Today’s post comes courtesy of Roger Francis, ThirdForce Services and HR Director
There was a time in the dim and distant past when we used the term “learning” as a single noun. Now of course we talk about “traditional learning”, “elearning”, and “informal learning” and I have now seen the term “social learning” used in at least two recent articles I have read.
So I’ll start by sticking my neck out and define learning as “the acquisition of skills, behaviours and knowledge and values”. That seems to fit well with the Wikipedia definition and if that is the case, there can be little doubt that the way we learn has changed dramatically. For example, it is a proven scientific fact that wild rabbits have larger brains than tame rabbits. Why? Because tame rabbits spend all day in a closed environment and are fed lettuce leaves by their owner. Wild rabbits have to work things out for themselves and forage for food in a dangerous environment.
So should we send people on training courses and “feed” them information or should we put them in cross-functional project teams, let them try things out for themselves and coach them through the inevitable mistakes and encourage them to join forums and discussion groups?
I firmly support the latter approach because I believe that we need to breed “wild” managers and leaders who can think outside the box, operate in difficult, highly competitive environments and yet still survive and develop. However, that approach throws up serious challenges for anyone involved in the elearning arena . The danger is that elearning simply becomes an electronic version of traditional learning techniques and we end up feeding juicy pieces of e-lettuce into the open mouths of our baby rabbits.
So if elearning is going to continue to be of value, it needs to adapt to encompass the new world of social and informal learning. It will no longer be relevant simply to expect learners to sit at a computer and work through a “course”.
I believe that such a change in approach is possible. For example, we can include elearning content within a wider Talent Management system which can capture informal learning interventions and link to social networking sites and e-portfolios. Looking for some extra support? Tweet for information, join a Linked-In discussion group, undertake a project in your e-portfolio and get feedback from your on-line tutor. That’s real learning - not just lettuce leaves.
Like your thoughts Roger very interesting I have a challenge though, you do not appear to capture the ‘on the job coaching’ piece, learning in whatever form is all well and good but how do we track/measure the application and or change of behaviour in the workplace, surely there still needs to be a blend?
Great post. I think it’s important to mention that showing a return on investment on “social learning” requires some human intervention. Just like a salesperson cant say which touch point secured them the big deal, a manager should observe employee behaviour in the workplace over a period of time.
The talent management piece comes in by proving the means to track and measure the application and or change of behaviour in the workplace.
Great points. Roger, your core point couldn’t be more relevant in today’s world. Learning is not a single point event. It’s a personal evolution (I know, I know – Wallace and Darwin proved that people don’t evolve, species do; I’m speaking metaphorically). If anyone wants to learn about the science behind Roger’s point, I highly recommend you familiarize yourself with the science of metacognition. That goes all the way back to Aristotle.
Thanks for the comments everyone.
I agree completely with Marco’s challenge about informal learning. It is essential that we find a way of capturing all types of learning . I believe that Talent Management systems could potentially offer an ideal way of doling just that. If this is the case, then a Talent Management platform becomes a “must have” system for delivering elearning and capturing informal and social learning interventions rather than a “nice to have” process for electronically recording Performance Appraisals
Love the rabbit analogies!! I didn’t know about the “larger brains in wild rabbits” fact and it created a sorta “Yeah, I can buy that” moment for me. It also made me think beyond the learning aspect to the whole idea that it’s only by exercising our brain “muscle” in the wild that managers can become better at what they do. Bit like going to the gym where you exercise your muscles and become stronger as a result. That tells me that organisations need to encourage their people to get out of the “hutch” and start making decisions in the wild that will, ultimately, enhance their position as professionals as well as contribute to the success of the organisation. And along the road we need to provide them with the knowledge and skills they need to become better and better at what they do. This can be in the form of appropriate elearning at the appropriate time but it’s also the other support stuff (coaching, encouragement and measurement of success).