Workplace learning in times of uncertainty: exploring how leaders learn under the lens of learning agility

Purpose The uncertainty of today’s business environment requires leaders to acquire new skills continuously and remain adaptable to change. This qualitative study aims to examine how leaders experience learning in the ever-changing workplace and the agile learning strategies they develop to navigate uncertainty. Design/methodology/approach This study builds upon the literature on learning agility and learning organization. Participants were purposively sampled from banks in several Central and Eastern European countries, Italy and Egypt. The authors conducted semi-structured interviews with 29 senior managers and used reflexive thematic analysis. Findings The analysis yielded an overarching theme, “learning what to do when you do not know what to do,” and two themes: “signifying learning from mistakes” and “learning a resilience capacity. The findings highlighted the complex interplay among mistake tolerance, reflective practices and resilience strategies in the daily learning experiences of leaders. Originality/value Although there is considerable literature on leaders’ roles in fostering a learning culture, qualitative research incorporating their perspectives is limited, particularly in rapidly changing contexts. Understanding leaders’ learning experiences is vital for rethinking workplace learning and development. This study uniquely captures a diverse range of perspectives from leaders across different roles, business functions, geographical regions and cultural backgrounds.