Discover more about how to learn at work
Transcription
Discover more about how to learn at work
Discover more about how to learn at work Your Guide to Learning in the Workplace practices of workplace learning. This guide explains the principles and very best from the many learning Its purpose is to enable you to get the udes plenty of links (all red and circled opportunities that arise at work. It incl tion about each learning method, text) where you will find further informa s. The guide is for everyone – we all including lots of ‘how to’ tips and hint uld benefit from being more open, have more to learn, and most of us wo n. flexible and creative around how we lear Page: 2 1 Discover more about ho w to learn at work – chec k out key principles or go straight to practical m ethods by using the icons below and to the right. 1 Introduction: What is learning in the workplace? 3 How to identify just what you nee d to learn 3 4 Practical ways to learn at work a) Methods and techniq ues Learning through work Learning by doing Reflective practice Learning from change • • • • 5 Learning through othe rs Observation and shadowing Feedback Coaching Mentoring 5 Learning with technolo gy Online resources Smarter searching Social media & mobile learning Learning by reading Books and articles Study skills b) Materials and resource s Virtual Ashridge GoodPractice Civil Service Learning Resources • • • c) Learning journeys: Examples of learning at work in action your learning oppo resources rther reading and Fu • Learning with others Action learning Team learning Networking Volunteering Making the most of 7 2 How to seize learning opportunities 4 2 rtunities What to do next? 6 Page: 1 6 7 1. Introduction 1 What is workplace learning? Unsurprisingly, it is learning that takes place where you work. However, there is more to it than first meets the eye. It is essentially self-directed learning. In other words, you are in the driving seat; you ‘pull’ the learning you need, when you need it rather than it being pushed upon you. However you are not on your own. It is also manager supported. This means your line manager is there to help – to advise, coach, guide and encourage. You are in the eat driving s Lastly, it is informal and applies to all people whatever their level of experience. Rather than being covered solely in e-learning or a course, the aim is for it to blend in with your working life. It is an approach adopted by many leading organisations (ref. IBM story, Cafe culture case studies) and is well supported by research (ref. Institute of Employment Studies, Books and Articles). “Information is pretty thin stuff unless mixed with experience” Clarence Day - Esteemed American Author Don’t we learn at work already? A lot of learning happens naturally in the workplace. • You ask a colleague a question. • You observe someone more experienced. • You stumble across a web site with really useful information. • You get feedback from your boss. • You try something that’s new. • You get a useful tip over lunch from a friend. When the above happens well, it provides some excellent learning. Page: 2 Unfortunately, we are not always that good at making it happen regularly and using it to get the best learning for ourselves - just when we need it. Some of us are more used to being guided by others rather than taking the initiative for ourselves, so whilst opportunities exist we sometimes are so focused on the task at hand that we forget to extract the learning from our experiences. At worst we can stay in our comfort zone, having the same thoughts and behaviours we’ve always had, and fail to motivate ourselves to continuously improve. At best we can recognise that the very heart of learning in a work context is about being willing and able to do something new or better. above all “We must have perseverance and confidence in ourselves. ted for something We must believe that we are gif ained.” and that this thing must be att Marie Curie – ze winner. physicist, chemist & Nobel Pri Page: 3 1 1 What is in it for me? Most of the research suggests that those who are self-directed in their learning tend to perform better, are more interested in their work and their colleagues, are more motivated, are more successful and are happier. Some people do enjoy learning for its own sake, but even those people can probably think of a time when learning has been difficult, even painful. So it won’t always be easy. Ironically, some of the toughest things we take on are also the most rewarding, either from the sense of achievement or mastery, or from the indirect benefits we get from being better at our jobs. value “Knowledge is of no unless you put it into practice.” wright Anton Chekhov – play sh do? ould I at ning th e lear orkplac w he ects of p s a , take t t in : h a e g r m u a a e e ey ou et are thr efit from. Th ait to b now. And if y hat w t ’ n There n o t k e all b ning. D you need to one who has r a e l we can r e at d you out wh then find som , initiative an rge of d a n h fi c d y e kill, Tak iosit ut an • sonal s elp you. Cur ivating. d go o r n e a p d a a le lop oh cult o deve them t lities worth want t ady and ask d a e gths an o learn to able qu lr n lu a e a r l t v il s k in s e ed t your tion ar about what you ne ve you well r e g motiva a ill ser e man rformance, w n i t l a b. Your r h t jo u t e o ls x p y il e k k h n r s it r o n Talk w ses, your w o have wider you for you o learn, whe • s e t t r e , a d n nee prep ur job weak r at yo hat will help ss what you e t t e b be sse dw ore job, an an help you a y n a in c l find m ort il r e w g a u n o p Y line ma . bsite. urces to sup e w g w n on rnin reso and ho rmatio ce Lea arning. The i o f v r in e g S e-le ivil ludin e the C courses and hniques, inc s w o r c B d • and te ainer le than tr de tips, tools learner. lu e you inc e an effectiv b how to What Page: 4 1 Does this mean I