By Christopher Myers
Many of the things we need to know to be successful aren’t learned simply through schooling, training or personal experience. Especially for today’s knowledge-based work, much of what we need to know we learn from others’ experiences, through what’s called “vicarious learning.”
For example, employees often shadow or observe senior colleagues in order to learn from them. While this informal (and intuitive) approach can be effective, it is no longer reasonable to expect employees to simply watch and learn in many workplaces.
‘Coactive’ vicarious learning
My research has explored an alternative. Rather than one person absorbing knowledge by passively observing others, I posit that people can learn more effectively through collaborative, two-way interactions, in which the person learning and the person sharing knowledge work together to construct an understanding of an experience. Such “coactive” interactions better equip learners to apply new knowledge in their work.
Putting it into practice
While many teams likely engage in some degree of interactive learning already, leaders can take steps to help institutionalize this approach at work.
- Create a designated space for vicarious learning. Our environments directly affect how we interact, so it’s important to consider how physical space (or virtual space for geographically dispersed teams) can facilitate vicarious learning.
When Google was designing its new corporate campus, it set out to encourage these learning conversations by planning for lots of small kitchen spaces. The company had discovered that people liked to mingle in these areas and share ideas.
- Endorse vicarious learning. Leaders should encourage employees to seek and share experiences. This gives individuals license to find what they need to learn, without fear that they’re being intrusive or bothersome—or that it will make them look bad.
- Plant starter seeds of vicarious learning. Lead by example. Share experiences with team members and set aside time at the beginning of meetings for people to discuss challenges and problem solve together.
Vicarious learning interactions are not a panacea for an organization’s learning challenges. But they are an effective part of any workplace’s learning portfolio, alongside formal efforts like training programs, feedback sessions and knowledge management systems, and informal practices like mentoring and “trial-and-error” exercises. All these approaches reinforce each other and promote greater learning.
Christopher Myers is an assistant professor at Harvard Business School.