Empowering a Culture of Learning in the Flow of Work
In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, the ability to foster a culture of continuous learning has become a strategic imperative for organizations seeking to stay agile, innovative, and competitive. As an experienced IT professional, I’ve seen firsthand how the integration of Microsoft Viva Learning can be a game-changer in driving employee development and transforming the learning experience within the workplace.
Bridging the Gap Between Learning and Productivity
Historically, employee learning and development have often been treated as a separate, siloed activity, with workers needing to carve out dedicated time to access training resources. However, this approach can create friction, as employees struggle to balance their learning needs with the demands of their day-to-day responsibilities. Microsoft Viva Learning addresses this challenge by seamlessly integrating learning experiences into the tools and workflows that employees already use, such as Microsoft Teams.
“Our employees start their day in Teams and work much of the day within the Teams interface. Viva Learning integrates with multiple Teams features and contributes to learning in the flow of work,” explains Christopher Mead, Principal Program Manager for Microsoft Digital Employee Experience.
By bringing learning into the flow of work, Viva Learning empowers employees to access relevant training and development resources whenever they need them, without disrupting their productivity. This approach not only enhances the learning experience but also fosters a culture where continuous learning is viewed as a natural and integral part of the workday.
Personalized and Relevant Learning Experiences
One of the key strengths of Microsoft Viva Learning is its ability to provide personalized and relevant learning experiences for employees. The platform leverages Microsoft Graph, the intelligent data fabric that connects data across Microsoft 365, to understand each learner’s unique needs, goals, and existing skills.
“Viva Learning is designed to understand who each learner is, including needs such as location, goals and ambitions, and learners’ previous experiences and existing skills,” explains Christopher Mead. “Our employees receive a personalized, adaptive learning experience that provides meaningful, timely, and relevant resources and recommendations natively integrated into the tools they already use throughout the workday.”
By delivering content and recommendations tailored to individual learners, Viva Learning ensures that employees can quickly access the training and development opportunities that are most relevant to their roles, interests, and career aspirations. This personalized approach not only increases the perceived value of the learning resources but also encourages greater engagement and retention among employees.
Integrated and Extensible Learning Ecosystem
One of the key advantages of Microsoft Viva Learning is its ability to integrate with a wide range of learning management systems (LMS) and content providers, creating a unified and extensible learning ecosystem. This integration allows organizations to leverage their existing investments in learning content and infrastructure, while also providing employees with access to a vast array of high-quality, third-party learning resources.
“We used the Viva Learning APIs not only to make the LinkedIn Learning content available through Viva Learning, but also to send data from LinkedIn Learning back to Viva Learning to track course completion and other important metadata,” explains Christopher Mead. “We can use the APIs in the same way across many learning sources, creating a unified catalog and a unified learner experience.”
By seamlessly integrating with multiple learning platforms, Viva Learning empowers organizations to curate and deliver a comprehensive learning experience that meets the diverse needs of their workforce. This extensibility also allows for future growth and the integration of new learning resources as the organization’s needs evolve.
Fostering a Culture of Growth Mindset
At the heart of Microsoft’s approach to employee development is a deep commitment to fostering a culture of growth mindset. This philosophy, championed by leaders like Joe Whittinghill, Corporate Vice President of Talent, Learning, and Insights at Microsoft, emphasizes the importance of continuous learning, embracing challenges, and viewing mistakes as opportunities for growth.
“Growth mindset is all about continuously learning and being aware. We’re evolving our culture of learning from being know-it-alls to being learn-it-alls,” says Whittinghill.
By integrating Viva Learning into the employee experience, Microsoft has been able to amplify this growth mindset culture, empowering its workforce to take ownership of their learning journeys and embrace the mindset of lifelong learners. This shift has not only improved employee engagement and retention but has also fueled innovation and agility within the organization.
Lessons Learned from Customer Zero
As the first and best customer of its own products, Microsoft has taken on the role of “Customer Zero” for Viva Learning, providing invaluable insights and feedback to the product development team. This collaborative approach has enabled Microsoft to shape the evolution of Viva Learning, ensuring that the platform meets the real-world needs of large enterprises.
“Customer Zero has influenced the development of Viva Learning in many ways,” explains Christopher Mead. “For example, when working with the platform’s ratings and reviews features, our learning management found that the typical star rating system was useful to assess and report the quality of different learning resources. However, management didn’t find the same usefulness in the review capability, which almost never provided value to learners, especially if negative reviews were posted for mandatory courses that our learners were required to take, regardless of the review.”
By serving as Customer Zero, Microsoft has been able to provide direct feedback to the Viva Learning product team, shaping the development of features and functionality that address the specific challenges faced by large organizations. This collaboration has not only benefited Microsoft but has also positioned the Viva Learning platform to better serve the needs of other enterprises seeking to enhance their employee development initiatives.
Embracing the Learn-it-All Culture
As Microsoft continues to evolve its learning culture and leverage the power of Viva Learning, the organization has witnessed a significant increase in optional learning resource usage among its employees. This shift underscores the effectiveness of the platform in delivering relevant and engaging content, as well as the broader embrace of a “learn-it-all” mindset within the organization.
“Today, our learners are finding and using more learning resources that are relevant to them and that facilitate their learning journey,” explains Nur Duygun, Business Program Manager for Learning and Talent Services at Microsoft. “We want engaged learners, clear evidence that the new learning experience is providing the learning environment they need, and––ultimately––that Microsoft employees are embracing a culture of learning.”
The number of engaged quality learners at Microsoft, defined as employees who consume more than two elective learning courses in a month, has increased by 58% since the launch of Viva Learning. This data point serves as a powerful testament to the platform’s ability to drive meaningful behavioral changes and foster a culture of continuous learning within the organization.
Shaping the Future of Employee Development
As Microsoft continues to refine and enhance the Viva Learning experience, the company is exploring new ways to further integrate learning into the daily workflow of its employees. This includes the use of contextual AI to provide personalized recommendations and support within the Microsoft Teams environment, as well as the implementation of features like content ratings, custom content uploads, and reserved learning time in Outlook calendars.
“We’re working on building Viva Learning even more deeply into the flow of work,” says Christopher Mead. “In the near future, we’ll be using contextualized AI to augment our employees’ experience in Teams. We’re also implementing individual features such as content ratings, uploading your own custom content, and adding reserved learning time to a Microsoft Outlook calendar based on course requirements.”
By continuously evolving the Viva Learning platform and integrating it more seamlessly into the daily routines of its employees, Microsoft is poised to further strengthen its culture of learning and development, empowering its workforce to adapt, innovate, and thrive in an ever-changing business landscape.
Conclusion
The integration of Microsoft Viva Learning has been a transformative force in driving employee development and fostering a culture of continuous learning at Microsoft. By seamlessly integrating learning experiences into the tools and workflows that employees already use, Viva Learning has helped to bridge the gap between learning and productivity, empowering workers to access relevant training and development resources whenever they need them.
Through its personalized and relevant learning experiences, integrated and extensible learning ecosystem, and the cultivation of a growth mindset culture, Viva Learning has positioned Microsoft as a leading example of how organizations can harness the power of technology to empower their workforce and drive long-term success. As Microsoft continues to refine and enhance the Viva Learning platform, the company is poised to shape the future of employee development, inspiring other organizations to follow in its footsteps and embrace the transformative potential of learning in the flow of work.
To learn more about how your organization can leverage Microsoft Viva Learning to enhance employee development and foster a culture of continuous learning, visit https://itfix.org.uk/.
