Building an organisational learning culture

Culture is a tricky word. It is abstract, difficult to measure, and so feels out of our reach. Yet, the right culture can be the difference between being good and being exceptional.

What is an organisational learning culture?

The CIPD suggested changing the word from culture to environment. In other words, you provide the environment where learning can thrive, and the learning culture will emerge. Andrew Jacobs from Llarn Learning recently explained this to me as “capacity and ability = capability”. In short, organisational learning cultures can be created with the right capacity within the organisation and the right abilities offered by solution providers.

Is culture more than this?

When dealing with processes and structures day-to-day, it feels convenient to work with the tangible of the environment. Entelechy Academy can offer you a solution that creates this positive and self-determined environment for professional development. We can offer data points that prove engagement and we would be measured as Level 3 on the Kilpatrick model, as we inspire behavioural change.

And yet, culture is more than the physical environment for learning. Culture is about the interaction between people. It is an emotional state, and it is the permission to believe everyone can be better.

How can we be better?

You can view the creation of this culture in two ways. You can believe the organisation's role is to impose a culture on a group of employees. Alternatively, you can believe it is the role of individuals to self-create this culture through shared belief and practice.

Reading this, you probably realise that the answer needs to come from a ground swell; it needs a common understanding of what a learning culture means. Learning and Development professionals can set the tone and offer opportunities, and still, it is the role of empowered employees to leap toward being better.

The important point is that the word “imposed” cannot be part of a learning culture. You can sit a manager in a room with a course on good leadership, but you can’t make her listen. And even if she listens to all the wonderful ideas explored in that training session, you can’t be sure she will apply them in her work.

Learning requires a tacit agreement between the facilitator and the learner that a positive impact is desired.

An outstanding learning culture

When we were recently assessed by the Association for Character Education (ACE), we were complimented on the great culture within our team. Entelechy Academy believes character underpins all learning, whether hard, soft, technical, or other. Therefore, it is unsurprising that we were awarded a Company of Character Kitemark.

Yet, what meant so much more than acknowledging that our methodology and framework helps learners develop character, is the recognition that our culture lives our values. We have an organisational learning culture that embraces our belief, our mission that to be the best company, we each have to be our best.

Our learning culture emerged from our shared agreement that we live our values.

Are you interested to know more about our organisational learning culture? Contact us today; we would love to tell you all about it. It is our passion.