Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Create a Learning Culture ~ Adopt a Lil' C.O.L.O.R.

The ability to learn rests on many factors, from biological to environmental. As we step into an era that requires and enables individuals to assume and demonstrate a high degree of responsibility and/or self-motivation to acquire new skills, what does that beg of organizations?  Creating a learning culture is fundamental to an organization's success in attracting top notch highly motivated learners willing and ready to contribute to the organization's success.

Theory Y, postulated by Douglas McGregor, outlined a set of conditions that inform and infuse a culture where human performance thrives.  Today, we're seeing more and more companies adopt these values, which include:
  • Giving individuals an opportunity to freely explore areas of interest on company time.
  • Encouraging play and creativity to inspire collaborative spirit, imagination, and ingenuity.
  • Using rewards over punishment to encourage individuals to assume more responsibility and accountability.
In theory of course, this all sounds great.  But how does an organization actually implement these values while still meeting the challenge of getting the work done, on time and on budget?  By adopting a new lens, one with COLOR.

  • C - Create opportunities for individuals to collaborate during down times. For example, place in the company cafeteria board games and other games that inspire intellectual curiosity and camaraderie. Put a ping pong table in the exercise/fitness room. Have quarterly competitions between departments for various activities and games that contribute to a larger organizational goal.
  • O - Offer incentives for getting projects done on time. Simple gift cards and/or on-the-spot SHOUT OUT notices go a long way in making someone feel appreciated.
  • L - Laugh off the mistakes. Celebrate the wins more often. Take advantage of the human capacity and desire to make a right from a wrong. 
  • O - Operationalize learning.  Ensure that a learning plan exists for every employee. Over time, formalize these plans and associate them with the organization's LMS (learning management system) if you have one. Create learning portfolios for employees to use and demonstrate their own goals and progress in meeting them.
  • R - Reward and recognize the talents of those who exceeded their own goals and objectives. Set the bar high.  Equally so, find candidates who are willing to explore and review errors made and what was learned from the process.  
At the end of the day, we aspire to greatness when we are given the opportunity to stretch beyond our comfort zones with support, demonstrate our capabilities, take risks without the fear of judgment or punishment, and be acknowledged for the positive contributions we can make and/or the lessons learned from our mistakes.

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