How Managers Can Shape The Future of Workforce Learning
Can managers unlock the future by cultivating a culture of continuous positive workforce learning?
Annee Bayeux, chief learning strategist at Degreed, explains how managers can create a positive learning environment in a world where work changes quickly.
As organizations worldwide look to pivot toward a positive learning culture amid continuous transformation in the workplace, the manager’s role is taking on even greater importance. Given their proximity to the employee, managers are the conduit to facilitate that pivot.
Transformation Demands Continuous Learning
Dramatic navigational shifts, first unleashed by the pandemic, continue to impact the workplace.
We endured workforce upheavals and the need for overnight digital transformation. And now AI is rapidly shifting skills from human-centric processes to true human-machine partnerships. Job postings mentioning AI have more than doubled over the last two years alone, and there has been a 20-fold increase in the number of job postings requiring generative AI skills since ChatGPT hit our collective consciousness.
AI will drive a higher velocity of business transformation, making continuous learning more vital to any organization. The organization’s competitiveness depends on it; a positive, continuous learning environment helps build the skills needed while supporting employees’ desired career trajectories. A recent survey conducted by the American Staffing Association revealed that professional training and development is at the top of employees’ lists when accepting a new job. We must anticipate a workplace where roles constantly change, requiring ongoing upskilling or pivots as AI and other future-forward advances, such as quantum computing and advanced robotics, impact an organization’s processes. Agility is a must for everyone.
It makes sense that Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft, is attempting to transform Microsoft from a “know-it-all” organization to a “learn-it-all” organization. Organizations that aren’t involved in continuous learning will fall behind.
Managers on the Front Line
We can’t become a “learn-it-all” organization without managers; they are on the front line to ensure employees buy into the organization’s continuous, positive learning culture.
Managers hold the reins of day-to-day interactions and can support and facilitate a positive learning culture that integrates your organization’s required skills, technology, and implementation strategies. Executives and senior leaders may serve as role models; proximity managers are uniquely positioned to partner with employees to help them progress on their career journeys.
By recognizing or rewarding their team for skills development and bringing a focus to its practice, managers help boost their company’s positive learning culture. Our recent data demonstrates that, within this environment, people are 92% more likely to say their manager supported their development.
Embracing a culture of constant learning, managers drive curiosity and engagement, coaching their teams through the dynamic challenges posed by AI and other emerging technologies. By adopting a coaching posture, managers can transcend generational gaps and facilitate knowledge transfer within their teams. This involves capturing and disseminating tacit knowledge from baby boomers and Gen X, ensuring a smooth transition as experts retire or leave the company.
A positive learning culture also encourages managers to demonstrate their vulnerability of not knowing “it” all — and that they, like their teams, can improve and continue to learn. It’s an excellent way to nurture employee engagement, demonstrating that people can be involved in continuous learning at every level.
See more: How to Engage Generation Z in Workplace Learning
Training Managers To Be the Positive Force
A positive learning culture benefits organizations and employees. When actively involved in employee development, managers foster better engagement by demonstrating genuine care for their team members’ career goals. Autonomy over learning is facilitated through collaborative and coaching relationships, which promote frequent, informal, data-driven conversations.
However, challenges persist. Data from Degreed’s annual “How the Workforce Learns” report reveals that over a quarter of employees feel their managers don’t support their professional growth, presenting a mismatch between formal compliance-based training and what the workforce needs. This doesn’t bode well for organizations. A recent Microsoft study found that 41% of workers globally are likely to consider leaving their current employers within the next year for a bad boss and a lack of professional development.
We invest so much in managerial training because they heavily impacts employees. However, their training needs to unlock their power and influence over employees.
1. The shift in managerial training focus
Managerial training programs must shift their focus from generic leadership to specific organizational skills, emphasizing coaching, mentoring, and career development discussions. A common challenge lies with manager training programs focused on “leadership skills” instead of “managerial skills.”
Typically, managers are under-trained on how to support their teams during times of development, how to coach and mentor individuals and discuss future career aspirations. We must ensure that our managers are passionate about managing people and aren’t in the role because they have reached a level of technical expertise and seniority. They believe team management is the only way to advance their careers.
The training should include management and leadership courses, along with courses that help them become digitally fluid so they can more easily adapt to rapid technological change and shepherd their teams through that change.
2. Retraining for AI integration
As AI becomes increasingly integrated into the workplace, managers must undergo retraining to understand AI’s governance, usage and impact on the workforce. There is a lot of room for AI misuse, and managers can help guide and reassure by efficiently and strategically redistributing work between machines and humans. Managers need to understand company policy to manage risks and proactively comply. This requires training on data privacy, AI ethics, and compliance, such as the EU AI Act and GDPR, to recognize warning signs and deal with infractions.
Managers will have to navigate the increasing use of technology, determining the actual skills of their teams and what they need to thrive in the future workplace. At a minimum, managers should learn basic AI skills, such as prompt and natural language processing (NLP) engineering, so they can lead by example and make informed decisions about AI investments.
Managers have the most significant impact on employees because they work closely with them and have a leading role in sustaining a positive learning culture crucial for organizational success in the future. Recognizing that they are the backbone of a workforce that thrives in constant change and innovation, organizations must ensure managers are supported by the tools and training needed to succeed.
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