Why "Learning"​ fails to deliver results?

The extended lock-down across countries has seen a spurt in the uptake of learning content delivered through various online platforms. The rush for individuals and corporations to embrace learning is an encouraging development for policy makers who have, for long, been urging the general public to embrace lifelong learning. 
We human beings are constantly learning, sometimes for information or inspiration or sheer joy and sometimes because we believe learning may be essential for furthering or switching careers.

This may also be a good time to reflect if these learning activities actually result in tangible outcomes. For the purpose of this write up I am focussing purely on adult learners pursuing learning for professional reasons. Numerous studies have shown that mere provision of training, in whatever format, as a solution to address learning needs may not be delivering meaningful outcomes. To cite a few reports:

• According to Gartner, 70% of employees report that they don’t have mastery of the skills needed to do their jobs;
• Only 25% of respondents to a recent Mc Kinsey survey believe that training measurably improved performance.
• 75% of 1500 managers surveyed from across 50 organizations were dissatisfied with their company’s Learning & Development (L&D) function; and
• Only 12% of employees apply new skills learned in L&D programs to their jobs
• LinkedIn's 2017 workplace report cites that only 8% of CEOs reported that they see the business impact of L&D programs, and just 4% see the ROI.

Why is it, despite significant investments in corporate training, estimated at $370 Billion in 2019, we see such abysmal results? What are some of the steps we can take to get desirable outcomes? The desirable outcome we seek is behavioural change on the part of individuals resulting in them displaying greater expertise at work. 
My hypothesis is that mere learning, by itself, may not help address this issue. To better articulate this, I would like to use the “Spiral of Expertise”- a framework my colleagues and I at AcuiZen Technologies have developed. ​

​Organizations traditionally rely on formal learning (or relearning) as a solution to address developmental needs of personnel entering the workforce or due to new opportunities or changes. Individuals also acquire qualifications and certifications as a pathway to progress professionally. 
Individuals however, do not develop expertise just by the formal acquisition of knowledge or certifications be it through classroom training or online learning or through a blended approach. They build expertise by applying the knowledge either on-the-job or in simulated environments. They also encounter problematic situations and in the process of solving those problems further develop their expertise. 
Organizations that benefit from their learning investments facilitate individuals to go through the expertise loop several times over rather than looking at training as an end in itself.   In practical terms, this could mean complementing the formal training with:

• The right quantum of contextual knowledge learners can access and apply-on-the job
• A mechanism for learners to collaborate with peers and/or mentors or experts to help resolve problems they encounter.
• A mechanism to periodically reinforce the learning

At a personal level, it is important for individuals to take responsibility and continually reflect on the learning at all phases of the loop. This may also require them to unlearn what they may have previously learnt. They also ought to be deliberate in pursuing learning opportunities which provide them some mechanism to practice their newly acquired knowledge. You may have heard about the “forgetting curve” that kicks in even before we are through with the learning. Over time, as the cycles repeat, the individual gradually builds expertise, and this results in a payback on the learning investments. Along the way, they are likely to encounter new challenges or opportunities, each of which contribute to their expertise development. 
“Lifelong Learning” is all the more important in these challenging times. This does not stop with the provision and completion of training.
If we do not make the conscious effort to complement formal learning with suitable mechanisms to help learners enter and navigate the “spiral of expertise”, we could end up with great looking vanity metrics on parameters such as “quantum of training” or “number of certifications” but questionable metrics on the effectiveness of learning.
​That would be status-quo and a squandering of the opportunity to embrace “lifelong learning” in its true spirit. 
Would love to hear your thoughts and critical feedback on this subject. 

This blog was originally published as an article in LinkedIn on May 29, 2020
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​Photo by Dmitry Ratushny on Unsplash