What motivates lifelong learners

Written by Etienne Pretorius

9 April 2022

digital, employee, eTraining, learning, online, trends

In an effort to stay ahead of the competition, companies today create lifelong learning programs for their employees, but often fail to motivate them appropriately.

Existing upskilling programs

One company that has successfully engaged employees in lifelong learning is IKEA. It pioneered a program called Retail Lab, which created the opportunity for employees to try new skills and share their experiences with others.

IKEA’s Retail Lab was inspired by the brilliance of its own staff. In the early 2010s, IKEA realized many of its employees had outside passions and talents that weren’t being recognized or used. The company created the Retail Lab program to give those employees an opportunity to showcase their abilities in ways that would benefit everyone.

Retail Lab

The first Retail Lab project saw a handful of local musicians perform at an IKEA store in Norway—an idea suggested by one of the store’s employees, who was also a musician on the side. The employee-turned-festival organizer shared his experience throughout all stages of planning, from pitching his idea to talking about how he transferred it from theory into reality. Other opportunities were created for other interests too—from performances by local dancers and theatre groups to cooking classes led by chefs who happened to work at IKEA as well.

As part of this initiative, the company sent 37 young leaders from its retail stores around the globe to live in Shanghai for a year. They were required to find local homes and jobs, and then report back with their thoughts about how to adapt IKEA’s product line for Chinese consumers.

At one of the company’s other flagship stores, in Copenhagen, managers created “live labs” where they invited people to use and give feedback on prototypes of new IKEA products.

With no formal training in architecture and a background in design, Kamprad opened IKEA with a focus on “democratic design”—providing stylish, high-quality furnishings at affordable prices.

One key to IKEA’s success has been its ability to innovate and adapt to the changing needs of consumers. In the 1990s, as China’s economy grew, so did the country’s middle class and their desire for more stylish homes and furniture. However, Chinese customers were not interested in buying flat-pack furniture that required assembly at home because they preferred items that were ready to use right out of the box—that is unless those items were assembled by someone else. To meet this need, some newer IKEA stores in China have hired workers to assemble furniture for customers who purchase it online or in-store.

Another example of innovation is found at two of its flagship stores: one located in Älmhult (Kamprad’s hometown), Sweden, which houses an innovation workshop; and another located in Copenhagen, Denmark. The latter store regularly hosts “Live Labs” where customers can try out new products and give feedback on them before they are sold. Not all ideas make it past these labs, but those that do allow IKEA to maintain a reputation for being fresh and relevant.

Learn by doing

In another example of what one researcher calls “learning by doing,” an insurance company that was looking to improve its service model had employees — not just managers — design prototypes of new processes, implement them and then discuss their effectiveness.

Be specific about what you want to learn. Learning by doing is a proven tactic for learning and remembering new concepts. An insurance company, for example, that was looking to improve its service model had employees — not just managers — design prototypes of new processes, implement them, and then discuss their effectiveness.

Create opportunities for collaboration. When “social interaction is integrated with learning activities,” writes Charles Jennings in the Harvard Business Review article “The Secret to Creating a Culture of Continuous Learning,” learners are more motivated to continue because they gain a sense of camaraderie in the process.

Another thing that inspires this kind of learning is being around people who have different perspectives than you do.

For one thing, people who have a lifelong love of learning tend to be open to different perspectives. Taking in new information and ideas can be intimidating and uncomfortable, but doing so is an important part of personal growth. If you’re afraid of being wrong or feeling stupid, you’ll probably experience a lot of friction when trying to learn new things.

If we want to learn more, we need to seek out people with different perspectives than our own. Try talking to someone from another country next time you travel; volunteer at an event that supports a cause you believe in; eat lunch with someone from work who works in another department; join a group that teaches something you’ve always wanted to know about (a cooking class, a book club). The more we open ourselves up to other people and their unique experiences, the richer our lives will be—and the more there is for us to learn!

