CREATINGLEARNING
CULTURES
Assessing
the evidence

ReportApril 2020

The CIPD is the professional body for HR and people
development. The registered charity champions better work
and working lives and has been setting the benchmark forexcellence in people and organisation development for
more than 100 years. It has more than 150,000 members
across the world, provides thought leadership throughindependent research on the world of work, and offers
professional training and accreditation for those working in
HR and learning and development.

Creating learning cultures: assessing the evidence

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Creating learning cultures:assessing the evidenceContents
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Summary2

Introduction
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What is a learning culture? 

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Making the case for taking a systemic approach to learning

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Barriers to embedding learning

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How can organisations embed learning in their workplace?

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Conclusion14

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Appendix15

Acknowledgements
This report was written by Mel Green and Jake Young at the CIPD. We’d like tothank our colleagues at the CIPD for their helpful feedback on this report. In
addition, we’d like to thank the CIPD L&D advisory group members and Jude
Kittley from BAE Systems for their invaluable input as we scoped this project.

Publication information
When citing this report, please use the following citation:
CIPD. (2020) Creating learning cultures: assessing the evidence.
London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

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Summary

Workplaces need to invest in the learning and development of their workforce to stay
future-fit in a complex and competitive world of work. Creating a supportive environment
for learning is an important part of ensuring employees and the wider organisation havethe right capabilities to adapt and respond to challenges in an agile and effective way.
The CIPD’s Professionalising Learning and Development report found that 98% of learningand development (L&D) practitioners wish to develop a positive culture for learning,but only 36% feel like they’ve developed one. A key question is, therefore: how can L&D
practitioners take action to embed learning into their organisation’s day-to-day practice?
In this report, we explore the evidence on what a learning culture is, what the benefits are,and what practical steps professionals can take to support learning.
What is the definition of a ‘learning culture’?
Our review of the scientific evidence found that there are several definitions of learning
culture, including related concepts such as the learning organisation and learning climate.
While there is no unifying definition or theory of learning culture, there are several
common concepts that can be found in many of the definitions:• supporting individual learning and transformation, and allowing this knowledge to shapestrategy and process• encouraging teams to learn and reflect on their work and proactively influence strategy
and process change• a willingness to learn and improve from the wider organisation and key decision-makers.
Is ‘learning culture’ a useful term or concept?
Culture is a broad term, and as a result it is difficult to define targeted actions or practices
that work. There is evidence to suggest that learning culture is linked to outcomes suchas job satisfaction and motivation for learning. However, there’s less evidence on how tocreate a learning culture and what its long-term impact might be.
Recommendations: what should L&D professionals do?
Instead of concentrating on creating a new culture for learning, we recommend that L&D
professionals at all levels reframe ‘learning culture’ as the ‘environment’ for learning. They canthen provide guidance on tangible organisational practices and behaviours, and use the factorsthat underpin ‘learning culture’ as a framework to evaluate their learning environment.
For learning to be truly embedded within the business, L&D professionals should evaluate
the current learning environment in place in their organisation and consider taking action
at an organisational, team and individual level. We highlight key recommendations at eachlevel below.
Organisational learning
Businesses need structures and systems in place to support learning, as
well as a shared vision for learning and transformation. L&D professionals
should:• Work with leaders to define and communicate a vision for learning and transformation,clearly linked to organisational objectives.
• Evaluate current systems for knowledge management and learning.
• Consider whether there are appropriate channels in place to allow individual and teamlearning and reflection to feed into organisational decision-making.

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• Consider whether dialogue, challenge and reflection are embedded into theorganisation’s approach. If not, consider how reflection and feedback can be encouraged
as part of day-to-day activities.
• Examine whether individuals have an appropriate degree of voice and autonomy.
Team learning
Teams are a key place where social learning and dialogue can occur. Managers
have an important role to play in ensuring that their employees also have therelevant support for learning. L&D professionals can:• Help line managers understand the key role they play in supporting learning, whether
this is formal or informal.
• Support managers to prioritise time and resources for formal and informal learning.
• Build support for learning and development into management objectives.
• Encourage line managers to be role models, to demonstrate how learning is part ofeveryone’s role, and share their learnings in their team training or encourage reflection
as part of project evaluation.
Individual learning
Learning needs to take place in a supportive environment that allows
employees to apply their learning. L&D professionals should engage with
employees to:• Consistently communicate learning opportunities across the organisation.
• Highlight everyone’s role in organisational and team learning – how does individual
continuous learning benefit individuals, their team, and the wider organisation?
• Consider how opportunities to reflect and share on learning can be used to follow up
formal training, or be encouraged as part of individual development.
• Provide different types of learning that appeal to a range of learners and allow
employees to build their learning pathway within an organisational framework.

