Change Learning Mindset from Top-Down to Bottom-Up

Itmay seem daunting to switch your learning approach from top-down to bottom-up. However,when introduced correctly, this change can be swift and immediately beneficial.How do you make the shift correctly?

Last year weconducted a large-scalesurvey (n=259) ofL&D professionals. We combined these findings with in-depth discussionswith learning managers from Nielsen, Kellogg’s and Unilever—organizations thathave implemented successful bottom-up learning programs. The results showedthat step one to changing your learning approach is changing the stakeholders’mindset. If you want your L&D department to shift from top-down tobottom-up models, start by teaching stakeholders the inherent advantages andconvincing them to buy in.

Whichstakeholders are these? Our respondents pinpointed three groups whose mindsetsthey wanted to change: upper-level management, direct colleagues in L&D,and employees. The real challenge is addressing preconceived notions abouttraditional learning approaches and what’s expected of L&D departments.

In thisarticle, we offer advice on creating a business case with these keystakeholders, so they all embrace collaboration and an employee-driven learningculture as the best way forward.

Learningculture and employee engagement

According tobestselling author Kevin Kruse, there’s a direct correlation between engaged employees and astonishingbusiness outcomes. In recent decades, we’ve witnessed major cultural shiftswithin many organizations. Traditionally, companies created a culture thatreflected their core values or mission. Today, most successful firms definetheir culture through the lens of employee engagement. This started changinghow employees are valued and treated, which has led to greater employeeengagement and stronger business outcomes.

How can HRdepartments promote engagement at a time of cultural shift? By ditchingoutdated, top-down engagement strategies. Smart HR and L&D teams arealready moving towards a bottom-up learning culture.

Whatare bottom-up learning models?

Bottom-uplearning is managed by the employees themselves. It addresses the 80 percent ofknowledge that is needed 20 percent of the time. This is particularly importantin organizations dealing with constant change. Bottom-up learning is cheaper,more responsive, less controlling, less patronizing, and altogether more intune with the times.

An emergingmodel in this space is employee-generated learning (EGL), in which employees orsubject-matter experts (SMEs) own part of their learning needs and create theirown training content. In this model, L&D partners with employees andempowers them to create content and share their knowledge. The idea is based onco-creation,collaboration, and knowledge sharing. It triggers engagement by making employees instrumental in driving,voicing, and creating the flow of knowledge.

As employeesgain recognition for their knowledge-sharing efforts, they establish themselvesas experts. This results in empowerment. Employees are empowered bycontributing and making a difference in their areas of expertise. Empowermentis the best form of employee engagement because employees drive the businesswhile managing personal and business priorities.

Introducing EGL

Whatdoes it take to introducean employee-driven learning model like EGL, and how can you convince thestakeholders?

Business leaders

With EGL,employees create and maintain learning content themselves. Content creation isfaster and cheaper because there’s no dependency on external parties likeinstructional designers or third-party suppliers. Putting employees in chargeof creating content ensures that business leaders are aligned with businessproblems and relevant learning solutions.

Howto make it happen?

• Communicate thepossibilities and benefits of EGL with leaders and get them involved asco-champions for change.
• Use proven bestpractices to build a stronger case.
• Assure themthat EGL aligns content with performance, which directly impacts businessresults.

Employeesand subject matter experts (SMEs)

With EGL,employees are more engaged than before because they actively co-create relevantlearning content to meet business goals. By equipping their colleagues withknowledge, they can achieve more with fewer resources. EGL also providesopportunities for SMEs to develop their own careers by establishing themselvesas experts on the topics they’re most passionate about.

Howto make it happen?

• Treat employeesnot as learners but as co-creators of learning content. Employees create andmaintain the content, so L&D must encourage them to take ownership of theprocess.
• Encourageself-initiatives and don’t penalize mistakes. Employees will only be motivatedif they’re rewarded for effective performance.
• Provide theright conditions and collaborative software tools (a rich, searchable intranet,forums, wikis, blogs, best-practice communities, etc.).

L&D

EGL freesL&D to focus on strategic initiatives because it shares their work withSMEs who are qualified to develop content. Instead of sitting down with SMEs tocreate content, L&D plays a behind-the-scenes role, offering guidance andsupport. This self-service model works perfectly for L&D departments withlimited budgets and shrinking teams, allowing them to steer changes from thebottom up.

Howto make it happen?

• ReassureL&D colleagues about their evolving role from content creators to coaches.Encourage them to be more strategic and flexible within this new model.
• Encourage themto think like a start-up and act like a product manager to begin making small changes in a truly employee-engaged style.

Conclusion

For years,educational institutions and employers have controlled employees’ developmentand failed to develop a self-learning, peer-sharing workforce. However, thanksto ubiquitous, affordable technologies, today’s employees are far moreindependent and social in how they learn and work. This reveals a mismatchbetween the spoon-fed culture and self-regulated practices. To create the rightculture that fits the workforce, it’s time to embrace their autonomy. Empower your employees. Provide them with the motivation, the means, andthe opportunities to leverage their strengths. Your company’s culture shouldmatch that of the outside world, in which social sharing and autonomy areessential elements. Employees will feel comfortable in this environment andwill be able to excel. This will bring about the change in culture that leadersdesire.

Resources

Insights. “Engagementis a culture change.”

Spiro, Kasper. “BoostEmployee Engagement with Knowledge-Sharing.” Modern Workplace Learning Magazine. 27 March 2018.