The Benefits of Developing a Learning Organisation

If you’ve followed my series of blogs this month, you’ll now understand the meaning of a learning organisation, know how to develop one in your workforce, and recognise the importance.

I now want to conclude by considering the benefits of a learning organisation.

Enhanced employee satisfaction

A learning culture improves employee satisfaction.

Firstly, when you invest in your employees’ development, it shows you value them as individuals and want to help them grow both personally and professionally. This boosts morale and creates a more positive work environment.

When you give employees opportunities to learn new skills and take on new challenges, it increases their sense of ownership and engagement in their work.

They’re more motivated to contribute to your organisation’s goals and feel a greater sense of pride in their accomplishments - ultimately making them more fulfilled in their job, and creating enhanced productivity and performance.

Employee retention

Promoting a culture of learning in your organisation can lead to lower employee turnover.

With enhanced job satisfaction in the work they do, and the opportunities you give them, they’re less likely to want to leave.

This can save you time and money you’d otherwise spend on hiring and training new employees.

Research shows external hiring can cost 1.7 times more than internal hiring (Source: oliverrecruit.co.uk). If you develop your current employees’ skills, you’ll save money in the long run by ensuring you’ve got a steady stream of employees ready to be promoted to the next step in their career.

Market competitiveness

Research from the Chartered Institute of Professional Development (CIPD) shows that fewer than half (47%) of UK employees agree their job offers good opportunities to develop skills.

With many organisations not providing additional staff learning opportunities, promoting a learning culture of learning can make your organisation really stand out against the competition - helping attract potential employees.

Collaboration

A learning culture fosters innovation and creativity within your organisation, as individuals are encouraged to share ideas and collaborate with one another.

This will improve working relationships and teamwork between staff, and also help you stay competitive and adapt to changes in your market sector and in wider society.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this latest series of blogs on the theme of learning organisations.

If you need further information about these approaches, or any other resilience topic, please contact russell@theresiliencecoach.co.uk.