The 2021 LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report is out, and the findings confirm a trend that we all probably already became aware of: investment in learning is not an option anymore. It is a MUST.
Two years after the beginning of the pandemic, we continue to see the changes it reinforced: the acceleration of automation, technological advancement, and digital connection vital to remote working, economic uncertainty, and “reskilling.”
According to the report, “upskilling” and “reskilling” are the top priorities for L&D professionals globally, with 59% of positive responses regarding these actions. Right behind, with a strong 53%, there’s a focus on Leadership and Management. This data represents 66% of L&D professionals who agree to focus on reshaping and rebuilding their organization, supported by the fact that there’s a general expectation among them to invest in this “make over.” Some of the largest enterprises globally have already invested millions, if not billions, as a result of the shift they have seen coming for the last few years, to prepare their employees for the new world of work.
In addition to that, more emerging data shows how L&D pros need to focus on their own learning, investing in themselves. Group Coaching is an essential way in which they can do that. Let’s see how:
I. SHARING KNOWLEDGE CAPITAL WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION
What is sometimes overlooked is the “knowledge capital” that already lives and exists within the company. This basin of diverse experiences, skills, talents and acquired knowledge represents an absolute treasure for every organization to draw from for the personal and professional development of their people.
Group Coaching is a catalyst and an amplifier of this treasure. Through inclusive, integrated learning, all the members of the group participate in resolving an issue presented in turn by one of the participants. By deeper questioning and sharing of experiences and opinions, the peers help the “client” find their own next steps to face the issue at hand. Beyond creating a unique sense of support and fighting that loneliness[1] , another major issue for decision-makers, Group Coaching promotes learning and growth through humanness, a component that is often lacking in today’s ways of engaging, especially in remote workplaces.
II. INCLUSIVENESS AND LEARNING FROM AND THROUGH DIVERSITY
Another main point of the 2021 LinkedIn report underlines how L&D is helping to create a more equitable workplace. Two-thirds of L&D pros globally, and three-quarters in North America, have in fact made D&I programs their priority. One of the main values of Group Coaching is to learn from and through diversity and inclusiveness, as the more diverse the background and skillset of the participants, the bigger the learning for the members engaged. The richness of perspective and experiences will give a more integrated and vast landscape of possibilities to draw from.
III. LEARNING TOGETHER PROMOTES ENGAGEMENT
The LinkedIn Report shows that learning together, through digital features as well as learning groups, promotes engagement and brings people to focus 30x more hours of learning content than learning alone. Group Coaching is based on shared learning, and every time one of the participants proposes a topic, the learning is for the whole group. At the end of every session, it’s a good practice to have a moment for reflection on the learning for each one of the attendees and the learning for the group. That allows not only to deepen the knowledge about a certain issue but also (and maybe more importantly at the collective level) to learn how to work together as a group. These skills will be then applied outside of the session, by every member within their own context, so that the learning magnifies.
IV. LEARNING A COACHING MINDSET
Switching to a coaching mindset, for leaders and L&D professionals, is becoming a requirement more than an option. One of today’s biggest managerial challenges has become stress, anxiety, and mental health, as we face constant change through crisis after crisis. In parallel, there’s also the individualization and unique valorization of each collaborator. In this context, a coaching mentality and approach is what will benefit the organization the most, at every level and ensure retention of the younger generations’ talents. Group Coaching teaches, through their facilitators, coaching techniques, and coaching mindset. Organizations like the Group Coaching Institute have dedicated courses to learn how to become a professional in Coaching and how to apply the Group Coaching techniques in your organization.
With “Resilience” being the number 1 wanted skill, ranked unanimously by all the L&D pros, Group Coaching is one of the top resources that can help you achieve this requirement. Conducted in person as well as remotely, Group Coaching can put together a diverse set of people that would creatively and inclusively learn together and continue developing their coaching mindset, building a community of reference and solid base which benefits their whole organizations through the results of their own learning.
link to our loneliness blog