High-Impact Learning Culture

Is Learning Part of Your Corporate Culture?

Leading companies value and encourage learning as an integral component of their corporate cultures. These firms create and sustain a learning culture – that is, a “collective set of organizational values, conventions, processes and practices” that continuously impels organizations and individuals to build “knowledge, competence and performance.” Leaders of high-performance firms consider such “strategic capability development” and information exchange to be absolutely necessary.

For example, Qualcomm uses a 52-week storytelling program to educate new employees about the company’s tradition of innovation. Throughout their first year, new hires receive weekly emails with stories explaining why the firm is special, how it operates and what drives its mission and values. These knowledge-sharing tales are pivotal to Qualcomm’s learning culture.

Such a culture creates – and relies on – trust. It empowers workers by building their capabilities and encouraging reflection and analysis. Leaders must constantly reinforce such learning. Because the most effective learning is informal, managers should use “stretch goals and stretch...