2 	Introduction
The learning imperative
Many organisations today operate in a complex and highly competitive environmentand rely heavily on access to high-quality skilled labour. Successful firms know that askilled and developed workforce is key to delivering organisation outcomes. Recruiting,developing and retaining the right skills is an important element of people practice. To
remain relevant in a challenging labour market, organisations must think strategically
about how they invest in and develop human capital: the knowledge, skills and abilities of
the workforce.
Several challenges and trends in the wider world of work are shaping organisations today.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on the way businesses operate,
leading organisations to change where they work and also consider how they work and theservices they offer. Many organisations have had to upskill or reskill staff quickly, owing to
redeployment, or to support staff needing to work remotely. The ability to learn, adapt andcontinuously improve is vital in the face of such a challenge. Digital tools and innovative
processes are vital as businesses navigate a complex landscape.

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In the skills and learning space the rising role of technology and automation is a key
driver of change. The implementation of technology that is augmenting roles, rather thanreplacing them, means that employees need support and upskilling to make effective
use of new technologies.1 In knowledge-based sectors, such as financial services or
pharmaceuticals, upskilling is also often more cost-effective than recruiting, especiallygiven that many businesses struggle to fill specialist skilled roles.2 This requires employer
investment in training and learning, and recognition that this is imperative for organisations
to stay future-fit.
However, fewer than half (47%) of UK employees agree that their job offers good
opportunities to develop their skills,3 and case study research into the implementationof new technologies in the workplace suggests that learning provision is often not fit for
purpose when it comes to new technology.4
It’s also not just about formal learning – informal and social learning are increasingly
important. Many employees want to choose how and when they learn.5 Again, this requiresorganisational support and resource for learning – whether building time in for learning or
facilitation of informal, social and digital learning.
Importantly, businesses also need to consider how they harness individual knowledge andlearning to continually improve business processes and employee skills. Research suggeststhat workplace autonomy and good-quality line management has declined in recent years.6
This means employees may not be getting the support they need to use their learning tosuggest business improvements, which can have a negative impact on productivity.
While formal and informal learning is key for organisations to adapt, individual learning is
not the norm in every organisation, and businesses do not always support this learning anduse it to continuously improve the way they do things.
Creating a culture for learning
To support learning at an individual and organisational level, organisations need to create
an environment that embeds learning into the way they do things. This is often referred toas learning culture.
Recent research identifies that organisations in which learning has a deep impact on key
behaviours and is supported by learning interventions and programmes experience better
growth, transformation, productivity and profitability.7
Creating a supportive environment for learning is understandably a key concern for L&D
professionals. The CIPD has recognised the importance of this wider cultural support
for learning in the new CIPD Profession Map, by calling out learning culture in the L&D
specialist knowledge area.
However, our Professionalising Learning and Development report reveals that while 98%
of L&D practitioners wish to develop a positive culture for learning, only 36% feel likethey’ve achieved this. It is clear, then, that there may be specific practice barriers that arepreventing learning professionals from developing learning cultures.
A major challenge is that culture is a broad term, and a learning culture itself has several
definitions and related concepts, such as ‘the learning organisation’.8 So, while creating aculture for learning sounds compelling, how to do so in practice is less clear.
Uncovering the evidence on learning cultures
In this report, we uncover the evidence on learning cultures to better understand what
learning cultures mean in practice, and what L&D professionals may be able to do todevelop them (for our literature review methodology, see the appendix).

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First, we explore the practical evidence of learning cultures, drawing on definitions oflearning culture, learning climate and the learning organisation. We also consider whether
creating a ‘learning culture’ is a meaningful objective, given the broad nature of the concept.
Next, we highlight the case for embedding learning into organisations, by bringing
together the evidence of learning culture on business and employee outcomes.
Finally, we explore the barriers to embedding learning and identify the practical steps thatorganisations and L&D professionals can take to tackle them, and better support learningin their organisations.

3 	What is a learning culture?
There are several definitions of learning culture, including related concepts such as thelearning organisation and learning climate. While there’s no unifying definition or theory oflearning culture, there are several key themes. Overall, we find that:• A learning culture is one that embeds learning into how things are done at anindividual, team and organisational level.
• This requires strong leaders to follow a strategic model for learning and to support
employees towards a collectively shared vision and positive change through open
dialogue and reflection.
• The factors that underpin a learning culture could be reframed as the ‘learning
environment’, allowing workplaces to tie these factors to tangible practices andbehaviours, rather than attempting to undergo dramatic cultural change.
• There is a large theoretical evidence base on learning culture, but there is lessrobust, controlled research that demonstrates its impact on organisational
outcomes in practice.

