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What is a Learning Lane and why is it important?

Abstract image of winding roads and signs, and a straight lane representing the learning lane concept

 

In the 70/20/10 Model of Learning, many organizations only capture activities associated with the 10% or formal learning component. As L&D professionals, we need to know where the rest of learning is truly happening in our organizations.

What is a Learning Lane?

The LEARNING LANE is a map of the various “learning touch points” that an employee may experience while moving along in their employment journey within the organization. This map or “Learning Lane” is a tool to help in clarifying and capturing learning investment that is both identified and explicit (10% formal learning), as well as other 90% of learning that is not identified and more implicit. The “learning touch points” are identified from the perspective of the EMPLOYEE.

Why is a Learning Lane important?

The Learning Lane is an important tool for attracting, developing and retaining high performing individuals for organizations driven by a culture of learning. The Learning Lane is a great engagement tool when created collaboratively. It is also a foundation for a Learning Strategy. It helps identify the informal learning that could be institutionalized i.e. made more implicit.

The Learning Lane creates a more accurate depiction of what learning is going on within the organization. This mapping process helps to correlate Enterprise dollar investment in learning. It provides a framework that captures all learning within an Enterprise.

A visual representation of a learning lane, or learning journey an employee may experience throughout their career

Click on Image to Enlarge
The “Holders of Learning”, from A-Recruitment to R-Talent Mangement, are a series of people practices or components such as the eighteen we have identified in the “Learning Lane” where some form of learning occurs. The Learning Lane brings clarity to when and where learning occurs and transforms implicit learning to a series of captured explicit learning moments.

The process and the result of getting there are huge!

The process is a series of workshops or focus groups with selected participants engaging in reflection and active discussions around people practices and learning moments. An unexpected outcome is discovering organizational learning opportunities that may have yet to be tapped.

The result is a map of learning that occurs within the organization that captures all learning: formal, informal and some that was not previously recognized as learning. It can be a great attraction tool because it displays the magnitude of learning that occurs both explicitly and implicitly.

Finding Some Learning Moments in a Practical Way  

Once a map of people practices or components has documented then the digging down begins. Capturing the various learning moments within each practice is an exciting process as the realization of how many learning moments are available is quite revealing.

Click on Image to Enlarge

 

The “Learning Lane” gives learning professionals a tool that creates a more accurate depiction of what learning is going on within their organization. This process helps to correlate Enterprise dollar investment in learning. As already mentioned, the Learning Lane is a great engagement tool. When created collaboratively, it is also a foundation for a Learning Strategy.

 

To find out about using the tool to create a Learning Lane for your organization contact FKA today.

 

Greg Smith
Guest Contributor
GHS Enterprise