won’t get formal training? No. Formal training still has its place in the Civil Service. But, workplace learning means you can learn so much more - and really learn and master it, not just read about it in a book or from a presentation. For example, in the area of leadership, you cannot learn to be a leader just by going on a course. • You might benefit from some reading in advance, or where appropriate maybe some supported 360° feedback, or from observing a leader you admire. • Maybe after attending a course you could try out the ideas or techniques learnt, and get feedback from a trusted colleague. • Perhaps you want to stretch yourself into taking the lead in addressing something tricky, perhaps where you usually have less formal responsibility. • Continue to build your capability as a leader - one who learns, turns that learning into successful leadership, and goes on to help others to learn. “The least of the work of learning is done in the classroom.” Thomas Merton – Trappist Monk What should I do next? • Read through this guide and understand more about learning in the workplace. • Check out the support materials and examples by searching Learning Resources on the Civil Service Learning website. • Explore the useful external links to further resources available on the internet referenced in this guide. • Browse through the many excellent resources available at Virtual Ashridge and GoodPractice - link to them both from the Civil Service Learning website. “The purpose of learning is growth, and our minds, unlike our bodies, can continue growing as we continue to live.” Mortimer Adler – Philosopher Page: 5 How to identify just what 2. you need to learn 2 There are three main ways that you can identify what you need to learn, and all of them are within reach. However, each of us has developed our own biases and preferences and that can mean that we rely on one approach more than the others. When you use more than one approach you get a more balanced understanding of your real needs. Three ways to identify what you need to learn: Self awareness 1 Page: 6 You realise you don’t know something or can’t do something (sometimes people call this self-diagnostics) - at first glance that may seem too obvious to mention but in fact there can be more to it than first meets the eye. To do this well: • Think ahead to what tasks and challenges you will be facing in your role over the next 6-12 months and appraise honestly whether you have all the knowledge and skills you need. For some tasks it is better to learn what you need in advance rather than along the way. For instance, it is better to know how to manage performance rather than have your staff leave whilst you are learning from your mistakes. • Focus on any areas of weakness; the ones that might really impair your performance. Address these weaknesses as a priority. • Remember to also focus on your strengths. Once you have tackled the critical weaknesses, stop thinking about learning as something remedial, something to fix a problem, and start thinking about how it can also help you to exploit your talents. It is natural for many people to think about their deficiencies and how to overcome them, but great performers also understand their strengths, and areas of special expertise, and make a point of building upon them to improve further. Going on to engage with others to share this knowledge and expertise enables people to benefit from your strengths. It encourages them to learn from you and to go on to improve for themselves. • Think broadly about your needs. Think about your personal skills, the knowledge and skills you need in your current role and how they may change over the next few years, skills related to your profession, technological skills, the wider understanding of the Civil Service, the Public Service or beyond, and the knowledge and expertise you need to provide a great service to the public. The advice of others 2 Getting feedback, suggestions and direction from others you work with. To do this well: • Involve your line manager. It is part of their role to help you with your development and that includes helping you think through your needs and giving their input. This relationship changes in character a little the more senior you get, but that fundamental principle holds true at all levels. • Seek out trusted colleagues. They can be a great source of inspiration, ideas and feedback. This is not about acting on every suggestion they put forward, but it is about giving due consideration to what they can offer you, especially when it is something you might not have considered yourself. • Consider getting a mentor or a coach (see further in this guide for detail). They will be able to use their experience and skills to help you consider your options and priorities. always done, ve u’ yo at wh do ys “If you alwa always gotten.” ve u’ yo at wh t ge you’ll always Anthony Robbins – ach and Author Co e nc ma or rf Pe ak Pe Using various tools 3 You will no doubt have certain processes in your organisation – such as having future development plans (often called Personal Development Plans) – which you will need to comply with. Try not to see these processes as hoops you need to jump through, try to use them to support you in identifying and recording your precise needs. Think about the skills you’d like to develop and plan the action you can take to further improve. These thoughts can easily be reflected in your future development plan and can help focus on what you need to do next. Also consider things like 360° feedback information (where your Department supports this) or the results of any psychometric tests, diagnostic questionnaires, or self assessments. Page: 7 2 How to seize learning 3. opportunities There are many ways to learn informally: talking, observing others, trial-and-error, and simply working with people in the know and being guided by those with practical experience. Having a chat with a colleague about a different way to do something and then implementing it, is learning. Passing that knowledge on to others helps you understand what worked really well and is a great way for you to make sure you realise what exactly you learnt. 