Organisational culture and climate
Organisational culture is often cited as a key factor in business success. Understanding
and influencing culture is important for L&D and the wider people profession, given theirexpertise in people and work. However, culture is challenging to define9 and is often
conflated with other terms like organisational climate.
Colloquially seen as ‘the way we do things around here’,10 organisational culture is theshared characteristics among people within the same organisation, including values,
behavioural norms and perspectives. Organisational climate, on the other hand, is themeaning people attach to features of their work setting11 and the feeling or atmosphere
people interpret in an organisation. These are two concepts that are linked and influenceeach other, which helps to explain why they are often mistakenly used interchangeably.
These two concepts are explored in the wider context of culture change in our factsheet.
Learning culture vs learning organisation and learning climate
Our literature review indicates that learning culture is similarly difficult to define. It is often
used interchangeably with two other terms: learning climate and the learning organisation.
We explore the three concepts below and highlight the key unifying themes that appear
across the literature. For an overview of these concepts, see Box 1 on page 6.

5What is a learning culture?

Creating learning cultures: assessing the evidenceBox 1: Learning culture concepts

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Key characteristics and measures

Learning culture• embeds learning into the systems, values and resources of anorganisation234• promotes and rewards learning at an individual, team andorganisational level
Learning organisation• supports the transformation of an organisation by allowing it
to develop and adapt• aims to enhance organisational capability

Learning climate• how employees perceive workplace practices andprocesses that relate to their learning

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Learning culture
A learning culture is one that embeds learning into how things are done in an organisation.
This requires organisational systems, values and resources to be aligned with continual
learning, and for individuals to be empowered to fail and learn from mistakes.12 Three levelsof learning culture have been proposed – individual, team and organisational.13, 14, 15
According to one measure widely used in the academic literature, called the Dimensions ofLearning Organisations Questionnaire (DLOQ), there are seven ‘dimensions’ that underpin
a learning culture (see Box 2 on page 7). However, the same authors also refer to ‘learningorganisation’ in relation to this measure.16, 17, 18
The learning organisation
The learning organisation, popularised by Peter Senge, is thought to be an organisationthat facilitates a business’s continuous transformation through adaptation anddevelopment.19
The ultimate aim of this is to enhance organisational capability, or the tacit, experiential
learning that goes unnoticed in the workplace, rather than individual learning per se.20
According to theory, learning organisations are built on:• supporting individual learning and allowing this knowledge to shape strategy andprocess, otherwise learning becomes a knowledge management exercise21• requiring employees throughout businesses to challenge and transform, as a result oflearning22• teams and the wider organisation continually adapting their thinking and processes,23
and engaging in ‘double-loop learning’, where reflection proactively influences strategy
and process change24• trust in the organisation and a willingness to learn, improve and change, from the wider
organisation and key decision-makers.25
It is clear that learning culture is conceptually similar to the learning organisation. In fact,
the terms are often used interchangeably.
Learning climate
A learning climate26 is how employees perceive workplace practices and processes inrelation to their learning – and what ‘climate’ this creates for their learning. For example,
the behaviour of others, or workplace practices and policies, create the sense that learningis the norm.

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Creating learning cultures: assessing the evidenceBox 2: The DLOQ

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The Dimensions of Learning Organisations Questionnaire (DLOQ) includes sevendimensions. The first four dimensions operate at the people level, while the final three
relate more to the structural level of an organisation:
1 Create continuous, on-the-job learning opportunities, for all members.
2	 Promote inquiry and dialogue: creating a culture in which feedback andexperimentation are encouraged.
3 Encourage and reward collaboration and team learning.

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4 	 Empower people toward a collective goal, using feedback from members to bridge
the gap between the current status and the new vision.

55 	 Connect the organisation to its environment by helping people see the impact of
their work on the entire business and linking the work of the organisation to its
community.

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6 	 Create systems to capture and share learning, ensuring these are integrated withwork and are accessible.

