8 Learning Organization Examples: Learn How to Create One Yourself
75% of 1,500 managers from 50 organizations revealed dissatisfaction with their company's L&D function. And 70% of employees said they lack mastery of the skills required to do their jobs.
Organizational learning is more than just a program in your organization. It is a culture or an integral part of everyone's daily work.
Some companies have mastered L&D and are true examples of learning organizations.
So we are zooming in on what makes them great and what you can learn from them.
We'll give you ten examples of learning organizations to inspire you to build one from scratch.
📚 What is a learning organization?
A learning organization is an organization that uses continuous learning and transformation in its employees to stay competitive. A learning culture is embedded in its DNA, driven, modeled, and espoused by the CEO and management.
A successful learning organization implements organizational learning: the process of creating, retaining, and transferring knowledge within the organization. This enables all employees to continue to learn and expand their knowledge and skill sets to solve problems for the benefit of themselves, their company, and their clients.
The concept of learning organization was popularized by Peter Senge, an MIT professor.
"Learning organization is a place where people "expand their capacity to create the results they truly desire, where new and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured, where collective aspiration is set free, and where people continually learn to see the whole together." Peter Senge, The Fifth Discipline.
🏢 8 Examples of top learning organizations
Microsoft
What's special: Huge training resources are available.
As a company, Microsoft has seen tremendous growth since its current CEO, Satya Nadella, became CEO of Microsoft in 2014.
"Be passionate and bold. Always keep learning. You stop doing useful things if you don't learn." Satya Nadella.
Microsoft's strength as a learning organization is in its talented employees from all walks of life and in a culture that fosters a growth mindset, encouraging everyone to continue learning and become a better version of themselves.
"We believe deeply in the importance of a growth mindset. Growth mindset is all about continuously learning and being aware. We're evolving our culture of learning from being know-it-alls to being learn-it-alls." Joe Whittinghill, Corporate Vice President, Talent, Learning, and Insights, Microsoft.
Microsoft sees all its employees as learners, not people who know it all and have nothing to learn. They empower people to seek new ideas, think outside the box, and believe that training is much more than formal education.
Microsoft provides its employees personalized access to both Microsoft Learn and learning events.
Microsoft Learn is an online portal where Microsoft employees can learn and upskill themselves. Joe Whittinghill, corporate vice president, Talent, Learning, and Insights, Microsoft.
🖥️ For more insights into Microsoft's L&D strategy, check out our case study on employee development and training at Microsoft.
Nintendo
What's special: Creating a fun environment that breeds learning.
Nintendo is a gaming giant founded in Japan over 100 years ago. The company has truly stood the test of time, and its products, like its company culture, are unique. They believe in working hard but emphasize playing just as hard away from the office.
There is an emphasis on community, fun, and relaxation, which foster an enjoyable environment where some of the best ideas and lessons occur.
Nintendo believes in giving all employees a voice and taking the time to see things from each other's perspectives, which can open employees' thinking to see things in a new way and a new light.
"We are committed to creating and maintaining an environment where all employees can take advantage of their strengths and realize their maximum potential." Nintendo, CSR Information: Putting Smiles on the Faces of Everyone Nintendo Touches.
There are numerous community outreach events designed to make a difference in the community and to give employees a sense of belonging in a family that values each individual.
"Nintendo Co., Ltd. (Japan) aims to achieve an organization where personal development leads to the growth of the company. To provide long-term competency development, we ask employees to periodically look back on their work experiences. They analyze their strengths and areas with room for improvement, think about what they can do going forward to develop their strengths and demonstrate their abilities, and then, putting that all together, have a dialog with their supervisors." Nintendo, CSR Information: Putting Smiles on the Faces of Everyone Nintendo Touches.
Tesla
What's special: Innovative thinking is encouraged.
Tesla is a fast-growing company primarily known for its electric vehicles but is revolutionizing the world's transition to sustainable energy. Led by Elon Musk, this is no ordinary company.
