7/25/2019 Learning and Learning Cycle

1/1

Learning and Learning Cycle

Learning is defined as a relatively permanent change in behaviour (Akin 1987). In thecontext of organisation, one of the managerial challenges is to instill productive workbehaviours in his employees.

Learning is also defned as the process o acquiring, assimilating, andinternalizing cognitive, motor, or behavioural inputs for their eective and varieduse when required, leading to an enhanced capability for further self-monitoredlearning. This denition implies:

Learning begins with acquiring new inputs in the form of information, knowledge, behaviour

or motor activity. Learning however does not end here. This step is followed by assimilation.Assimilation helps in retaining the acquired inputs in our memory for a longer period of time.

Internalisation of assimilated knowledge is another step in learning. In the context of

behaviour it is often found that people know how they should or should not behave in a

particular manner during a specific situationsuch as an interview!.

"ith internalisation learning is complete but is this learning effective# If what we have

learnt is not put to effective use in a real life situation then our learning is merely ornamental.Learning if not effective, it begins to rust and decay and maybe lost in time to come.

$ffective learning also fosters creativity and innovation.

The Learning Cycle (Kolbs Model)

According to this model, adult learning has four parts%

&. Experiencing:A learner is exposed to a learning experience by his own or afacilitator's efforts

(. Processing% After the experience the learner has time to process. )e does so byreflecting upon and analysing his experience

*. Generalizing% +rocessing helps him in abstract conceptualiation and formation of atentative theory to explain his success or failures

-. Applying: inally he applies this learning in an everyday scenario which results innew experiences, and the cycle begins all over again.

Learner: earners are central to any learning eorts. !f the learner lac"s

capability, s"ills, motivation or willingness then learning is beyond question.#ometimes learners are averse to learning for various reasons. earnerstherefore should have the right amount of commitment, motivation, enthusiasmand capabilities.

The divergers are the people who learn better by re$ecting on specice%perience and drawing new inferences. They have high levels of imagination.The assimilators learn better by combining re$ective observations withabstract concepts. They are good at creating theoretical models. Theconvergers focus on specic problems and loo" for answers and solutions. Theaccommodators believe in active e%perimentation.