77 	Enable leaders to think strategically about how to use learning to create change andmove the organisation in new directions.
Source: Watkins and Marsick (1993, 1996, 1997)27, 28, 29

8The factors underpinning learning
There are some key differences between these three concepts. For instance, learning
climate is related to employee perceptions of the immediate learning environment,
whereas learning culture refers to wider organisational systems and beliefs. The learningorganisation refers to an ideal state for organisational transformation.
However, there are clear similarities, namely that they describe how organisations support
learning, albeit through different lenses. For clarity, below we highlight the factors thatconsistently appear across the evidence base that underpin this support for learning.
• Individual and team-level learning: supported by a structure that enables this.30, 31, 32• Structure: this structure needs to be underpinned by management relations andleadership style, autonomy and responsibility, and opportunity to develop as key factors
in a learning climate.33• Knowledge management and sharing knowledge: good-quality knowledge
management systems are in place and employees at all levels have responsibility fordeveloping and willingly sharing knowledge.34, 35, 36• A shared or collective vision: leaders motivate and support employees towards a clear
vision and change.37, 38, 39, 40• Shared or institutionalised mental models: how the individual and organisation look at
the world. In the context of the learning organisation, this might be an individual’s belief
in their role in transformation and learning.41• Leadership: leadership supports personal development and guides the organisation
through change and learning, while encouraging questioning, feedback and risk-taking.42• Strategy: a strategy and action plan in place to support learning.43
An overview of learning culture
According to the literature, an organisation has a learning culture (or could be called a learningorganisation) when it embeds learning into its way of doing things, at an individual, team and7

What is a learning culture?

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organisational level. Strong leadership and organisation-wide buy-in are required to create acollective vision for learning. Learning also needs to be built into organisational strategy andensure working practices allow for dialogue, reflection and continuous improvement.
Many factors are highlighted in the learning culture literature. Some of them relate
directly to learning – such as having time and resources for employees to take up learning
opportunities. Others relate to wider workplace factors, like the ability to influence
decision-making and how organisations learn from their mistakes. These wider factors areimportant because they help individual and team learning influence wider organisationaltransformation and, ultimately, business performance.
Is learning culture the way forward?
There is plenty of literature building the theory behind learning cultures. There is also someemerging evidence linking aspects of learning culture to organisational outcomes, which
we discuss in the next section. However, there’s little evidence on how to create a learning
culture – aligning it with practical steps – and what its ultimate impact is. This means there
are unanswered questions about learning culture.
First, organisational culture is undoubtedly important – and adopting a learning
culture sounds appealing. But is a learning culture a useful ‘end state’44 and is it thesole responsibility of L&D practitioners to create it? Culture of any kind is created overtime through interactions, values and beliefs and is therefore challenging to shift. And,
organisations will have an overarching ‘culture’, unrelated to learning. How do these
influence learning and transformation?
Second, learning culture is a broad concept that requires multiple management practices
to be in place – from autonomy to avenues for voice. Which aspects of learning culture aremost important and most likely to have an impact on organisation and business outcomes– and whose responsibility is it to influence these processes?
Finally, if a learning organisation’s ultimate aim is to drive transformation, is there adanger individual learning and development get forgotten in the process, or that formal
training and learning opportunities get neglected? While informal learning is undoubtedly
important, organisations still need to invest in skills training where required.
In the new Profession Map, the CIPD calls out creating and understanding the impact oflearning culture as specialist knowledge for chartered members and fellows. This reflects
the complexity of cultural change and the expertise and influence to embed this. However,L&D professionals at all levels can also take practical steps to support the learning
environment in their organisation.
Culture can be a broad and unclear term, making it difficult to target action. Instead ofconcentrating on creating a new culture for learning, we suggest that L&D professionals at
all levels can reframe ‘learning culture’ as the ‘environment’ for learning, to tie it to tangible
organisational practices and behaviours.
This is especially relevant when getting other parts of the organisation on board. For
example, providing guidance on supporting informal learning to line managers is atargeted way that L&D professionals can help create a positive learning environment.
L&D professionals at all levels can also use the factors that underpin ‘learning culture’ as a
useful framework through which to evaluate their learning environment and tackle any issues.
The learning culture evidence base does provide insight for practice. It demonstrates
the importance of taking a systems view of organisational learning. For example, it

8What is a learning culture?

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calls out wider management practices and line managers as key influencers of learning
opportunities and outcomes, and provides a clear link between individual learning andwider organisational transformation.
In the next section, we highlight why organisations should pay attention to the wider
learning environment, and the benefits of doing so.

4 	Making the case for taking asystemic approach to learning

Given that learning culture is a broad concept, addressing it isn’t a simple task. However,there are several reasons why businesses should pay attention to it.
Our review suggests that there are correlational links between learning culture and:• growth, profitability, transformation and productivity• motivation to transfer learning• knowledge management and sharing, which in turn can impact on employee skills
and organisational performance• job satisfaction, organisational commitment and turnover.

