Learning and development as a culture catalyst

What you need to know

• Host leadership focus groups to learn their objectives and gain important program buy-in.
• Conduct a skills gap analysis to understand how to effectively support employees and align strategies to business objectives.
• Incorporate learning and development all year long with different methods like microlearning or mentorship to help all learners retain and embody information.

Learning and development is one of the best ways to empower employees and invest in the organization's success. With role demands shifting thanks to remote work and AI, organizations must re-evaluate how they approach L&D.

We often think of L&D as an annual training session or optional solo coursework. But it’s an opportunity to future-proof your business. When organizations invest time and strategy into L&D, they’re helping their people learn new tech, sharpen soft skills and keep up with the market.

So how do you make your L&D program a game-changer for your business? By shifting your thinking to see L&D as your culture catalyst. Instead of just completing necessary training or hitting key certifications, employees should approach it as an inherent part of their employee experience with your organization.

When employees know and use their strengths, they're six times more likely to be engaged at work. They're more likely to have higher performance. And they're more likely to stay.

That's why getting the right courses, incentives and mentorship is so important. Read on to learn where to start and how to incorporate continuous learning into the overall employee experience.

Gain leadership buy-in for a leadership development program

Engaging leadership is a critical piece of any organization's L&D program. When executives and management are actively involved, employees are more likely to commit.

Connect L&D to business objectives by demonstrating ROI, like with job performance or customer satisfaction scores. Are there organization-wide skill gaps?

Involve leadership early on. Incorporate leadership focus groups to identify needs or stopgaps for your program. Anticipate concerns or objectives and come prepared to address them. You can also get insight into what training or skills they need to meet their objectives. Giving leadership a voice in the process makes them invested in the program’s success.

Questions to ask leadership

• What are your top priorities?
• What indicators of success are most important?
• What critical skills are needed to perform your priorities?
• What skills are on the rise in your industry?

These questions help identify gaps. It also helps you create a framework for your L&D program that aligns with business objectives.

Conduct a skills gap analysis

Don't just rely on management feedback for what to include in your L&D program. Work with employees at all levels to get a deeper understanding of what support they need. That can consist of soft skills like communication or hard skills like analytics.

A skills gap analysis will help you identify skills or knowledge gaps for key roles in your organization. Metrics like turnover rates and unmet KPIs could point you to specific training needs. Insights from decision-makers will help you with employee buy-in and uncover more nuanced needs.

Start a skills gap analysis with performance reviews or self-assessments to discover education opportunities. Then, get detailed feedback with one-on-one employee interviews, polls or focus groups.

Questions to ask employees

• Do you feel like your skills are underused?
• If you could solve one business problem with L&D, what would it be?
• What skills do you think someone in your role needs to do their job most effectively and efficiently?
• Are there new programs or technologies you feel are important to use in your work?

Providing resources to encourage employee growth and development shows you value their work. When employees feel valued or feel they're contributing to the business's overall success, they're more likely to be engaged and stay with the organization.

Incorporate continuous learning and mentorships

L&D is more than coursework. Mentorship, group training and networking are all elements of development. Look for opportunities to develop teams year-round, or in preparation for organizational changes or events.

For example, at our company-wide, in-person ITA Group Summit, we created breakout groups led by ambassadors. During these small workshops, remote and in-person employees worked together to tie solutions back to corporate initiatives. These microlearning opportunities helped us embody a sense of innovation (a strategic business priority).

A culture of continuous learning opens doors for new ways to learn and connect with coworkers. Not everyone learns the same way or even has the same opportunities to connect. Switching up learning styles promotes innovation and helps employees retain information while getting to know one another.

Continue to support employees with options during the year too, like online coursework, job shadowing or group workshops. Consider incentivizing learning and motivating employees by recognizing growth with a shout-out or rewards program.

Related: ITA Group’s employee engagement platform

Track Learning and development metrics

Keep your L&D strategy agile by tracking key metrics and feedback as you go. Data measured during your program will help you enrich the program and ensure you're staying on top of business objectives. But don’t overlook the power (and necessity) of verbal feedback. Conduct group or on-on-one interviews with leaders, managers and employees to hear what resonates. You’ll likely get more candid responses.

Signs your Learning and development program is aligned with team needs

• Participation or completion rates
• Productivity or performance
• Promotions
• General feedback

Evolve trainings based on feedback. Some courses might become irrelevant, while others might have been needed yesterday! Routinely check on your goals and metrics and watch on industry trends. AI wasn't even part of the conversation five years ago, and now it's one of the most sought after upskilling topics.

Grow your employee experience with a learning and development strategy

L&D is a win-win for company culture, and it provides an active solution to address knowledge and experience gaps. By working with leadership and employees, you can create a sustainable culture of learning that connects your people and takes your business to the next level.

Build a culture of learning and engagement. Get the road map to launch a successful L&D program with our ultimate guide to aligning employee experience programs.