In today’s fast-paced business environment, the only constant is change. Companies that survive and thrive will be those that adapt and evolve. The secret to lasting success is not just about having the right products, services, or strategies, but about embedding a culture of continuous learning within the organization. In fact, continuous learning is just another way of saying continuous improvement.
Learning isn’t just a way to improve individual performance or the performance of one specific business function. It’s the foundation for all organizational growth for the simple reason that inefficiencies multiply themselves throughout every business function, and improving just one part doesn’t necessarily mean the organization improves as a whole. In fact, fostering a culture of learning requires careful deliberation to determine what needs to be learned in service of an organization’s overarching values and goals.
The Importance of a Learning Culture
A learning culture is one where an organization fosters a mindset of challenging the status quo and intolerance of mediocrity. It is an environment crafted by leaders focused on very specific outcomes that benefit every stakeholder, and not just end user customers. By definition, it’s a place where everyone is psychologically safe to ask questions, share knowledge, experiment, and learn from their mistakes.
In a traditional business model, employees may view learning as a task that’s separate from their day-to-day work and something that only happens in formal training sessions or workshops. However, a true learning culture sees learning as an integral part of everything a company does. It’s woven into daily operations where questions like “What incorrect assumptions are we making?”, “What are we missing?”, and “Do we have enough proof to support our current business model?” are frequently asked and where leaders refuse to accept first answers, especially when it’s theirs.
The power of this approach is immense. According to the 2020 LinkedIn Learning Report, companies with a strong learning culture are 92% more likely to innovate, 46% more likely to have employees engaged in their roles, and 34% more likely to be ahead of the competition. These metrics speak volumes about how embedding learning into an organization’s DNA leads to tangible business results, from increased employee satisfaction to improved bottom-line performance.
Learning as the Gateway to Lasting Change
But how exactly does learning drive change and sustainable growth? The key lies in the ability to respond to changing conditions and evolve in response to new challenges. It’s not enough for businesses to simply react to market trends; they must anticipate them and have the capabilities to pivot when necessary. In this sense, learning isn’t just about gaining new skills. It’s about developing the collective mindset and processes that allow for continuous adaptation and improvement.
The concept of strategic fit, as discussed in the Harvard Business Review article “The Power of Strategic Fit,” is a critical component of this adaptive learning process. Strategic fit refers to how well a company’s strategy aligns with its internal capabilities and external market opportunities. The article argues that when an organization’s strategy fits well with its strengths and external environment, it creates a competitive advantage. This alignment is not a one-time achievement—it requires constant monitoring and adjustment as both internal and external factors evolve.
Organizations that prioritize learning recognize the value of systemizing every business function to create automated feedback loops. These loops constantly assess results and challenge any tendencies toward inertia and inefficiency. As systems evolve and gain a foothold on overall productivity the loops enable businesses to keep pace with changes in technology, market preferences, and competitive dynamics, ensuring that their strategic fit remains strong. In other words, learning allows companies to stay relevant and agile, which is critical to achieving and sustaining long-term growth.
How to Foster a Learning Culture in Business
- Believe in People and Create Clear Learning Zones
A learning culture starts at the top. Leaders, by definition, are tasked with making everyone else’s lives
better – to bring out the best in their people and help them reach their highest potential. None of this can happen without prioritizing learning over performing and inviting people to contribute and participate without fear of repercussion. Eduardo Briceno’s 11-minute Ted Talk delivers and powerful overview for how to do this – constantly toggling between Learning and Performance Zones.
Leaders should also be willing to embrace failure as part of the learning process. In a culture of learning, mistakes are not seen as weaknesses, but as valuable opportunities to improve[1]. When leaders model this behavior, it helps to break down the fear of failure among employees, encouraging them to experiment and take risks.
- Promote Knowledge Sharing and Collaboration
A learning culture thrives when there is an emphasis on idea sharing and collaborative problem solving. In many organizations, silos, entitlement, and cultural norms can hinder the flow of information. But businesses that prioritize idea sharing and collaboration create an environment where knowledge is shared freely. This not only breaks down silos but creates space where teams can (and often do) find new solutions for old and stubborn problems.
Regular team brainstorming meetings, mentorship programs, and three-week lookahead meetings employing software like Jobtread, BuilderTrend and Slack can facilitate the exchange of ideas and experiences and hugely improve upon customer experience. Continuous learning equates to continuous improvement, can be quantified on bottom line net profit.
- Provide Learning Opportunities for All Levels
A robust learning culture offers learning opportunities to employees at all levels, from entry-level staff to senior management. This ensures that every individual has the tools they need to grow, develop new skills, and increase the velocity of value delivered to all stakeholders.
However, learning shouldn’t just be formalized programs; it should also be embedded in everyday thinking and workplace. Encouraging employees to solve problems creatively, work on cross-functional projects, or participate in stretch assignments provides informal learning opportunities that help develop real-world skills.
Learning is a give and take initiative counterbalanced by teaching. Many leaders in the building industry become too immersed in the day-to-day demands of the business and often miss the many teachable moments that emerge every day. Some of the best learning happens organically in the daily conversations fostered in an environment where learning is prioritized.
- Two Learning Types
When bridging the gap between performance and learning, it’s critical to remember that there are two types of learning, both of which are necessary to growth and productivity:
Proficiency is about becoming more skilled at a specific task or operation. It requires “how to” training and mentoring that frequently employs “if – then” rules to help paint a vivid picture of the desired outcomes and then, how to arrive there.
Creativity is about thinking and behaving proactively. This skill requires an environment of expectation, vision, and safety. The construction industry offers unlimited opportunities for creativity that are too often overshadowed by the daily demands of the business.
A learning environment is one of discipline that yields an abundance of rewards, but it takes very intentional and focused leadership to capture it and capitalize on it. In his book Think Again, author Adam Grant notes that great thinkers maintain what he calls “confident humility”: “They don’t boast about how much they know; they marvel at how little they understand.”
Always wishing you the best!
[1] It is important to recognize that one of the main characteristics of such an environment is a very high standard for excellence and productivity. Mistakes, while important and valuable for growth, are never acceptable when repeated.