The Human Condition: Transformational Training for a Culture of Continuous Learning

Introduction

The Fourth Industrial Revolution is changing the way we work, live and interact with each other. In a report on future workforce needs, McKinsey found 87% of business leaders face skill gaps, or expect to encounter gaps within the next five years. According to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2023, organisations believe that 44% of workers’ skills will be disrupted in the next five years and that six in 10 staff members will require training before 2027.

As much as technological innovation is driving this change, it’s only half the equation. People are the key to unlocking innovation and supercharging business growth. This is especially true in the goods and services sector, where customer experience is at the heart of organisational purpose and growth. These businesses can only hope to meet customers' evolving demands by reskilling and upskilling their employees for a future-fit workforce. 

But traditional training doesn’t align with how we learn and doesn’t integrate with workflows. The result is low learning retention. And since we can’t apply what we can’t remember, low training application in the workplace. In other words, it doesn’t work to bridge the widening skills gap.

By understanding the neuroscience of learning - how we remember - business leaders can make training transformative, rather than transactional.

Let’s explore:

01 Creating a Culture of Continuous Learning

"People are the key to unlocking innovation and supercharging business growth. This is especially true of services and retail sectors, where customers are at the centre of company purpose. Businesses can hope to serve customers only by creating good jobs and investing in upskilling employees”. - WEF

Bridging the skills gap is a strategic imperative that extends beyond Learning and Development (L&D), reshaping how we think about upskilling and reskilling in the workplace. The pace of change and innovation demands continuous learning, but workforces have limited time to dedicate to learning.

To address this, Ernst & Young recommends learning in the flow of work, accelerating workforce and business growth through shorter, faster and integrated training: “We want to move from a transactional just-in-case approach to transformative just-in-time training”. Getting this right means making training accessible in daily working environments. EY suggests continuous learning opportunities delivered in on-demand, micro-learning formats.

It’s one thing to make training accessible in the flow of work and life, it’s another to incentivise training and make it habitual. That’s where harnessing the power of neuroscience and understanding how we learn comes in.

02 The Human Condition: The Limitations of Working Memory and the Impact on Training Retention

Traditional, ‘just-in-case’ training is often resigned to working memory - the part of our brains responsible for temporarily holding and processing information. It has limited capacity, holding just 4-7 items at a time for no more than 30 seconds. Our working memory is vulnerable to overload if too much information is presented at once.

Fortunately, we are not limited to our working memory. Long-term memory is the part of the memory system responsible for storing information over extended periods, ranging from hours to a lifetime. It’s characterised by unlimited capacity and persistence: 

‍Working Memory vs. Long-Term Memory

Working Memory is like your computer’s RAM, handling immediate tasks and processing information in real time:

• Capacity: Limited, typically can handle only a few pieces of data simultaneously.
• Volatility: Data is lost when the task is finished or the computer is turned off.

Long Term Memory, on the other hand, is like a computer’s hard drive or solid-state drive (SSD), storing vast amounts of information for the long term.

• Capacity: Much larger, capable of holding extensive data over extended periods.
• Persistence: Data remains intact and can be retrieved as needed, even after the computer is turned off.

When information is stored in the long-term memory, it can be retrieved and acted on by working memory - in other words, applied. But information used in working memory is not automatically transferred to long-term memory. Long-term memory storage requires energy. So, to conserve energy, our brains store only ‘useful’ information.

While great for survival (especially by our cavemen ancestors) this adaptation does mean that single-serving traditional training is not suited for long-term memory retention.

‍The challenge for L&D is reengineering training for transfer from working memory to long-term memory for easy retrieval and application in the workplace.

For that, it’s useful to understand how the brain ‘decides’ what should be stored in long-term memory:

1. Relevance and Importance: Information deemed significant or relevant to survival, goals, or tasks is more likely to be encoded in long-term memory.
2. Emotional Impact: Emotionally charged experiences are more likely to be stored due to their potential importance.
3. Repetition and Rehearsal: Information repeatedly encountered or practised is more likely to be consolidated.
4. Association: New information linked to existing knowledge is more readily encoded into long-term memory.
5. Attention and Focus: Information that receives focused attention is more likely to be transferred.