3 “One must learn by doing the thing. For though you think you know it, .” you have no certainty until you try - Sophocles Just remember, we all have our own ways of learning that work for us but it’s worth experimenting and trying different ways as well. You can find out more about learning styles and preferences here but do also think about how you can add new ways of learning to your toolbox. One of the most fundamental and valuable things we can learn is actually how to learn. We can all learn and we do it daily. But many of us don’t think about it as a skill. We tend to assume that learning is just something we do naturally, and that is true to some extent. However, we have all learnt various habits around learning; some helpful, others not. By understanding more about the learning process – the physical things that help us learn and the thinking process that fixes it in our brains – the more we can play to our strengths, to challenge those habits that no longer work for us and to try out new techniques that might just help us learn in ways we had not considered before. For more on learning and how to learn, check out the following for more information: Learning – Its All In The Mind The next part of this guide provides examples of learning options for you to consider. Once you start exploring the options you may discover new ways in which we can all learn. This could help you to understand your own style more and may give you further insight in to what makes others tick too! Page: 8 We all have our own ways of learning that work for us but it’s worth experimenting and trying different ways as well - they may be even more effective! Practical ways to 4. learn at work a) Methods and techniques • Learning through work Only 10% of what we learn at work comes through formal training . Learning by doing We learn at work all the time. Mostly we learn informally through experience and from colleagues*. Formal learning—courses, classes, and workshops—accounts for only 10% of what people learn at work. The remainder takes place through what we can call “on the job learning” – 20% through communicating with others and 70% through experience. Many of us have learnt more about doing our job well as we do it and training courses or manuals can not replace experience and practise. Maybe you’ve experienced yourself how learning from a mistake or receiving praise for work well done often inspires people to go on and learn more about a subject or area of work. what “Experience is not happens to you, but what you make of ” what happens to you. Aldous Huxley – rld author Brave New Wo Reflective practice There are always opportunities to develop ourselves as we go about our daily work- from asking a colleague to help you understand certain processes and then sharing them with others - to becoming involved in specific projects that require your current skills but also allow you to develop new ones. Reflective practice is about being able to think back on what you have done and what happened as a result, for you and for other people. It sounds simple, maybe almost too easy but it can be a powerful way to learn. Essentially you answer some key questions designed to make you think about the impact of what you did, or maybe didn’t do. Reflective practice can be an important tool in practicebased professional learning where individuals learning from their own professional experiences, rather than from formal teaching or knowledge transfer, and is an important source of personal development and improvement. *(Source: Career Architect Development Planner – 1st Edition by Michael Lombardo & Robert Eichinger 1996) Page: 9 4 The concept of reflective practice centres on the idea of life-long learning where a learner thinks back on experiences in a systematic way in order to learn from them. Part of learning is thinking about the experience and simply asking yourself “what worked for you?” and “what would make it better next time.” Later in this guide there are suggested questions you may like to ask yourself along with your manager. You may also be familiar with blogging, which some see as another form of reflection on experience. Writing about your experiences and in this case your learning experiences, you are more likely to reflect on what you have learnt and how it impacts on your work. Another example of how this can work is keeping a Learning Journal. 4 Learning from change Whilst change might bring uncertainty, it also brings new opportunities and scope for learning. It is a powerful driver for learning because everyone needs to understand the new situation and learn new skills and behaviours to ensure they can operate successfully in the new world. “My biggest motivation? Just I see life almost like one that I never had... every day Richard Branson to keep challenging myself. long University education I’m learning something new.” – Entrepreneur Learning from change comes in many forms. It can be internal: helping you learn about yourself, your reactions to change and your skills in working with change. It can be external: try looking outwards using techniques like benchmarking and modelling best practices to learn from what happens in other organisations. It can cover practical learning that supports incremental change but, perhaps most crucially, is the importance of learning about managing major changes or fundamental transformational changes. One of the most common ways of delivering change is through projects. These give great opportunities for people to expand their skills and to learn by working with different colleagues. Past projects are also a