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The Learning Organization and the Leading Learner

Guest post by: John Grubbs

Article Overview: What is a learning organization? How does a leading learner transform the typical organization from one of mediocrity to a machine of excellence? The Harvard Business Review states that only 10% of people have a learning mindset. These are people that constantly seek out and absorb learning. I call these people leading learners when they also happen to occupy a leadership position within an organization.

The Learning Organization and the Leading Learner

What is a learning organization?How does a leading learnertransform the typical organization from one of mediocrity to a machine of excellence? The Harvard Business Review states that only 10% of people have a learning mindset.These are people that constantly seek out and absorb learning.I call these people leading learners when they also happen to occupy a leadership position within an organization.

That means 90% ofpeople will typically not look to improvetheir own job skills without a little push. They typicallymust be forced through mandatory continuing education requirements such as CEUsfor accountants or stock brokers. Imagine the quality of service from a physician if learning ended at graduation from medical schoolthirty years ago.

Sadly, too many managers view training and education as an interference with the work to be completed. These myopic managers are quick to cut training and education first when the business faces afinancial challenge. In reality, this is the worst place to cut your operational expenses. If people are going to be asked to do more with less, training should actually be increased. So, why are so many smart managers quick to cut when they should reinforce from the top? That's the million-dollar question we are going to answer for you. Remember, the leading learner sees with absolute clarity the need to train and develop subordinates during tough times. While the average manager (part of the 90%) sees training and development as a cost that must be trimmed in order to maintain profit margin. The two views are typically polar opposites based on the historical learning experiences of the leader or the manager.

Leading learners have a positive view of training and development and tend to transfer that same view to subordinates within the learning organization. While typical managers resist training expenditures to the point that subordinates simply will not ask for an investment in learning unless required or mandated by some external force. Over time, like-minded managers get promoted and the organization will evolve into either one type or the other. Leading learners see change as a requirement for improvement while typical managers see change as painful external force that resembles the enemy or competition.Change and learning are parts of the samethinking that create value in the form of a competitive advantage. Sadly, most managers simply will not change or seek learning until it is too late and the competition has already taken advantage of the market opportunity.

Even more amazing is the fact that too many organizations invest millions in the least effective form of training without tracking any of the expense. This hidden cost of informal on-the-job training can transfer bad habits as well as ineffective procedures from one person to another and create a climate that actually devalues training as a collective waste of time and money. Having Mary watch Tom work until she is ready to try the job on her own transfers very little knowledge while costing the organization a significant amount of money. These labor dollars are typically absorbed incorrectly as direct labor intentionally because if they were visible, typical managers would look to trim these costs as well. The result is a game played by most organizations that perpetuates poor quality training that is often hidden from management view. Ignorance is truly bliss.

Leading learners value effective training so the costs are typically not hidden from view. Since these leading learnerssee inherent value, subordinate managers are often proud of their investment rather than ashamed of the cost. These learning organizations evolve and begin to fine-tune procedures. They become more efficient and ultimately, effective over time. Standards are updated and quality improves at every metric. Standardization results in minimized variation and organizational excellence is soon to follow.

Quality training is absolutely guaranteed to make you money. Human resources become more effective at performing whatever activity you pay them toaccomplish daily. Training reduces turnover and enables your team to respond to daily as well as market challenges. Whether it be customer service, sales or communication. Leading learners know that poor customer service costs a tremendous amount to the organization.

Typical managers, on the other hand, are conveniently "ignorant" of the cost of losing a customer or not making the sale. They choose to see little or no correlation between learning and business performance. They cannot understand that effective training creates the savings and other challenges they seek to accomplish. Leading learners view training and development as a proactive method to continually improve the performance of the individual, department and the organization. In a world-class learning organization, training and development will remain during tough economic times while those who choose not to perform are liberated or de-hired. If your organization has obliterated training and development in 2009-2010, please respond and help me understand how that thinking makes sense.

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Article Tags: Development, Leaders, Learning Organization, Training
Referred by: http://www.thetrainingbank.com/



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