Learning a Living

Contributor: Jeremy Stowe, Director General, Government of Canada and Public Sector Skills, Canada School of Public Service Twitter: @Jerstowe

Published: January 25, 2020

“The future of work consists of learning a living.” Marshall McLuhan

The title "The Future of (insert anything here)" is more often than not a discussion about the way technology will completely change or disrupt how we work, learn, and socialize. In 2020, that argument has quickly escalated, and with it, the realization of what technology is (and is not) capable of doing. However, the future of learning is dependent on the extent to which organizations create an internal culture that rewards knowledge sharing, continuous learning, and professional development.

The way we work and the way in which training is delivered will definitely continue to evolve through the means of new integrated platforms, new types of micro-learning interventions, just-in-time learning events, and formal in-class or virtual learning programs. These new systems and delivery mechanisms are hugely important to provide learners a high caliber experience and this blog does not underestimate the impact of technology in the way training and content is delivered or learning is achieved. Instead, it seeks to highlight the greater importance that an organizational learning culture will have over technology for the future or learning and professional development.

In 1967, Canadian author Marshall McLuhan anticipated that learning and work would become increasingly interrelated: “… it is becoming clear that the main “work” of the future will be education, that people will not so much earn a living as learn a living…. Industry and the military, as well as the arts and sciences, are beginning to consider education their main business” (McLuhan & Leonard, 1967, 25).

The future of learning has always been and will continue to be centered on the importance of knowledge and skills acquired through experience, study, or instruction. It is not dependent on the progression of technology, but rather on the value given to the culture of improvement, the power of facts, and the rewards of acquiring new knowledge and skills. When teams dedicate time and resources to creating and encouraging a learning culture, they are more skilled and agile and likely more successful. This is much easier said than done in such a fast paced work environment, but organizations need to create more incentives for managers to invest in their employees.

No, this blog entry will not turn into yet another favorite rant about “always be learning”. Instead, it emphasizes that organizations who outwardly value and create incentives to invest in learning will silence the necessity of that discourse . The future of learning relies on the importance that each manager of an organization, regardless of their level or status, associates to the campaign of continuous improvement. The organization within itself needs to create a culture where managers can continually model learning as part of working. The future of learning is always being cultivated in the present.

The present and future leader needs to be a champion for learning and create a climate that motivates everyone within its organization to develop and foster an insatiable hunger for learning and growth. Creating a culture of continuous learning involves more than just training; it requires that each employee develop the knowledge, skills, and abilities they need so that they, and the organization, can succeed. I encourage you to take a 10 second pause here and think about how much your team has learned in 2020 and how it is has adjusted, even if not to perfection. Hopefully, you are happy with the outcome yet still seek opportunities for overall process and performance improvement.

The transition from in-person course delivery to the virtual broadcasting of events, conferences and formal courses is but one of many examples. Unfortunately, technology cannot make you passionate about the learning itself, it can only change its method of transference. Until we can actually have access to a greater form of technology, like that of the 1995 Canadian-American poorly acted cyberpunk action thriller film Johnny Mnemonic, where the main character has a hard drive data storage device implanted in his brain, we will need to stay passionate about learning for ourselves and our teams.

I highly doubt the straight to brain data dump technology is going to arrive in 2021, so we better keep investing in learning!

Leaders that value and encourage organizational learning and that commit to helping employees grow, adapt, and learn will see the benefit in their team’s innovation and performance and the quality of service they offer to Canadians.