Neurons sparking, opening up pathways across the brain?  Well that is one answer but sadly for far too many of us the answer is ‘we learn when we are taught.’  Hark back to school days and those with a life-long love of learning will probably point to one teacher, one individual who inspired and opened up the world.  Not just through an in depth knowledge of, or a passion for, the subject (although these undoubtedly help) but because there are some people who instinctively know how to flick that learning switch which is individual to us all.

It is this recognition that we are individuals, that we all learn in our own particular way which can make the difference in business between high engagement levels and a bunch of disinterested workers.  Learning, training, continuous development; call it what you will but the simple message that employees are valued enough for the business to want to develop them can send out a powerful message.  Where that message can go wrong is in the training methods which we employ.

When self-development, one to one training, computer based support, team collaboration and other training methods are available, should we wonder that when we carry on wheeling bunches of employees into a lecture theatre, some are going to switch off?  That’s not to say that lectures and group sessions don’t play their part, just that such methods should be one element of a blended learning experience which is tailored for the individual.

And let’s be honest.  Blended learning and individual learning programmes are what the internet was made for.  No more ‘learning by rote’ and then forgetting the information before you need it, no more time-wasting courses when you change jobs; those who make best use of the internet world are perfectly poised to move out of the ‘in case’ formal learning scenarios and into an ‘information when I need it’ flexible world. 

Take a solution such as that offered by People Alchemy for example. The Alchemy premise for managers is simple. “Every manager needs extensive amounts of information and skill to do their job. And no manager can ever know it all.”  Rather than provide online learning modules, Alchemy for Managers provides “bottom line, functional answers, advice, strategies, tools and methods” that managers can access on line or on smart phone as and when the information is required.  Or look at the Alchemy learning pathway.  Using SaaS, the pathway focuses on the experiential and social aspects of learning, thereby providing a structured approach to learning over a period of time. 

By employing methodologies such as those offered by People Alchemy, organisations can maximise the potential of their employees whilst adding to higher levels of employee engagement.  And with no expensive ‘in case’ courses taking employees out of the office for days on end, the business is able to run more smoothly; benefitting both employees and the business itself and helping to heighten levels of customer service.

One other benefit of flexible learning is that it sits perfectly within an innovation culture.  When we are breaking down silos, encouraging collaboration, developing personal accountability and initiative and treating failure as a learning experience, it makes sense that our learning should follow similar pathways. 

So perhaps our original question should not be ‘how do we learn’ but ‘what can we bring to the world through learning.’  After all, as the teacher and philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti once said, “The whole of life, from the moment you are born to the moment you die, is a process of learning.”