Some Simple Truths about Us... and Learning at Work

We tend to, in the age of lots of information, make more out of things than we need to and should. What motivates us and how we learn are not impervious to this bombardment. And yes I know there is a lot of science and research happening but there is also a lot of common sense not happening. So here is my peeling back the layers post about organizational learning.

First, we humans generally like to share  and we like to create. Look no further than our love of sharing on social platforms, we are social creatures and these tools not only extend and expand our “socialness”, the tools really serve to expose this fact about us. Second, we like to create. Look at the work you do… probably not 90% of it but the really creative, problem solving stuff. The creative stuff makes our blood move, we live for it! And it’s not just big things like an ad campaign, it can be, and often is, those small things where we create a simple work around that either saves time or money for us or someone else. When we do it, we want to shout it from the roof tops… or at least mention it in the break room or on the “socials”.

Something that overlays these two behaviors is another important reality, the notion of “real” learning as first presented to me by Charles Jennings. He said once that “Real Learning is experience, practice, conversation and reflection.” See the overlay? Creating happens in our work experiences and in practicing (deliberate or not), where we make better things and better ways. As sharing creatures we then desire affirmation or feedback in the form of conversation and bouncing it of a peer (reflection). Maybe too it’s just altruism but the creation must be shared to have benefits to others.

With these in mind, it’s puzzling that L&D is still summoned to primarily create for others rather than help others have the opportunity, space and access to create for themselves and to share. The closest L&D often comes is in their primary output; courses and content. Yet even these outputs tend to address only the first two elements of “real” learning; experience and practice, often leaving conversation and reflection to mere chance.  

If we want real learning in organizations we must get back to the core of how and where people learn, and what moves us most. Simply, much learning happens in our work and with others. Organizations/leadership would do well then to have more strategic conversations about how to create more space, more opportunity, and more connection rather than more courses, classes and content.

This post first appeared on my The Simple Shift blog on April 17, 2018.