Last week I invited readers to take my latest Learning in the Workplace survey, where I asked how regularly are you “learning” in the workplace.
Although there have been well over 100 responses to the survey, once again, as with my previous survey a pattern to the responses appeared quite early on. So to make it easier to read the data, I took a snapshot of the results once 100 responses had been received.
Although there are probably few surprises in the responses to the four main questions themselves, it is when you view the amalgamated results that you can see the bigger picture. But, here first, are the responses to the four main questions. Click on the images for the full-size versions.
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Question 1: How frequently do you use the following ways to keep up to date with what is happening OUTSIDE your organisation – in your industry or profession? |
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Question 2: How regularly do you use the following ways to keep up to date with what is happening INSIDE your organisation? |
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Question 3: How regularly do you use the following ways to try and solve a learning or performance problem (e.g how to use a software feature, carry out an job task or professional activity)? |
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Question 4: How regularly do you use the following formal approaches of acquiring a new skill or knowledge? |
I used a weighted scoring system to create a ranked list of all the items in the four questions, which shows the most frequent way respondents learn, down to the least frequent ways. It also shows in bold red type, the most selected option. (Note: KUPTD = Keeping up-to-date)
| Total | Daily | Weekly | Monthly | 2-3 times a year |
Rarely | Never | Learning purpose | |
| 479 | 91 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 2 | KUPTD-inside | |
| In person conversations | 466 | 83 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | KUPTD-inside |
| Read blog posts/online articles | 453 | 65 | 27 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | KUPTD-outside |
| Search the Social Web (using Google or another search engine) |
444 | 61 | 28 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 1 | Solve problems |
| Connect with others in public social networks or in private groups or communities |
430 | 65 | 19 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 2 | KUPTD-outside |
| Telephone calls | 425 | 52 | 34 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 1 | KUPTD-inside |
| Ask colleagues in your own organisation for help | 383 | 27 | 46 | 17 | 3 | 7 | 0 | Solve problems |
| Team meetings | 361 | 10 | 54 | 25 | 10 | 0 | 1 | KUPTD-inside |
| Watch videos or view presentation slides | 345 | 13 | 40 | 31 | 11 | 5 | 0 | KUPTD-outside |
| Read industry/professional magazines | 292 | 27 | 46 | 17 | 3 | 7 | 0 | KUPTD-outside |
| Search the organisational intranet (e.g. for a job aid or company document)) |
284 | 14 | 30 | 17 | 14 | 15 | 10 | Solve problems |
| Ask colleagues in your external networks for help | 275 | 5 | 25 | 31 | 21 | 15 | 3 | Solve problems |
| Participate in an enterprise social network/ collaboration platform |
256 | 33 | 9 | 11 | 1 | 20 | 26 | KUPTD-inside |
| Company briefings | 240 | 3 | 15 | 30 | 30 | 15 | 7 | KUPTD-inside |
| Live chats/instant messages/Skype chats | 235 | 22 | 14 | 14 | 4 | 1 | 27 | KUPTD-inside |
| Participate in a private online team space | 207 | 15 | 17 | 10 | 9 | 16 | 33 | KUPTD-inside |
| Attend webinars | 197 | 1 | 6 | 24 | 38 | 20 | 11 | KUPTD-outside |
| Search the organisational LMS/ learning platform (i.e. for a course) |
168 | 7 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 19 | 36 | Solve problems |
| Participate in a training webinar | 164 | 0 | 3 | 18 | 35 | 28 | 16 | Formal learning |
| Go to in-person professional networking events | 159 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 38 | 34 | 12 | KUPTD-outside |
| Go on a face-to-face training course or workshop | 154 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 41 | 46 | 5 | Formal learning |
| Take an self-paced online course | 147 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 34 | 40 | 14 | Formal learning |
| Go to face-to-face conferences | 145 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 38 | 53 | 4 | KUPTD-outside |
| Attend online conferences | 145 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 34 | 42 | 15 | KUPTD-outside |
| SMS | 145 | 6 | 16 | 3 | 3 | 36 | 36 | KUPTD-inside |
| Use a coach (in person or online) | 121 | 2 | 2 | 12 | 16 | 35 | 33 | Formal learning |
| Take a scheduled online course (alongside other people) |
116 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 22 | 41 | 29 | Formal learning |
| Use a simulation or immersive learning solution | 75 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 10 | 35 | 49 | Formal learning |
Looking at this ranked list, what stands out for me is the fact that people are taking formal training as infrequently as going to a conference – near the bottom of the list. But it also shows me that they are learning much more regularly — in fact continuously — in many more informal ways.
Taken together with the results from my previous survey, which showed that training was considered to be the least important way of learning in the workplace, I think this provides useful evidence for those trying to bring about change in their L&D departments, and might help them to see where they should be focusing their activities to have more impact in the business.
However, it is also clear that for many organisations, moving forward is not as easy it might sound, as it requires surmounting a number of mindset obstacles to do so. I’ll talk about that in a subsequent post.
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