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Deep, sustainable development requires
strengthening underlying health and well being, and creating a foundation
upon which change and growth can stand. For this to happen, organizations
and the individuals within them need to work together to create
conditions that promote continuous growth.
Cultivate
environment that supports learning
Organizations can facilitate professional and organizational growth
and development by ensuring their systems and processes support
information sharing and learning. In organizations that focus on
learning,
1. Managers skillfully structure and staff projects to create learning
opportunities. Individuals are challenged while being supported
with the resources they need to learn and succeed.
2. People see a clear link between development and success. Assessment,
compensation, and advancement systems are designed to encourage
responsible risk-taking and reward growth and development.
3. Communities of practioners and learning networks are recognized,
valued, and supported. Knowledge sharing not knowledge itself is
power. People know who to contact for information and help. They
are given time, tools, recognition, and rewards for sharing what
they know and helping others learn. Withholding knowledge and support
has negative consequences.
4. People actively involve others in their development. Leaders
openly discuss their development goals and efforts. Everyone is
expected to maintain and share a personal development plan. People
have the skills and motivation to give constructive feedback.
Creating a learning culture usually requires only minimal changes
to human resource systems and processes. The key challenge is changing
what people believe because this affects what they do when no one
is watching. Organizations could start by helping people understand
how their work contributes to their organization’s success and how
learning and information sharing creates value in their organization.
| In addition, organizations should
recognize people and groups who model desired behaviors. In
most cases, people most value the freedom and resources to
do more of they are doing (e.g., time to cultivate learning
networks and encouragement to innovate). |
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Assess
your organization’s learning environment |
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Expect people to take responsibility
for their own growth
In today’s global economy, leaders need to navigate through fundamental
and tumultuous change without a map. Doing this requires core learning
skills: assessing the environment, anticipating changes, identifying
possibilities, developing plans, and correcting oneself amid action.
People accelerate their growth and development by
1. Recognizing their learning needs and responding to them creatively.
2. Involving others in their learning: drawing upon wide, diverse
networks for advice and support, finding coaches and mentors, sharing
their development goals with those around them, and actively seeking
feedback.
3. Becoming better learners: understanding their learning styles,
actively developing new learning tactics and strategies, and improving
their ability to listen to and observe themselves.
| Because Asian education traditions
focus on helping students to absorb large amounts of prescribed
knowledge, even the best graduates are often not skilled in
planning their development or managing their learning. Investing
in enhancing their learning skills often yields large dividends.
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Assess
your personal learning and development strategy |
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