Mark Edwards, Leadership and Strategy Programme Director at London Business School, considers ways of improving the stickiness of learning by examining a range of aspects, from the desire to learn to the ways the learned lessons can be applied. Mark will be hosting a webinar, on 7 October, in which he will explain how you can embed effective learning and understand employees’ motivations. Sign-up: http://www.changeboard.com/events/exclusive-changeboard-webinar-the-stickiness-of-learning-how-to-ensure-your-learning-strategy-makes-an-impact

1. From the desire to learn to the
application of the lessons
learned: Mark Edwards
considers ways to improve…
THE STICKINESS
rom the outset it is important to
differentiate between three types of
learning: knowledge, behaviours and
mindset/beliefs.While some learning
takes place concurrently across all three,
we focus here mainly on behaviours and
beliefs.
In today’s digital, interconnected world,
gaining knowledge has never been easier.
In my work with senior executives I find
most of them are turning to learning
providers such as London Business School
for a fresh set of experiences and insights
and ways to approach life and work
differently.
INCENTIVE TO LEARN
What is the most important quality a
learner must possess? The answer is Desire.
OF LEARNING
Without a compelling reason to learn, a
learner simply won’t have sufficient
incentive to want to absorb the learning
effectively. Although this must ultimately
come from the learner, organisations need
to consider how they can best tap into this
desire. They can do so in a number of ways:
• Open up the learning experience to
people at a time when they most need it:
at career transition points or to support
new project preparation. BP is a well-known
example of an organisation which
asks its people to undergo training in
advance of their next career stage
• Ask participants to state why the
programme is important as part of their
overall development (and use this as a test
for programme suitability)
• Make the link between content and
learning aims explicit (throughout the
learning experience)
A CULTURE THAT VALUES FINDING
ANSWERS
Learning is most powerful when we are not
even aware it’s happening. One CEO posted
the following question after announcing an
organisational re-design via the company
blog read by almost all employees:
“What questions do people have
regarding our integration strategy with
the USA?”
This single question prompted some 300
responses and counter responses. Some
posed questions. Many more began to
answer them. A few things became clear:
June 2014 Inside Learning Technologies & Skills 7
F

2. THE STICKINESS OF LEARNING
• Informal channels were a powerful form
of learning
• Questioning was encouraged
• The CEO’s invitation meant employees
needed to have a smart question or an apt
answer!
In this organisation, online presence and
contribution to the company blog and
online forums were important for
ambitious employees looking to get ahead.
‘Not learning’ was not an option.
STRENGTH-BASED DEVELOPMENT
Research tells us that people learn better
when they build on their strengths rather
than trying to overcome weakness. We
know this, but we don’t help others do it.
Why? There are two main reasons:
1. People do not focus enough on their own
key talents and further develop these.
2. Managers/trainers teach in their own
image.
Two minutes with my ex-colleague would
tell you he was a creative, warm, people
person. Several years ago he was
attempting to get to grips with our firm’s
budgeting process. He had suggested to his
process- and numbers-focused manager
that he spends half a day with the Account
Director to learn the process. She insisted
that he read an academic book on the
budgeting process.
The development never took place and this
was probably the beginning of the end of
their relationship.
LEARNING AS A BY-PRODUCT
British philosopher Stuart Mill said, 150
years ago: “Those that are happy have their
minds fixed on some object other than
their own happiness.”
As with happiness, learning is sometimes
the by-product of a wider business goal.
A number of years ago I was tasked to
create and embed a set of values for an
organisation going through significant
change. I was able to select eight high
potential individuals to help with a variety
of components of this exercise.
We sought to allocate responsibilities for
each component part of the project to
people who would benefit from exposure to
this aspect of the project. Two years on,
four of the team members had been
promoted and, most significantly, moved
their careers in different directions. One
operations employee wanted to work on
his stakeholder management skills so we
had him sell our proposals to the board.
Another wanted to move from operations
into marketing. Her responsibility was to
work closely with the Marketing Director to
externalise the new values. Crucially these
people weren’t learning about stakeholder
management or marketing strategy, they
were doing it – which is more immersive.
Another client I worked with ran Hackathons
– a series of events that enabled coders from
around the business to design new digital
products together. This resulted in fantastic
new products and services. The learning
included: new collaborative relationships and
a powerful reinforcement of the company’s
strategic vision.
THE POWER OF UNFAMILIAR LEARNING
Being exposed to an extraordinary
experience outside the day job is one of the
most powerful stimulants of behavioural
change.
Suppose for a moment your client is
looking to build a team of advisors. The
company wants to offer customers a range
of solutions to meet their needs, more than
people products alone.
YOU MR CLIENT
So, what would you want your people to
be doing differently?
What do you mean by ‘listen more’?
And presumably to demonstrate that he
‘gets’ the customer and his world?
So what is it you think your advisors would
need to give up in order to listen and
demonstrated deep listening?
Let’s take the conversation and imagine that we have now tightened up the learning
objectives.
7 Inside Learning Technologies & Skills June 2014
To be able to listen more; to really
understand the customer’s needs before
beginning to offer a solution
To suspend judgment. To understand the
customer, their world, their issues
Absolutely...we’re looking for top dollar
empathy here.
You know something… Our people have
got to where they are through
demonstrating that they know the answer
already. For them to now let go of the
concept of having all the answers, they
would need to be guided more by the
customer.
And…if in the end we can’t help, we need
to be prepared to walk away.
LEARNING TYPE DESIRED INSIGHT/LEARNING:
Mindset • To understand that the more open you
become, the more open others become
and the more relationships deepen
• To understand that the unique power
you have through acting selflessly to cause
a transformation in the nature of a
relationship of any kind
Behaviour To learn and apply how to:
• Actively listen
• Ask insightful questions

