Why I’m not convinced about Learning in the flow of work

Learning in the flow of work is the biggest lie we've been sold in L&D.

We can't learn in the flow of work. As an aim, it is a contradiction in and of itself. Do we want people to learn, or do we want them to work?

Doing the work is learning manifest.

However, what we are actually talking about is accessibility to learning without barriers, and relevant learning solutions.

Accessible learning options is what people need.

I think we’ve run ourselves down a rabbit hole when we talk about learning in the flow of work. We’re still trying to justify to the business that we can deliver valuable learning assets and now we can do it while people are working. That we’re not halting productivity. That we’re keeping people focused on their work. It’s a false narrative.

People don’t work their full contracted hours. They have to learn on the job - but rarely are they both learning and doing the work at the same time. Often when they need to learn something they are actively not working.

If they’re working on coding or product design and they come across a problem they need to solve, they take the time to stop the work and go search for a solution. They may come back to their work/task, but they may also just as likely get sidetracked with other related work. But, and this is my point, they’re not in the flow of work when they’re searching for a solution. They’ve stopped working.

I’m a bit cautious, sure we can find easy solutions to easy problems and continue with our work and regain full stride. Where’s that document? How do I do a pivot table? What’s the report writing style? Easy stuff.

But the harder stuff. The stuff that requires deeper learning? That stuff can’t happen in the flow of work.

If I’m a people leader and need to have a coaching session with my team member, that requires time and at that moment the work is providing development for the team member, and for the people leader to reflect and think about their coaching practice.

If I’m a project manager and we’ve learned of a problem impacting on the project timeline, I have to completely revisit the plan and see what actions and plans need to change. The work in that sense is to problem solve and develop a new plan.

Maybe I’m getting caught up in semantics. Maybe it’s about the encouragement to L&D that we shouldn’t be so focused on programmes or events as the learning solution, but accessible and short form performance aids in whatever form that may take. Maybe it’s like the 70:20:10 model - the numbers are less important, it’s the thinking about learning on the job, the active coaching and exposure as well as the education which matter. Maybe Learning in the flow of work is the right terminology, I just worry that we’re describing something which is pandering to justify how we add value to the business.