BY RUSSELL SARDER; AUTHOR, ENTREPRENEUR AND CEO OF LEARNING

All successful organizations have one thing in common:

”They understand the value of learning.“

Building a learning organization doesn’t happen overnight—it

takes a long-term commitment, thoughtful planning, and a

steady supply of resources.

You’ll need to build a learning culture, develop learning plans,

and create a system for managing your learning operation.

Check the Sarder framework:

Learning Culture

Right Leader

Right People

Right Behaviors

Right Resources

Learning Plan

Learning Goals

Competency Models

Learning Methods

Learning Assessments

Learning Operation

Content

Delivery

Technology

Administration and Marketing

Sarder Framework: Building the Learning Organization

Best Practices in

Learning Organization

Culture is the sum of ways of living created by a group and

transmitted from one generation to another. It’s culture that makes

one country, region, or group different from another.

Organizations also have unique cultures that shape their workplaces,

and it’s that culture that differentiates a learning organization.

To build a learning organization, you must transform the existing

culture into a learning culture.

Accomplishing that transformation requires:

The Right Leader

The Right People

The Right Behaviors

The Right Resources

Learning Culture

“Setting the example is all about… putting your

money where your mouth is. It’s about practicing

what you preach. It’s about following through on

commitments. It’s about keeping promises. Its

about walking the talk. It’s about doing what you

say.”

Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner1. Leaders must have the vision and the will.

2. They must believe in the value of learning, and they must

be learners themselves

3. They create a learning environment, provide programs

and activities, and reward learning efforts.

The Right Leader

Leaders who are passionate learners communicate their vision and

help people understand why learning is important to achieving

organizational and personal goals.

Transforming an organization’s culture starts at the top:

Learning Culture

Learning Culture

The Right People

To transform your organization’s culture, you need people who have

open minds, are good collaborators, are willing to question, are not

afraid of change, and who welcome opportunities to learn.

1. A learning culture is built by its people.

2. Learning organizations actively seek such people among their

current employees and when they recruit.

“A learning organization needs employees who

have the right motivation for and approach to

learning –a learning mindset…

[They] hire and develop people who like to learn

and who proactively seek to learn.”

Edward D. Hess

Learning Culture

The Right Behaviors

Collaboration, innovation, experimentation, risk taking, and

information sharing are hallmarks of a learning organization.

In such organizations, people challenge established ways of

doing things and explore new ideas for getting better.

Organization

Collaboration

Innovation

ExperimentationRisk Taking

Information Sharing

Learning Culture

The Right Resources

Leaders of learning organizations recognize that learning is an essential

cost, and they demonstrate their support by providing the necessary

resources.

Following the Sarder Principle, they spend at least 2 percent of their

total revenue on learning and development.

2%

98%

Sarder Principle

Learning &

Development

Business, R&D

Others

Learning Goals

Competency Models

Learning Methods

Learning Assessments

Your learning plan describes what will be done to

translate your vision of a learning organization into reality.

It includes:

Learning Plan

1. Learning Goals

2. Competency Models

3. Learning Methods

4. Learning Assessments

Learning Plan

Learning Goals

The goals in your learning plan provide targets that outline what

you hope to accomplish within specified time frames.

They also certify that team and individual goals flow from the

organization’s overall goals, ensuring everyone is aligned with the

organization’s mission, values, and overall strategies.

“Building a learning organization is a lot like building

a house. A house needs a supporting foundation,

electrical and plumbing systems, a roof, and an

insulated structure.

There components must be integrated and aligned

to wok together to produce the desired results.”

Edward Hess

Learning Plan

Competency Models

Competency models are frameworks that describe what people

need to know to accomplish a job at the highest level.

Learning organizations use them to recruit the right employees,

identify employees’ performance gaps and development

needs, develop learning plans, set performance standards,

maximize employee productivity, and drive organizational

change.

“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those

who cannot read and write, but those who

cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn”

Pyschologist Herbert Gerjuoy

“We are currently preparing students for jobs that

don’t yet exist… using technologies that haven’t

yet been invented… to solve problems we don’t

even know are problems yet.”

Karl Fisch and Scott McLeod

Learning Plan

Learning Methods

People have different learning styles and preferences, and the best

learning programs consider those differences.

An understanding of the various ways in which people learn helps

you choose the method or combination of methods that is best for

a given situation.

From traditional learning to informal learning, a good learning

organization uses different approaches, often in combination.

Learning experts refer to that combination as “blended learning.”

“We all learn best in our own ways. Some people

do better studying one subject at a time, while

some do better studying three things at once.

Some people do best studying in structured, linear

way, while others do best jumping around,

“surrounding” a subject.”

Bill Gates

Learning Plan

Learning Assessments

Only by regularly assessing the results of your learning initiatives can

you discover the extent to which they are achieving their expected

outcomes; if not, why not; and what improvements can you make?

1. Assessment is itself a learning activity.

2. Assessment is essentially a process of asking questions.

3. The overarching question is, “How well are our learning plans

achieving what we intended them to achieve?”

“Evaluation is a constant guard at the gate of

failure. ”

Chuck Hodell

Content Delivery

TechnologyAdministrator & Marketing

Developing and implementing a learning plan is too important

and too complex to go it alone.

A learning management service that has access to validated

competency models, sourcing databases and assessments,

technological tools, and expertise in the field of learning can

guide you through the process, provide advice, and handle many

tasks resourcefully.

Learning Operation

Learning Operation

Content

Learning initiatives involve a huge amount of content: education

programs and materials, competency models, needs assessments,

evaluations, instructor information, and more.

You will need a system to collect all that content, organize it, keep it

up to date, and ensure it can be easily accessed when needed.

Learning Operation

Delivery

Today’s organizations have many options for delivering learning.

Managing your learning operations includes choosing the right

option or options to fit your budget, meet goals, and match both

learner and organizational needs.

Technology

Technological tools are essential for managing learning operations.

Yet it’s amazingly easy for organizations to spend huge sums of money

on technology and still be unable to manage their learning initiatives

effectively.

It’s vital to understand the options so you can select those that are

right for you.

Learning Operation

Administration & Marketing

A staggering number of tasks are involved in managing learning

operations, from organizing assessments and materials; to developing,

updating, and scheduling courses; to negotiating with vendors.

Whether you handle these tasks in-house or outsource them to a

company, a centralized administrative and marketing function helps

you control costs and ensure that everything gets done right.

Learning Operation

Download Chapter One at

netcomlearning.com/book

» Learning Consulting

» Learning Content

» Learning Delivery

» Learning Administration

» Learning Technology

By Russell Sarder

CEO at NetCom Learning

Copyrights 2016 by NetCom Learning

NetCom Learning helps build innovative learning organizations in the

workplace by structuring a smarter workforce, supporting changes, and

driving growth. Since 1998 we have been empowering organizations to

reach optimal performance results and address challenges by managing

all aspects of organizational learning.

Learn more about our consulting services and download “Building an

Innovative Learning Organization. A Framework to Build a Smarter

Workforce, Adapt to Change, and Drive Growth” by Russell Sarder at

www.netcomlearning.com/book