In an environment marked by instability and uncertainty, a concept born in the 1990s is experiencing renewed interest: the learning organisation. Theorised by MIT Professor Peter Senge, this organisational model is particularly relevant today, when adaptability has become key to business survival. What competitive advantages does a learning organisation bring? How can one implement and maintain a learning culture despite economic pressures? We explore these questions with Patrick Benammar, Learning & Development VP at Renault and head of ReKnow University.
The Learning Organisation: A Strategic Response to Current Challenges
As crises multiply and intensify, organisations must reassess their adaptability to stay on course in an ever-changing world. The learning organisation concept, outlined three decades ago, has re-emerged as a strategic compass. The idea? To establish a culture where continuous learning drives the entire organisation’s ability to anticipate shocks, pivot nimbly, and constantly reinvent itself.
This model is particularly relevant today, as organisations face both internal challenges – technological advancement, evolving market expectations – and external pressures – geopolitical tensions, supply chain disruptions, and radical sector transformations. In this turbulent environment, collective learning capability becomes a crucial competitive advantage.
Renault Group: A Case Study in Learning-Driven Culture
Renault Group exemplifies how an organisation can make learning a cornerstone of its long-term strategy. “At Renault Group, we have a robust learning culture. Since 1929, when we established our first technical school, training has remained central to our ethos,” notes Patrick Benammar.
This tradition has strengthened significantly amidst automotive industry upheavals: electrification, digitalisation, and evolving mobility patterns. “In 2021, we elevated our commitment by launching ReKnow University in France, aiming to support skill development for future mobility and major projects in electric vehicles and circular economy,” explains Benammar, who leads this now globally-deployed academy.
The results are compelling: by 2025, over 40,000 employees have benefited from ReKnow University programmes, enabling the group to transform whilst maintaining and developing team expertise.
The Crisis Paradox: Why Learning Remains Vital
While the learning organisation concept was designed to address crises, its practical implementation often faces economic and organisational constraints. Paradoxically, during economic uncertainty, many organisations tend to reduce these supposedly non-essential expenditures. This approach, whilst understandable in the short term, can prove counterproductive given current challenges that demand adaptation and upskilling more than ever.
Defending L&D Budgets: The Art of Valuing Intangibles
” The learning organisation’s added value lies in its market competitive advantage. It embraces new technologies to maintain independence, values and retains individuals, ultimately delivering superior customer service,” states Benammar. This is precisely what organisations must capitalise on to remain learning-focused, even during crises.
Despite logical reasoning, practical implementation often faces budgetary constraints. “The greatest challenge is ‘selling’ a project initially. This requires linking to business needs and proposing projects with tangible operational impact worth investing time and money in.” Convincing leadership and stakeholders requires proposing trackable performance indicators, demonstrating measurable ROI from training.
Prioritisation becomes essential. Renault Group embraces this approach: “We’ve identified priority projects requiring continued investment despite crises. Our data and AI training programmes exemplify this commitment,” explains Benammar.
Leadership by Example: When Management Embodies Learning Culture
The true challenge for learning organisations during uncertainty lies in maintaining this philosophy in their DNA and deploying it across all levels. Benammar identifies three conditions for sustainability: “Success depends on the interplay between work environment, management role, and organisational dynamics, including the ability to adapt training to specific market and functional contexts.”
Leadership visibility in learning sends a powerful message. Agnes Rémond, VP Learning at 7Speaking, suggests that “HR and L&D leaders should actively communicate to managers about supporting learning policies and helping learners protect time for development.”
Training effectiveness and learner engagement ultimately depend on operational relevance. “To maintain long-term engagement, learners must be able to apply their training in daily work or see its impact on future responsibilities,” adds Rémond.
Learning Culture Beyond Walls: Training as an Employer Brand Asset
Beyond internal impact, maintaining ambitious learning policies signals confidence in the future. In a competitive talent market, this consistency becomes crucial for attracting sought-after profiles and retaining existing staff.
ReKnow University’s experience, launched during automotive industry transformation, perfectly illustrates this dimension. “Our corporate university enables partnerships with external academic and technological partners. It enhances Renault Group’s visibility and talent attraction by highlighting competencies and roles not traditionally associated with our core business, such as data, AI, cybersecurity, and software development,” concludes Patrick Benammar.
This external engagement, maintained despite economic constraints, transforms learning into a platform for exchange and innovation. It creates a dynamic ecosystem circulating ideas, skills, and innovations, preparing the organisation to bounce back swiftly when economic conditions improve. Training thus becomes an instrument of resilience, enabling organisations to weather difficult periods while preserving their transformation and adaptation capabilities for the future.
