The Potential of Organizational Learning

A lot has been said about organizational learning—and a lot more will be said in the future. Yes, some of this is hype, but there is fantastic potential for employee development and productivity increases. And you can benefit from being familiar with the latest findings.

The important thing to keep in mind is that the nature of how people learn must change. We are not talking better classroom training activities or better video in web-based courses. We are talking wholesale changes to the delivery of knowledge. Traditional classroom training—now a staple—will gradually give way to more sophisticated strategies. 

Skeptical? Think of a time you went to a day-long course or a multiple-day conference. How much of what you learned then have you used since? Of course, it was a great training, but after you were so enthusiastic, what did you specifically apply on the job? Hardly anything, if you are like most people. Think about it and you will realize I am right. Long classroom courses have become a waste of money and time, even if they contain important information. You probably learned more practical information managing your first project than you did in any collection of course work to prepare for that project.

Did you know that most of the details taught in a typical classroom course are forgotten in a couple of weeks? How would your …