‘Continuous growth’ is a new organisational framework taking the entrepreneurial community by storm. It is a difficult time for businesses, between periods of recession and trade-related increases to essential running costs. Many organisations have faced severe challenges, with several falling short. However, businesses focused on long-term survival are wisely looking both inward and outward to foster robustness and change.

In the business world, ‘growth’ has always been highly valued. Yet, in the context of ‘continuous growth,’ it adopts a more holistic, non-financial meaning. Continuous growth embodies a company philosophy of constant education, re-evaluation, and reinvention. But how can you effectively implement this philosophy in your business? And how can it improve your business outcomes?

Leadership’s Role in Fostering Learning

Fostering a company culture of continuous growth is not difficult but requires understanding from all levels of upper management. Leadership must create an atmosphere of learning and curiosity by leading through example.

Therefore, department heads should actively engage in continuous growth strategies and adopt new frameworks for their teams. Their role in your business offers a prime opportunity to highlight the benefits of continuous growth in personal development.

Clear Communication and Expectations

This is where transparency becomes particularly important. As a business, you should not leave anything to the imagination when it comes to new directions or new employee expectations. From the outset, you should be clear in exactly what you mean by continuous growth, and what changes concerning employee expectations and KPIs.

This is also the point at which it may be wise to run continuous growth frameworks past your business’ legal counsel. Encouraging employees to learn and grow in their roles is one thing, but basing performance and appraisal results on their learning could open up some issues.

Accessible Learning Resources

With this in mind, learning and growth should also be made as accessible as possible for employees – not just concerning such strictures as the Equality Act 2010, but also to ensure your employees are all equitably able to become their best. Technology will play a huge part in this, particularly in the field of cloud collaboration.

Recognition and Rewards for Learning

Continuous growth is an excellent mindset for a business, but not so much so for an individual employee within the business – that is unless recognition and rewards are folded into the framework. Self-improvement and reinvention are great for the CV, but long-serving employees need to see benefits that don’t require them to interview elsewhere. Small rewards for growth milestones could be a good incentive, as could transparent progression pipelines for newly-educated staff.