Our review highlights that there are several links between aspects of ‘learning culture’ andpositive outcomes, which we discuss below. Given the broad nature of ‘learning culture’,
where possible, we specify which aspects of learning culture each study measures.
Overall, there are relatively few pieces of empirical research in this area, with one study45
arguing that there is still much to explore on the interactions between learning culture andemployee learning and performance outcomes. Indeed, more research is required on bothindividuals’ learning approaches and contextual influences of the learning process in practice.46
Growth, profitability, transformation and productivity
In its study of learning cultures, Emerald Works classes the top-performing 10% of its data
sample as high-impact learning cultures (HILCs).47 These environments typically see learning
having a deep impact on behaviour, in that members’ ability to adapt and identify capability
risks is improved. This compares with organisations at lower levels of learning maturity, whohave in place learning interventions and programmes, but are not business-aligned and thus
fail to have more than a surface-level impact. HILCs were found to have greater:
1 growth: through greater innovation and employee motivation
2 profitability: through improved performance and external customer satisfaction
3. 	 transformation: a greater capacity to solve problems and respond quickly to changing
business conditions
4 	 productivity: both on-the-job productivity and improved talent management.
Motivation to transfer learning
Several studies in our review highlight that learning culture could enhance training
effectiveness through supporting and motivating employees to take part in training.

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Making the case for taking a systemic approach to learning

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For example, one study investigated the influence of continuous learning culture on
motivation to transfer learning.48 Continuous learning culture was defined here as‘an organisation-wide concern, value, belief and expectation that general knowledge
acquisition and application is important’.49
The researchers found that when employees felt that the organisation had a continuous
learning culture, they were more likely to be motivated to transfer their learning back to theworkplace and into their job. However, the researchers also found that supervisor support forlearning was more important in learning transfer than an overall culture for learning.
Another study50 also found a positive link between learning culture – measured by the DLOQ
(which measures learning culture across seven dimensions, see Box 2 on page 7) – andindividual motivation to transfer learning into their work. This research, alongside the study
above linking learning to motivation, supports the importance of investing in learning toincrease performance through motivating employees to use their acquired knowledge.
Increased knowledge management and sharing
Research has also indicated that knowledge management and knowledge-sharing arestrongly correlated with learning culture. For example, one study51 found a link between
knowledge management, learning culture and human capital (employees’ collective skills
and knowledge). Organisations that had a strong culture for learning had better knowledge
management practices, such as training employees to transfer skills. This, in turn, waslinked to stronger human capital and improved organisational performance.
Similarly, another study52 found a significant direct relationship between learning culture
and knowledge-sharing behaviours.
These findings imply that adopting a learning culture supports knowledge management
and transfer, which can enhance organisational performance.
Greater job satisfaction, organisational commitment and reduced turnover
intention
An organisation that prioritises and supports learning can help create a fulfilling andsatisfying environment for employees. Indeed, one previously mentioned study53 found thepresence of a learning culture to be positively associated with job satisfaction. In turn, this
could increase organisational commitment.
One study54 found just this through exploring the joint impact of learning culture andmanagement–employee social and psychological support (known as leader–member
exchange) on employee turnover intention. The DLOQ was used as a theoretical base forthe study (see Box 2 on page 7).
The researchers found a link between a positive learning culture, strong leader–member exchange
and organisational commitment. In contrast, these two factors are negatively associated withturnover intentions. We can infer here that when an organisational culture allows employees
to learn on a continual basis, while being supported by line managers, they show greatercommitment towards their business, which in turn reduces their intention to leave.
Given the outcomes discussed above, it’s important to consider what professionals and theorganisations in which they work can do to support learning, and the organisation’s ability
to adapt and improve based on that learning.
In the following sections, we consider the barriers that stand in the way of learning andthen explore the practical decisions L&D professionals can make to overcome such barriers
and support learning at each level of the business, including the importance of assessing
the current state of the learning environment in organisations.

