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Q&A | October 27, 2022

How to build a learning culture

A conversation with ServiceNow’s Cat Lang

Editor’s note: This story originally appeared in the Unleashing Digital Value issue of Workflow Quarterly.

Skilled, committed humans are key to the success of any digital transformation, says Cat Lang, senior vice president for global education at ServiceNow.

Lang is the guiding hand behind the company’s Now Learning site, a one-stop shop for ServiceNow training and certification. Workflow Quarterly sat down with her recently to talk about how companies can develop a learning culture among their employees.

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A learning culture at an organization means that its leaders are constantly thinking about talent development and not just training. They need to face the fact that if they’re planning their digital transformation, if they’re planning the types of solutions and outcomes they want to get, they also need to be thinking about their own workforce and the opportunities that they’re providing to individual employees within their company. That’s not just a one-off; it’s a whole cultural way of thinking

First off, they need to ask themselves: How are we communicating with people whose jobs are changing? How can we support them through custom training or events that help them understand why it’s beneficial to them? This approach captures the hearts and minds of the people who actually do the work. That’s the talent transformation, when you get real buy-in from individuals who are using the new solutions.

Executives need to be very clear on what the opportunity is. It sounds basic, but most companies are very task-oriented in their job descriptions. Instead, they need to sell the career opportunity. Sure, there will be a period of mentoring and gaining experience in a new role. But if they’re already familiar with the business, newly trained workers can be productive in two months versus the six to nine months required for someone who’s completely new. Given the opportunity and given the support, people will take advantage of learning and development opportunities if they see the benefits.

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