The Importance of Learning Culture in Recruitment

Every business and organisation develops its own culture over time, with many leaders purposefully guiding the culture in a particular direction. Some elements of a work culture can indeed be cultivated, while others tend to form naturally from the personalities in the workplace.

In recruitment, the culture can have a massive impact on the success of the business. That’s why it is important to develop a culture of learning where every member of the team is encouraged to keep improving their skills and expanding their knowledge.

So what exactly is a learning culture and how can we encourage its development in the workplace? Here we look at the benefits of a learning culture and how to implement one at your business.

What is a Learning Culture?

Cultivating a learning culture amongst your team goes far beyond simply providing training and professional development. These aspects are important of course, but a true learning culture derives from the attitude, values and beliefs of the team.

In a workplace with a strong learning culture, there will be no need to force training and development on anyone. It will be a part of the daily routine, with each member of staff possessing a keen appetite for broadening their horizons and levelling-up their skills.

Learning Culture Benefits

The benefits of a true learning culture are numerous, and they include measurable growth within the individuals as well as the business itself. It will make your team much more flexible and agile, with individuals and departments that can adapt to change and unexpected events.

Learning cultures can also increase profitability as your teams adopt smarter and more efficient ways of performing their tasks. This leads to an improvement in job satisfaction, which itself enhances the business’ appeal to talented candidates.

How to Introduce a Learning Culture

Introducing a learning culture is obviously the first step if it doesn’t already exist at your workplace. It takes time, as all cultural elements do, and will require team work and synergy between departments.

It won’t be possible to develop a truly beneficial learning culture if certain departments operate completely separately from each other. There must be inter-departmental collaboration in order for the learning culture to become truly embedded in the business.

Training and development must also become a normal part of the day, and not something that happens every now and then. It should be woven into the very fabric of the business from top to bottom and everywhere in between. The training should be structured and measurable so that constant improvement is a natural by-product of the day-to-day operations.

One good method is to implement is group learning, where everyone can share their knowledge and help each other learn. Group learning also helps establish and maintain the shared set of values and priorities that are the foundation stones of any culture.

Learning Culture Leadership

Leadership is crucial when it comes to developing a learning culture in the workplace. Managers, department heads and team leaders all influence the workplace culture every day, so they must be on board and working together to introduce the culture of learning.

These leaders have the most opportunity to communicate with both regular employees as well as executives, and it is them who are ideally positioned to amplify the importance and relevance of learning and development.

The leadership within a business will set the targets and constantly review everyone’s progression. They will also be responsible for rewarding team members who enthusiastically buy into the learning culture and keep improving themselves and those around them.

In the recruitment environment, the leadership will also be guiding the teams towards the most valuable and relevant skills in their roles and beyond. This ultimately creates a self-sustaining cycle of positive reinforcement which is how the learning culture will become embedded in the ethos of the business.

It doesn’t happen overnight, and it needs everybody to get on board with the concept. But once it becomes embedded, your learning culture will keep improving and motivating your team in perpetuity.