"Embrace human and organizational performance through learning and continuous improvement." Tesla Global Environmental, Health, Safety & Security (EHS&S) Policy.
Tesla does not like to operate within the confines of what is "normal." The company encourages employees to contribute new ideas, solutions, and innovations. Much of what they do and how they do it contradicts the "norm."
Employees are free to leave or not attend meetings if they believe they will be more productive at their desks. Employees are not restricted by rules and are encouraged to find different and better ways to complete their work as long as the goal is met.
"I think college is basically for fun and to prove that you can do your chores, but they're not for learning." Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla.
Tesla employees are given a lot of trust and responsibility and are backed to get the job done and make the right decision, which lets employees think for themselves and out of the box, rather than just being told what to do by management.
Tesla has six major corporate culture features, which include:
- Move fast – Speaks about moving and reacting quickly to changing environments and trends.
- Do the impossible – Speaks about thinking outside the box and never saying it's impossible.
- Constantly innovate – Speaks about ongoing research and learning.
- Reason from "First Principles"- Involves identifying root problems to fix challenges. (First-Principles thinking is one of the five mental models).
- Think like owners – This speaks of responsibility and accountability.
- We are ALL IN – This speaks of teamwork and togetherness, working towards a common goal.
Squarespace
What's special: Building a great environment that allows people to flourish.
Squarespace is one of the best places to work in the US. Squarespace is a company that truly believes in empowering its employees and creating an environment to succeed and learn, making them feel welcome from the very beginning of their journey with the company.
"Squarespace's People team knows that employees do their best work when they feel their best." Squarespace, Careers.
The company's key to empowering its employees to learn, develop, and grow is creating a great environment where employees feel comfortable sharing their ideas, thoughts, and suggestions.
"84% of Squarespace employees state that the company offers meaningful career advancement opportunities." Comparably.
Most employees enjoy working at Squarespace and thus feel genuinely invested in the company and excited about bringing their ideas and thoughts to solve problems.
Coca-Cola
What's special: Embracing failures as a stepping stone for growth.
Coca-Cola has withstood the test of time and remains a company that thrives and dominates after many years. They needed to adapt, innovate and stay current with their product offering, branding and skills sets. Coca Cola knows that building their people’s skills is the shortcut to innovation and staying competitive:
"At The Coca-Cola Company, our belief is that as business context continues to change, our ability to unlock growth requires us to become a learning organization. From my perspective, I define a learning organization as one that has the capacity to continuously reinvent itself. This is not to be confused with training or learning programs. A learning organization is one where experimentation is encouraged, failures are a normal part of growing, routines and project artifacts allow for sharing and making things better (for example post-project learning reviews or retrospectives) and where you do not wait for a perfect product before going to market." Tapaswee Chandele, Coca-Cola's Global Vice President of Talent and Development.
Coca-Cola believes that failure should be embraced rather than feared because it shows that a company has effort, progression, and a desire and willingness to progress and move forward.
This is precisely what a growth mindset is: accepting failures as lessons and opportunities to start again, start over, and do things better. Because of this culture, Coca-Cola has been able to stay ahead of the competition and maintain a significant market share.
"We recognize the development of skills and experiences is crucial for our employees to achieve their aspirations and reach new career heights. By investing in one another, we can unlock unparalleled potential and collectively build a better shared future. At the heart of it lies our most valuable resource: our people, whose incredible talents drive us forward." Life at Coca-Cola.
What's special: A business that values its employees.
Google, one of the best learning organizations in the world, is a tech giant that has succeeded in building an innovative, forward-thinking company with a strong culture that prioritizes its employees.
They believe that new ideas can come from anywhere and everywhere. They do not consider only high-level managers to be contributors who can bring ideas, thoughts, and solutions to the table.