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Making the case for taking a systemic approach to learning

Creating learning cultures: assessing the evidence

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From evidence we know there are several barriers to embedding and promoting learning inan organisation which must be actively considered by L&D professionals:
Formalising learning and culture is difficult
As the term ‘learning culture’ has multiple potential meanings, there’s a danger thatpractitioners focus on only a small part of organisational learning when they seek to createa learning culture. Research suggests that when individuals are asked if an organisation
has a learning culture, they often say yes. But, those same organisations are far more likely
to be prioritising formal training and knowledge management activities than reflective,
transformation activities.55
In addition, there can be confusion about what we mean by training and learning, andwhere the responsibility for them lies.56 Creating a supportive learning environment needs
to consider formal training opportunities available – but tacit, informal learning anddialogue is also important.
Mixed effects on employee learning
Attempts to structure informal learning could ultimately backfire if employees feel likethey lack agency in their own learning and development, especially if they are alreadyprioritising their own development. If creating a ‘culture for learning’ is interpreted assteering individuals to a fixed way of learning with little flexibility, this may not lead
to better learning outcomes.57 Systems thinking, collaborative inquiry and continuous
improvement are also important.
One study58 explored these ideas by looking at leadership style and its relationship withlearning culture (once again, the DLOQ was used as a measure of learning culture – seeBox 2 on page 7).
Overall, learning culture was shown to have a positive impact on learning outcomes.
However, leadership was also found to be an important factor. For example, when leaders
took a laissez-faire approach, making few decisions and allowing their teams to haveinfluence in these, learning culture did not have a positive impact on learning. We cansee how a culture for learning might clash with this leadership approach, as laissezfaire leadership generally allows employees to take responsibility for their own learning,
while a learning culture may limit this autonomy. It is suggested, therefore, that a moreindividualised approach, where employees’ individual learning needs are considered, may
yield greater benefits.
Organisations are complex
Organisational processes and bureaucracy can often restrict information-sharing, social
learning and collaboration, which act to embed learning into the way organisations
function. In addition, ‘micro cultures’ within functions and location mean that learning
attitudes and practices vary across organisations. Creating a consistent vision for learningin siloed or dispersed organisations is likely to be challenging.59
Lack of support from senior leaders and line managers
Senior leadership buy-in is key, so its absence can be a significant barrier. For example,
76% of L&D professionals in our Professionalising Learning and Development report
felt that learning was not seen as a management priority. In addition, 64% said thatmanagement sees learning as a cost centre rather than an investment. Therefore, spendingtime and effort addressing the wider system for learning could be challenging.

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Barriers to embedding learning

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Line managers may be hesitant to prioritise learning in their team – especially if learning isperceived to take employees away from their ‘day job’. However, some research suggeststhat manager support may be a more important driver of learning outcomes thanorganisational-level culture for learning,60 highlighting the importance of line manager buy-in.

6 	How can organisations embedlearning in their workplace?

As we’ve discussed in previous sections, a ‘learning culture’ is underpinned by many
practices, behaviours and organisational norms, which will vary by context. For this reason,
it’s not possible to define a single programme or intervention that can embed learning into
the way businesses do things, or that enables an organisation to continually adapt andtransform based on learning.
Creating an organisation that supports learning is not the sole responsibility of L&D
professionals. Building a shared understanding that ‘learning is how things are donearound here’ requires organisation-wide vision, buy-in and action. However, L&D
professionals are instrumental in creating this vision.
The question is therefore: what can L&D professionals and the wider organisation do tosupport learning and embed it in organisational systems? We explore this further below by
exploring how L&D professionals can:• evaluate their current learning environment• take practical steps to ensure learning is supported at every level of the organisation.
Evaluating the current learning environment
Before taking action, it’s important to understand the current learning environment in yourorganisation.
Indeed, organisations may have to continually review their learning systems, particularlyin the face of challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, when large sections of theworkforce are connecting remotely, requiring a focus on digital and social learning.
There may be a temptation to use formal training participation as a ‘measure’ of learning
culture or learning environment, but this is only one part of the story. Organisations need
to use innovative and robust methods to evaluate their learning environment, especiallyharder-to-measure and intangible learning like social and informal learning.
Insights from the following data may be helpful:• Existing organisational data – such as employee engagement or organisational culture
surveys – may contain items relating to influence, decision-making and learning frommistakes that indicate whether wider organisational systems are set up to connect
individual and organisational learning.
• Examine uptake of learning opportunities, by team and level and type. This could include
formal training as well as data on self-directed learning platforms. What kind of learning
is being undertaken, and by whom?
• Focus groups and other forms of qualitative employee feedback data can help tounderstand how and when people learn, and what the barriers to their learning are.
• Learning transfer is an important indicator of the wider organisation’s support forlearning. If employees aren’t able to use what they’ve learned in formal training andapply it back to their jobs, this can indicate a lack of manager support for learning.

