Learning the Language

When was the last time you learned something new? Chances are it wasn’t that long ago and probably involved a Google search. With all the talk about how we all need to ‘adopt a learning mindset’ or championing ‘learning agility’ it can feel confusing. Aren’t we already learning all the time, and if so, then can’t we just take a breath and not panic? Well, yes and no.

First of all, let’s clarify some important terms:

LEARNING: The acquisition of knowledge or skills through experience, study, or by being taught.

TRAINING: The action of teaching a person or animal a particular skill or type of behavior.

Dictionary.com         

Notice the difference? Learning is driven by the individual. Training is what the individual receives. Too often, these terms are used interchangeably when they should not be.?

Now let’s talk about the different levels of learning. At some point, everyone needs to invest in each level. The image below is built and adapted from Prof. Kent D. Beeler’s (1991) four stage framework about graduate student life and the journey from unconscious incompetence to unconscious competence. I chose the words “awareness” and “mastery” to better convey the feeling of breadth on the spectrum.

When we embark on learning a new skill, there’s a sense of awkwardness. We don’t know what we don’t know, so our first need to create?awareness. Hello Professor Google, Dr. YouTube, and Coach Insta-lifehack. These are great resources for what learning and development professionals call “just-in-time” learning; they are immediate sources that can be quickly digested and applied.?

As we continue to exercise our new skill, we want more. We want to go beyond the basics of the function or not be as reliant on the instructor. We want to be?competent. Competency emerges when the skill can be executed with both success and efficiency. Attaining competence requires investment of time and resources. One might start following certain blogs and then progress to dedicated magazines or books. As competence strengthens the desire for fluency also strengthens; this might prompt more in-depth learning via online videos or classes. The pace and nature of learning also changes. Ironically, the pace often slows as our brains integrate new data from multiple modalities on more complex material. It can be an exciting, exhausting, and frustrating time, particularly when employers carry different (and usually erroneous) expectations.

The last stop in the learning journey is?mastery. If one is very lucky, mastery becomes one endless journey unto itself and not an express destination. Mastery combines sustained learning, deliberate practice, deep work, and unlearning. Mastery reveals itself in expertise, a craft attitude, and relentless curiosity. Psychologists Robert Lord and Rosalie Hall (2005) described the expert’s ability to see problems differently, namely at the structural level.?

And therein lies the rub. Just as we conflate (i.e. combine two ideas into one) learning and training, we confuse the vehicles that assist building competence with delivering mastery. Leaders pour millions into online learning programs and are then befuddled when employees fail to demonstrate mastery. The unspoken elephant in the room lies with the hidden expectation: the leader would sponsor the learning (training) and in exchange the individual would understand how to apply the newly acquired knowledge to the current role, in addition to other situations. This entirely new activity is defined as?learning transference. One of the many lessons of the pandemic is the value and scarcity of learning transference.?

So now what? Do we shut down learning and development departments because the ROI feels elusive and squishy? Far from it. We need leaders at all levels of the organization to invest in all levels of learning: awareness, competence, and mastery. What we need to do is educate our stakeholders on these subtle and key differences, and build appropriate expectations. So for today, let’s just begin with awareness and celebrate getting a few definitions under our belt.?