Assistant Vice President, Learning & Organization Development
Why is it important to have a learning structure in place at an organization?
Learning is an investment that should be made for everyone regardless of position, title, or advancement. In Duke Learning and Organization Development we created a staircase of learning that offers educational opportunities to our workforce at all levels. Offering this structure is important to create consistency in the way we grow our employees and allows everyone to have freedom and see the ability to grow in their own journey of learning.
How do you know what learning is needed for the organization?
We perform a needs assessment to query what employees feel are their gaps or where they need development. We also query supervisors, managers and senior leaders to better understand what is needed in today’s workforce. To further support our assessment, we take a look across our peer institutions to see what’s trending for skill sets needed for our future workforce. All of the data is pulled together to assist in the development, design, and deployment of our learning modules annually.
Best advice that you would give to someone looking to explore learning opportunities?
Become comfortable seeking developmental feedback. Know that you will always be the leader of your own learning journey, do not look for others to designate a map for you. Be intentional about what you are building for, i.e. skill gaps, performance, behavior, etc. Have conversations with your supervisor/manager regarding your professional development and opportunities to stretch and grow in your learning journey.