Unlocking learning agility in the workplace
Although in-demand skillsets have evolved rapidly in recent years, many organizations struggle to keep pace. Ineffective strategies, reduced budgets and a lack of learning resources have negatively impacted learner engagement and created ever-widening skill gaps.
Yet it can be difficult to identify skill gaps and measure their ramifications on an organization because business needs are constantly changing. Adding to the complexity is a low rate of engagement that undermines the learning culture and hinders employees from taking responsibility for their own learning.
However, with the right approach, it is possible to drive agile learning to create a high-performing and highly engaged workforce to help deliver business goals.
The Human Advantage
If you’ve listened to episodes from “The Human Advantage”, the new podcast series from CrossKnowledge, host Renan has been speaking to top L&D and HR leaders from around the world about topics that they consider important. Recently, Renan spoke to Tijana Catenazzi, an HR leader at Baxter International, about learning agility. The podcast episode explores how to unlock learning agility and a culture of continuous learning within organizations.
Throughout her career, Tijana has demonstrated a remarkable ability to build learning communities, promote coaching cultures, and navigate the ever-evolving landscape of talent development. In fact, Tijana built a learning community at Baxter and this deep commitment to continuous learning has made her a driving force behind transformative initiatives within the Company.
A culture of continuous learning
If you listen to the full 20-minute episode, Tijana and Renan talk about L&D’s role in cultivating learning agility, strategies for promoting learning agility despite time constraints, and the pivotal role of company culture in fostering a learning mindset.
Here are some of Tijana’s key insights:
Embrace curiosity and adaptability
Tijana defines learning agility as having the curiosity to step out of comfort zones, the openness to new experiences and the habit of self-reflection. Cultivating a mindset of perpetual learning and adaptability is paramount for sustained success and personal growth.
Cultivating a learning culture is everyone’s responsibility
Fostering a culture of learning isn’t just the role of HR or L&D. It requires commitment from all levels of the organization. And while L&D initiatives set the tone, it is the responsibility of all stakeholders to integrate learning agility into the organization’s DNA, emphasizing collective commitment to growth and development.
L&D’s role in promoting learning agility
L&D departments should act as orchestrators, aligning learning initiatives with organizational goals and needs. Tijana underscores the importance of understanding business requirements, stakeholder management, and tailoring learning experiences to current challenges. By facilitating collaboration and providing resources, L&D empowers individuals to effectively embrace learning agility.
Empowerment through collaboration
Tijana’s project of building a learning community at Baxter exemplifies the power of collaboration and co-creation. By involving employees from different sites, sharing best practices, and fostering a sense of ownership, she created a platform where learning became intrinsic to Baxter’s organizational culture.
Drive agile learning for a more effective workforce
At CrossKnowledge, we know that organizations with a high-performing learning culture demonstrate a willingness to flex and adapt their style. Most are moving away from traditional face-to-face pedagogical training towards a more effective blended approach that includes programmatic upskilling and dynamic social interactions.
We also know that when organizations have team members who champion agility and show the way, they can get reluctant co-workers to support their transition to organizational agility and overcome obstacles to change.