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by Dawn Francis, Ed.D.

In my previous entries, I defined transformative learning and discussed how companies can apply it. This entry will focus on examples of transformative learning in practice. 

First, I’ll briefly review transformative learning in case you’ve just joined this series. 

For learning to be transformative, it must provoke a shift in mindset. Acquiring knowledge, developing skills – these pursuits serve an important function in any training curriculum. However, if an organization wants to foster a change in culture, establish new ways of working, and grow its managers into leaders, then knowledge acquisition and skill development are only two components of the overall equation. What’s missing is the third and most crucial component—critical assessment of one’s own frame of reference. 

Think about it…if our frame of reference or mindset is based upon our unexamined assumptions and expectations…and this mindset guides our behavior…we will continue to behave in the same way and come up with the same results. But if we challenge this mindset, call into question our assumptions, dialogue with others about the validity of our assumptions, shift our mindset, and act accordingly – well, we’ve just changed our behavior and came up with very different results. Real business value can be achieved through transformative learning. 

So, here are some examples taken from an article entitled “Transformative Learning in Human Resource Development” (Fisher-Yoshida, Geller, and Wasserman, 2005).

Leadership Development: An international organization wanted to create a program to prepare leaders for rapid economic, social, and political changes. A relational leadership development program was developed, which incorporated psychological surveys (e.g., Myers-Briggs Type Indicator), measures of leadership (e.g., situational leadership survey), and 360 feedback assessments to provide managers with insight into themselves. Managers who reviewed the feedback and discussed it with their peers were prompted to critically examine their existing beliefs, attitudes, values, and behaviors, and revise them. The experience transformed these managers into leaders who were more mindful of others, empathetic, and conscious of the impact of their actions on business results.

Managing Conflict: An organization experiencing conflict in the workplace enrolled its employees in a conflict resolution workshop. Typically, conflict had been addressed through a problem-solving approach where the focus was on the issue. The strategy failed to consider the origin of the conflict or why it came to exist. Participants in the workshop used storytelling to convey information about the conflict to a fellow participant, while that individual listened and questioned the assumptions underpinning the conflict. The result is that the storyteller was able to see the conflict in a different light and regard others as different, but not as adversaries.

Besides assessment and storytelling, other methods of fostering transformative learning include simulations, coaching, critical incidents, role plays, and group projects.

 Thank you for your interest in this series!

by Sherry Engel

So how do we get to the point that we know the client so well that we become a part of their trusted team?

To become a trusted partner, we must think business, not learning.

• How can we help our clients meet their business goals and objectives?
  
  
• What challenges are they facing in the industry and/or marketplace?

• What metrics are on their scorecard?

How do you get insight into this type of information? There are many ways to really get to know your client. Here are some quick tips!

• Research the industry and marketplace– Check out GlobalEDGE for industry profiles, or Hoovers for background on specific organizations  

• Talk to others that have a relationship with the client – possibly your HR business partner, individuals you know that may have worked with the client in the past, etc.

• Understand cultural differences that may be a part of your client’s organization – GlobalEDGE also features information on cultural differences across the world. 

• Plan how to grow and deepen your relationship. Check out this book: “Relationship Economics” by David Nour for some great ideas!

• Have interactive, consultative discussions ….more to come in next week’s blog entry!

by Rich Mesch

In a world filled with acronyms, I apologize for creating another-- although, to be fair, I created this one a while ago.

I've been building simulations for a long time-- since 1985, actually. Now, while that's a long time to be doing anything, I really have found simulation (and simulation-type activities) to be perhaps the most effective way to deliver application-based learning. And here's the reason why: so much of learning is focused on knowledge transfer.  You have a bunch of stuff in your head, and you want it to be in my head, too, so you shovel it in there. Then you probably want me to take a test to prove that I learned it. Which I pass, and then we assume I know all this knowledge. Which I probably do, at that particular moment in time. But what happens when I actually need to use that knowledge? Will I be able to?

What’s the point of gaining super-powers if you can’t use them?

That’s the problem. A lot of content is easy to understand, but not nearly so easy to implement. So we end up with a lot of good knowledge that we aren’t able to use, and often we revert back to the old way. Bridging the Learn-Do gap is one of the oldest challenges of learning. That’s why I’m such a big fan of simulation—because it’s not about knowledge transfer, it’s about knowledge application. It’s about behavior, not about content.

