Why learning culture is the missing link between learning and performance in global health

Learning culture: the missing link in global health between learning and performance

Reda SadkiGlobal health

Read this first: What is double-loop learning in global health?

Learning culture is a critical concept missing from health systems research.

It provides a practical and actionable framework to operationalize the notion of ‘learning health systems’ and drive transformative change.

Watkins and Marsick describe learning culture as the capacity for change. They identify seven key action imperatives or “essential building blocks” that strengthen it: continuous learning opportunities, inquiry and dialogue, collaboration and team learning, systems to capture and share learning, people empowerment, connection to the environment, and strategic leadership for learning (Watkins & O’Neil, 2013).

Crucially, the instrument developed by Watkins and Marsick assesses learning culture by examining perceptions of norms and practices, not just individual behaviors (Watkins & O’Neil, 2013).

This aligns with Seye Abimbola’s assertion that learning in health systems should be “people-centred” and occurs at multiple interconnected levels.

Furthermore, this research demonstrates that certain dimensions of learning culture, like strategic leadership and systems to capture and share knowledge, are key mediators and drivers of performance outcomes (Yang et al., 2004).

This provides compelling evidence that investments in learning can yield tangible improvements in health delivery and population health.

Learn more: Jones, I., Watkins, K. E., Sadki, R., Brooks, A., Gasse, F., Yagnik, A., Mbuh, C., Zha, M., Steed, I., Sequeira, J., Churchill, S., & Kovanovic, V. (2022). IA2030 Case Study 7. Motivation, learning culture and programme performance (1.0). The Geneva Learning Foundation. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7004304

As Watkins and Marsick (1996) argue, to develop a strong learning culture, we need to “embed a learning infrastructure”, “cultivate a learning habit in people and the culture”, and “regularly audit the knowledge capital” in our organization or across a network of partners.

While investments in learning can be a challenging sell in resource-constrained global health settings, this evidence establishes that learning culture is in fact an indispensable driver of health system effectiveness, not just a “nice to have” attribute.

Subsequent studies have also linked learning culture to key performance indicators like care quality, patient satisfaction, and innovation.

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To advance learning health systems, it is important to translate this research in terms that resonate with the worldview of global health practitioners like epidemiologists and to produce further empirical studies that speak to their evidentiary standards.

Ultimately, this will require expanding mental models about what constitutes legitimate and actionable knowledge for health improvement.

The learning culture framework offers an evidence-based approach to guide this transformation.

References

Abimbola, S. The uses of knowledge in global health. BMJ Glob Health 6, e005802 (2021).

Watkins, K. E. & O’Neil, J. The Dimensions of the Learning Organization Questionnaire (the DLOQ): A Nontechnical Manual. Advances in Developing Human Resources 15, 133–147 (2013).

Watkins, K., & Marsick, V. (1996). (Eds.). In action: Creating the learning organization (Vol. 1). Alexandria, VA: ASTD Press.

Yang, B., Watkins, K. E. & Marsick, V. J. The construct of the learning organization: Dimensions, measurement, and validation. Human Resource Development Quarterly 15, 31–55 (2004).