Whether you possess an unquenchable thirst for knowledge or show little interest in educational ventures, I think we can all agree that there is something both profoundly powerful and deeply fascinating about the human brain’s capacity to continually learn and evolve over the course of a lifetime.
Whilst many may buy into the mistaken and unfortunate belief that learning is an activity predominantly preserved for the classroom, or a well-intentioned pursuit which must be placed aside once we embrace the tumultuous reality of full-time working life; it’s worth remembering that inside all of us exists a highly sophisticated internal hard drive, primed and ready to consume over 2.5 petabytes (or 1 million gigabytes) of information. Put simply, we are a machine built for Lifelong Learning (LLL).
in recognition of this month’s Festival of Learning Have a Go Month 2021, we’d like to take the opportunity to call attention to the benefits associated with embracing a culture of LLL, and articulate the importance of promoting the ongoing, voluntary, and self-motivated pursuit of personal and professional knowledge within our organisations.
Closing the Skills Gap
According to the Chartered management Institute, there are currently more than 2.4 million ‘accidental managers’ - managers that are promoted into management positions from roles they are trained for and good at, but without a requisite management skillset - operating within UK organisations. Quite staggeringly, this equates to four out of every five UK managers conducting their professional duties without the skills or training required to perform to their full potential. In light of these statistics, you will perhaps be unsurprised to hear that addressing the ever-widening management and leadership skills gap remains a pressing concern for many businesses. In fact, according to Linkedin’s 2020 Global Workplace Learning Report, 57% of learning professionals believe the enhancement of leadership and management competencies should be regarded as a top organisational priority. And with research having shown over half of employees leave their company due to their line manager, we can see why. Through embracing a culture of LLL, we can create the conditions required to enable our managers and leaders to obtain the competencies needed to close the gap and help put an end to the accidental manager epidemic.
Creating Dynamic Capabilities
There is no escaping it; the modern working world is dynamic, fast-paced, and more often than not, unpredictable. In recognition of the demands associated with a challenging and ever-evolving professional landscape, it is estimated that the value of all current professional skills will depreciate by 50% after a five-year period. Consequently, in alignment with an ‘innovate or die’ mentality, ensuring our managers and leaders are provided with the LLL resources required to continually renew professional perspectives and upskill core capabilities, should be regarded as a crucial cornerstone of an organisation’s professional philosophy and practice. Recent research indicates that providing continual learning opportunities for those in positions of leadership and management not only aids the development of much needed dynamic professional competencies, it also serves as a catalyst to ignite a renewed passion and commitment toward professional development. In turn, we are able to create and shape future leaders, who are driven by a clear ethos and desire to embrace new challenges, master new skills, experiment with new ways of working, and ultimately promote a culture of positive and lasting change.
Improving Health and Wellbeing
Restricted opportunity for exercise and social interaction, increasing work demands, and zoom related fatigue; these are just some of the key factors that the recent Working@Home Project survey has highlighted as negatively impacting upon our levels of physical health and mental wellbeing in the wake of the unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic. Considering the ongoing impacts of Covid-19, and the difficulties associated with operating in remote working environments, organisations are increasingly embracing a multitude of health and wellbeing related ventures including introducing dedicated mindfulness sessions, providing more flexible working hours, and even promoting virtual commutes. Whilst these are all noble ventures, research would suggest that extended LLL may also represent an advantageous avenue for the promotion of enhanced positive physical and psychological functioning. To elaborate, a recent GOV.UK report has indicated that in addition to greater reported levels of wellbeing, increased levels of life satisfaction, and decreased risk of dementia, a commitment to LLL is also associated with increased smoking cessation, better nutrition, and reduced risk of heart-disease. Collectively these findings would suggest that the benefits of LLL extend far beyond the confines of our working environment and in fact, positively permeate into our personal lives as well.
Take a moment to consider how you and your organisation can work to better champion a culture of LLL. Whether it be through apprenticeship programmes, staff training events, or simply extended opportunities to engage in CDP readings, never underestimate the power, positivity, and joy which can be obtained through LLL. To paraphrase Dr Seuss, the more you learn, the more you’ll know, and the more you know, the further you will go.
Sources
Ates, H., & Alsal, K. (2012). The importance of lifelong learning has been increasing. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 46, 4092-4096.
Chartered Management Institute (2017). How accidental managers are draining productivity. Available at: https://www.managers.org.uk/knowledge-and-insights/article/how-accidental-managers-are-draining-productivity/
Caves, L. (2018). Lifelong learners influencing organizational change. Studies in Business and Economics, 13(1), 21-28.
Laal, M. (2011). Lifelong learning: What does it mean?. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 28, 470-474.
LinkedIn (2020). The Workplace Learning Report. Available at: https://learning.linkedin.com/resources/workplace-learning-report
Rebber, P., (2010). What is the memory capacity of the human brain? Available at: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-is-the-memory-capacity
Wokring@Home Project (2021). Project Report. Available at: https://www.workingathome.org.uk/get-informed/project-reports/