"I can't tell you what to teach your team or organization, since that depends on what your goals are. I can't tell you whether the best way to teach is in person or remotely, through self-study or group classes. [...] I can, however, tell you exactly where to find the best teachers. They are sitting right next to you. I promise you that in your organization there are people who are expert on every facet of what you do, or at least expert enough that they can teach others." Laszlo Bock, former Senior Vice President of People Operations at Google in Work Rules!: Insights from Inside Google That Will Transform How You Live and Lead.
Google fosters growth in all of its employees and their ability to solve problems in new and creative ways. Google believes that growth occurs when you create a healthy environment where people feel safe expressing themselves.
Hiring the right people is crucial, but allowing those people to grow and develop in their current roles is even more critical; otherwise, they will sit with potential but never fully realize it.
Google has a flexible policy regarding working hours and remote/hybrid work, focusing instead on providing employees with the freedom and space required to deliver results. Google promotes curiosity and risk-taking because these are frequently the catalysts for new ideas and better ways of working and learning.
🤖 For a complete analysis of training and development at Google, check out our case study.
Nvidia
What's special: A problem-solving-focused company with an emphasis on agility.
Nvidia is committed to solving future problems today.
"We Are Agile Without Fear." Nvidia, About us.
Their organizational learning practices are agile; they do not confine their employees to a single role, method, or department. Nvidia is cutting-edge in technology, and they want to foster an environment where employees can find their "sweet spot" or "niche."
At Nvidia, the overall well-being of its employees is essential for peak performance.
NVIDIA promotes a problem-solving-focused culture and emphasizes agility in its approach. They encourage employees to think outside the box and proactively tackle future challenges. This, combined with NVIDIA's cutting-edge technology, creates an environment that supports employee growth and innovation.
Meta (formerly Facebook)
What's special: Prioritizing on-the-job learning and hands-on coaching.
Meta, formerly Facebook, values on-the-job learning, coaching, and mentorship over the classroom or formal learning. No wonder why Facebook has grown into a social media behemoth since its inception in 2004.
Meta views feedback as a continuous process, and the learning and growing process is very hands-on, which is the backbone of their learning process.
Meta has developed a coaching circle program, a strong support mechanism for continuous feedback. Forming the cornerstone of their learning and growth framework. Participants in the coaching circles are asked to pledge confidentiality so that employees can freely express themselves and ask questions, empowering continuous learning.
Learning and training are not just left up to a few people but are spread across the company through coaching circles, putting the employees at the forefront of learning and coaching others.
Hubspot
What's special: Focuses on building a company they love.
Hubspot believes in building a great culture and devotes significant resources to this goal. Their goal is to hire the best people and get the most out of the people they already have.
A part of their culture code states everyone has access to everyone, regardless of organizational level. This benefits learning, growth, and development because people are not constantly surrounded by the same groups of people, bouncing around the same ideas.
They also do not penalize people for trying and making mistakes but would rather have someone try, and make mistakes, than not try at all. Another part of their culture code is that influence is not dependent on position, which means that everyone can be a leader in their capacity and does not necessarily need to be in a management position to have influence.
Their culture code also includes that power is gained by sharing knowledge, not hoarding it. This belief runs through the company, expanding people's ways of thinking, and one person's breakthrough in solving a problem or creating something great can open the door for other people to do the same.
This is why Hubspot has taken the time to focus on building its company culture, knowing that it is vital to growth and learning.
📢 For more insights into Hubspot’s L&D strategy, check out our case study on employee development and training at Hubspot.
🧩 What makes a learning organization?
These companies make it look so easy to become a learning organization.
But building a thriving learning organization takes more than enrolling your staff in training programs. It requires adopting a learning culture, invested leadership, dedication, and resources.
According to Peter Senge, learning organizations are skilled in five disciplines. These are a set of principles and practices that employees incorporate into their daily lives. Below are the five disciplines you should implement in your team to transform your company into a learning organization.
Systematic thinking
Sometimes, companies focus on the parts rather than the whole, so they fail to see an organization as a dynamic process.
