By Nilesh Bhagat, CHRP

If our education systems are outdated, does that mean that our organizational learning and development systems are too?

Two great pieces address the former and beg the need to think about the latter. First, BC PSEA’s report on public education in a time of transformational change questions the need for change. This sets the stage for the next piece, which argues ‘yes, it’s time for a change’: Sir Ken Robinson’s take on why our educational systems are outdated and how it kills creativity paints a beautiful picture of the need for reform, based on the following rationales:

• Our current system is based on the economic and cultural values of the Industrial Revolution. We learn in batches and use the knowledge that we come out with to create value broadcasted to the masses – a one-size-fits all approach. The modern culture values customization, speed, entertainment and collaboration – pretty much the opposite of what our education systems are built upon.
• The current system disregards the need for creativity and innovation in the modern economy as a means of value creation. There is a set emphasis on a hierarchy of disciplines – math, science and economics – and if you’re good in these subjects, you’ll move through the system successfully. The problem is that true creativity spans across a much broader spectrum of disciplines; so much talent and potential innovation is being wasted because it isn’t directly relatable to success in the fields at the top of the hierarchy.

Do we need to reboot our education system to better reflect the values of the Connected Age? I agree with Robinson that yes, we do. Today’s cultural landscape (complete with modern technological and demographic influences) needs to have a much more flexible system for continued advancements to occur. The rationales above speak to our shift to a more connected, open and purposeful economic market, with the underlying driver of productivity being innovation (and its precursor, creativity).

The talent pool from which we select and develop tomorrow’s leaders is coming from an education system which is inherently flawed (i.e., it’s outdated). Further, the learning and development systems in our organizations are based upon the same principles of training (i.e., listen, learn, regurgitate, repeat), emphasizing the same disciplines at the top of the hierarchy. As a result, the learning and development systems in our organizations used to groom our future leaders are incompatible with modern economic values. The skills being developed may not be optimal for innovation to advance at an accelerated rate.

We have a whole new toolbox for learning and development to occur, in the form of web 2.0 (and soon web 3.0) platforms. Soon (if not already), the cultural values of the emerging working demographic will be at odds with the values currently in place. Finally, the advancement of human cognition over time, coupled with the increasingly accelerated growth of technology, means there is a need to address the outdated models of education.

The goal of education is, after all, to prepare us for the future, but the system’s influence on tomorrow’s leaders is incompatible with the knowledge, skills and abilities needed for future success.

Are we ready for a reboot?

Nilesh Bhagat, CHRP, is the membership and CHRP administrator at BC HRMA. After several gruelling years in school, Nilesh graduated in October 2010 from Simon Fraser University with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, First Class Honours. He majored in Human Resources Management and tacked on an extended minor in Psychology. He’s a self-confessed nerd (the first step is admitting), likes to read, loves hockey and is struggling with the complexities of learning the game of golf.