Continuous Learning - it's about being in the workflow

I've got to finish these articles I promised Shekar Mani so I can get to my annual Spooky Stories of L&D. Lean, Six Sigma, Continuous Improvement. Chances you've heard about or experienced these practices; but I bet you didn't know that some of the practices of continuous improvement came from TWI's Job Instruction.

So, let's reverse it. How can Continuous Improvement (CI) influence Continuous Learning (CL)? CI plays a vital role in shaping and sustaining CL. The principles of CI - constantly seeking ways to enhance processes, eliminate inefficiencies, and raise performance standards—align seamlessly with the goals of continuous learning. By regularly evaluating and refining the workflow processes, technologies, and ecosystem, you create opportunities to identify skill gaps and new learning needs, making the learning process adaptive and relevant.

For example, as individuals and teams develop their capabilities, they naturally encounter new challenges, which necessitate new skills learning and application. This drives the demand for just-in-time learning, peer mentoring and on-the-job coaching. Continuous improvement also ensures that learning isn’t static; instead, it evolves alongside the business, keeping employees up to date and engaged.

And this is one of the reasons why I'm "pushing" so hard on using in-house technology, processes, etc. Anything external to the internal workflow ecosystem most likely does not have the flexibility, adaptability, and integration needed to keep up with the pace of change within the organization.

It's like this article I wrote about the personalized learning craze, that L&D tech or design model is generally one size fits all, linear and/or process driven. Learning teams need more agile, informal, work-and-tech-integrated approaches that can adapt to continuous change while still ensuring learning, application, capability building and competency achievement.

What might that look like?

Key Characteristics of Continuous Learning with a little CI thrown in:

Learning Becomes Part of the Workflow:

• Learning happens in real-time, embedded into employees' day-to-day tasks. Employees no longer have to pause their work to learn in another system; instead, they access learning materials, job aids, guides, videos, knowledge bases or receive feedback through platforms such as Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, or WhatsApp. Employees can quickly find solutions or learn new processes as needed.
• Embed Kaizen principles directly into the daily workflow, encouraging employees to consistently reflect on what they are learning and how they can improve processes as they apply their knowledge and skills.
• Employees can integrate learning into their day-to-day tasks by constantly applying the PDCA cycle. After learning a new skill, they can Plan how to apply it, Do the task with the new skill, Check if the result improved, and Act by refining the process further if needed.

Ownership of Development:

• Employees take greater ownership of their learning and development. With support from managers and leaders, they proactively seek out new opportunities to grow, requesting additional responsibilities, tasks, or learning materials to develop new skills.
• Continuous learning empowers employees to recognize gaps in their knowledge and address them by using available tools and resources.
• Encourage employees to regularly self-assess their performance as part of their continuous learning journey. Using tools like root cause analysis or 5 Whys, employees can identify areas where they need to improve and seek out learning opportunities to close these gaps.
• Employees can organize small Kaizen events within their teams to address areas where learning needs to be enhanced or where knowledge gaps are slowing down performance. This gives them ownership of their development while fostering a culture of continuous improvement.

Manager Support and Coaching:

• Managers and leaders actively support continuous learning by encouraging team members to seek growth opportunities. They create a culture where learning is celebrated and integral to job performance.
• Managers and leaders can conduct Gemba walks to observe employees as they apply their new skills on the job. This allows them to provide real-time coaching and feedback, supporting continuous learning while identifying areas for continuous improvement.

Peer Networks and Social Learning:

• Peer-to-peer collaboration and social learning are emphasized. Teams or departments create learning networks where employees can share experiences, tips, and resources, enhancing their knowledge.
• Microsoft Teams channels and WhatsApp groups can be used for peer knowledge sharing, ensuring that learning happens across the organization rather than in silos.

Experiential Learning and On-the-Job Practice:

• Employees are encouraged to learn by doing. This stage focuses on experiential learning, where employees take on new roles or responsibilities to practice and improve their skills.
• Job shadowing, mentoring, and rotating roles are common practices to reinforce learning while employees are on the job.

KPIs for Continuous Learning:

Internal Mobility and Capacity Growth:

• Increased internal promotions and lateral movements reflect the success of continuous learning initiatives.
• Measurable improvements in team and department performance as employees apply new skills and adapt to changing business needs.
• Increased participation in learning programs, peer networks, and on-the-job development initiatives.
• Regular assessments through feedback loops, where employees receive real-time coaching and performance feedback.

In-House Technology Integration:

Microsoft Teams - Use Teams to create dedicated learning channels for peer mentoring, on-the-job coaching, and collaborative learning networks. Teams can be used to provide real-time feedback and share updates on new practices.

SharePoint - SharePoint acts as a central hub for all learning materials, job aids, and instructional content. Employees can access these resources directly as they work, enabling just-in-time learning.

WhatsApp - For mobile employees, WhatsApp can be used for quick nudges, reminders, and collaboration, keeping learning integrated into their daily tasks.

Power Automate - Set up automated reminders and nudges that prompt employees to review key learning materials or schedule mentoring sessions. This helps ensure continuous engagement with learning content (see previous articles Reactive, Structured, and Capability for other workflow technology suggestions).

Conclusion:

Before I go, you may be asking, "how do I get continuous learning off the ground in my company?" The answer lies in bench strength—not just in developing it, but in using it to identify the talent gaps that should motivate continuous learning. In fact, one might argue that if more organizations did this regularly, with both current and future strength in mind, the great "skills" conversation probably wouldn't be what it is today.

Bench strength helps you evaluate the depth of talent across your organization, exposing areas where critical talent shortages may be lacking or where employees are not fully prepared to step into new roles. By assessing bench strength, you can pinpoint where your team’s capabilities fall short, whether it's in leadership readiness, technical expertise, or adaptability to change.

Once these gaps are identified, continuous learning becomes not just an initiative but a necessity. It’s about using the insights from your bench strength analysis to tailor learning programs that address real business needs. This helps ensure that your learning strategy is focused on filling those critical gaps—whether it’s through job shadowing, peer mentoring, or targeted development programs. In this way, bench strength not only highlights areas for improvement but also drives the momentum behind building a culture of continuous learning that is both strategic and directly tied to performance outcomes.

Continuous Learning is about embedding learning into the fabric of everyday work life, ensuring that employees are constantly improving and applying new skills on the job. It fosters a culture of self-directed growth, real-time feedback, and peer collaboration, all while leveraging existing technology like Microsoft Teams and SharePoint to make learning easy, relevant, and accessible. Through continuous learning, organizations can drive sustainable performance improvements and keep their workforce engaged and adaptable.

Thanks for reading. One more to go Shekar...