In the past, professional success was measured by how high you rose in an organization. Today, the metrics have changed.

With the pace of change in today’s workplace, our ability to learn new information and skills is more important than ever before. So how can organizations assess and develop this capability in their teams, and how can employees ensure their skills remain relevant?

Today, the metrics have changed (Fulfilling Careers Instead Of Filling Jobs). Success is determined by an individual’s ability to adapt to change and their willingness to own the progression of their career. This requires learnability. What is learnability?. Learnability is the desire and ability to grow and adapt to new circumstances and challenges throughout one’s work life. It is “not about what people know, it is more about how quickly people can learn,” says Jonas Prising, CEO, ManpowerGroup.

Why is learnability important? Learnability is becoming a key determinant of success in the world of work. The World Economic Forum predicts that “on average, by 2020, more than a third of the desired core skill sets of most occupations will be comprised of skills that are not yet considered crucial to the job today.” Individuals need to pursue continuous skills development in order to remain attractive to employers. Organizations need to provide their workforce with meaningful ways to learn different skills and adapt to new processes and technologies.

For both individuals and organizations, therefore, understanding learnability is critical. How a person learns is called their “Learnability Quotient™, or LQ (Learnability In The Human Age). When individuals understand their own preferences around skills acquisition, they can tailor their learning, development, and career journey accordingly. For example, what type of organization and environment might you thrive in based on your own Learnability Quotient?

Organizations that appreciate the importance of learnability are better able to make decisions on how to motivate and develop their workforce. To what extent are employees willing and motivated to learn, i.e. what is their skill mobility? How does development need to be tailored at an organizational level? How can learnability be rewarded so critical skills are adopted by the workforce and the organization is prepared to adapt to future changes?

How can you assess learnability? Increasingly, business success and sustainability will be built on learnability. Organizations will need to be “learnable” to grow and evolve, while individuals with high learnability will be focused on developing flexible skills to meet the changing workforce or market requirements. Assessments can play a critical role in helping organizations adapt to this new reality and make smarter decisions on selecting employees based not only on role requirements but also on their LQ profile.

ManpowerGroup has partnered with Hogan Assessment to develop a web-based visual assessment to identify an individual’s LQ. This simple tool can provide deep insight into one’s motivation and learning type. To take the short quiz and begin to understand your own Learnability Quotient today, Click Here

This article has been provided by Stacey Force, Vice President of Global Marketing, ManpowerGroup, United States