In McLean & Company's research on what it means to be a skills-based organization, we found that employers are starting to emphasize the need for skills-based people practices. At the same time, employers are also concerned about skills rapidly becoming obsolete, as 25% of the skill sets required for today’s jobs have changed since 2015, and that number is projected to double by 2027 (LinkedIn Learning, 2023). This reveals a huge challenge – and opportunity – for L&D to keep pace with reskilling and upskilling demands.
Though there is no one solution for a challenge like this, learning sciences offers an alternative approach to reskilling and upskilling demands. Instead of focusing on what employees need to learn, we first need to understand and embrace how employees learn. When organizations and employees understand how people learn, the challenge of upskilling becomes easier to navigate. If L&D embraces how humans learn, they can effectively teach employees the critical skills and competencies required for success.
So, how do humans learn?
Learning is an essential part of being human – it is how humans recognize danger or threats.A big portion of how humans learn is memory, which is often “missing from the narrative,” says learning scientist Lauren Waldman (2024). Memory is the outcome of learning. Once we have acquired knowledge, skills, behaviors, or attitudes through experience, study, or instruction, it is then stored in memory for recall and use (IBD). Without memory, our ability to perform skills and recall knowledge would be fundamentally impaired (Waldman, 2024).
How do we embrace how humans learn?
- Teach employees how they learn: When employees understand how they learn, they can implement practices to learn more effectively. Once there is an understanding of how humans learn, L&D can focus on determining what they need people to learn (e.g. skills, competencies) and how it can be reinforced through various learning methods (e.g. feedback, experiential learning).
- Provide uninterrupted access to focus time: As memory is critical in the learning process, having access to uninterrupted focus time is key. Focus time heightens the likelihood of employees experiencing “flow state” (see Flow State). Flow state releases gamma brainwaves, which are linked to high-concentration activities like problem solving, learning, and processing information (Verywell Mind, 2021). “We’re creating actual neural pathways in a human brain,” says Waldman. “It does not happen instantly.” While it’s an individual’s responsibility to engage in learning, it’s an organization’s responsibility to ensure the work environment and organizational culture allow for uninterrupted time to learn and access the flow state. As Waldman puts it, “Focus is your gateway to learning.”
Without an understanding of how humans learn and dedicated focus time for learning, employees will need to repeat training. This comes at a cost: formal training is estimated to cost an average of $103 per hour per employee (ATD, 2022). To ensure employees translate learning into memory, it is critical for organizations to prioritize focused learning time.
McLean & Company’s key takeaways
Considering how quickly the skills needed for success change, it’s critical for organizations to embrace employees’ aptitude for continuous learning, rather than uncovering what skills and competencies employees have learned historically. When L&D embraces how humans learn, they can develop effective, competency-based learning programs that enable employees to acquire essential skills and competencies.
McLean & Company can help you act now:
- Incorporate science in competency-based L&D: Understand how humans learn to support the effective development of essential competencies. For more information on competency-based learning, see McLean & Company’s L&D Resource Center and the Learning Content Library.
- Focus and flow are the keys to learning: Allocate specific learning focus time to facilitate the process of learning. Address any barriers to providing this type of focus time for employees (e.g. cultural norms or workload concerns). See McLean & Company’s Articulate Organizational Culture, the HR Guide to Measuring Workload, and Flow State: A Gateway to Engagement, Performance, and Productivity for more.
- Investing in effective learning practices matters: Effective learning practices can lead to increased ROI. Interested in learning how to measure the ROI of HR programs? See McLean & Company’s Guide to Measuring the ROI of HR Programs and Guide for Measuring Learning Effectiveness.
- Embrace humans’ fundamental ability to learn: Organizations should foster this – not work against it. See McLean & Company’s Neuroscience and HR and Practice Neuroinclusive Leadership.
Are you ready to take a strategic approach to your L&D efforts and solidify HR’s standing in your organization? Get support across the learning journey. See McLean & Company's Learning & Development Resource Center and contact Jon Campbell at jcampbell@mcleanco.com to learn more.
Contributor:
Lauren Waldman, Learning Scientist & Founder, Learning Pirate Inc.
Works Cited:
“2023 Workplace Learning Report: Building the Agile Future.” LinkedIn Learning, 2023. Accessed 7 July 2024.
“ATD Research: Spending on Employee Training Remains Strong.” Association for Talent Development, 6 Dec. 2022. Accessed 7 July 2024.
Cherry, Kendra. “What are Alpha Brain Waves?” Verywell Mind, 1 April 2021. Accessed July 2024.
Cunnington, Ross. “Learning and Memory: How the Brain Codes Knowledge.” International Bureau of Education, 17 Sept. 2019. Accessed 7 July 2024.