Why does simulation do such a good job of bridging the Learn-Do gap? Because it provides:

• Context: How does this behavior impact my role and the roles I interact with?
• Application: When and where do I use this behavior on the job?
• Practice: Try the behavior in a low-risk environment to gain confidence and perspective
• Example: What does it look like when I do it right? What does it look like when I do it wrong?

Simulation allows you to leap over the Learn-Do gap in a single bound, by allowing you to use new behaviors in a low-risk environment and providing the Context, Application, Practice and Example you  need to succeed in the real world.

Put it all together, and you have a CAPE that will help you get your super-powers off the ground.

by Dawn Francis, Ed.D.

In my earlier post, we defined what transformative learning was. Your next question is probably, “so what is it good for?” Well, let’s think about the place transformative learning has in today’s organizations.

Transformative Learning and Change Management: Large-scale change initiatives require employees at all levels of the organization to reflect upon the change, prepare for it, and act upon it. Change can be disorienting. Inevitably, employees will ask: Why must I change? What is now expected of me? Will I be able to meet these expectations? How will I manage?

Companies can facilitate a dialogue among employees who are being confronted with a new and unexpected future. By relating to one another, these employees are more likely to become open to the possibility for success and willing to engage in the action planning process. As the change is managed, companies can create opportunities for these employees to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills to assume new roles and build competence in them. These employees—now transformed—are likely to reintegrate into the organization with a new perspective on the change.

Transformative Learning and Performance Improvement: Designing performance improvement solutions requires you to address a number of factors that affect an organization’s ability to achieve its business goals. These factors include the skills and motivation of individual performers, as well as the processes, structures, reward systems, and culture that support them. For some people, even the most effective training may not impact performance outcomes by itself. So we frequently recommend various performance support activities to assist with the application of knowledge and skills back on the job. Coaching is an effective performance support activity that is synergistically tied to transformative learning.. The coaching process, when done effectively, leads to transformative learning.

Organizations with formal or informal coaching practices in place may want to reevaluate them and intertwine the coaching process steps with the transformative learning steps. Here’s why: successful coaches ask powerful questions that prompt introspection and critical self-examination. They can facilitate peer-to-peer sessions where conversations can lead to new perspectives. They can work with the person they’re coaching to explore options, create action plans, recommend learning opportunities, assist in the building of self-confidence and competence, and help apply that new understanding to workplace practices. Coaching becomes a powerful tool for personal transformation and performance improvement.

So now that we’ve looked at some of the ways organizations can apply transformative learning, please come back for Part 3: Case Studies in Transformative Learning, for some examples of how organizations are applying transformative learning in the real world!

 

by Rich Mesch

I’m blessed to know some of the smartest people in this industry. My friend Clark Aldrich pinged me today to take a look at the new post on his fantastic blog, Clark Aldrich On Simulations and Serious Games. I’m glad he did, because it’s a good, provocative read. Take a look, here: http://clarkaldrich.blogspot.com/2009/10/does-inherent-impossibility-of.html.

Clark suggested that “I am sure my newest entry will offend just about everyone!!”
With Clark's permission, I wanted to share my response to him. I think some of what Clark is writing about is going to define the future of organizational learning. Here’s what I had to say:
Well, THAT made me go and read it!
If it offends people, I think that’s only the nature of speaking truth to power. I think I may benefit from not coming from a formal training background (but having worked with formal training people most of my life), but pretty much everything you said rings true to me. The inherent problems are that:

1. T&D Departments sometimes exist to perpetuate themselves, not to improve performance in organizations (there, that should offend someone)
2. Techniques are lagging indicators, not leading indicators. T&D, on average, does what worked ten years ago, not what works today.
3. Culturally, we have to break out of the notion that learning is something that is done to you, or something you do to achieve an external goal, as opposed to something that helps you live your life.
4. Most of all, training designers are NOT supposed to be meeting their personal goals, they’re supposed to be meeting the needs of their audience.

You’re just speaking truth. The great schism of learning is going to be the formalists versus the informalists. You and I have been in this game long enough to see that the stuff that people really retain, really apply, really use rarely comes in the form of formal curriculum. And while we were having this discussion, the five billionth person on earth logged onto the internet and learned something informally. He didn’t need the permission of the Formal Learning Cabal. He doesn’t even know it exists. So humans are going to behave this way whether we like it or not. The only question is, who’s going to be smart enough to recognize that?
Okay, we're back in real time here. I thought about editing some of that, but I decided to leave it as is. The one thing I didn't say was: what's really going to work is going to be a mix of the formal and the informal. The challenge of knowledge transfer and knowledge application won't go away. But right now, we do too much as transfer, and not nearly enough as application.

