Learning to Thrive in Turbulent Times: Implementing Tools to Strengthen an Organization's Ability to Evolve

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Abstract: In today's rapidly evolving business landscape, characterized by technological disruption, economic uncertainties, and shifting consumer demands, organizations must develop "learning agility" to maintain competitive advantage. This article examines how the capacity for continuous adaptation has become essential for organizational survival, requiring individuals and teams to not only acquire new skills but also challenge existing paradigms and unlearn outdated approaches. Drawing on research that identifies four key components of learning agility—result-driven learning, mental agility, people agility, and readiness to learn—the paper explores practical strategies for fostering a culture of continuous learning. These include embracing growth mindsets, incentivizing innovation, implementing skills audits, and providing stretch assignments, feedback mechanisms, and learning communities. Case studies of Virgin Group, Telus International, and Toyota demonstrate how successful organizations systematically embed learning agility to transform from within, enabling them to thrive amid constant change rather than merely survive it.

The business landscape today faces unprecedented change and disruption at every turn. Technological innovations, shifting consumer demands, economic uncertainties, globalization, political upheavals - organizations must learn to thrive in an environment of constant turbulence and ambiguity. Amidst this volatility, the only sustainable competitive advantage lies in the ability to rapidly adapt, change, and evolve. It is no longer enough for organizations to learn new things; they must also unlearn old ways and embrace perpetual reinvention. This requires developing what researchers call "learning agility" - the capacity for individuals and teams to not just learn new skills and information, but to challenge existing paradigms, question long-held assumptions, and retrain themselves continuously in order to reinvent strategies and ways of working as business conditions change.

Today we will examine the concepts of learning agility, continuous learning mindsets, and the need for organizations to foster relearning, reskilling, and reinvention capabilities. I

Research Foundation for Learning Agility

According to the research, learning agility refers to the ability to learn from experience, apply that learning to varying situations and integrate that new learning into on-going work responsibilities (De Meuse et al., 2010). It involves learning from successes as well as failures, learning from one's own experiences as well as those of others, and applying lessons learned continuously to improve performance (De Meuse et al., 2010). According to Sternberg and Hedlund (2002), there are four components to learning agility:

1. Result-driven learning: The ability to learn purposefully from mistakes and successes in order to improve performance.

2. Mental agility: The ability to perceive situations accurately and reframe mental models based on new learning and experience.

3. People agility: The ability to learn effectively from a diverse range of people and leverage social networks for ongoing learning.

4. Ready to learn skills: The ability to maintain a "beginner's mindset" and a passion for lifelong learning in order to continually adapt to changes.

This research provides the foundation for understanding learning agility as an inherently active, continuous, experiential and social process of learning, unlearning old ways, and reinventing oneself based on ongoing experience. It moves beyond acquisition of knowledge, skills and abilities to mastering new mindsets critical for thriving in an era of constant disruption and change.

Fostering a Culture of Continuous Learning

To foster learning agility across organizations, leaders must first develop a culture where continuous learning is valued, supported and rewarded. This involves:

• Embracing a growth mindset. Abandoning the notion that skills are fixed, and instead believing that ability can be developed through effort, experience and training (Dweck, 2006). This mindset believes learning is a lifelong journey.

• Incentivizing reinvention, not status quo. Rewarding people for coming up with new ideas, challenging norms respectfully, trying innovations that may fail, and constantly honing their skills rather than resting on past achievements.

• Modeling lifelong learning as leaders. Leaders must exemplify the behaviors of continual self-improvement, embracing feedback, sharing lessons learned transparently, and investing in their own learning development to lead authentically.

• Creating opportunities for cross-functional collaboration. Breaking down silos allows exposure to diverse perspectives and sharing of knowledge across different roles, experience levels and specializations for richer learning.

• Implementing regular skills audits and training budgets. Understanding changing skill needs, mapping learning journeys, and dedicating budgets helps people proactively reskill and remain employable and competitive.

• Recognizing learning as an investment, not a cost. Viewing learning and development expenditures as building pivotal organizational capabilities rather than just expenses on financial statements helps prioritize learning culture.

Done right, the foundation is in place for people to challenge assumptions, embrace mistakes as learning opportunities, and constantly renew themselves through practice of new skills in an encouraging, supportive culture of continuous transformation.

