In an era of personal development plans and skills frameworks, investment in individual learning has become far more fashionable. Perhaps because choosing one-off training keeps high potential employees happy. Perhaps because organising group learning can be like trying to herd cats.

I would argue though, that the right choice for many companies is to tap into the bigger benefits that group learning brings – benefits that make the diary juggling absolutely worth it. Yes, the course content is important, but connecting employees with the other benefits of learning together is a really powerful way of developing the culture in your company.

Collective learning has been one of humankind’s most powerful evolutionary advantages; the ability to create, collaborate and then pass on our knowledge makes us incredibly efficient in our learning. To neglect group learning at work means losing out on some of the best opportunities to improve the ways you operate your business.

 “Learning together provides opportunities for different dynamics and skills to be tested in a relatively risk-free environment.”

Before people have even entered a training room, group courses present an opportunity for colleagues to actually get together, knowing they’ll be focussing on their development as a team and not just discussing the next pressing work matter.

Learning together provides opportunities for different dynamics and skills to be tested in a relatively risk-free environment. Developing a collective understanding of a topic, and how it can be applied consistently in your workplace, can have a profound impact in a business. For example, managers applying consistent behaviours towards wellbeing, performance or development gives their respective teams greater confidence in equality and opportunity across the business.

There’s the ability to capture ideas and those brilliant ‘lightbulb moments’, debate and discuss them there and then, and agree if they are worth testing out in the business. With individual learning, those ideas may spring to mind, but it’s much harder to get them embedded into a business much further than the individual’s sphere of influence.

 “Developing a collective understanding of a topic, and how it can be applied consistently in your workplace, can have a profound impact in a business.”

Plus of course, learning together provides opportunities to build mutual understanding and trust, respect for each other’s skills, and an agreement of what a group is trying to achieve for the benefit of all.

If you’re a company in East Anglia, interested in developing the potential in your managers with group learning, our Bitesize Management Development Programme offers a flexible solution. The programme contains seven workshops on the fundamental skills every manager needs – and each one is only 90 minutes long. High impact, no-nonsense and designed to bring your team together.

For more information, visit the course page on our website to see how it will work for your business.