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• Use existing measures of ‘learning culture’, such as the DLOQ (see Box 2 on page 7), thatcover all aspects of organisational learning, and adapt this to the specific organisational
context.
Supporting learning at all levels of the organisation
There are several levels of learning in an organisation: individual, team and organisational.61
Employees may interpret the phrase ‘learning culture’ as related to their individual
development or availability of formal training.62 Managers may interpret this as
encouraging knowledge-sharing in their team. Senior leaders may interpret it as building
learning into their organisation values.63 None of these interpretations is incorrect, but
without a shared vision of how these threads connect, there will be a lack of alignment
across the business.
L&D professionals need to work with all levels of the business to create a sharedunderstanding of the current environment for learning. They should have clear sight of:• what ‘learning’ means in their organisation• what the current environment for learning is like; what support is given for learning now,and how it is perceived• why learning is important to their organisation and its strategic objectives• the barriers that hinder learning in their organisation• the enablers of formal and informal learning in their organisation.
Below, we provide recommendations for L&D professionals to support each level oforganisational learning and bring them together to support individual and organisational
learning.
Organisational learning
Businesses need structures and systems in place to support learning, as well
as a shared vision for learning and transformation. Professional courage andinfluencing skills are required to ensure learning is part of organisational
strategy, especially in businesses where learning is seen as a ‘nice to do’, but not essential.
Our research suggests64 that L&D teams that possess professional courage are more likely
to bring stakeholders together to support learning.
L&D professionals should:• Work with leaders to define a vision for learning and transformation, clearly linked toorganisational objectives.
• Support leaders to clearly communicate a vision for learning and transformation.
• Evaluate current systems for knowledge management and learning: are they accessible
across multiple devices, fit for purpose and set up for social and informal learning? We
explored digital learning further in our report The Future of Technology and Learning.
• Consider whether there are appropriate channels in place to allow individual and teamlearning and reflection to feed into organisational decision-making. If not, consider how
a feedback loop can be implemented.
• Consider whether dialogue, challenge and reflection are embedded into theorganisation’s approach. If not, consider how reflection and feedback can be encouraged
as part of day-to-day activities.
• Examine whether individuals have an appropriate degree of voice and autonomy. While
it isn’t expected that each employee will have a deciding say in every organisational
decision, not allowing employees a feedback loop, or the ability to shape their role andresponsibilities at all, means that individual-level learning may not transfer across theorganisation.

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How can organisations embed learning in their workplace?

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Team learning
Teams are a key place where social learning and dialogue can occur. Managers
have a key role to play in ensuring that their employees also have the relevant
support for learning. Indeed, our review found evidence that suggests
managers play a pivotal role and can be more influential for individual learning than overall‘learning culture’.
Managers need to deliver on operational objectives – allowing individuals to take timeout of their role to attend training or other forms of development is not often top priority.
However, managers stand to benefit by prioritising learning. Our diversity management
research highlights that the most effective way to get managers ‘on board’ with strategic
people objectives is to give them agency in how they meet those objectives.
L&D professionals can:• Develop managers as ‘change agents’ in learning.65• Embed support for learning in leadership and management development programmes.
• Support managers to prioritise time and resource for learning.
• Build support for learning and development into management objectives.
• Help line managers understand the key role they can play in supporting learning,whether this is formal or informal.
• Encourage line managers to be role models, to demonstrate how learning is part ofeveryone’s role, and share their own learnings with team training or encourage reflection
as part of project evaluation.
Individual learning
Learning needs to take place in a supportive environment that allows
employees to apply their learning. Many other organisational practices will
influence how and when people apply learning. How can organisations
connect individual learning to organisational learning?
L&D professionals must engage with employees to:• Consistently communicate learning opportunities across the organisation.
• Highlight everyone’s role in organisational and team learning – how does individual
continuous learning benefit individuals, their team and the wider organisation?
• Consider how opportunities to reflect and share on learning can be used to follow up
formal training, or be encouraged as part of individual development.
• Provide different types of learning that appeal to a range of learners and allow
employees to build their own learning pathway within an organisational framework.

7 	Conclusion
This report brings together the evidence on learning culture – a broad concept commonlyused in practice to describe the ideal set-up for organisational learning. We suggest thatreframing ‘learning culture’ as the ‘learning environment’ would provide a more practicaland easily definable concept that learning professionals at all levels can implement, whilestill being an important element of learning culture. Learning culture can be more greatly
influenced by professionals in leadership positions who have the ability to mould the moregeneral culture within the organisation. This is a helpful lens through which to evaluate
support for learning and learning processes in organisations.

