Where would organizations be without their people?
Picture: The Learner
Have you ever found yourself commenting under your breath about yet another policy being pushed down from above? Do your experiences at work find you wondering if you really are just another number in the cog of industry? Does the organization that you are a part of pay lip service to how valuable their people are, yet their actions really seem to indicate otherwise?
Ok, enough of the negative questions.
Are you fortunate enough to be part of an organization that values the insight and opinions of all employees? Do the organization’s leaders consult with employees before implementing policies that will affect those same employees? Do leaders within the organization understand the practiced art of listening? Does the organization that you are a part of demonstrate every day how valuable their people are, through both words and actions?
Now it’s a fact that learning and development initiatives will continue to take place in either type of organization implied above (or in an organization that falls somewhere in between the two extremes). The issue to consider is what type of organization is likely to see success from training initiatives. One that sees and believes that they have automatons collecting pay every two weeks? Or one that sees people and opportunities, (in short, an organization that believes the heart is as important as the brain)?
How the organizational leadership views their employees is an important component of any training and development program; if they view them as the former (automatons with no hearts), then perhaps an attitude adjustment is required first. After all, if the organization is to succeed over the long term then its people must also.
Or am I living in too idealistic a world?
Attitudes toward learning
The value that an organization places on learning external to the workplace environment, typically reflects on the value placed on training options internal to the organization. Are employees encouraged to pursue learning or training opportunities through external sources? For example, is there a tuition reimbursement program that reimburses employees for a part if not all of tuition costs incurred when registering for and successfully completing night courses or certificate programs? Or does management frequently parrot the phrase that “that’s all fine and dandy, but life experience is what counts”? If training inside an organization is to be valued, employee professional development external to the organization must also be valued. One should necessarily encourage the other. Creating a well trained workforce, regardless of where that training was obtained, can only help to drive those things that are desirable in any organization: morale, profitability, flexibility, loyalty, etc.
Consider organizations that don’t value learning, either internally or externally. What does your anecdotal view of these types of organizations reveal to you? If you see inflexible, stagnant, uncaring organizations, you are probably correct. Now to be fair, not all organizations have the resources necessary to invest in learning initiatives on a large scale, but a healthy attitude toward learning and development doesn’t have to come with a monetary cost, and there are numerous creative ways that organizations can capitalize on their current store of value. Working closely with their own employees organizations can create opportunities for sharing and growth that will play out in creating a positive learning attitude.
