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Organizational Learning, Effectiveness, & Change. |
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A Transformational Approach to Professional Development |
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Transformational Learning |
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Teaching and learning were designed to pass on a skill or technique which would be of value to the learner. The ability to grow food, make clothing or manufacture a saddle were all valued skills in the early days of this country. We refer to this type of learning as transactional, in that a skill was given or transacted in return for some type of payment, such as money. This was the model for our early school systems. Students were trained to work “by the bell” and learn many different tasks. They were expected to follow instructions, learn some new set of information, and then demonstrate their competency in the workplace. A skill such as balancing an account or learning a programming language is an example of a transactional skill. Much of the professional development which has taken place in organizations has been transactional in nature. While transactional learning can teach us invaluable skills that allow us to complete tasks very efficiently, they rarely have any lasting or profound impact on the learner for skills such as leadership, communication, or being part of an effective team. For that, transformational learning is required. Transformational learning focuses on improving the competency of the learner by looking at the very beliefs and assumptions of that person. It remains focused on the individual, but unlike transactional learning, does not look to add another skill to the “toolkit” of the learner. In the case of transformational learning, the target is the underlying assumptions, poor habits, and ineffective beliefs. Here we begin to see a new set of possibilities as individuals and teams come together - removing unproductive behaviors and surfacing issues that, prior to this, were not to be discussed. One of the key disciplines is to move from the position of the “knower” to the position of the “learner”, restoring humility and wonder and once again learning how to learn. Our focus here is to help to develop an effective tool-user and provide a far more powerful set of tools. |
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“Old minds think, if it didn’t work last year, then let’s do more of it this year.” “New Minds think, if it didn’t work last year, then let’s do something different.” - Daniel Quinn |
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“The insight into organization development and learning organizations has been instrumental in helping us develop strong teams. You not only helped us to work with our teams but worked to develop our leadership teams’ skill through coaching and mentoring. Your insight into business and teamwork were a real asset to our team as we went through extensive change and restructuring.” - Jim Dunlop, EDS Regional Manager |