source of lessons learnt particularly where there has been an After Action Review. When thinking about change we tend to focus on the future and the many transformations we can anticipate. Seldom do we take the time to look back at the many changes which we have already experienced. Should you ever be concerned Page: 10 with your ability to cope with future changes, pause to reflect on the many changes you’ve managed to deal with in your past. Having dealt successfully with so many previous issues, we often take them for granted and totally forget how they once loomed before us as impossible obstacles to overcome. “So when you are faced with change it’s not time to run it’s time to learn!” Robin Sharma – Global Leadership Consultant Learning before, during and after • Learn your way through change Ashridge - A learning Organisation 4 Learning through others Observation Being a great role model to colleagues who observe you every day most certainly goes on to influence how they behave and what they learn from your behaviour. Learning from colleagues is an important source of obtaining and sharing knowledge in organisations. Research has shown that informal, social interactions with colleagues are strong ways of learning. Observing a colleague complete a task or interaction successfully and understanding the approach they chose to take, then mirroring it and achieving our own success is a good example of learning through others. You could also consider spending time ‘shadowing’ a colleague to gain an understanding of their role and the way they work. This is usually for no more than a day and could help to enhance career development, deepen understanding of the workplace, and contribute to improved communications. Gaining further insight into how others work and the impact they have on those around them can be an invaluable resource. Remember, the influence we have from just “doing” something in a certain way with a particular attitude can be far reaching. Being a great role model to colleagues who observe you every day most certainly goes Social Learning on to influence how they behave and what they learn from Theory your behaviour. Role Models in Workplace Learning Feedback Feedback is a way of giving and receiving helpful information about how you come across to others and how your actions impact others. It is also a way to measure how your actual performance matches with how well you think you are doing. The ability to give feedback to others, in a way that will help improve their performance and behaviour, is an important skill for anyone who works with others. Page: 11 Actively seeking out feedback from others is an important aspect of managing your own learning. Start by picking people you know and trust but over time try selecting different types of people. Make sure you keep an open mind, ask questions for clarification and give balance in your Feedba ck R reflections to both constructive criticisms and praise. esourc es Coaching 4 Coaching is usually a one-to-one (coach to coachee) mix of support and questioning providing a safe environment for you to think about what you do, how you do it and why you do it the way you do. Coaching can “Coaches do not develop people; they equip people to develop themselves.” Gebelein, et al. Successful Manager’s Handbook • help you develop a greater understanding of yourself; • help when tackling major choices or seemingly insurmountable dilemmas; • help you build practical skills; • help you reflect on past events and think about the future. Coaching can be as simple and inclusive as “the process of empowering others” (Whitmore 1997), or more definitively it’s the act of guiding an individual and enabling learning to occur that ultimately improves performance. The structure and methodologies of coaching are numerous but are predominantly facilitative in style. The coach asks questions and challenges the coachee, enabling them to explore their own resources and solutions for moving forward. The recognised benefit of coaching to the individual and the business is the facilitation of self-directed learning and the ability of the individual to recognise what they need to do next to achieve their goals. Ask your Department about their arrangements for supporting coaching. performance. “Coaching is unlocking a person’s potential to maximise their own 2004) It is helping them learn rather than teaching them” (Whitmore, J, For further understanding on the role of coaching in the work place: Key Differences Between Coaching and Mentoring Page: 12 The Manager as Developer Coaching: Grow your People Enabling Success: Coaching Cipd Coaching Fact Sheet Mentoring Mentoring has been defined as “A process in which one person, the mentor, is responsible for overseeing the career and development of another person outside the normal manager/worker relationship” - Civil Service Mentoring Guide. Mentoring Toolkit What is Mentoring? The essence of mentoring recognises the value of learning from each other. We all use other people to help and support us in our day-to-day lives, usually people whose opinions we value because of their experience. Coach, Me ntor, Or Buddy? Sample of Mentoring Contr act 4 This can also be applied in the workplace by using experienced people to “mentor” others and help them to achieve their full potential. The mentoring process involves an individual outside the line management structure with greater experience in one or more areas exchanging knowledge with another through a relationship of mutual influence and learning. • Learning with others Action Learning The essence of mentoring recognises the value of learning from each other Action Learning Sets (ALS) are based on the underlying principle of learning by doing and operate on the basis of a proven cycle of learning. A set consists of a small group of no more than 6-8 participants who meet regularly and frequently