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The Case for Learning at Work 183

A number of leaders emphasize the context of rapid change. Chris
Mellor at Anglian Water puts it like this:

You need bright flexible minds in a world of change. We haven’t realized
more than a fifth of our potential. Give a person the right environment
and they can learn and soar.

Joyce Taylor is even more specific:

Learning has to be linked to business strategy. It matters to us because the
sector is changing so fast. Learning is about flexibility, having minds which
cope well with this sort of fast-moving environment. Employees have to
learn to have open minds.

For companies whose business is the delivery of services, like Virgin
One Account, learning is really important. As Jayne-Anne Gadhia
says:

Flexibility is going to be hugely important as we have more service-led orga-
nizations. Workforces need to be as adaptable and empathetic as possible.
This is what matters.

The same is true for an organization such as the FI Group. Hilary
Cropper explains: “Learning is essential for a business like ours
which is all about relationships.”
Zoe van Zwanenberg, chief executive of the Scottish
Leadership Foundation, makes it clear that there is just as powerful
a case in the public sector:

Learning is critical. If public services are to be of value, then we have to
learn to respond to wants and needs.

The leaders I interviewed had the learning of themselves and their
people high up their organizational agenda.