN INNOVATION-DRIVEN LEARNING CULTURE

Every industry and aspect of our life is being disrupted by increased technology, and work is no exception. A shift in demand for human expertise is one of the most significant professional consequences of the digital revolution. It's worth noting that half of today's most in-demand work skills and abilities didn't even appear on the list three to five years ago.

Today, intellectual curiosity and learnability are valued highly. To remain employed, you must be willing to improve and adapt to new skill sets quickly. That is why learning is an essential aspect of the talent management strategy of successful companies like Google and American Express. In a report by the HR industry leader Josh Bersin, he pointed out that "The single biggest driver of business impact is the strength of an organization's learning culture."

What is Innovation Culture?

The work atmosphere leaders create unconventional thinking, and its application is known as innovation culture. Workplaces that promote an innovative culture believe that innovation does not have to flow from the top down and can originate from anybody in the organization. Organizations that compete in marketplaces defined by fast change prize innovation cultures; sustaining the status quo is insufficient to compete effectively, making an innovation culture necessary for success.

What is Innovation Management?

The process of managing an organization's innovation method, from the first step of imagination to the last stage of successful implementation, is referred to as innovation management. It includes all of the decisions, actions, and procedures involved in developing and implementing an innovation strategy. This can apply to an innovation-driven learning culture.

Here are the Steps For Fostering A Learning Culture

Continual Learning Should Be Rewarded - According to a Bersin report, the typical employee got only 24 minutes per week for formal learning among the more than 700 firms studied. It's important to note that rewarding curiosity entails more than just applauding and promoting those who make an effort to learn and grow; it also entails cultivating an atmosphere that encourages critical thinking, challenging authority, and speaking up, even if it leads to conflict. This is especially vital if you want your team to develop something new.

Provide Thoughtful, Helpful Feedback - People, especially those not very skilled, are not conscious of their lapses, ignorance, and limits. Others' advice and feedback are crucial in helping them improve. Negative feedback must be delivered constructively and delicately, as individuals are less receptive to it than praise and admiration.

Manager Or Leader Should Lead By Example - You should do what you teach as a manager or leader. Begin by demonstrating some learning and unlocking your curiosity. Don't expect your employees to perform anything you wouldn't do if told. Take on the novel and demanding duties yourself if you want them to take on fiction and challenging things. Here are some behaviors that can assist: learn a new skill, volunteer to work on a project unrelated to your primary profession, or take on duties outside your comfort zone even if you aren't very good at them - you'll be able to demonstrate that with a bit of curiosity and dedication, you can improve, and this should inspire other people that you lead.

Choose to Hire Curious People - Managers often focus on training and development. They tend to undermine the importance of the proper selection of people to hire. When selection works, training and development are significantly less necessary, and successful selection makes training and action far more effective because it is far easier to augment potential than against someone's nature. You won't have to worry as much about their readiness to learn or be on their case to unlock their curiosity if you hire naturally curious people and maximize the fit between their interests and the function they are in.

To summarize, there's no need to rely on your company's official learning and development programs if you want to foster curiosity and learning in your employees. Reinforcing positive learning behaviors, providing constructive and critical feedback to align employees' efforts with the right learning goals, displaying your curiosity as a leader, and hiring people with high learnability and a hungry mind are all likely to help your team and organization develop a more robust learning culture.