As was discussed in the
previous article it is imperative that an organization must tailor its learning
culture to suite the unique needs of its employees. The folly of implementing a
generic learning culture to all parts of the business Can be seen in the study
performed by Beer, Finnstrom and Schrader (2016. P. 7). Their research into Cardo, a Swedish
industrial conglomerate showed that while one part of the organization was able
to take full advantage of the implemented learning culture, another part did
not show any improvement and therefore no return for the investment made in
said training.
Due to this reason the
organization must tailor its learning culture to suite the specific part of its
business. Srilankan Airlines LTD. Where I work is a good example of using
different training methods for different situations. When taking a look at how engineering staff
and passenger handling staff are trained it is seen that the methods used and
the duration of said training changes a lot from course to course (srilankanaviationcollege.com)
As discussed in the previous
article the Kolb’s Learning Cycle was introduced by Kolb 2015) and this
provided a framework of how proper learning and development can be carried out.
This was further expanded upon by Honey and Mumford (1982)
to introduce the Honey and Mumford Learning Style. Honey and Mumford learning
styles were developed by Peter Honey and Alan Mumford in 1986. Their work is
inspired from and built upon Kolb’s learning styles model (Leaver, 2005). As
stated in (eln.io) Honey and Mumford gave a
questionnaire that probes general behavioral tendencies. The rationale behind
this is that most people have never consciously considered how they really
learn. And to be an effective learner, individuals must know about their
learning styles or preferences and find ways to learn using those methods.
As stated by Armstrong And
Taylor (2014) there are 4 styles of learning discussed in the Honey and Mumford
learning cycle. These 4 methods are Activist, Theorist; Pragmatist
and Reflector.
(Beever,2017)
Activist
As stated by Honey &
Mumford (1982) Activists involve themselves fully and without bias
in new experiences. They enjoy the here and now, and are happy to
be dominated by immediate experiences. They are open-minded, not skeptical, and this tends to make them
enthusiastic about anything new. Their philosophy is: "I'll try anything
once". They tend to act first and consider the consequences
afterwards. Their days are filled with activity. They tackle problems by brainstorming. As soon as the
excitement from one activity has died down. They are busy looking for the
next. They tend to thrive on the challenge
of new experiences but are bored with implementation and longer term
consolidation. They are gregarious people constantly involving themselves with others but, in doing so,
they seek to center all activities around themselves. Activists are those people who
learn by doing. Activists need to get their hands dirty, to dive in with both feet first. Have
an open-minded approach to learning, involving themselves
fully and without bias in new experiences. (www2.le.ac.uk) They have a
receptive way to deal with learning, including themselves completely and without
inclination in new encounters. The learning activities can be brainstorming,
problem solving, group discussion, puzzles, competitions, role play etc (eln.io). A good example of an activist is the Aircraft technician. They are the
ones who directly perform work on the aircraft to make sure they are in working
order. They include newcomers who may have just started work and this allows
them the chance to get hands on with the work and experience how it is
performed for themselves. This helps them to improve their personal skills and
their ability to carry out the necessary repairs or checks he may be required to
perform.
Theorist
As stated by Honey
& Mumford (1982) Theorists adapt and integrate observations into complex but logically
sound theories. They think problems through in a vertical, step-by-step
logical way. They assimilate disparate facts into coherent theories. They tend to be
perfectionists who won't rest easy until things are tidy and fit into a rational
scheme. They like to analyze and synthesize. They are keen on basic
assumptions, principles, theories models and
systems thinking. Their philosophy prizes rationality and logic. "If its logical its good." Questions they
frequently ask are: "Does it make sense?" "How does this fit with that?"
"What are the basic assumptions?" They tend to be detached, analytical and dedicated to
rational objectivity rather than anything subjective or ambiguous. Their
approach to problems is consistently logical. This is their 'mental set' and they
rigidly reject anything that doesn't fit with it. They prefer to maximize certainty and
feel uncomfortable with subjective judgments, lateral thinking
and anything flippant. These learners like to understand the theory behind the
actions. They need models, concepts and facts in order to engage in the
learning process. Prefer to analyze and synthesize,
drawing new information into a systematic and logical 'theory. (2.le.ac.uk) In The
engineering department of Srilankan Airlines LTD. The theorist can be the Engineering Quality
Inspectors and those in the quality department. They are the ones who study and
determine if a certain way of doing something is of good practice and if it
conforms with the regulations that the maintenance organization has to adhere to.
