Continuous Learning

Continuous learning occurs at three different levels: individual, group, and organization.

Continuous Learning for the Individual

At the individual level, continuous learning is about expanding your ability to learn by regularly upgrading your skills and increasing your knowledge. Strong continuous learning skills are required to successfully adapt to changing work and life demands.  Continuous learning in the workplace involves viewing your experiences as potential learning and re-examining assumptions, values, methods, policies, and practices.

Some of the practices of continuous learning at the individual level include:

• Asking questions when you do not understand something

• Asking for feedback or advice from more experienced co-workers

• Identifying learning or training programs that are available to you at work and in your community

• Learning by observing more experienced colleagues or practitioners

• Finding and using learning materials or resources, for example, searching the Internet, reading articles

• Seeking out and participating in training courses

• Identifying and understanding your skill strengths and the areas where you need improvement

• Developing your own learning goals at work and in your personal life

• Applying the lessons you have learned from past experiences to new situations

• Trying new ways of doing things

• Recognizing your preferred learning style, for example, learning by seeing, hearing or doing

• Taking responsibility for your own learning

• Maintaining your skill levels by practicing what you have learned

Continuous Learning for Groups & Organizations

At the group level, continuous learning is reflected, for example, by a team transforming itself in response to changing conditions.

At the organizational level, continuous learning is increasingly important to the success of the organization because of changing economic conditions.  Given the current business environment, organizations must be able to learn continuously in order to deal with these changes and, in the end, to survive and thrive.

HR Learning & Development supports the development of group and organizational capacity for continuous learning through our consulting services.