Learnability is one of the most valuable qualities an employee can have in today’s business world. It enables workers to adapt to the constantly shifting needs of the workplace. As such, the last decade has seen learnability becoming one of the most valuable soft skills necessary to stay relevant in the organizational environment.
Innovations in technology, the advent of the internet, and subsequent globalization have had a profound impact on the professional landscape. The increased rate of change due to these factors has seen to learnability becoming an indispensable trait that employers must look for during the recruitment process as well as fostering it in the employee development process.
The Importance of Learnability
The consistent developing of their professional skills is what makes employees remain attractive to their employers. In fact, the factors that are linked with employee success such as productivity, agility, and job satisfaction have a causal link to the ability to learn and change. This ability, therefore, is one of the significant determinants of career advancement.
From a managerial perspective, learnability is what ensures that the organization’s workforce is able to quickly adapt to changes in technology and industry standards. This allows the company to remain competitive in the market.
Therefore, HR managers who foster learnability in their organizations are putting the company in a win-win situation. An employee that embraces the learning mindset is likely to enhance their skills and further their career while the organization benefits from enhanced employee knowledge, engagement, and experience which increases productivity, profits, and industry relevance.
Here are some techniques you could use to foster learnability in your organization.
1. Prioritize Learnability as One of The Core Employee Traits in The Recruitment Process
Eager and curious employees that want to learn tend to be more engaged, satisfied, and productive. In fact, a study revealed that curiosity is one of the most significant contributors towards enhanced learning. Additionally, such employees are unlikely to hop jobs. Personality traits that have been linked to learnability include curiosity, personal development, divergent thinking, innovativeness, ambition, and openness to change.
As such, utilizing personality questionnaires such as the Business Personality Reflections will allow you to assess these traits earlier on in the recruitment process. Individuals who possess these attributes are easier to train and should be considered first when hiring new employees. During the recruitment cycle, the use of behavioral interview questions and reliable psychometric assessments should help employers fill the available positions with persons who have an aptitude for learning.
2. Encourage the Yearning to Learn
Companies must set some time aside for their employees to further their skills while learning new things through professional development and attending workshops. Managers should also lead by example if learnability is to be viewed as the norm in the organization.
Having an ethos within the company that embraces knowledge seeking can have a positive impact on morale, motivation, and productivity. It also provides a platform where new ideas can be brought into the workplace while serving as an avenue where employees can ask ‘why.’ When employees feel that they have the freedom to question new ideas, it can increase their job satisfaction since they feel that their input is valued.
3. Employ Diverse Training Techniques
People digest information in various ways and this is why there is a variety of learning styles. Therefore, you cannot use the same training style for all your employees. For instance, some people are visual learners and can learn best through PowerPoint presentations which contain colorful graphics, while others are linguistic and may learn best by listening or reading.
Training should also be approached based on the specific field. For example, technical industries such as the manufacturing industry may benefit more from hands-on or experiential learning rather than just reading a manual.
4. Reward Employees Who Display the Desire to Learn
In order to foster learnability in an organization, it is important to reward employees that display a learning mindset. This is an effective way of reinforcing learning in the company as well as setting an example for other employees who aren’t as enthusiastic to professional development. Remember, a good manager is not only responsible for his/her own development, but that od their employees as well. As such, it is fundamental that you reward professional learning behaviors in order to streamline work processes and increase productivity.
The above points show that it is management’s responsibility to provide a blueprint that encourages an innovative culture to be the norm. When you have employees that have a learning mindset, the organization is more apt to navigate through any challenges that it may face in the competitive landscape, and thus, remain relevant.
