Propelled by the global pandemic, the business environment has changed drastically in the last year. To keep up with this fast pace of change, growth is non-optional. Join Kim Tan, Head of Learning Design, as she shares her insights on what it takes to have an adaptive growth mindset.
Mark 00:00
Hello and welcome to Capelle Podcast – Insights on the Business etc..Today we have with us our very own Head of Learning Design, Kim Tan to talk to us on Adapt & Grow Beyond Skills Competencies. So Kim, why is this so important?
Kim 00:55
In the last year, we’ve seen how the business environment has changed drastically, propelled by the pandemic that required everyone to shift to remote work of one form or another; and business models to adapt and change. The pace of change is not going to slow down even though we are getting used to a “new normal”.
Mark 01:20
That sounds pretty daunting. I think some would think that a “new normal” implies that we might be able to have a normal pace of change, no?
Kim 01:35
Well, the only “normal” for the pace of change is that change is happening constantly now and on a very dynamic scale. There is no more “normal” in the sense of things slowing down! So, organizations that do well in these dynamic times are those who can adapt and change quickly. In the past year, everyone was forced to learn new skills, new technologies. Learning is even more essential during these times.
Kim 02:23
With the fast pace of change, the role of the Learning & Development unit needs to change. No longer should L&D be just concerned with building “competence”, meaning skills and knowledge to get jobs done, but the focus should shift to the development of mindset. The mindset to be adaptable, to be nimble.
Instead of just focusing on “micro-skills”, job-related training, the focus should also be on cultivating abilities to explore, grow and adapt. When employees have such a mindset, they will find ways to learn the skills that they need when they encounter new situations. There is a myriad of skills courses available online and in person. When employees meet with situations where they lack the skills to get the job done, those with the motivation to learn will take ownership of the learning. They can then apply to the workplace situation immediately.
When employees are curious and have that growth mindset, they will find ways to overcome challenges that come with change.
Mark 03:54
Curiosity and growth mindset are words that are pretty big, I wonder if you could share an example or two of what this practically looks like?
Kim 04:18
I watched a movie called “Hidden Figures” recently. It’s a true story based on the book of the same title.
The story is about black women who worked as human “computers” in NACA in the 1960s (NACA was later renamed NASA). America was behind the Russians in the space race and there was tremendous pressure for them to launch the astronaut, John Glenn, into orbit and back safely so as to get ahead in the race.
The role of these African-American women was to calculate complex mathematical equations required for the launch of the space shuttles. Those were the days of segregation. One of the lead characters was Dorothy Vaughan. She was a de facto supervisor of a group of black women mathematicians. She did the supervisory work but was not accorded the pay nor recognition of that role. When she confronted her white supervisor about the promotion, she found out that the whole department of “human computers” will be replaced by the IBM 7090 electronic computer that NASA was installing.
Mark 07:09
Wow, I’m sure that concerned Dorothy and her fellow employees! That feeling of concern is something that we very much see even in the workforce today, about being potentially made obsolete with technological advancement, changes, etc..
Kim 07:45
Yes! This is a remarkably similar situation to what we were facing with digital disruption. Dorothy’s response exemplified a growth mindset. She did not become dismayed when she realized that she and her teammates would be out of a job but she went to learn. On her own. The organization had no plans to train them. Their jobs were simply going to be replaced. She went to the public library, to the “whites only” section to look for a book on Fortran. Unfortunately, the librarian saw her and gave her a scolding, and chased her out of the library. However, she stole the Fortran book and taught herself and her co-workers the programming language. Though the IBM computer was installed, the technicians could not get it to start working. Dorothy went into the computer room at “off hours” to try to understand it and eventually, she started the computer and got it to work.
Her white supervisors realized that even though they were black, they had the skills to do the work. The female “human computer” department became programmers. Dorothy was subsequently asked to teach the white human computers.
Mark
That’s really quite inspiring!
Kim 08:55
Dorothy learned and adapted to the new business environment of “electronic” computers despite the lack of training opportunities and obstacles within the organization.
The point of this story is that when employees have curiosity and a growth mindset, they will adapt to new technology, to changes in the work environment. They will thrive. The L&D must thus create an environment where such a mindset is cultivated.
An example of this is DBS. They have a scheme called “Gandalf scholars”. They allow people in the organization to learn anything they want if they teach what they’ve learned to others. In the process of teaching others, learning deepens and the “scholars” feel empowered.
Cultivating curiosity and a growth mindset across the organization is not an easy feat. It cannot be limited to segments of the organization. L&D which are forward-looking must put substantial emphasis on helping employees internalize the belief that their abilities can and must be developed in our fast-changing environment.
This means encouraging employees to take risks appropriately and recognizing them for the lessons learned, regardless of the outcome, because these lessons learnt are shared with others.
Mark 11:00
Well Kim, thank you so much for your insights here – we are coming to a close of our time, and I’d just like to ask if you have food for thought to share with our listeners before we go on our way?
Kim 11:18
One question we can ask ourselves is how am I encouraging curiosity and excitement to learn when I interact with the people around us? How can I help people see that they are able to grow and adapt every day, everywhere.
