Learning by Doing: Embracing Experiential Learning

Greetings from 100%Open! As we embrace the summer season and continue to thrive in the world of innovation and collaboration, we wanted to take a moment to share our perspective on effective capability building within organizations. Drawing inspiration from David Kolb’s ideas on experiential learning, we introduce our innovative approach called “Learning by doing”.

Traditional training programs often involve significant investments of time and money, yet they may not always deliver the desired outcomes. It’s hard for learners to fully engage when they’re worried about what’s going on back at the office or are taking the opportunity to relax and destress. Recognising this challenge, our new approach has emerged – one that emphasises problem-solving and the immediate application of knowledge. Our learners, often SME founders, bring  along actual challenges or opportunities for their businesses and the ‘training’ uses 100%Open tools and techniques to work on these. By aligning training objectives with the principle of application, we foster a deeper understanding of concepts and strategies among learners. This ensures that the learning experience is highly relevant and sticky and not all about the trainer or about knowledge out of context.

Our learning by doing methodology goes beyond the traditional trainer-centric approach. It prioritizes the needs and challenges of learners, creating a dynamic and interactive environment where knowledge is actively applied. By embracing this approach, organizations can witness tangible improvements in their capability building initiatives. Learners become more invested in the learning process, deriving practical insights and solutions that directly impact their businesses.

Just as innovation is defined as ‘the successful application of a novel idea’, training should be about the ‘successful application of  new knowledge’, with the emphasis on application.

So, at 100%Open, we encourage everyone to keep on learning and embrace the power of experiential learning to drive growth and success in their organizations.

Happy Learning to everyone!