Practical Tools for Cultivating Learning Agility

With culture set as the basics, organizations can implement targeted tools to strengthen individual and team learning agility:

• Stretch assignments and developmental projects: Rotational programs, cross-functional projects and special assignments well outside one's comfort zone build diverse expertise and networks for richer learning through new experiences (Carter et al., 2017).

• Feedback mechanisms: Regular check-ins, multisource/360-degree feedback, and development conversations help benchmark progress, candidly assess strengths and weaknesses, and get guidance from others' perspectives (Linderbaum & Levy, 2010).

• Coaching and mentoring: Pairing with experienced advisors to reflect deeply, solve problems collectively, gain exposure and identify areas to further improve and reinvent helps accelerate growth (Fillery-Travis & Lane, 2006).

• Micro-learning opportunities: Bite-sized online/in-person modules on specific skills, situational learning activities, simulations, and knowledge exchanges allow learning in small doses around daily job pressures (Heorhiadi et al., 2014).

• Communities of practice: By joining groups of peers tackling similar challenges, people can benchmark solutions, learn from each other's trials and errors, and support one another's ongoing learning journeys (Wenger, 2000).

When implemented thoughtfully with culture as the foundation, such tools empower people across roles and levels to adopt lifelong habits of continuous adaptation, experimentation, and reinvention needed to thrive amid change.

Case Examples of Organizations Fostering Learning Agility

Virgin Group: Known for its innovative spirit and culture of creativity, Virgin builds learning agility by empowering employees to always look at every problem with a "beginner's mind." Leaders like Richard Branson model curiosity and risk-taking. Rotational programs across divisions give exposure to fresh ideas. Social learning thrives through collaboration events and idea-sharing platforms.

Telus International: This customer service provider helps agents regain employability by funding tuition reimbursement for courses building tomorrow's needed skills like AI, coding etc. "Learning cafes" offer micro-trainings. Story-sharing showcases diverse journeys and inspires continuing education as the new norm.

Toyota: Engineers do multiple rotational assignments to learn different angles. "Genchi Genbutsu" encourages first-hand observation over assumptions. Kaizen workshops facilitate cross-team idea proposals. Simulations recreate past challenges for learning from their resolutions. Mid-career training promotes ongoing mastery.

Conclusion

In order to successfully navigate today's volatile business landscape, organizations need more than access to information - they require the agility to learn, unlearn, and reinvent continuously. This calls for fostering learning mindsets where curiosity, challenge, and growth are core cultural traits. With the right foundations and practical tools, organizations can empower individuals and teams across roles and levels to take charge of their own lifelong learning journeys, build diverse expertise through varying experiences, and renew capabilities in a spirit of perpetual adaptation, innovation, and reinvention so crucial to sustaining competitive advantage. When embedded systematically, a culture of learning agility can help organizations emerge stronger amidst disruption by facilitating transformation from within.

References

1. Carter, N. T., Baldridge, D. C., & Wu, C. (2017). New perspectives on developmental stretch assignments: The role of dimension diversity. Journal of Management Education, 42(4), 463–497.

2. De Meuse, K. P., Dai, G., & Hallenbeck, G. S. (2010). Learning agility: A construct whose time has come. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 62(2), 119–130.

3. Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. Random House.

4. Fillery-Travis, A., & Lane, D. (2006). Does coaching work or are we asking the wrong question? International Coaching Psychology Review, 1(1), 23-36.

5. Heorhiadi, A., La Venture, K., & Conzelmann, J. (2014). What is micro-learning? [Video]. LinkedIn Learning.

6. Linderbaum, B. A., & Levy, P. E. (2010). The development and validation of the Feedback Orientation Scale (FOS). Journal of Management, 36(6), 1372–1405.

7. Sternberg, R. J., & Hedlund, J. (2002). Practical intelligence, g, and work psychology. Human Performance, 15(1-2), 143-160.

8. Wenger, E. (2000). Communities of practice and social learning systems. Organization, 7(2), 225–246.

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Jonathan H. Westover, PhD is Chief Academic & Learning Officer (HCI Academy); Chair/Professor, Organizational Leadership (UVU); OD Consultant (Human Capital Innovations). Read Jonathan Westover's executive profile here.

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Suggested Citation: Westover, J. H. (2026). Learning to Thrive in Turbulent Times: Implementing Tools to Strengthen an Organization's Ability to Evolve. Human Capital Leadership Review, 20(2). doi.org/10.70175/hclreview.2020.20.2.7