to discuss and share current challenges and difficult issues. It is an opportunity for each member to bring their own problem for action learning, often one that links back to their current job or personal development plan. The set can discuss, offer support, share experience, and suggest action to address the issues once back at work. Often, it is possible for everyone to choose an issue relating to a common theme, such as managing change, addressing poor performance or encouraging innovation. Members meet to discuss the progress of action taken and offer insight and suggestions on related issues, maximising the opportunities to learn from each other and increase each others knowledge. Page: 13 An Action Learning Sets fact sheet has been produced by Cipd, and further ALS Guidance, is provided to help you understand more. There are also handbooks available via Ashridge (HL) to help you – Action Learning Handbook and Learning with Colleagues. Team learning 4 Team learning is how we can learn collectively with colleagues to achieve common objectives as a group. In a successful team, members tend to share knowledge and often complement each other’s skills. In less productive teams there is often low commitment from team members to work together effectively meaning any effort to learn together is unlikely to be successful. Virtually all important decisions at work are made by groups of people sharing their experiences and knowledge with each other. Discussing with others what we have learnt by “doing” or through research forms the basis for the decisions we then make. Its not often we make big decisions Team Learning without consulting and gaining insight from others! Resources Networking Some think about networking as feeling pressured into having an View Three awkward conversation with a stranger while wondering who to Great Ways To go and speak to next. But try to think about it differently – as a Link Up Today! tool to make sure you know who to ask if you’ve got a question a little out of the ordinary. Keeping in touch with old colleagues and making a point of keeping up with your professional contacts, for instance, are two good ways to make sure that you’ve got someone to call on when you need a tricky bit of information fast. It’s essentially about establishing friendly and useful relationships in advance, and about remembering to do your Virtually all important decisions at work bit. What you get is their ng shari e peopl of s group by made are greater collaboration and experiences and knowledge with each other. the potential for sharing of skills and experience. Volunteering Volunteering is simple. It’s about giving your time to do something useful, to help others, to share your knowledge and skills, and gain some new ones too! Volunteering can be extremely rewarding, opening up opportunities to learn and develop, building your confidence, making you feel good and improving your job prospects. It can give you the satisfaction of time and effort well spent, along with meeting new people and gaining useful experience. The range of opportunities is huge. Whatever skills and experience you have, there is something that you can do. Page: 14 Greater support on the role of civil servants in volunteering is now shown by: • providing civil servants with opportunities to use their skills to support civil society organisations; • using volunteering as a means of learning and professional development, both in terms of gaining new skills and new experiences and acknowledging the benefits back in the workplace. Many government departments already offer their employees the opportunity to use at least one day of special leave to volunteer and have programmes in place supporting opportunities. Check with your department for information on how you can get involved, or visit the link below for more information. How Can I Find Out More? • “The trouble with learning from experience is that you never graduate.” Doug Larsen – American journalist Learning with technology Online resources Online resources within Civil Service Learning provide guidance materials; aide memoires; toolkits; pocket books and reference documents, stored in a way that users are able to easily access. These resources complement the more formal learning and provide additional and associated reading and support. They are also extremely useful as stand alone products that can be referred to as needed or for bite size learning. Often they have practical suggestions/examples and contain case studies and self assessment exercises. The link below provides suggestions for existing online resources and the ways in which users are now able to “bookmark” them to collect, store, and share with others. Online Resources and Social Bookmarking aide memoires; Civil Service Learning online resources provide guidance materials; at work. toolkits; pocket books; and reference documents to support you Page: 15 4 Smarter searching Users of the web know that the basic job of a search engine is to provide a list of links to websites that will contain the information being sought. There are ways however to allow a search to be more efficient and increase the chances of finding what you are looking for. Take a look for yourself: Key Search Guides and Top Tips Social media 4 Social media, or social collaboration and learning, can bring flexibility and ease of communication across teams. The potential for collaboration on projects is huge. It means workers who work flexible hours from a mix of office, home and from remote sites can do so without feeling out of the conversation. It can support networking across remote groups and enable those who might not otherwise have an opportunity to meet to have a conversation. Social media tools can help workers achieve more, get better work done, learn more in less time, and share information of mutual interest*. For any organisation moving away from