There is a subtle art to navigating the world of learning and development (L&D), especially in corporate spaces. Being such a vital part of a company's strategy, L&D sits at an interesting position, both being influenced by and having the ability to influence company culture, strategy and overall success.
I'm so happy to be seeing a shift in how we think about adult learning and learning experiences at work, and the move away from creating learning to check a box to really wanting to create transformational experiences for employees. However, looming just underneath the surface of all organizations is that deep-seated undercover culture, just waiting to undo all of the hard work of trainers, facilitators, and managers everywhere.
What are some ways the undercover workplace culture impacts learning and development initiatives?
Not adjusting to the times: Operating from old leadership paradigms and ways of "motivating" employees is simply not effective in today's workplace culture. Many senior leaders (and by senior, I'm referring to tenure within a certain position or role type) hold onto what worked for them 20, 30 or 40 years ago, and may be disconnected from the needs of modern workers. Maintaining these old paradigms at work leads to stagnation and can cause an organization to fall well behind in competitive advantage, leaving your company vulnerable and not well equipped to keep up pace.
Political correctness: The drive to avoid lawsuits (understandably) can cause organizations to either avoid certain topics, or only present watered-down versions of certain topics. This is quite common in diversity and inclusion trainings, which, for decades have covered "safe" topics around unconscious bias or very general training on "how to tolerate others", when in reality deeper knowledge and training on emotional management, self-reflection, and cultural competence is needed.
Not valuing learning: The race to be profitable can put setting aside time for learning activities on the back burner at many organizations. Although companies may say they invest in their employees' development and value learning, in the real day-to-day, learning is brushed off or, at worst, considered a waste of time. Due to inefficient processes, poor communication, and other outcomes of operating from the undercover workplace, people simply can't make time for learning (even when that learning would help increase efficiency, for example).
Tall poppy syndrome/mediocrity: If we are honest, the concept of meritocracy is flawed for many reasons. Aside from the social/political aspects of culture that negate the concept, the idea that truly being excellent or the best at anything is not actually part of the real, undercover workplace culture. In the undercover culture, mediocrity is the goal; don't be "too" good or you'll offend others. Just be "good enough" to get along and avoid being judged as incompetent. This is actually anti-learning, as most people will work to reach a level of competency (which is mediocre) and become comfortable (due to the social rewards for mediocrity) and avoid wanting to learn or grow any further. In the undercover culture, the amount that you know should be proportionate to your social status- falling outside of this unspoken standard in any way can make you a target.
Avoiding skills/topics that threaten the status quo: Training is often in alignment with the undercover workplace, in that HR and leaders often review trainings to make sure certain words, phrases or concepts are (or aren't) represented in the training. Of course, depending on the training, some of that is needed to make sure things function properly. However, when this stifles employee empowerment, or causes stagnation, like with DEIJ efforts, it can create an undercover culture of anti-learning and avoidance that keeps everyone comfortable, and stuck in the status quo.
Awareness is key to tackling these issues in organizational learning. Once we have that awareness, having the courage to step outside of the status quo to advocate for changes is the next step, albeit the most difficult one. It's hard and risky to stick your neck out there, but what are we really losing in the process?
As always, I'd like to know your thoughts- what are some other ways unspoken behaviors and expectations in the workplace thwart learning?
Hi! I'm Nicole, an organizational consultant and personal coach, who is passionate about inspiring the changes our society needs for all to thrive. Using lessons learned from my own experiences and challenges, I hope to help people within organizations by creating mentally, socially, and emotionally healthy workplaces for all. Check out the other resources on this site for more ways to do just that!
Comments