How can you encourage learning in a global company?

It is usually difficult to get everyone to focus on one mission. That is why business forms formal or informal knowledge management to enable and facilitate sharing of information through teams, with a collaborative mindset. Strategy teams need to talk to insights team in where are the known-knowns, unknown-knowns, known-unknowns and unknown-knowns, alongside assumptions that crafts the strategy. Learning plan is then set to check assumptions and venture forth into unknown explorations. Placing action standards upon each learning phase helps to facilitate teams to take a pause, a step back, and reaffirm on strategic next steps. Depending on the industry's pace, setting a momentum can spur a corporation's balance between thinking and doing.

Aligning learning with strategy is paramount for organizational success. For instance, when I worked with a tech team, aligning learning efforts with their pivot toward AI enhanced their capabilities and innovation. ???? Regularly measuring the effectiveness of training programs, such as improved customer satisfaction or reduced project timelines, keeps the alignment on track. ?? #LearningStrategy #BusinessAlignment #ImpactfulLearning

Understanding the goals of learning is key to aligning it with the strategy. And the best learning strategy goes way beyond what the participants need to know - it considers their beliefs, their painpoints, their hopes, and the barriers they face. Building learning strategy is a holistic look at what people really need to think, do and believe. And then provides learning experiences that deliver that aha moment.

In the context of knowledge management, technology touchpoints can be utilised to help surmont administrative efforts within the organisation. An effect of technology that is interesting is that it can be utilised to pass information down from one generation of employees to the other, which can be especially useful during long gaps in certain knowledge domains.

Inculcating diversity into learning can possibly help employees to think from other perspective, promoting understanding within the organisation. When teams are geographically dispersed, it means they are capable of bringing in diverse perspectives based on each experience. As employees explore perspectives, it also helps to extend their pool of considerations.

Empowering learners can be another approach. Through a culture of inspiring employees and a routine of reflection, we can help accelerate the employee's learning curve. It speaks to the quote that "We do not learn from experience. We learn from reflecting on experience." A favourite reflection tactic for me was Thinking About Thinking (Metacognition). It is not only a self awareness technique for uncovering about oneself, but by switching perspectives you can think about as uncovering the motive behind stakeholder's actions, if it is driven by thoughts towards a certain end done consciously or subconsciously. It has helped me to switch perspectives and integrate thoughts to form a bigger, holistic planning approach.

I recently worked with a client that needed to shift the learning culture of their Sales organization from RECEIVING training to driving their own development. This mind shift was critical to ensuring they would proactively develop skills that could directly impact their success. By developing a learning strategy that put sales reps in the center of their own learning and development, aligning technology, learning methods and integrating the approach with how they need to learn, we made a transformation that completely shifted how Sales saw learning. Now they actively lean into learning because they see how it helps them succeed and have the results to prove it.

To encourage learning in a global company, create a comprehensive strategy that engages the organization and encourages collaboration. McKinsey & Company suggests using the ACADEMIES? framework to strengthen the L&D function. Foster a global mindset by making globalization a mantra, accumulating international expertise, holding teams accountable, and rethinking legacy systems. Effective global leaders need to be culturally competent, valuing diversity and staying aware of others’ cultural identities. Providing opportunities for employees to gain real-world experience and develop their skills is important.

It make employees feel a part of the team, and promotes a culture of thinking. Collaboration not only helps to bring best ideas (sometimes unconventional ideas) to the table, but given the right leadership guidance, it helps to build up the team member's decision making muscles for future projects/work as well.

Fostering a culture of continuous learning in a global company is akin to nurturing a garden that thrives across borders. Cultivate a shared vision that values growth and curiosity, encouraging employees to embrace learning as a lifelong journey. Facilitate access to diverse learning resources, adapting them to regional preferences and languages. Collaborate with local leaders to identify skill gaps and customize development programs. #GlobalLearningCulture #ContinuousGrowth #NurtureAcrossBorders