Corporate learning leaders hold the unique ability to influence and shape organizational culture. In a conversation between Jerry Zandstra, Ingenuitiโs Senior Director of Learning, and Miriam Taylor, they explore how L&D professionals can drive meaningful cultural change, foster collaboration, and navigate challenges. Together, they share insights on creating a positive learning culture, leveraging programs to align values, and building strong interdepartmental relationships.
Miriam Taylor (MT): What is the role of a corporate learning leader in shaping organizational culture?
Jerry Zandstra (JZ): I think for many L&D leaders, this is one of the primary motivations for choosing their occupation. We want to make a difference. We want to make things better. We want to see people succeed and grow in their knowledge and their skills. The learning experiences we create can introduce and reinforce new ways of thinking and desired values and mindsets. In other words, we can influence the way people think, act and interact with each other.
Iโm not sure what other position in an organization has more opportunity to shape that organizationโs culture. It really is a wonderful vocation.
MT: How can L&D leaders create a positive learning culture?
JZ: Learning leaders have a lot of tools available. One way that is sometimes overlooked is simply recognizing and celebrating the achievements of their learners. Too often we simply move on to the next task and fail to take a moment and celebrate what someone has done in their learning journey and how they made a difference in the organization.
Open communication and collaboration set a certain pace for everyone. Some organizations are built as silos so that no one knows what anyone else is doing. The learning team should be one of the most open parts of the organization. Of course, there needs to be a psychologically safe environment or people will not share their ideas and will be suspicious of other team members and teams.
MT: How can L&D leaders use learning programs to drive cultural change?
JZ: Sharing stories is a great way to reinforce desired behavior. Learning leaders often know the best stories of peoplesโ success. Find a way to share them with others in your organization. Experiential learning is a powerful means of driving cultural change. Few things are better than giving people an opportunity to experience something or experiment on their own or with others.
MT: What are the challenges of using L&D to influence culture?
JZ: The status quo always has a kind of power of its own. Those who benefit from it will not be open to change, even if the culture is unhealthy. Some people just resist change simply because it is new. Weโve all had the experience of demonstrating why a new helpful way of doing something only to get the immediate reaction of โthatโs not how we do it.โ Resistance is more easily handled if we learn to anticipate it and give people some time to adjust while continuing to reinforce it.
A second challenge is a lack of buy-in from leadership. If the most visible people in the company do not support L&D initiatives or see learning as a waste of resources, it will be very difficult to create an engaged learning culture. Unfortunately, this is one of the most difficult challenges learning leaders face. A suggestion: find a way to build a relationship with such leaders and give them time and space to understand the true value of what you do.
A third is one that is familiar to us all: limited resources. In some ways, this is tied to leadership that might not understand or appreciate the true value of learning. Organizational leaders have to constantly make decisions about where to spend the resource available to them and if they donโt truly appreciate learning, it will naturally follow that learning teams and their efforts do not have the funds they need to build the cultures they seek.
MT: What are some common cultural pitfalls that L&D leaders should avoid?
JZ: We all know it is necessary, but compliance training tends to be poorly done and underappreciated. Itโs what many learners think of when they think of the elearning industry. Another boring slide presentation or elearning module that makes it clear leadership does not really care much about the topic but are being forced to present. It is hard to build enthusiasm for learning when employees take poorly executed courses.
A second is making everything generic with no personalization. The learning development tools give us new opportunities to make learning experiences personal to learners. That might mean simply giving them the opportunity to enter their names all the way to creating learning paths for specific roles. Artificial intelligence gives us the power to have the learning experience respond to the actions of a single learner, something that will only improve in time.
MT: How can L&D leaders build strong relationships with other departments to foster a positive culture?
JZ: Good relationships with other departments or teams are essential to L&D success. Those not in L&D need to see their organizationโs L&D team as essential to their success.
Let me make a few suggestions.
- Communicate effectively: Regularly sharing information and updates with other departments. This could be a newsletter or simply spending some time with leaders from other divisions asking about what they need and letting them know of your successes.
- Collaborate on projects: Working together on cross-functional projects. Even busy people like to be asked to share their expertise and be given the opportunity to help others grow. OK, so not every single person is like this, but most are. They are worth the effort of building a relationship.
- Listen to the needs of other departments: Understanding the challenges and opportunities facing other departments. Just asking for a list of their top three challenges communicates that you care about them, their work, and are available to help.
MT: What are the most important qualities of a successful culture-shaping L&D leader?
JZ: Culture-shaping L&D leaders try to anticipate the needs of their organizations, have strong communication skills that they use deliberately, and have empathy for the challenges faced by others in their company. They want to help. They want to solve problems. And one last thing: they are resilient. They donโt quit quickly or easily.
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