Propelled by the global pandemic, the business environment has changed drastically in the last year. To keep up with this fast pace of change, growth is non-optional.
Join Kim Tan, Head of Learning Design, as she shares her insights on what it takes to have an adaptive growth mindset.
Transcript
Mark 00:00
Hello and welcome to Capelle Podcast – Insights on the Business etc..Today we have with us our very own Head of Learning Design, Kim Tan to talk to us on Adapt & Grow Beyond Skills Competencies. So Kim, why is this so important?
Kim 00:55
In the last year, we’ve seen how the business environment has changed drastically, propelled by the pandemic that required everyone to shift to remote work of one form or another; and business models to adapt and change. The pace of change is not going to slow down even though we are getting used to a “new normal”.
Mark 01:20
That sounds pretty daunting. I think some would think that a “new normal” implies that we might be able to have a normal pace of change, no?
Kim 01:35
Well, the only “normal” for the pace of change is that change is happening constantly now and on a very dynamic scale. There is no more “normal” in the sense of things slowing down! So, organizations that do well in these dynamic times are those who can adapt and change quickly. In the past year, everyone was forced to learn new skills, new technologies. Learning is even more essential during these times.
Kim 02:23
With the fast pace of change, the role of the Learning & Development unit needs to change. No longer should L&D be just concerned with building “competence”, meaning skills and knowledge to get jobs done, but the focus should shift to the development of mindset. The mindset to be adaptable, to be nimble.
Instead of just focusing on “micro-skills”, job-related training, the focus should also be on cultivating abilities to explore, grow and adapt. When employees have such a mindset, they will find ways to learn the skills that they need when they encounter new situations. There is a myriad of skills courses available online and in person. When employees meet with situations where they lack the skills to get the job done, those with the motivation to learn will take ownership of the learning. They can then apply to the workplace situation immediately.
When employees are curious and have that growth mindset, they will find ways to overcome challenges that come with change.
Mark 03:54
Curiosity and growth mindset are words that are pretty big, I wonder if you could share an example or two of what this practically looks like?
Kim 04:18
I watched a movie called “Hidden Figures” recently. It’s a true story based on the book of the same title.
The story is about black women who worked as human “computers” in NACA in the 1960s (NACA was later renamed NASA). America was behind the Russians in the space race and there was tremendous pressure for them to launch the astronaut, John Glenn, into orbit and back safely so as to get ahead in the race.
The role of these African-American women was to calculate complex mathematical equations required for the launch of the space shuttles. Those were the days of segregation. One of the lead characters was Dorothy Vaughan. She was a de facto supervisor of a group of black women mathematicians. She did the supervisory work but was not accorded the pay nor recognition of that role. When she confronted her white supervisor about the promotion, she found out that the whole department of “human computers” will be replaced by the IBM 7090 electronic computer that NASA was installing.
Mark 07:09
Wow, I’m sure that concerned Dorothy and her fellow employees! That feeling of concern is something that we very much see even in the workforce today, about being potentially made obsolete with technological advancement, changes, etc..
Kim 07:45
Yes! This is a remarkably similar situation to what we were facing with digital disruption. Dorothy’s response exemplified a growth mindset. She did not become dismayed when she realized that she and her teammates would be out of a job but she went to learn. On her own. The organization had no plans to train them. Their jobs were simply going to be replaced. She went to the public library, to the “whites only” section to look for a book on Fortran. Unfortunately, the librarian saw her and gave her a scolding, and chased her out of the library. However, she stole the Fortran book and taught herself and her co-workers the programming language. Though the IBM computer was installed, the technicians could not get it to start working. Dorothy went into the computer room at “off hours” to try to understand it and eventually, she started the computer and got it to work.
Her white supervisors realized that even though they were black, they had the skills to do the work. The female “human computer” department became programmers. Dorothy was subsequently asked to teach the white human computers.
Mark
That’s really quite inspiring!
Kim 08:55
Dorothy learned and adapted to the new business environment of “electronic” computers despite the lack of training opportunities and obstacles within the organization.
The point of this story is that when employees have curiosity and a growth mindset, they will adapt to new technology, to changes in the work environment. They will thrive. The L&D must thus create an environment where such a mindset is cultivated.
An example of this is DBS. They have a scheme called “Gandalf scholars”. They allow people in the organization to learn anything they want if they teach what they’ve learned to others. In the process of teaching others, learning deepens and the “scholars” feel empowered.
Cultivating curiosity and a growth mindset across the organization is not an easy feat. It cannot be limited to segments of the organization. L&D which are forward-looking must put substantial emphasis on helping employees internalize the belief that their abilities can and must be developed in our fast-changing environment.
This means encouraging employees to take risks appropriately and recognizing them for the lessons learned, regardless of the outcome, because these lessons learnt are shared with others.
Mark 11:00
Well Kim, thank you so much for your insights here – we are coming to a close of our time, and I’d just like to ask if you have food for thought to share with our listeners before we go on our way?
Kim 11:18
One question we can ask ourselves is how am I encouraging curiosity and excitement to learn when I interact with the people around us? How can I help people see that they are able to grow and adapt every day, everywhere.
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