Learning changes practice, adapting each seasons landscape
Learning is an ongoing process of adaptation and change, just like the workplace.
What we learn influences how we think, behave, relate, respond and practice, as circumstances evolve.
Learning is not simply about acquiring new knowledge, attending professional development or becoming more competent at a particular task.
Its real value is demonstrated when it changes how we approach our work, make decisions, interact with others and respond to changing conditions.
Just as the landscape changes with each season, workplaces are continually evolving. People change, teams develop, responsibilities shift, new challenges emerge and the conditions in which we work are rarely static. What worked yesterday may not be what is needed tomorrow. Learning therefore needs to be an ongoing process of observation, reflection, adaptation and change.
There is an important difference between adapting to new work and responsibilities and developing the capability to undertake and/or continue that work. Allocating additional responsibilities does not automatically provide someone with the knowledge, skills, experience, judgement, authority, time or resources to perform them effectively no matter how much (or how little) the change was needed.
In my experience workplaces often redistribute or create new tasks without developing or supporting the capability first. How often has a new platform/system been introduced and training provided in your workplace without the support or preparation prior to introduction?
Adaptation from learning does not happen in isolation. Learning is fundamentally relational. Much of what we understand about our work comes through conversations, observation, questioning, shared experiences and the perspectives of others.
We learn from what colleagues' notice, what they question, what they challenge and what they bring to our attention. The collective knowledge within a workplace is often far greater than the knowledge held by any one individual. This is where the conditions for learning become important and individual experience has impact.
Research into psychological safety, highlights the importance of creating an environment where people feel able to take interpersonal risks. This means being able to ask questions, acknowledge uncertainty, raise concerns, admit mistakes and offer alternative perspectives without fear of humiliation or punishment. Essentially, creating a learning ecosystem is a condition that supports upskilling people in the workplace, which in turn supports progression and growth of the people, AND the business.
A healthy learning ecosystem supports psychological safety. Psychological safety is not about avoiding disagreement or ensuring everyone feels comfortable. It is about making it possible to have respectful, honest, sometimes challenging conversations that help people and teams to learn. Learning ecosystems and psychological safety are workplace conditions that sustain each other.
Emotional Intelligence also plays an important role in workplace conditions. Being aware of our own emotions, recognising how we respond to others, managing our reactions and remaining curious about different perspectives all influence the quality of our professional relationships and likely require learning to develop. When people can challenge ideas without diminishing one another, feedback becomes an opportunity for learning rather than a personal threat.
Creating an environment where people can speak openly is part of the ecosystem process and not often an easy part of the process. Are concerns explored? Are different perspectives considered? Is feedback acted upon? Do people have the opportunity, time and support to apply what they have learned? Are all voices heard and supported to contribute?
A workplace with a learning ecosystem can encourage curiosity and invite feedback, but if people repeatedly experience dismissal, defensiveness or inaction, they will eventually question the value of contributing and the ecosystem will die. Psychological safety can be taught but it must be sustained through everyday interactions, over time. Reinforcement occurs when people see their contributions make a difference, and their sense of mattering is individually felt.
This approach requires leaders to recognise that learning is not always comfortable. Adapting practice can mean questioning familiar routines, acknowledging when something is no longer effective, recognising gaps in our knowledge or being willing to approach a situation differently. The intention is not to change for the sake of change, but to remain responsive to what the circumstances, people and work actually require.
Learning changes practice when insight is integrated into everyday decisions and behaviours and applied to practice. It becomes visible in how people communicate, how teams collaborate, how problems are addressed and how workplace systems evolve. Reflection without action may increase awareness, but it is the integration of learning into practice that creates meaningful, sustained and transformational change.
A learning ecosystem needs people who are willing to learn, relationships that support honest exchange, leaders who remain curious, self-aware and courageous, and workplace systems that allow learning to influence what happens next. A learning ecosystem in itself, must be able to change with the workplace needs and conditions, be maintained with ongoing attention and adaptation, rather than a one-off initiative or a fixed destination, program or timeline. It must have enough structure to provide a strong foundation and enough flexibility that it can evolve.
A learning ecosystem must reflect the identities of the workers AND the organisation. It takes everyone to build a learning ecosystem.
Learning new information can change knowledge, but application of that knowledge, changes practice and practice becomes a capability.
The challenge for leaders is not to keep people doing things the way they have always been done, but to create the conditions where people can recognise, when change is required, what is changing, learn from one another and adapt their practices accordingly.
Learning ecosystem creation can look like:
Leading and role modelling - Leaders demonstrating emotional intelligence, humility, curiosity, consistency and accountability
Relationships and connection – People experience respect, inclusion, belonging, mattering and constructive professional relationships
Individual and collective learning – Emotional intelligence, self-awareness, metacognition, reflection, curiosity and knowledge sharing are supported, developed and expected
Workplace systems and practices – Structures, processes, resources, supervision and opportunities are part of everyday work. Time and importance is not only spent on vision, goals and core business, but also on the practices and structures to reach that vision
Reflection, evaluation and adaptation – Teams are supported to make time to examine their experiences, evaluate outcomes and adapt practices in response to what they discover – weekly at minimum (nothing disengages people faster than continuing to do something they know is not working)
Takeaways
Learning is an ongoing process of adaptation, not a one-off event or professional development activity.
Workplace learning is relational. People learn through conversations, observation, feedback, questioning and shared experiences.
Psychological safety creates the conditions for people to speak up, acknowledge uncertainty, challenge assumptions and learn from mistakes.
Emotional Intelligence helps people recognise and manage their own responses, understand others and maintain constructive professional relationships.
Constructive disagreement and different perspectives strengthen collective learning; harmony should not come at the expense of honest discussion.
Leaders influence and role model learning through their everyday interactions, particularly when people raise concerns, offer feedback or acknowledge something has gone wrong.
Learning is part of everyday practice. Insight only becomes meaningful when the learning is acknowledged and it influences decisions, behaviours and actions.
Workplaces, like landscapes, continually change. Learning ecosystems need ongoing attention, reflection and adaptation to remain relevant.
⭕ Reflective questions
What barriers can I see (immediately) that would make creating a learning ecosystem difficult? (note: this answer gives insight to your current workplace culture)
Do our everyday interactions make it safe for people to ask questions, challenge ideas, acknowledge mistakes and share different perspectives? What might we unintentionally be doing that discourages this?
How do we know that learning is changing our practice? What examples can we identify, where new insight has influenced the way we work?
Comments