relying on formal learning, and exploring social media to facilitate informal learning is a massive shift and for many it is the way of the future. Additionally, the emergence and rapidly expanding world iki of mobile learning (or Civil W M-Learning) due to the vast Civi l Serv ice and array of mobile devices What is Social The Role of Social - including handheld Media? Media computers, MP3 players, notebooks and smart Read more about social media phones - brings learning tools supporting us at work and how directly to us without the we can use them as civil servants. restriction of location. Due to its accessibility it can take place anywhere and at any time. It not only allows the user to access what they need when they need it – for example with e-learning, pod casts, applications (apps) – it also allows others to create “on the spot” or “in the field” instruction and learning material that can be shared immediately. * certain restrictions may apply in some organisations Page: 16 • Learning by reading Books and articles You may have read this guide from cover to cover, or simply dipped in to find key documents relevant to you. Either way you have hopefully benefited from reading something new or helpful. The next step is applying what you have learnt to enhance the way you or your colleagues work, and understand the connection of what you have read with your work environment. There are many books and articles to support workplace learning and also extensive libraries of material that can help us increase our knowledge, all at our fingertips, and much of it is free. A word of caution though – remember not everything you read on external internet sites is reliable or researched. Try searching for, and reading, more than one article on a subject to give you a wider view. Here are just four examples of websites that are a great starting point to finding what you need: WikiBooks Bookboon WikiVersity Google Scholar Study skills Some of us have a wealth of study experience. Some of us even thrive on continually working for a qualification, or formal accreditation, whether work related or of personal interest. However, for a lot of us formal studying may be something we haven’t done in a while or we may not have had the opportunity to do it at all since school. But there are lots of resources out there to get you started, support you, and keep you motivated. Simply typing “study skills” into an internet search engine (for example Google see previous hints & tips) and you’ll access many sites with advice on how to study effectively, and practical hints and tips to get the most from your learning, including how to find a method of studying that works for you. It may sound daunting if you’re new to studying but please do give it a go – the time you spend initially finding out just a little bit more about how to study and learn will save you lots of time and effort down the line. Page: 17 4 b)Materials and resources Whether you have attended face to face learning in a classroom and need further direction on putting it into practice, or you’re simply exploring what resources are available to support your development in work, there are plenty of guides and toolkits to give you ideas and inspiration on getting the most from your learning experience. 4 Virtual Ashridge and GoodPractice provide us with access to some of the most useful and practical handbooks, toolkits, and self assessment resources available anywhere. Here you can access specific work based learning guides to support you to develop yourself, and others, at work, along with many other leadership, self development, and people management resources. • Virtual Ashridge gives access to the research and expertise of Ashridge Business School. It provides learning resources in a range of formats to suit individual learning styles. This includes text-based resources, videos and audio and comes in the form of learning guides, pocketbooks, book reviews, knowledge maps, essays on hot topics and much more. Topics featured include leadership, performance management, people and organisational skills and many of the challenges faced by people working in modern organisations. To start with take a look at these two Ashridge handbooks: • The handbook of work based learning Develop Yourself GoodPractice offers a rich mix of resources you can download to read or use with others. Topics cover the full gamut of issues faced by individual employees, at junior levels through to senior leaders. Topics such as change management, financial management and strategy are there, alongside interpersonal skills and people management. These come in the form of top tips, case studies, self-assessment tools and articles. Along with the selection of CS Learning’s own materials, these two industryleading resource pools provide you with the information, inspiration and tools to drive forward your performance as well as that of your team and your organisation. c)Learning journeys: Examples of Learning at Work in Action * certain restrictions may apply in some organisations Page: 18 Making the most of your 5. learning opportunities Part of learning is thinking about what worked for you and what you might want to do differently next time. Having explored some of the different methods of accessing work place learning, the key now is discovering what makes the learning really come alive for you so you get as much out of it as you possibly can. You can use the list of questions below as a starting point to think about what worked well and how learning can be even better next time. Whether you do this on your own, or with your manager, it will be almost impossible for you to not come up with ideas for how to make sure learning activities work for you – do give it a go! f and l e s r u yo to ask manager s n o i t our Ques n? with y s s ou lear u y c id d dis t ha • id it How d Did go? W e what hiev you ac id you