The importance of learning to transformation
The position of work in our lives is significant, so learning through work potentially makes a disproportionately large contribution to the growth and identity of the individual.
The rise of the 70:20:10 framework for training, learning, education, and development in organisations has prompted me to reflect on my understanding of learning and work. In the 70:20:10 framework, 70% of learning comes from doing work [‘tough jobs’], 20% comes from other people in the workplace, and 10% comes from courses and reading. It all seems sensible (except that I think reading is underrated).
The 70:20:10 framework seeks to capture a broader view of learning and development in organisations; however, philosophically, it maintains an instrumentalist approach to how organisations invest in learning and what is valued.
The instrumentalist approach regards learning and development primarily as a means towards some organisational end. The organisation invests in learning and development for a specific return or benefit. For me, it means that learning and development take on the following characteristics:
It is individually oriented, focusing on the qualities individuals have and use.
It is employment-related and task-oriented, focusing on applying appropriate skills and knowledge in the scope of employment at a particular standard.
It is situational and practical, focusing on the suitable use of skills and knowledge specific to the context of professional practice.
It is a means of classifying work, where skills and knowledge are the preconditions for competence achieved only through direct work experience.
I am fine with this view in the broad, but I wonder whether it narrows our view of learning and development's contribution to people, work, and organisation. Is that all we want from our investment in learning and development? Is it our only responsibility to develop people in the workplace? Does this deliver what the organisation or individual needs to be productive?
I am drawn to the German concept of Bildung. It is often translated into English as ‘education’, but the idea should also be linked to words like ‘journey’ or ‘formation’. [Note: I don't speak German despite my surname, so this translation has been gleaned from others.] In this frame, learning and development in the workplace contribute to the formation of the individual. So, work is but one experience from which the individual learns and develops.
The position of work in our lives is significant, so learning through work potentially makes a disproportionately large contribution to the growth and identity of the individual. If I take this view, I remain responsible for developing essential skills in the workforce, but how I go about it is now vital. I am more aware of the whole person in the workplace and not just the bit that contributes through skills and knowledge specifically related to production. It positions me as someone who creates an environment where the opportunity to learn is available.
The concept of Bildung gives me a basis for framing learning and development that goes beyond the instrumental view that we should only invest in knowledge and skills directly applicable in the workplace. When I reflect on my work experience, both my employer(s) and I have gained from embracing the aimless satisfaction of learning.
I have often found that what is useless knowledge in some circumstances turns out to be helpful in others. There is no way of predetermining usefulness (or not usefulness), so it is best to learn about what is interesting and see where it takes you. We should encourage the satisfaction of learning for its own sake and worry about application later.
To the concerns of those needing tangible returns on the learning and development investment, individual competence is a necessary but insufficient condition for organisational performance. The workforce reflects work, and so it is in a constant state of flux. We have no way to predict the future; consequently, we cannot predetermine what skills (or perhaps more importantly, knowledge) will be required to deliver performance at the right time and place. We need an approach that has development, not control, as its central mechanism.
The goal is to develop a capable workforce in every sense of the word. A workforce that understands, contributes, innovates, creates, and advances. We must let go of the idea that the outcome can be predetermined. Instead, we may embrace the idea that workforce performance emerges from the conditions we create that allow learning and development to take place.
So, my view of learning and development (which I have adapted from others) is best captured in this way. I begin with the concept of Bildung (the idea of learning as a journey of transformation), and the purpose of learning (by whatever means) becomes, for me, to:
Produce the knowledge on which competence depends. This means knowledge of ideas and processes as well as knowledge of people and situations. Technical competence is critical to accomplishment, as is the context in which the individual performs it.
Produce the knowledge needed to justify any action taken. Competence is not a matter of simply observing and imitating behaviour in the workplace; it is about critical thinking. In all our organisations, the purpose of learning must include the ability to justify action taken as an integral part of task performance.
Produce knowledge that eases the transfer of competence. To be productive, individuals must be able to generalise—to transfer skills developed in one context to another. This requires that people gain further knowledge and skills to make the transfer possible. This process is closer to adaptation, where the individual must adapt or change existing skills and models to meet the demands of the new problem. The extent to which they can manage the transfer determines the extent and speed with which the individual can be innovative.
Produce knowledge that promotes change. It is not enough to be competent in particular areas if a person is unwilling or unable to adapt to change. A skilled individual is more likely to develop and change their strategies if they understand the concepts, theories and principles underlying various techniques and their advantages and disadvantages.
I, too, am open to the charge of instrumentalism (it is difficult to escape entirely). But behind these four points sits the idea that people are transforming and the workplace contributes as a stimulus for change and development.
I read back on this post and sense I need to express this idea better. Most likely, that comes from the nature of concepts, the fuzziness of thinking and the limitations of my writing. So, we should go back to the start. For Germans, Bildung is an old concept. In 1796 (ish), Johann Wolfgang von Goethe wrote the following in his novel Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship:
...everything that happens to us leaves some trace behind it, everything contributes imperceptibly to form us.
I like this view.
