Learning Culture

Learning Cultures drive Business Outcomes

• Increased employee engagement and productivity

• Reduced employee turnover

• Improved customer service

• Increased capacity and innovation

• Enhanced competitive advantage

Learning cultures thrive where leaders actively encourage and support employees’ professional growth and skills development, where learning is seen as essential for both individual and organizational success.

Create a Learning Culture

• Provide opportunities for learning. This could include offering formal training and development programs, encouraging employees to attend conferences and workshops, reimbursing tuition costs.

• Make learning a priority. Set aside time for employees to develop new skills. Show that leaders value and are willing to protect this time.

• Create a supportive environment. Encourage employees to share knowledge and expertise with each other. Create opportunities for employees to learn from each other and subject matter experts.

• Recognize and reward learning. When employees learn new skills or develop their careers, publicly recognize and reward these efforts in order to reinforce the importance of learning in your organization.

Research on Learning Culture

• In the State of the Global Workforce (2023), Gallup found that employees who have the opportunities to learn and grow are more likely to be engaged and productive. Only 21% of U.S. employees in 2023 strongly agree that they have the opportunities to learn and grow at work, down from 24% in 2019.

• LinkedIn found that 75% of employees say learning and development is important when choosing a job. The study also found that 57% of employees say they would be willing to stay at their current job for longer if they were offered more opportunities for learning and development.

• A survey by ATD found that 84% of organizations believe that a learning culture is important, but only 20% say they have a strong learning culture.

Business Takeaways

Want to improve employee engagement? Invest in learning.

Want to reduce turnover and hiring costs? Invest in learning.

Want to grow your leadership pipeline? Invest in learning.