y ted? D ou wan at you get wh le? rrent ro our cu ing to y ? needed n he lear t s a w use it? levant eeds? e u r o y w l o il n H ow w • r future ing? H n ing r a Or you le r e learn ur ou y h t d s e a s s yo le? H you u your ro owledge? Ha w have in o e H iv • ffect or kn more e tence, skills w o w n es? Ho re you your compe u A g a e ll • ed d? ith co increas nce improve rtise w e p x e a und perform new-fo r learning? r r u o y ed nd you ou r a y a h u s m o o y r r f ou hat Have y ers benefited oney) t value? m r • o h e t (in tim , was it good have o s e c r u g or he reso your learnin to do, t e g k li in r e ould Consid ce invested in g you w ? in • n r la a p er le arnt work out oth ve already le b a t h g thou ou ha ve you ild on what y a H • o bu ways t • Put your learning to work! You hav e to make the changes in order to evaluate the impact. Page: 19 5 Sometimes, checking the benefits of your learning will be as simple as an informal discussion with your line manager. Or you may be asked to demonstrate the impact of your learning in terms of behaviour change and performance improvement. Reading the Campaign for Learning guide Becoming a Better Learner may help you further with practical suggestions on applying and evaluating your learning. It also contains guidance on how to continually improve your learning capabilities. An example of a more structured way to consider the benefits of your learning experience is with an After Action Review (AAR). This is a technique used to explore more deeply what went well and what could have been done differently. It is an extremely useful performance improvement tool that encourages all stakeholders to share and learn in order to have continuous improvement. It is particularly effective following a major learning event or project based experience. 5 Your role as an individual in making the most of learning There is growing evidence that people who take the initiative in their learning, learn more, and learn better than those who don’t. It can also allow the individual to learn more deeply and retain the knowledge. Being empowered to take responsibility for your own learning can increase your self-esteem and allow more responsibility for other decisions associated with the learning experience. “We must learn from everything we do; we must exploit every experience as a learning experience. Every institution and every person we have access to becomes a resource. It is a lifelong process.” Malcolm Knowles, Adult Educator So how do you take the lead in learning? Remember, as we’ve already mentioned, it’s a self awareness of your own abilities and gaps in knowledge that allows you to plan what action you can take to develop yourself further. Advice and feedback from others, along with the numerous self diagnostic tools available (and referenced in this guide), can help identify the appropriate type of learning for you and when best to use it. Page: 20 Being actively involved in your own learning enables you • to reflect on your experiences and consider the impact it has made; • to be more involved in planning how you learn rather than just passively receiving information; • to discover for yourself your preferred style of learning and make the most of the experience, re-enforcing the positive impact and desire to improve. Your role if you are a manager or leader It can be useful to lead by example, and do that openly so you are seen as a role model. The more you feel able to share some of your learning goals and activities with others, the more impact you will have on their learning journeys. People always respect someone who ‘walks the walk’. When your team see you set yourself learning goals and devote time and energy to becoming better at something you will inspire them to do the same, driving up performance across your team. In addition you have the added responsibility of helping others learn and improve. This means that you • will have to help them diagnose their strengths, weaknesses and development needs; • offer guidance and feedback; • need to support and challenge them; • may need to be a coach, but often it will be about you helping them to be self-sufficient; • may need to help them give some balance to the needs of the job, the team and the business, as well as their personal skills and longer term career aspirations. You too will have a personal and development agenda and again, you also have a responsibility for making sure others in your wider team and in your organisation support and encourage learning. When you talk to others about learning, do make it your job to find out if they are aware of all the ways there are to learn on the job. Talk to them about all the potential benefits for themselves, their colleagues and the business and about the support they can get from Civil Service Learning’s website. If you also make sure they have this guide and The Manager as Developer toolkit (mentioned above) then you have made a very good start. Page: 21 5 Leading on workplace learning g meetin e e im t m iv a lunch You could g uss with the arn n u r t le o c Why n on learning? uide and dis s in here to • n g g io in this est focus pies of use the sugg fit the team. o c le p ne ld peo ork all cou at would be u ctive w r a o e y f f h e w t t o h w mos as fo hing ne for the up with ide n io somet it t ome s. mpe ld a co veryone to c le of month o h o t a coup t want r ask e u migh ing project o t to run over o r Y • a leade r arn ojec r s le a p e u g c o in la y ou n p which ve to hear y m lear a in e t s t y join d lo r wa d othe k place. We’ g.gsi.gov.uk e r d n u ah rnin wor will be ning in your uiries@cslea e r e h t lear : enq And • ourage ontact us at c n e n ca ec ! Pleas stories 5 omote can directly pr o wh on rs pe e You are th in learning. s ce ti ac pr st be Learning at Work in Action Campaign for Learning Manager’s Guide “Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” John F Kennedy – former US president Page: 22 Manager as Developer toolkit Evaluation of Learning at Work 6. What to do next? Be proactive and discover for yourself what you can do to help your own development, in a way that works for you… . ills you need to develop sk e th of ss ne are aw lf se • Gain a le. • Discover your learning sty rther. tic tools to inform you fu os gn dia lf se r he ot te • ple Com r. about what you discove • Talk to your line manager d talk to them Learning Rep (ULR) is an ion Un ur yo o wh t • ou d Fin rtunities. about development oppo to your team about it. • Read this guide and talk you some within this guide to give ks lin ” to ow “h e th t ou • Check of a team. an individual and as part practical ideas for you as tual e resources including Vir lin on ing arn Le ce rvi Se • Browse Civil tice. Ashridge and GoodPrac d material. ternal sites on associate ex re plo ex d an e • lin on Go Do your own research. mething • Be creative and learn so – you will new in a way you enjoy mething “Do not be more successful in so think of it. ing do joy en u yo if failures today’s , b ing u rn t lea s iou o ev f the su • Reflect on your pr that may ccess ll, we nt we at wh t ou c ab o me tomor and think Y row. ou have impact what you enjoyed, what set your ing d ifficult self a it had, and if there is anyth task, bu ly. nt re fe t you wi succeed you would do dif ll i f y o u your persever and you • Try something outside of e; will fin g tricky; d a comfort zone; somethin j o oy in vercomin g obsta push the boundaries. cles.” Helen Keller - author, political activist, lecturer, and the very first deafblind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree. Page: 23 6 Further reading and 7. resources What is learning, how do we acquire it, and how can we put it into practice? There are many definitions of learning. The Institute of Training & Occupational Learning definition is one of the broader ones: “Learning is the acquisition or development of knowledge or understanding, skills or abilities, emotional competence (eg confidence) or attitudinal change.” A vast amount of academia, research, articles, and practical examples have been published that support the positive impact of learning whilst working and it would be impossible to include them all in this guide. However CS Learning hopes that through this guide you have gained more of an understanding of what constitutes learning and what you can do to take control to continue your own development in a practical and rewarding way - a way that works for you, in your role, to enhance your ability to be a success at work. 7 To explore further how adults learn and more specifically how they learn in the workplace you may like to research for yourself what else is available to enhance what you have already read in this guide. To get you started here are some additional resources to inspire you to read more, learn more, and experience more! NAICE research The Four Stages of Learning Adult Learning Learning from Experience at Work Page: 24 Improving Your Memory in access to arning to ga Remember to register on CSreLesources that have been e learning ent a full catalogue of on-lin t departments and repres en m rn ve go ss ro ac m fro selected er. oducts to help you furth the best examples of pr You can gain support and information on t, Leadership, Managemen and the Core Skills that are considered essential to being an effective civil servant. 7 You can also access the full range of virtual products provided by Ashridge and GoodPractice via the CS Learning website. Page: 25 Summary Wall To view all reference material and links referred to in this guide see the summary wall below for your reference 1. Introduction IBM story Cafe culture case studies Institute of Employment Studies Books and Articles Research Civil Service Learning website 360° feedback Learning Resources Civil Service Learning website 2. How to identify just what you need to learn 360° feedback 3. How to seize learning opportunities Styles and preferences 4. Practical ways to Learning – Its All In The Mindresearch learn at work a) Methods and techniques Reflective practice Practice-based professional learning Blogging Learning Journal Benchmarking Best practices Transformational changes After Action Review Learn your way through change Learning before, during and after Ashridge - A learning Organisation Page: 26 Social Learning Theory Role Models in Workplace Learning Feedback Resources Key Differences Between Coaching and Mentoring The Manager as Developer Coaching: Grow your People Enabling Success: Coaching Cipd Coaching Fact Sheet What is Mentoring? Coach, Mentor, Or Buddy? Sample of Mentoring Contract Cycle of learning Action Learning Sets fact sheet ALS Guidance Team Learning Resources View Three Great Ways To Link Up Today! How Can I Find Out More? Online Resources and Social Bookmarking What is Social Media? Civil Wiki Civil Service and The Role of Social Media Bookboon Google Scholar WikiBooks WikiVersity Google b) Materials and resources The handbook of work based learning Develop Yourself CS Learning’s Virtual Ashridge GoodPractice c) Learning journeys SCS Learning Journey G7 Learning Journey SEO Learning Journey EO Learning Journey 5. Making the most of your learning opportunities Becoming a Better Learner After Action Review The Manager as Developer toolkit [email protected] Learning at Work in Action Campaign for Learning Manager’s Guide Manager as Developer toolkit Evaluation of Learning at Work 6. What to do next? No links appear in this chapter 7. Further reading and resources The Four Stages of Learning Adult Learning NAICE research Learning from Experience at Work Improving Your Memory CS Learning Ashridge GoodPractice CS Learning website Page: 27 Website: http://civilservicelearning.civilservice.gov.uk/ Email: [email protected] CSL_LWG_v1-200112