3. THE STICKINESS OF LEARNING
“We simply believe that it’s
when a manager is in a place
that is unfamiliar that learning
can commence” Professor
Jules Goddard, London
Business School.
Some of these activities
appear to be more related to
the learning outcome –
openness and transformative
power to create different
client relationships – than
others. In truth, all these have
that potential. These types of
learning are so successful
because participants have a
stake in the learning and are
co-creating the learning
themselves.
“IT'S ALL IN THE DEBRIEF
STUPID”
The single greatest skill of any
learning practitioner is making
sure the participant is confident
in applying what they have
learned. Unfortunately, this is
often the least considered
aspect of learning. Let’s consider
the following examples:
1. A person enjoys an international
secondment with his organisation yet slips
back into his old role with none of the
learning being applied.
2. An individual attends a negotiation skills
course yet is not offered opportunities to
embark upon a meaningful negotiation in
the weeks that follow.
3. A person experiences a real ‘learning high’
during a leadership programme yet is not
guided on post-programme application.
The debrief and the real world application
is not only one of the most crucial and
over looked aspects of learning, it is the one
which incurs no cost. During our talk at the
Learning and Skills Conference we shall explore
some of these principles and techniques. I
will share with you how these principles are
applied in my client work and in my work
with LBS. More importantly, I will work with
you to consider how you can bring more of
this into your own learning events.
Mark Edwards is Leadership & Strategy
Programme Director at London
Business School
www.london.edu
Twitter: @LSB
June 2014 Inside Learning Technologies & Skills 11
So, what form of learning experiences may be appropriate
for this type of need? Take a look at some initial ideas:
EXPERIENCES TYPES OF INSIGHTS
Visit to an
NGO
Visit to a
prison to talk
with prisoners
Theatre
Music
Forum theatre
Art/Poetry
Hearing inspirational accounts – such as
why a particular NGO exists, who they are
helping, the bravery of the participants
Uncovering prejudices, reconsidering
assumptions, remaining open.
Theatre-based exercise, relating to ‘the
hidden self’. What mask do we put on at
work and with our clients and how can we
allow others in?
Working with a music group to understand
what it takes to perform at your best. How
do they communicate so effectively?
An understanding of directing and
principles that can be applied to the client
relationship. An opportunity for delegates
to practice their client relationship skills,
receive real-time feedback and
consequently improve their approach.
Participants are asked to consider a piece of
poetry or a painting which most speaks to
them. They share with others why it moves
them and the perspectives it uncovers.