Aligning the Organization's Educational Infrastructure
Whether recognized or not, indirect learning and social learning
mechanisms are present in all organizations. Unfortunately, the
learning processes are generally poorly understood and hence organizations
have failed to leverage these learning pathways into an effective
educational strategy. In some organizations, the failure to develop
an appropriate strategy is actively working against them.
Where a lack of training and skills development has been allowed
to propagate throughout the organization, expectations and social
norms are set at a lower level. That is, at a lower level than they
would within an organization that places a greater emphasis on the
development of expertise. By setting the bar at a lower level, organizations
cut themselves off from the pool of potential that exists and forever
expose themselves to the elevated costs of lower productivity and
poor levels of quality.
The starting point for breaking out of the cycle and tapping into
the full potential of an organization's human capital lies in teaching
managers to understand how higher-order thinking skills develop.
This includes the roadblocks to learning that are inherent in project-based
environments, and the mechanisms such as social learning that, if
properly aligned, can help develop a team's capabilities. Once that
level of awareness has been established, management teams are positioned
to review the overall effectiveness of their educational infrastructure.
And then they can devise plans to maximize the use of the resources
they have at their disposal. That might involve activities such
as leveraging the potential value of role models, embedding an educational
component into the leadership roles, or setting expectations using
samples.
For educational providers, there are also lessons to learn. Advanced
training programs need to do more than simply provide information.
Organizations need educators to help them develop expertise rather
than just distribute information. Fortunately, there is a growing
trend for academic institutions and training providers to move deeper
into the upper levels of Bloom's Taxonomy.
By using more modern learning constructs such as comparative learning,
pattern analysis, reflective learning, simulations, and systems
thinking techniques, some training institutions have seen the light
and are forging ahead with improved training programs. When these
more advanced academic programs are supported by an effective social
learning infrastructure within the organization, the necessary components
are in place to allow resources to develop their capabilities to
their fullest potential.
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"Higher"
Higher-Order Thinking Skills