Motivation

To create lifelong learners, companies must give employees the opportunity to explore — at work and outside work — and then reflect on what they are learning.

Companies need to develop programs that encourage employees to learn, both at work and outside of work. Moving from knowledge-based learning in classrooms to experiential learning in the workplace requires a different mindset and approach.

But what kind of incentives can companies offer? The traditional carrot-and-stick approach won’t work with most adults, who are motivated more by intrinsic than extrinsic rewards. Rather than offering monetary bonuses or other external motivators, we recommend that companies create a culture where people are intrinsically motivated to learn because they can see how their growth will benefit the organization and themselves. There should be a balance between challenging projects and supportive contexts: People must be given opportunities to explore their own interests within the boundaries of their job responsibilities; they also need access to resources for self-directed learning, such as coaching and training. And finally, there should be support for reflection on what one has learned — as well as space for sharing new ideas.

There are two main methods to encourage learning among a group of people. The first is training, and the second is coaching. You’ve probably heard of both before, but you might not be sure what the difference is between them. Training tends to consist of workshops or classes that impart information to attendees. Coaching takes place when an expert works with one student at a time, providing feedback on their performance and goals.

e-Learning

COVID-19 accelerated technological adoption in the workplace, and this includes e-learning.

Looking back at the early months of 2020, it’s hard to imagine a time when online training was becoming, but not quite gaining full momentum in corporate workplaces. But then COVID-19 hit and accelerated technological adoption in the workplace.

E-learning was suddenly thrust into the spotlight and became an absolute necessity for continued operations. Now, nearly ten months into this global pandemic, e-learning is here to stay.

Many professionals have embraced e-learning as a great option for lifelong learning. And yet others remain hesitant about taking their education online.

If you’re on the fence about whether or not to pursue your learning goals through digital platforms, consider these benefits:

Flexibility
Convenience
Network opportunities

According to researchers at the University of Manitoba, frequent use of computers will emerge as a significant factor in organizational effectiveness and productivity. This means that people who use computers are more effective and productive.

In addition to increased capability, further gains can be made by developing skills to make more efficient use of existing capabilities. Our previous experience has shown that even with today’s equipment, skilful users can be significantly more productive than unskilled users.

These new skills will also help them keep up with the changes that businesses are going through as they transition into e-commerce and data analytics platforms.

Taking on new jobs can mean having to learn new skills so your skills remain relevant. Having employees who are motivated to keep learning and improving their skills will help you adapt more quickly to changing business needs.

On the go accessibility

An added bonus is that because learning can be done in a more flexible way with online courses, it tends to be easier to complete. When training can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection and no need for travel or time off work, it means employees are less likely to miss out on learning opportunities.

The flexibility of online training allows working professionals to earn new knowledge without sacrificing their family time or leisure hours.

Employees can learn at their own pace, from anywhere and at any time. They can revisit the material as often as they need to and ask questions when they arise.

This can be especially beneficial for companies that have multiple locations or an extensive workforce that travels frequently from one branch office to another. Being able to access e-learning outside of a corporate environment means remote learners can take advantage of their breaks and downtime to complete assignments at their own pace and on their own time.

These days, many people are looking at online training as a way to advance their careers or switch career paths altogether. Whether it’s brushing up on skills they already have or exploring new territory, people are taking more courses than ever before thanks to the increased flexibility afforded by online education platforms. It’s never too late to get started with lifelong learning!

In summary

What motivates lifelong learners In an effort to stay ahead of the competition, companies today create lifelong learning programs for their employees, but often fail to motivate them appropriately.

Rather than offering monetary bonuses or other external motivators, we recommend that companies create a culture where people are intrinsically motivated to learn because they can see how their growth will benefit the organization and themselves.

The first is training, and the second is coaching.

This trend will continue in the future, with the most capable personal computers having an enormously greater computing power than those of today.

Whether it’s brushing up on skills they already have or exploring new territory, people are taking more courses than ever before thanks to the increased flexibility afforded by online education platforms.