The features of long-term memory give us clues that should guide our learning strategies. Relevance and Importance are linked to Attention and Focus. Emotional Impact is difficult to achieve in the workplace and, executed poorly, can prove distracting and result in cognitive overload rather than long-term memory retention. Repetition and Rehearsal and Association are however well suited to workplace training.  

03 Using Neuroscientific Principles to Maximise Retention

So, how do we engineer training to prompt the brain to move information from working memory to long-term memory for retrieval and application in the workplace? 

Several strategies, grounded in neuroscience, can help knowledge transfer from working to long-term memory:

1. Spaced Repetition: This technique involves spreading learning out over time rather than ‘cramming’. By revisiting information at spaced intervals, learners can strengthen their memory traces and improve retention. Studies have shown that spaced repetition can significantly reduce the forgetting curve, making it a powerful tool in education and training​ (PLOS)​​ (BioMed Central)​.

2. Retrieval Practice (Active Recall): While we may have begrudged tests in school, they were a tool that helped transfer knowledge to long-term memory. In this approach, learners actively recall information rather than passively review it. Quizzes and practice tests are examples of retrieval practice. Research suggests repeated retrieval strengthens memory and makes it more durable over time​ (BioMed Central)​.

3. Dual Coding: Combining verbal/audio information with visual aids (eg. diagrams, charts) can enhance memory. The dual coding theory suggests that information processed through multiple channels is easier to remember. This approach leverages the brain's ability to encode information more deeply when presented in various formats​.

4. Mnemonics: Using mnemonic devices makes learning more effective. Mnemonics are memory aids that use associations to help recall information (PLOS)​. 

5. Chunking: Chunking breaks large amounts of information into smaller pieces, reducing the cognitive load and making it easier to remember​ (PLOS)​.

This begs the question - how do businesses systematically incorporate these principles into training programs for more effective learning outcomes? 

Reinforced micro-learning technology emerges as an effective solution:

04 Reinforced Micro-Learning Platform Technology 

Reinforced micro-learning is an educational approach that repeatedly delivers content in small, manageable segments, typically focusing on a single learning objective at a time.

Feature-rich reinforced micro-learning platforms that automate the creation of personalised learner journeys, spaced repetition, retrieval practice and gamification systematically incorporate neuroscience into training programs for more impactful learning outcomes:

Key Features of Effective Reinforced Micro-Learning Platforms

1. Chunking (micro-learning): Breaking down training content into small, focused segments that can be easily digested and remembered improves retention by leveraging the principles of the spacing effect and reducing cognitive overload. It allows employees to learn at their own pace and revisit material as needed.

2. Gamification: Using gaming elements like points, badges, and leaderboards to make training more engaging and competitive enhances motivation and engagement, making learning enjoyable and memorable. Gamification leads to higher participation rates and better retention of information.

3. Spaced Repetition: Repeating concepts at spaced intervals to reinforce learning over time helps move information from short-term to long-term memory. This method ensures employees retain and apply what they learn, enhancing overall performance.

4. Retrieval Practice: Incorporating frequent low-stakes quizzes and practice tests to encourage active recall of information strengthens memory retention and helps identify gaps in knowledge that can be addressed promptly. This method boosts confidence and ensures that employees can apply what they learn.

5. Personalised Learning Paths: Customising (tailoring) content to meet specific needs, learning styles and training retention levels of individual employees increases engagement and motivation by providing relevant and relatable content. Personalised learning helps employees progress at their own pace, ensuring better comprehension and retention.

In Conclusion

Upskilling and reskilling employees for future fitness has never been more important. And, in a world where customer service is the new marketing, equipping and empowering your customer-facing employees for consistent customer service excellence is a unique differentiator. 

By combining neuroscience and technology, you can make training transformational, rather than transactional. By giving employees on-demand access to manageable byte-size information in the flow of work and life, coupled with gamification, learning and development becomes an integral part of culture, a value driver and strategic differentiator.

We’ve spent the last decade building a reinforced, gamified micro-learning platform grounded in neuroscience to break down barriers to learning and maximise training impact. Book a demo to learn more:.