Building a successful learning ecosystem in your company

22 October4 min read
Building a successful learning ecosystem in your company

In the corporate world, having effective employee learning and development programs is an absolute necessity. These help in keeping employees’ skills updated, which is truly necessary for this day and age. According to a survey by Harvard Business Review, most companies struggle with this, as indicated by the following numbers: 

  • 75% of surveyed managers were unhappy with the company’s learning and development
  • 70% of surveyed employees reported that they aren’t as skilful as they should be
  • Only 12% of employees have been able to apply their newly acquired skills to their jobs
  • Only 25% of survey participants training plays a significant role in improving performance

But companies are not entirely at fault. As the world is changing at a much faster pace, ensuring continuous learning has become a bigger challenge. Now, having a relevant degree is no longer all you need to land a job. You need to keep abreast with the latest technologies and innovations in your field to stay ahead. This is why organizations now follow a more agile approach towards continuous learning and upskilling. 

What is corporate learning?

Corporate learning is a company-wide learning program that ties in the company’s current strategy to its future goals. It takes the organization’s core objectives into account to maintain high performance with measurable improvement. While learning is a part of this, teams and individuals should be allowed to define their terms of learning, based on their needs. Developing corporate learning should be a part of company culture, rather than a one-time practice. 

E-learning as the core of corporate training

For most of the world, classroom training was the norm or any kind of upskilling or learning. Since 2020, this has vastly shifted to e-learning, as companies were forced to go digital. This remote model is here to stay, and most companies have seen the benefits of this. With e-learning, companies can reap the following benefits: 

  • People in different locations and time zone can take part in the same training
  • Trainings can be configured for various languages to make them more accessible
  • Remote training saves a lot on commute time, hence also reducing carbon emissions
  • E-learning programs need not be limited to a fixed number of participants
  • Companies can try different digital tools to simulate a classroom model

Choosing the right corporate learning management software

To find a learning management software that works for your company needs, you need to begin by defining your learning objective. There are e-learning platforms, learning management systems and learning experience platforms that are developed with the core objective of making e-learning more agile, human-centric and goal-oriented. 

  • E-learning platforms host ready-made learning content
  • Corporate learning management systems (LMS) are centralized learning platforms that also allow to organize and track employees- learning initiatives
  • Learning experience platforms (LXP) provide a place for collaborative and applied learning, apart from content delivery

In 2021, LXPs are a more practical choice as they encourage learning rather than just delivering the knowledge. In the Howspace platform, the AI is able to organize, categorize and summarize users’ feedback and comments to get a better insight on the learning objectives and effectiveness. It helps define employees’ objectives and aligns them with the corporate learning goals to create a more cohesive learning plan. Such tools can actually impact the organization as a whole. 

Making corporate learning a part of company culture

An organization as a whole can only grow with continuous learning. For continuous learning, one-time trainings aren’t enough. There have to be continuous opportunities to learn and grow as individuals and teams. Inculcating learning as a part of daily routine and work will bring in more opportunities to improve. Learning has to be a social, interactive process that is inclusive and takes everyone’s goals into account. The knowledge gathered should be applicable at work immediately to reap the benefits of the training. 

A corporate learning platform should be an ecosystem of strategies, processes and tools that integrate seamlessly with the company’s goals. 

Acknowledging generational differences

With every passing year, the general workforce is getting younger with GenX being replaced by millennials, millennials being replaced by GenZ, and so on, with Baby Boomers currently taking up most of the leadership roles. While Baby Boomers prioritize job stability, millennials may prioritize the company culture and values. So the need for effective learning that impacts different generations accordingly is necessary to move a company towards continuous development. This can also directly impact employee retention, as the younger generations are more aware of the opportunities they have and the need for constant upskilling. 

 
With an agile corporate learning and development system, it becomes easier to retain talent. Companies should assess the needs of their employees to create learning opportunities that apply to everyone. 

  Want to test yourself how Howspace works? Start your 30-day free trial here.  

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