However, I encourage you to disagree with me-- that's what the comments section below is for!

by Sherry Engel

According to an ROI Institute study of Fortune 500 CEOs, 96 percent of executives want to see the business impact of learning; yet only 8 percent receive it now. Similarly, 74 percent of executives want to see ROI data, but only 4 percent have it now.

Ok…I’m going a bit out of order with my tips (this is actually Tip # 4 in my series), but I saw this fact and just had to share! In order to become a successful business partner (remember, that’s our goal!), we need to “speak the business speak” and we do that by talking in terms of business impact. A great new resource is hitting the presses on October 28th. Jack and Patti Phillips are releasing a new book titled "Measuring for Success: What CEOs Really Think About Learning Investments". According to the ROI Institute website, “This book shows what executives are requiring and requesting and in the future will be demanding. In simple, easy terms, the book shows how to provide what executives need.” 

Evaluation is not something that is just done at the end of a project. As you are analyzing the business, performance and learning needs, you should be planning and designing your evaluation strategy. Jack and Patti Phillip’s book titled “Beyond Learning Objectives” is another great resource for planning and evaluating at all levels from reaction, to learning, to performance to business impact to ROI. 

 Next week, we will go back and start at Tip # 1:  Know Your Client Inside and Out.

by Dawn Francis, Ed.D.

You may have noticed that  I’m presenting a paper in November at the 8^th International Transformative Learning Conference. You might be wondering: What exactly is transformative learning? How is it different from other types of learning? How can I use it to achieve business and performance results in my organization?

Let me answer these questions by, first, posing one to you.

Have you ever been presented with a situation that caused you to critically question your assumptions and expectations?

If so, you’ve experienced the first steps in the transformative learning process. There are 10 steps to transformation: 

1. Experiencing a disorienting dilemma
2. Engaging in self-examination
3. Assessing internalized assumptions; making assumptions more permeable
4. Relating to others; recognizing the problem is shared
5. Exploring options for new ways of being
6. Planning for action
7. Acquiring knowledge and skills to implement the action plan
8. Trying out new roles; assessing them
9. Building competence
10. Reintegrating into life with the new perspective

You’ll notice that knowledge and skill building are part of the transformative learning process. However, transformative learning is more than the acquisition of knowledge and skills. Transformative learning is about shifting mindsets, changing perspectives, and interpreting the world through a new lens.

Transformative learning was originated by Jack Mezirow in the late 1970s and has advanced as a theoretical framework in adult education over the past thirty years. To learn more about transformative learning, check out these books: Transformative dimensions of adult learning by Jack Mezirow, and “Learning to think like an adult: Core concepts of transformation theory” in Learning as transformation: Critical perspectives on a theory in progress.

So now that you know what transformative learning is, you’re probably wondering how it applies to learning in today’s organizations. I’ll be covering that in Part 2 of this series, “Applying Transformative Learning.”

by Sherry Engel

Learning Director, Performance Consultant, Training Partner…is your title similar to any of these? How does your client view you…as a learning partner or a business partner? I don’t know about you, but while my title is Performance Consultant, I want to be viewed as a Business Partner. After all, in our profession, what really is our goal? Is it for individuals to learn more? Is it for them to apply their learning and perform differently? Or is it to truly provide a measurable impact to the business’s bottom-line? Ask any CEO, and I can guarantee what their response would be!

So how do we become business partners and not just the typical learning or performance partner? Here are some quick tips!

 1 – Know your client inside and out

• What are their business goals and objectives?
• What changes are they facing in the industry and/or marketplace?
• What metrics are on their scorecard?

 2- Establish a consultative relationship with your client

• Think like your client (Check this book out! “What the CEO Wants You to Know” by Ram Charan)
• Create trust (Check this book out!  “The Speed of Trust” by Stephen M.R. Covey)
• Plan how to grow and nurture the relationship
• Be a consultant, not an order-taker

3 – Discover the true source of performance and business gaps

• Analyze causes/sources of performance gaps
• Identify how those gaps impact business results

4 - Link learning and performance interventions to business impact

• Plan for evaluation from the beginning (Check this book out! “Beyond Learning Objectives” by Jack and Patti Phillips)
• Evaluate beyond just Level 1 and 2
• Speak the “business speak” not the “learning speak” 
  
  So, let me ask you again…..do you want to be viewed as a learning partner or a business partner?