Is Your Company a Learning Organization?

In order for a company to reach exponential increases YOY in revenue and profit and to do so on a long-term, sustainable basis, it must be a learning organization. Simply (far too simply) put, a learning organization is an organization that learns. Not only does the organization or company learn, but it does so because of, at least, the following:

• The company (the leaders, managers, influencers and engaged employees) are committed to learning.
• They learn collectively.
• They learn cumulatively.
• They learn continuously.
• They share ideas and brainstorm out loud in an environment that encourages it and rewards it.
• They create knowledge together.
• They acquire knowledge together.
• They transfer knowledge to one another.
• They record what they learn.
• They test what they learn in projects such as demonstration projects.
• They record key learnings.
• They implement what they learn.
• They execute on what they learn.
• They measure what they learn.
• They manage what they learn.
• They learn from history.
• They build and change systems, procedures and even policy based on what they learn and prove out.

A learning organization does all of the above and does them all consistently. A learning organization continually improves. A learning organization has a strong competitive advantage over a company that is not a learning organization.

Learning expands a company’s capacity to grow and improve on a level of sustained excellence. Learning expands a company’s bandwidth. Learning enables a company to achieve BHAGs, overcome obstacles, clear high bars and achieve targeted results.

Culture is a big driver behind a company being a learning organization….who is the company, what do they believe in and how do they get the work done.