There are obviously many benefits of learning to both individual learners themselves and to their employing organizations. Individuals become more ‘employable’ in that they are able to retain the jobs they now have as well as obtain jobs they desire and organizations get more adaptable and better performing employees. Managers and leaders are central figures in creating a learning culture, and making learning opportunities available to the employees. Startup ventures that create learning cultures are more likely to have engaged and vibrant employees who produce results contributing ultimately to the success of the startup.

Although many of us have likely concluded, based on our interactions with organizations, that organizations do not learn, several researchers have discussed the role played by organizational learning in a firm’s success (Nonaka, 1991; Denton, 1998; and Salas and Von Glinow, 2008). Yet organizations do not learn; only individuals within organizations learn—individuals are the agents of all organizational learning and change (Argyris, 2003). Learning in organizations is important for all organizations but especially so for startup organizations. Established firms can get by on inertia but start-ups do not have this luxury.

What do individuals in organizations learn? Here are some examples. Magnini (2007) showed ways that domestic and foreign partners in international hotel joint ventures brought different knowledge and expertise to the success of these joint ventures; the domestic partners knowing the local culture and the foreign partners bringing hotel strategy expertise. Li et al. (2013) found that newly appointed hotel General Managers learned to manage their hotels through the experience of facing challenge, looking for information, trying new things, and examining results. This involved introspection and learning on the job. Lohman (2006), in a study of teachers, found that informal learning on the job involved learning from others, with initiative, high levels of professional interest, desiring professional development and being outgoing fostered informal workplace learning. Barriers to workplace learning included lack of time, lack of funds, and the absence of rewards for learning.

Powering on Potential, Creating a Learning Culture, Startup Organizations