The Flat Tire Principle
The end of summer is quickly approaching, which means the start of school is right around the corner.
Millions of students across America will review their class schedules, pack their lunches, and begin another year of learning.
Why it matters: The idea that education is centered around structured curricula that begin and end at defined points in time is becoming increasingly flawed, especially when it comes to corporate training.
A lot of corporate learning follows a traditional school format and includes classes, instructors, and course outlines.
While this can be effective, it has its obvious limitations.
For example, imagine someone needs to have a difficult conversation with someone, but a class on the topic isn’t scheduled for three weeks. In addition to the obvious timing issue, the person will be one of many in the workshop, most likely resulting in limited time to focus on the person’s specific issue.
We call this “The Flat Tire Principle.”
The Flat Tire Principle occurs when a person needs help now, but in-the-moment assistance isn’t available.
If you need help changing a flat tire, offering you a course three weeks from now will only infuriate you, not fix your problem.
I have a colleague who was tasked with teaching 50 participants a very technical system change using 31 PowerPoint slides in a 45-minute virtual class; there was no hands-on practice.
The participants wouldn’t be using the new system for three weeks. It was a disaster.
What if instead of teaching what buttons to click, the class had focused on educating people on how to get help, various colleagues they could have talked to, and how they could also help others?
The class now has a clear purpose and is no longer a “check-the-box” activity.
We work with clients to build multiple approaches to learning versus relying on the school model.
Peer-to-peer networks, mentorship, self-paced options, coaching, and ongoing group projects are all ways we encourage companies to think beyond the classroom.
Our view is that live instruction is still a critical foundation on which to build a more comprehensive learning solution.
A class facilitates a transfer of wisdom, expertise, knowledge, and information between the instructor and the participants; this is often irreplaceable.
However, the real magic comes after the class, when participants can apply what they have learned in real situations and get guidance and feedback from their colleagues and others; AI can also play a role.
Anything that keeps the learning alive is pivotal to the success of the initiative.
The bottom line: School buses rolling down the road bringing students to school are just one way to get people to a place where they can learn; the same is true for corporate classes.
Instead of asking “Which classes should we offer,” the better question is “What and how do we want people to learn, and how are classes part of our approach?”
As for those school buses you’ll see this fall, I hope they don’t get a flat tire.
