From upskilling to “and-skilling,” organizations need to invest in creating. lifelong learners at work.
A company is only as innovative as its employees. That’s why organizations everywhere are looking for new ways to create a culture of lifelong learning.
To stay ahead, companies need to give their employees easy ways to acquire new skills.
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ServiceNow’s Cat Lang has had a ringside seat to the evolution of employee training programs. As ServiceNow’s senior vice president for global education, she is constantly seeking opportunities to build learning into every employee’s journey.
We sat down with Cat to find out what it means to create a learning culture and how business leaders can build one of their own.
Q: What is a learning culture?
Cat Lang: A learning culture at an organization means that its leaders are constantly thinking about talent development and not just training. They need to face the fact that if they’re planning their digital transformation, if they’re planning the types of solutions and outcomes they want to get, they also need to be thinking about their own workforce and the opportunities that they’re providing to individual employees within their company. That’s not just a one-off; it’s a whole cultural way of thinking.
Q: How can companies build a learning culture while they pursue digital transformation?
Lang: First off, they need to ask themselves: How are we communicating with people whose jobs are changing? How can we support them through custom training or events that help them understand why it’s beneficial to them? This approach captures the hearts and minds of the people who actually do the work. That’s the talent transformation, when you get real buy-in from individuals who are using the new solutions.
Q: Do you have advice on getting that buy-in?
Lang: Executives need to be very clear on what the opportunity is. It sounds basic, but most companies are very task-oriented in their job descriptions. Instead, they need to sell the career opportunity. Sure, there will be a period of mentoring and gaining experience in a new role. But if they’re already familiar with the business, newly trained workers can be productive in two months versus the six to nine months required for someone who’s completely new. Given the opportunity and given the support, people will take advantage of learning and development opportunities if they see the benefits.
Editor’s note: This story originally appeared in the Unleashing Digital Value issue of ServiceNow’s Workflow publication.
