What?

There are not many avenues available for growth and advancing one’s career in many workplaces. There are strategies that have been presented as successful, but are not currently offered in my own workplace.  Experiential learning is an adult learning concept that I would recommend deserves exploration in today’s workplaces.  

So What?

One study evidenced that experiential learning methods in the workplace such as job shadowing, job rotation and job sharing are recognized as proven strategies to offer career development.  These methods in use at work improve motivation and have potential to not only contribute to talent development but also improve job morale and organizational commitment.  Once an employee with any motivation to excel is “tapped” in this manner, observable behaviors emerge that demonstrate increased competence, enhanced communications, and promotion potential.  Not only that, this gives employees a sense of empowerment over their own futures at work.  This has a direct impact on performance and goal setting.  Employee empowerment lends itself to organizational success.

Authors, Colleen Kawalilak and Janet Groen explore concept of adult learning.  Tacit learning, or knowledge gained through personal experience can be that which is difficult to articulate through any other kind of instruction.  The “you just had to be there” feeling of that experience cannot easily be replicated. Adults thrive in learning situations that align with their experience, readiness and motivation.  Experiential learning which some call “learning by doing” recognizes the importance of lived experiences in adult learning.  However, experiential learning not only involves doing, but also requires reflection and analysis.  Core memories are established through these learning experiences because they prompt emotional and intellectual responses that contribute to the learning experience.  Repeating this process of experience, reflecting and analyzing continuously is optimal, as I’ve heard explained, “if you don’t use it, you’ll lose it”.   Sometimes, informal learning even occurs during unplanned situations that call on individuals to solve a problem or test a process, which ends up being “serendipitous” for those who are fortunate enough to experience and learn from the situation. 

It has even been determined through qualitative research that when managers assign goals with tasks that include experiential learning opportunities, it readies employees for promotion opportunities and increases the odds of internal promotion.

Now What?

I would like to advocate for change in my workplace to include more formalized on-the-job training.  Implementing experiential learning opportunities will first mean identifying several areas of expertise that could be deemed as relevant experiences for learning opportunities.  I would need to have support of relevant teams or managers to help facilitate a program that allows participants to accomplish a predetermined goal as part of the exercise.  Those managers could help me determine how to assess whether learning and growth occurred from the experience.  If attempted as part of a pilot, this could end up with results that might spark change within a division or an entire organization.  A proposal to senior leadership may lead to improved morale, development and I suspect even retention.