They make sure that the work procedures that are given to the rest of the
department are sound and practical.
Reflector
As stated by Honey & Mumford (1982) Reflectors
like to stand back to ponder experiences and observe them
from many different perspectives They collect data, both first hand and
from others, and prefer to think about it thoroughly before coming to a
conclusion. The thorough collection and analysis of data about experiences and
events is what counts so they tend to postpone reaching definitive
conclusions for as long as possible. Their philosophy is to be cautious. They are
thoughtful people who like to consider all possible angles and
implications before making a move. They prefer to take a back seat in meetings
and discussions. They enjoy observing other people in action. They
listen to others and get the drift of the discussion before making their own
points. They tend to adopt a low profile and have a slightly distant, tolerant
unruffled air about them. When they act it is part of a wide picture which
includes the past as well as the present and others' observations as well as their
own. They
may abstain from jumping in and prefer to watch from the sidelines.
They want to remain back and see encounters from various alternate
points of view, gathering information and using the opportunity to work towards a
suitable conclusion. They like paired discussions, self-analysis questionnaires,
personality questionnaires, time out, observing activities, feedback from
others. coaching, interviews etc. (eln.io) In the
engineering department of Srilankan Airlines LTD. The reflector can be the Technical Training
Instructors. While it is their duty to educate the rest of the organization
they too have to go through their own studies to be able to do their job.
They listen to the feedback of the students and look at their exam results to get
an understanding of their teaching methods and modify them as required.
Pragmatist
As stated by
Honey & Mumford (1982) Pragmatists are keen on trying out ideas, theories and techniques to see
if they work in practice. They positively search out new ideas and
take the first opportunity to experiment with
applications. They are the sort of people who return from courses brimming with new ideas that they want
to try out in practice. They like to get on with things and act quickly and
confidently on ideas that attract them. They tend to be impatient with
ruminating and open-ended discussions. They are essentially
practical, down to earth people who like making practical decisions and solving
problems. They respond to problems and opportunities 'as a challenge'. Their
philosophy is "There is always a better way" and "If it works
it's good". These people learn by observing and thinking about what happened. They may
avoid leaping in and prefer to watch from the sidelines. Prefer to stand back and view experiences
from a number of different perspectives,
collecting data and taking the time to work towards an appropriate conclusion.
(www2.le.ac.uk)
In the engineering department of Srilankan Airlines LTD. The
pragmatist can be the Aircraft Engineers. They have studied
extensively about the aircraft they work on and are the seniors of the aircraft
technicians. They use their knowledge and ideas to make sure that the work
is performed properly. They are supposed to be the main problem solvers
References
Amstrong, M. Taylor, S. (2014). Armstrong’s Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice. 13th ed. New Delhi, Kogan Page Limited
Beever, G. (2017) Peter Honey and Alan Mumford Learning Styles, extensionaus [Online]. Available at: https://extensionaus.com.au/extension-practice/peter-honey-and-alan-mumford-learning-styles/. [22nd April 2020].
Honey, P. & Mumford, A. (1982) Manual of Learning Styles London: P Honey
IATA Airline Cabin Crew Course [online] < www.srilankanaviationcollege.com/what-we-offer/Course/iata-airline-cabin-crew-course> [22nd April 2020]
Leaver, B. (2005). Learning styles and learning strategies (Chapter 3) – Achieving Success in Second Language Acquisition. Cambridge Core.[online] < www.cambridge.org/core/books/achieving-success-in-second-language-acquisition/learning-styles-and-learning-strategies/6DE55B4DF17A3230D13A60F7B81E0A47> [22nd April 2020]
Michael Beer, Magnus Finnstrom
and Derek Schrader (2016. P. 7) The Great Training Robbery. [Online] < https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Publication%20Files/16-121_bc0f03ce-27de-4479-a90e-9d78b8da7b67.pdf >
[1 April 2020]
Student Success Space (2017) Honey-Mumford Learning Style [Online]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izMEy-UiRKM . [22nd April 2020].
(www.eln.io) HONEY AND MUMFORD LEARNING STYLES [online] < www.eln.io/blog/honey-and-mumford-learning-styles > [22nd April 2020]
(www2.le.ac.uk) Honey and Mumford [online] <https://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/doctoralcollege/training/eresources/teaching/theories/honey-mumford> [22nd April 2020]
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