Are employees being blamed for managers’ lack of knowledge?

Why would managers refer to employees who have successfully completed up to fourteen years of schooling and were successful in Secondary School exit examinations and post-secondary school learning, as slow or unteachable? On the other hand, why would they refer to employees whose educational career were prematurely terminated but would have learnt the basic skill necessary to carry out menial jobs, star employees?

Is it possible that managers do not understand the art of adult learning and are therefore using inappropriate techniques to impart information to employees? There are several theories that discuss the art of adult learning. For example: Transformative learning that argues that true learning occurs when there is evidence of a change in the individual’s behaviour.

Self-directed learning that emphasizes informal learning. Experiential learning that argues that learning in adults occurs best by doing.
Today, our focus is on andragogy vs pedagogy and the role of andragogy in employees’ learning and development.

Andragogy refers to how adults learn and the art of helping adults to learn.

Pedagogy refers to how children learn. Educator Malcolm Knowles, in the 1980s made popular the concept of andragogy in comparison with pedagogy. The theory argues that what motivates adults to learn is much different than what motivates learning in children. Basically, adults need to know why the action/activity needs to be done instead of telling them only how to do it. They also need several hands-on opportunities to practice the activity. The other theories above came after Knowles 1980s adults learning theory, and further enhance the teaching and learning experiences for adults.

It is important for adults to understand their learning style especially when pursuing higher education. However, it is equally important for managers and strategic human resource partners to understand the learning styles of employees within their organization. There are several organizations that no longer prioritize training because they are unable to measure the return on the investment. In several organizations, training is designed based on models used for motivating learning in children. Children learn primarily because of their environment and the expectations of their teachers and parents. Most of a child’s motivation for learning is external.

When the same techniques are used on adults, little or no learning takes place.

In an HSI article titled ‘What is Adult Learning Theory and Why Is It Important’? the author shared seven ways in which adults learning could be leveraged.

(1) Leverage technology that keeps them learning: Use format that is easy to navigate, reputable and motivate learners to do more.

(2) Use visuals wisely: Use relevant visual to words. Researchers at UC Santa Barbara determined that adding relevant visual accounted for up to 89% better learning results.

(3) Add appropriate audio: Incorporate audio descriptions such as music into presentations.

(4) Use conversational presenters that the learner can see: “Conversational presenters make content more relatable, engaging, and lively.”

(5) Get the right (concrete) content: Make content more concrete by incorporating examples or real-life experiences.

(6) Aim for consistency: Present in a format the audience is familiar with and can follow.

(7) Provide supplementary materials: make handout available to be reviewed later. This will reduce distraction in trying to take notes or take pictures of the slides.

Before we write off employees as unteachable ensure that we would have applied the appropriate techniques to teaching them. We are all different and learn best with different techniques. Often managers measure employees’ learning pace and approach to learning by their own pace and technique. That should not be the case. The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires. – William
Arthur Ward. Which one are you?

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