A guest article by Cecilia Linder, Strategist and specialist in learning and development.
When competency needs shift rapidly, new technologies continually emerge, and business models are constantly challenged, learning becomes an increasingly critical success factor.
My name is Cecilia Linder, and I have worked for many years as a strategist and specialist in learning and development. My focus is on helping organisations enhance their ability to embrace business-driven learning—establishing conditions that ensure learning delivers impact both for the business and the individual.
What is a value‑creating learning organisation?
Building a learning organisation isn’t about filling calendars with training sessions. It’s about using learning strategically to add value—for individuals, the organisation, the company, and its customers.
When learning becomes an integrated part of daily operations, it enables an organisation to remain relevant, competitive, and profitable. Resilience to change grows, and innovation capacity increases. Moreover, it fosters greater employee engagement and loyalty from customers.
The key is to cultivate the capabilities and competencies that the organisation actually needs to achieve its business objectives.
Why learning organisations are more relevant than ever
Rapid technological advancement and AI, evolving markets and customer behaviours, globalisation and competition—these factors make the need for learning organisations more pertinent than ever, especially in a landscape facing skills shortages.
Research shows that up to 70 % of the skills needed in today’s jobs will change by 2030 due to AI and emerging technologies. For organisations, this means that the ability to develop employees quickly becomes among their most important competitive advantages.
How to get started—and how to assess your current position
To create structure in learning and development efforts, I use the “Learning Compass” model. It helps organisations gain strategic clarity and provides tangible insights into how learning and development can drive business goals.
The Learning Compass dives into four essential areas that must be in place to enable a value‑creating learning organisation:
Organisation
Who holds responsibility and authority? Do we have defined roles, resources, and mandate to drive learning forward? This includes leadership’s role in enabling learning as part of the everyday work.
Systems and processes
What tools, systems and ways of working do we have—technically and structurally? Are there processes for needs analysis, skills mapping, planning and follow‑up?
Learning culture
Do we nurture an environment where learning is natural? Do we encourage experimentation, knowledge sharing, and learning from mistakes? Is there trust and support from managers and colleagues?
Learning & development
Do we offer individual development plans, clear career paths, mentorship, and audience‑tailored initiatives—or other relevant development opportunities aligned with business objectives?
Working systematically across all these areas builds a strong foundation for learning to truly drive business value.
Sample questions from the Learning Compass
For those starting or deepening their work with organisational learning, here are a few high‑impact diagnostic questions (one per area) you can use to quickly spot risks and early warning signs related to your business:
| Area | Diagnostic question |
| Organisation | Is there clear accountability for linking business goals to learning and skills? |
| Systems & processes | Do you have practices, processes and systems to ensure skills development is planned, executed and followed up? |
| Learning culture | Do you feel that learning is prioritised, expected and encouraged day‑to‑day—by both managers and employees? |
| Learning & development | Do you know which learning interventions deliver the greatest impact for achieving your strategic goals—and are you prioritising based on that? |
Perhaps you’re already seeing indications of where support may be needed?
From current state to concrete plan
In my work, I often help organisations take these exact steps. Through workshops and current‑state and gap analysis, we use the Learning Compass to map needs, define priority initiatives, and create a practical action plan.
The goal is always the same: to make learning a powerful lever for achieving business goals—while also fostering engagement, development and optimism among employees.
