Pär Lager is a senior advisor of executive education and lecturer at the Swedish Defence University. He specializes in leadership, change management, resilience, and creating a learning culture. He is the author of three leadership books, including "Upskill & Reskill," "The Principle of Change," and "Communicative Leadership."
At Oslo Business Forum, Par laid out five clear steps leaders can take to create a learning culture in their organizations.
The Need to Upskill & Reskill
In an environment where change is occurring at a rapid pace and our organizations are facing high demands, the need for learning is more important than ever. Lifelong learning has always been a worthy pursuit, but Pär believes preparing for the future requires a new approach: upskilling and reskilling.
As leaders consider what their professions and organizations will look like five, ten, and twenty years from now, they must think about the roles that will remain and how their level of complexity may change.
There are many roles that will remain in the future of work, but these jobs are likely to become more complex. This will require us to upskill, enhancing our knowledge and abilities to keep pace. There are many roles that new jobs will replace in the future of work, and those jobs may be low or high in complexity. This will require us to reskill, equipping ourselves with new knowledge and abilities.
While the roles that will emerge in the future of work are still unclear, leaders can be sure of one thing: equipping their teams to successfully upskill and reskill will require a learning culture.
5 Steps to Create a Learning Culture
In Pär's research and work with organizations, he has uncovered a common framework that creates a strong foundation for a culture of learning. He believes that the organizations that have successfully built a learning culture have five things in common:
"Sometimes you can say that learning is the job, every day and every week."
Cultivate a Learning Mindset
Pär acknowledged that most organizations haven't navigated all five steps to solidify their learning culture foundation, but many have traveled at least part of the path. To continue on their journeys, Pär believes it's vital for leaders to adopt—and cultivate in their teams—a learning mindset.
Pär equates a learning mindset with a growth mindset, one that inspires continuous learning. He left leaders at Oslo Business Forum with four questions to help them cultivate a growth mindset:
Key Points
Questions to Consider
Want to be a part of the OBF community? Join Oslo Business Forum 2023: Thriving in Chaos now!