Why does taking work into learning accelerate the learning process?
In my last post, I asked how relevant the 70/20/10 model is in today’s digital world, as the lines have become blurred, with people taking their learning into work. That’s because, as pointed out in discussions I had with recent college hires, they are increasingly learning through platforms such as online discussion forums and YouTube videos and integrating this learning into their jobs.
By the same token, these recent graduates also expect to take their work into learning. By that I mean they want to attend formal learning sessions where they can bring topics that are directly relevant to their job and discuss them with other members of their learning group. That way, they can get to understand both the challenges and solutions from fellow professionals who are working on similar matters, speeding up the learning process.
These ‘digital natives’ underlined to me the value of unconferences. These are unstructured open-discussion meetings where the agenda is decided by the delegates. Anyone who wants to can initiate a discussion on a topic. At this kind of conference, the attendees can both impart their knowledge and also learn from others.
The other valuable thing that these unconferences allow them to do is have time for reflection. Today’s high-pressured work environment increasingly pushes people into single loop learning, rather than double loop learning which would require them to take a step back and reflect on what they have learned. These formal learning sessions are important as they create an environment that allows people to take their work into learning and take that important step back.
These experiences seem to indicate, once again, the blurring of the lines within the 70/20/10 model.
What solutions have you put in place to help your people bring their work into formal learning?
To answer Steven's question, if co-development can be considered as "formal training", it is a fantastic opportunity to bring work in the learning process and turn it to be "double loop" learning
It happens by necessity in a startup as I found recently!
When it comes to developing high potential managers, we at Agility strive to find optimal level of discomfort in the stretch assignment because that’s where the most learning happens. We have got some success stories on 70/20/10 model and now we are blending it with strategic formal training. In short - real time stretched assignments/project provides real learning that unleash potential!
Great post Steve ! We do some interesting work by bringing in and inter weaving 'break through work projects' into formal learning. But surely this is the way to go in future.
I think that bringing work into formal learning is a brilliant approach by the recent graduates. I have been a proponent suggesting that rules are meant to be broken when they no longer fit the business environment (I call them rules of yesterday) and that is because the playing field has changed and one must adapt. In order to expedite the learning process today, the recent graduates have made a leap by introducing new ways of working efficiently, shortening the learning curve, helping the companies they work for achieve success and infusing a new way of brainstorming in a digital world.