ONE OF THE best ways to learn is to know the subject well enough to share it with others. Often the biggest loss in the workplace is that we send one person to a training event but the learning stays with them and is not shared with the rest of the team. There might be some chat about it but there is nothing structured which helps people to really take hold of the new ideas and think about how they might use or implement them into their workplace. The products of learning not only make teams more effective, the process of learning can be team-building. Teams capture, formalize and capitalize expertise on behalf of the organization and by doing so knowledge becomes shared and less dependent on individuals who may leave the organization.

Managers have a fundamental role in ensuring that any learning gained by team members should be shared with the team. There are a number of steps which help this process:

If this process becomes part of the culture of the team, everyone knows what will be expected of them if they were the one lucky enough to be selected to attend. Even if it is just through team meetings, the sharing and discussion which follows can be invaluable. Perhaps have ‘learning events attended’ as a standing item on your agenda so no events get missed.