Spread the L^2 Epidemic: Build Your
Learning InfrastructureNothing valuable grows in an uncultivated garden. If you want
roses in your garden, it takes frequent watering, spraying, and fer-
tilizer. It’s the same with learning. In theory, everyone’s in favor of
learning. No one we know of campaigns for ignorance. Yet like
roses in your garden, learning doesn’t happen automatically. It
takes lots of hard work and a system that proactively facilitates the
learning equivalent of regular watering, spraying, and fertilization.
That’s the “learning infrastructure.”
Build Learning into the Management Systems
Incorporate learning into the ongoing management system, the
heart of which is the objective, measurement, and reward systems.
Most organizations have annual performance goals and monthly,
quarterly, or semiannual action plans to achieve those goals. In
addition to the traditional financial goals, L^2 s build in a learning
objective as well. Then expect, measure, and reward learning by
making the learning objective as important as financial, produc-
tivity, and market share objectives. That way everyone can add a
“to learn” list to the traditional “to do” list.
Some learning objectives can be developmental or personal.
For example, the vice president of sales at AT&T undertook a
factory superintendent assignment as part of her learning about
the manufacturing side of the business. That particular experience
came in handy when she later became vice president of the
entire business unit. In another, more personal example, the
CFO’s learning objective at Square D one year was to learn how
to take a continuous two-week vacation with his family, leave
the office before 7:00 at night, and write out his Christmas cards
at home with his wife instead of at the office two nights before
Christmas.
UNLEASH THELEARNINGEPIDEMIC 181