In a rapidly evolving digital age, research estimates that technology could create over £413 billion in additional value for the UK economy by 2030, and employees of today are becoming key drivers and enablers of digital transformation initiatives. As a result, organisations are keen to equip their workers with relevant skills, and the feeling is mutual with 67% of British digital workers expressing a keen interest in obtaining digital skills training.

Digital transformation is about more than just becoming a digitally-driven business – it’s also a collective cultural transformation, and the C-suite need to be driving force if the results are going to be truly transformative. Embodying a learning culture is a key aspect of digital transformation, and businesses who want to remain agile and evolve in their respective industries need to be in a continuous state of learning. Despite its clear benefits for employees and the wider business, learning isn’t as high a priority as it should be with just 32% of businesses prioritising investment in skills within the next three years. This needs to change.

Being on board with the top-level idea of a learning culture is not enough. To increase profitability, disrupt the market, and build a foundation of agility, a domino effect is needed: the C-suite should actively engage in learning and use their substantial influence to promote L&D to drive learning across the workforce. This will help champion learning as a top-down initiative and accelerate digital transformation.

The intersection between L&D, profitability, and market disruption
Almost two thirds of digitally intensive businesses have struggled to find staff with strong digital skills, which has slowed growth and increased costs. This signals that L&D is intrinsically linked to profitability and, more importantly, market valuation. Companies that are looking to increase business financial performance can therefore turn to education as a means of upskilling and reskilling employees to innovate and propel their business forward, boosting income and increasing financial value. With artificial intelligence (AI) now ushering in further workplace transformation, it’s become even more important for employees to stay in a continuous loop of education, and to keep their skillsets updated – and yes, that includes the C-suite.

At a time when digital and AI-focused skills are in hot demand, executives cannot afford to fall behind in their education and understanding of how external influences, like AI, can and will shake up their respective organisations and industries. After all, profitability is also about growing revenue, and not just reducing expenditure – and executives are the pivotal investment.

Furthermore, learning and development can help position a business as an industry disruptor and enabler of positive transformation. As the faces of the company, it’s essential that executives’ knowledge does not become stale – otherwise, it could suggest that the business is falling behind with industry developments, rather than driving them. On the other hand, when every layer of a company is in a state of continuous learning, the business becomes a hub of innovation. Executives who therefore continue to engage in learning and grow their knowledge not only help to accelerate innovation, but also publicly promote their respective businesses as industry leaders.

Reshaping a business from the inside out
A business cannot be agile if executives are stagnant whilst the rest of the workforce drives learning transformation – it’s incongruous. This is especially important considering L&D influences key C-suite priorities like the aforementioned profitability, and the employee experience – in the UK, 99% of employees who completed digital skills training have experienced at least one career benefit as a result.

To continuously propel a business forward, executives need to pay attention to the business benefits learning adds to an organisation – but only 20% of L&D professionals are currently working closely with leaders in the UK. This figure needs to change if the C-suite is serious about business growth and disrupting respective markets. Some steps that leaders can take to better promote and engage in learning include:

• Integrating continuous learning into the very DNA of the business, with the C-Suite owning the positioning of learning as the strategic agent of change that is going to deliver the continuous innovation and evolution necessary to deliver overall business growth.
• Highlighting reward incentives from learning – leaders who engage in L&D can better position themselves and their businesses as industry leaders and disruptors.
• Speaking to talent and getting holistic feedback on how learning has positively impacted both employees and the business.

The C-suite possesses a wealth of knowledge and experience that can help position organisations as industry leaders.  Bringing the weight of their vision directly to the front-line of learning is going to be the key driver of future success, as initial concerns around talent shortages become even more acute as the pace of change, market uncertainty and AI potential increases relentlessly.

Furthermore, improving L&D doesn’t just mean promoting it when the value resides in the activity itself. For learning to permeate every layer of the fabric of a business, every single employee needs to be in a state of continuous education, even if they have reached a career milestone, or if the business has achieved a substantial win.

There’s no doubt that C-suite executives are the nucleus of a business, but it’s their responsibility to champion a learning culture – and that means engaging in it! This is especially prevalent considering that it’s impossible to simply stop learning; the most exciting and joyful part of education is that it never ends. It’s a constant in both our personal and professional lives, and it always encourages us to do and be better. Ultimately, a business’ success does not hinge solely on learning, but every successful business should position learning as a priority, at every level.