Reflections on Harnessing Experiential Learning at Work

The best learning happens by doing. Experiential learning is a smarter way of learning through real-time exposure and is acclaimed as the ideal learning experience. Below is a detailed discussion about the need for experiential learning at work.

“For the things we have to learn before doing them, we learn by doing them.” - Aristotle

Aristotle’s words are true even to this day. Nothing can match the power of learning by doing. And that suggests that organizations must look more into harnessing experiential learning at work and provide the advantage of invaluable experience to their employees so that they are better equipped to deal with the dynamics of the business world.

Experiential learning points out that training cannot be limited to just theoretical experience but has to embrace practical exposure as well.

The concept of experiential learning has a long history. Dating back to 1787, Immanuel Kant, proposed that knowledge happens only through rationality and experience. Many other eminent personalities like John Dewey, Linda Lewis, and Carol Williams supported this idea giving experiential learning the much-needed push.

Understanding and implementing experiential learning benefits all organizations immensely regardless of their size. So, let’s move deep into the concept of experiential learning and its importance in the workplace.?

What is meant by experiential learning?

Experiential learning is a process where the learner is actively engaged and learns through hands-on experience. Compared to the passive training methods where the learner remains as a listener, experiential learning allows analysis, reflection, and provides the learner a path to explore things by themselves.?

Some instances of experiential learning are the role-play calls of call center employees, simulation training, and on-the-job training. We can apply such training sessions across all industries and must form an invaluable part of overall training programs.?

Organizations differ widely in their value and culture. Training has to be flexible to meet the organizational culture and also the employee mindset. It is crucial that while introducing experiential learning we consider the capabilities and maturity levels of each employee and amend the training requirements accordingly.??

Why should you implement experiential learning in your organization?

Here are some of the top reasons why you should consider experiential learning to improve overall organizational productivity.

• Develop agility - The business world is changing at a fast pace and agility is the keyword to remain competitive. Through experiential learning, you increase the capabilities of your employees and make them adaptable to all new situations. They gain the ability to deal with new business challenges and add higher value to customers. Regardless of the business cycle, the employees will have the expertise to be flexible and provide a better customer experience.
• Connects theory to practical experience - Reading and understanding the best practices for swimming is one thing. But implementing the steps in actual life is not the same. Expertise comes only when you dive into the water and practice swimming. Similarly, experiential learning lets your employees practice the theory they have learned during the training sessions. This gives them an idea of the real-world situations and the challenges they are likely to encounter. For best results, organizations have to strike a balance between theoretical sessions and practical sessions.??
• Reduces the learning curve - The best advantage of experiential learning is its ability to reduce the learning curve. While learning through real-time exposure, employees recall the concepts faster and also apply critical thinking. This brings an innovative environment where each person contributes value-added suggestions to the problem. It also improves the decision-making and problem-solving skills of the employees. Simulations allow a fun environment where mistakes are accepted and encouraged. The process increases the efficiency of the employees and gives them real-time exposure to diverse business situations.?
• Higher engagement levels- Theory creates boredom while action sparks interest. Employees display higher levels of engagement while practicing in real-time situations. Experiential learning also brings lasting behavioral changes to employees.?
• Allows learning through failures - When employees have the opportunity to try out the newly acquired knowledge from training sessions they learn it in depth. You can use simulations to provide them an opportunity to experiment safely. This gives them the confidence to fail and learn again till they attain perfection in the task.?
• Higher ROI - Experiential learning assures higher retention and recalling rates among the employees. It also allows them to get most of their training while they are at work, thereby eliminating the need to have separate training sessions. Both these factors bring higher ROI for the organization through improved productivity.?
• Accurate skill assessment - Assessing the skill set of the employees requires the companies to gather accurate statistics about employee performance. This can be challenging for many companies. Experiential learning tools make the process easy by providing insight into employee behavior during training. This helps companies to identify the skill gaps accurately. They can understand the training requirements of the employees and identify the areas that need more focus. This helps to revamp the training efforts so that each employee gets trained according to the demands of their job.?

The bottom line

Experiential learning is beneficial not just to the organization but for the customers as well. By increasing the expertise and engagement levels of employees, it provides better levels of customer service.

After an experiential learning session, there has to be an analysis of the business impact of the training. Has it helped to improve the productivity of the business? What changes do we require in the training program? Collect feedback from the employees and the customers to understand the impact clearly and make amendments if necessary.