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Conclusion

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Whether we use the term ‘learning culture’ or not, organisations must pay attention to how
they support learning at all levels. Individual, team and organisational learning must be
more closely aligned to one another for L&D to have the most impact.
Senior leaders and line managers play key enabling and delivering roles. L&D professionals
and others responsible for delivering learning strategies should work with these groups
to build a collective vision for learning, as well as design and curate meaningful learning
opportunities for employees. This is key if organisations are to continue to be successful inthe changing world of work, where businesses must be able to respond to sudden change
in challenging times.

8 	Appendix
Research methodology
This report answers three questions:
1 What is a learning culture and what does it look like in practice?
2 Why should businesses take a systemic approach to learning?
3 How can organisations, and L&D professionals within them, embed learning in theirworkplace?
Specifically, we reviewed and reported on articles that:• address or develop the meaning of learning culture, and/or two similar concepts,
learning climate and the learning organisation• highlight the empirical outcomes of developing an environment for learning at anindividual, team or organisational level• outline behaviours that can help develop an effective learning culture across all levels of
the organisational hierarchy.
Inclusion criteria
To be included in the review, articles had to:• relate to learning in a workplace setting (rather than in education or other wider societal
settings)• be available in the English language• be peer-reviewed.
SearchAs we proceeded with the search, it became apparent that two terms, learning climate
and the learning organisation, were often used interchangeably with learning culture. Thisoverlap meant that we had to consider these two concepts throughout the search.
To ensure results were relevant, we used a broad combination of search terms alongsidelearning terms (learning culture, learning climate, learning organisation), such as‘organisation’ and ‘workplace’. The initial search suggested different types of learning, suchas e-learning and collaborative learning, might be relevant, so these were included in the
search terms.
Two databases (Ebsco and ABI/Inform) were searched in August 2019, and again in
November 2019 to identify any new articles. In addition, we conducted a manual search of
key paper reference lists to ensure articles were not missed.

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AppendixCreating learning cultures: assessing the evidence

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Selection
Once duplicate papers were removed from search results, articles were reviewed using
their title and abstract to remove obviously irrelevant papers.

2

Each remaining article was reviewed using the full text, for relevance to the researchquestion. Irrelevant papers, papers without full-text availability, or papers that failed tomeet the inclusion criteria were removed.

3

A manual search of references and citing literature for key papers was also conducted toensure key papers were not missed.

4

A total of 52 articles were included in the final review, including those from manual search.

9 	Notes

5
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8

1

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4 Gifford (2019), see note 1.
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Green, M. (2017) The future of technology and learning. London: Chartered Institute of
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6 Felstead, A., Gallie, D., Green, F. and Henseke, G. (2017) Productivity in Britain: theworkers’ perspective. First findings from the Skills and Employment Survey 2017.
London: Centre for Learning and Life Chances in Knowledge Economies and Societies,
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Daly, J. and Ahmetaj, G. (2020) Back to the future: why tomorrow’s workforce needs alearning culture. Emerald Works.

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Senge, P. (1992) Building the learning organization. Journal for Quality andParticipation. Vol 15, No 2. pp30–38.

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13 Watkins, K.E. and Marsick, V.J. (1993) Sculpting the learning organization: lessons in theart and science of systemic change. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass
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15 Xie, L. (2018) Leadership and organisational learning culture: a systematic literature
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19 Senge (1992), see note 8.
20 McHugh, D., Groves, D. and Alker, A. (1998) Managing learning: what do we learn from alearning organisation? The Learning Organization. Vol 5, No 5. pp209–20.

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21 Blackman, D.A. and Henderson, S. (2005) Why learning organisations do not transform.
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22 Thomas, K. and Allen, S. (2006) The learning organisation: a meta-analysis of themes inliterature. The Learning Organization. Vol 13, No 2. pp123–39.

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23 Blackman and Henderson (2005), see note 21.
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25 Phillips, B.T. (2003) A four-level organisation benchmark implementation model. The
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26 Ortenblad, A. (2004) The learning organisation: towards an integrated model. The
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28 Watkins and Marsick (1996), see note 14.
29 Watkins and Marsick (1997), see note 18.
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31 Senge (1992), see note 8.
32 Thomas and Allen (2006), see note 22.
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35 Thomas and Allen (2006), see note 22.
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37 Thomas and Allen (2006), see note 22.
38 Senge (1992), see note 8.
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40 Yang, B. (2003) Identifying valid and reliable measures for dimensions of a learning
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42 Phillips (2003), see note 25.
43 Thomas and Allen (2006), see note 22.
44 Hill, R. (1996) A measure of the learning organization. Industrial and Commercial
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45 Egan, T.M., Yang, B. and Bartlett, K. (2004) The effects of organizational learning
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Notes

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