According to Senge, learning organizations are skilled at systematic thinking, the discipline that integrates others, fusing them into a coherent body of theory.
System thinking provides a framework for businesses to see patterns, interconnections, or the big picture. This way, you consider the long-term implications before making a decision.
❓How to make it happen: Look beyond the immediate problems and implement changes that will result in long-term improvements. When confronted with a problem, many businesses seek a quick fix. It turns out that the fix eventually fails and causes more problems than it solves.
Personal mastery
Individual learning does not guarantee organizational learning, but no organizational learning occurs without it.
Personal mastery is developing an employee's ability to achieve personal goals. People in a learning organization value and understand the importance of continuous growth, so they focus on constant improvements, such as learning practical knowledge and skills and applying them to real-life events.
People with a high level of personal mastery are acutely aware of their incompetence and areas for development. As a result, they develop their own sense of vision that aligns with the company's.
❓How to make it happen: Use a platform to support individual learning. Make sure your managers discuss their reports' learning and development goals and how they align with the organization.
Mental models
Mental models are deeply ingrained assumptions or beliefs that impede progress. Learning organizations use mental models to teach new skills and foster change - Peter Senge.
In learning organizations, employees self-reflect to evaluate existing ideas and challenge any beliefs obstructing growth. Team members acknowledge and challenge mental models to move beyond unfavorable behaviors and effect change for the greater good.
❓How to make it happen: Encourage employees to test new approaches and theories to assess their validity and improve them.
Shared vision
Many leaders have personal visions for the organization. These visions, however, are never translated into shared visions that motivate employees, creating a disconnect between what the leaders and the employees want to achieve, resulting in a lack of energy and excitement among team members.
A successful organization has a shared vision that emerges from the personal visions of its leaders. These visions will not be considered 'shared' until others in the organization feel a part of them.
With a shared vision, the entire organization can answer the question, "What do we want to accomplish?" as every team member understands what the company wants to accomplish.
This fosters commitment among team members rather than compliance and enthusiasm to complete tasks, facilitating learning and excellence in executing final goals.
❓How to make it happen #1: Appoint a dedicated team leader who will promote openness and communication while listening to the team.
You can accomplish this by doing webinars, regular meetings, establishing corporate eLearning blogs, and online discussions. These will enable leaders to communicate the organization's core objectives to their teams more personally.
This way, the team can ask questions and address any concerns impeding progress toward the common goal.
❓How to make it happen #2: Use a goal management software to document organizational, departmental, team, and individual goals, making sure everyone is aligned and accountable for their contributions to company success.
Team learning
The characteristics listed above are critical for the company's success. However, these objectives will be unattainable unless the team possesses the final crucial element: team learning.
Team learning is aligning team members' abilities to achieve the desired results. Every employee in a successful learning organization knows the learning objectives and desired outcomes and works together to achieve them.
This is done when members reflect on where they need to improve and consider the perspectives of other team members. This fosters knowledge sharing and where some of the most beneficial learning.
In a learning organization, making mistakes is okay, and providing constructive feedback I encouraged, allowing teams to come together and learn how to solve problems.
❓How to make it happen: Create a central location where team members can share and access user-generated learning content. As a result, every team member will benefit from their colleagues' expertise and skill sets.
Use a knowledge management system that allows learners to share content with their peers.
➡️ Become a learning organization with Zavvy
So, what do all learning organizations have in common?
They are all built on a foundation of continuous learning, collaboration, and knowledge-sharing, which provides them with a competitive advantage. Zavvys people enablement platform has you covered to create a learning organization:
- 📚Build and run engaging training programs with Zavvys learning management platform.
- 🔁 360 feedback system to inspire action and targeted growth.
- 🧭 Ready-to-use templates to facilitate feedback and performance, as well as onboarding & training.
- 🌱 Employee development tool to align employees and people managers and build targeted development plans.
📅 Reach out and see how our learning designers can develop the best programs for you.