Learning and development: the Netflix way

In sorting out a few bits of filing over the break I came across the Netflix Reference Guide on our Freedom & Responsibility Culture which is worth wading through (all 126 slides of it) to really grasp what drives their culture.

As it is my first blog/article of the year, I though a nice short selection of my favourite slides from their Reference Guide would be a easy way to both start the year with a short, easy article and to shake up your thinking about what really drives learning and development within an organisation.

• We develop people by giving them the opportunity to develop themselves, by surrounding them with stunning colleagues and giving them big challenges to work on.
• Mediocre colleagues or unchallenging work is what kills progress of a person’s skills.
• Formalized development is rarely effective, and we don’t try to do it e.g. Courses, mentor assignment, rotation around a firm, multi-year career paths, etc.
• High performance people are generally self-improving through experience, observation, introspection, reading and discussion – as long as they have stunning colleagues and big challenges.
• An individual’s economic security is based upon their skills and reputation.  We try hard to consistently provide opportunity to grow both.

(from the Netflix Reference Guide on our Freedom & Responsibility Culture)

What are your plans for learning and development in 2014?