Imagine your learners as electrical circuits: They’re wired to think a certain way, right? Typical training might infuse the circuits with a burst of energy, but it won’t change the way electricity moves through the board. To truly change the output, the circuit needs to be rewired to travel differently.
The idea of complete organizational transformation seems like a lofty goal. Sure, it sounds admirable, but how do you motivate many different people with different personalities and perspectives? It can feel like learners’ actions are already hardwired: no matter what you do, the output is the same. That’s where the idea of transformative learning comes into play. It’s a theory that recognizes that real change requires functional rewiring of the different experiential pathways to effect real change in how learners act.
If your learners are like electrical circuits, you can be the learning electrician. By taking the time to understand how energy moves and shapes their output, you can rewire the way your learners act and unlock potential you didn’t even know existed. Light up your learners by rethinking the flow of information for more meaningful outcomes.
Understanding transformative learning theory
Here’s where we get to know Jack Mezirow, the father of transformative learning theory. He was instrumental in the development of adult learning theory as a separate study apart from K–12 education. In 1978, Mezirow published a paper in which he hypothesized that adults infer meaning from experience rather than content, making learning a natural byproduct of the interpretation of self in relation to various situations. It was Mezirow’s theory that, while children utilize content and others’ experiences and beliefs as a stopgap method for their own inexperience and lack of critical thinking, adults filter all information through their own belief systems. Therefore, in order to effect real change, you can’t simply tell adult learners that something’s important: they need to experience it for themselves through their own unique lens.
Here’s where that rewiring comes into play. It’s Mezirow’s theory that, in order to truly influence transformative learning, you have to think about content and experiences as distinctly separate categories. More often than not, content is considered learning when it’s really just a part of the process. Mezirow’s theory offers 10 distinct learning phases required for a truly transformative—that is, able to change beliefs and behavior—learning:
The 10 phases of transformative learning
The power of transformative learning
Transformative learning theory is effective because it allows learners to work with their existing belief systems. It recognizes all learners as individuals who come to the table with valuable insight and worthy perspective. When the learner experience is respected as part of the process, you begin the learning journey with a solid foundation in place. You aren’t building from the ground up, you’re utilizing existing building blocks to create something even stronger.
If you’ve ever felt like your training efforts have fallen flat or that you’ve tried to engineer change without seeing the results, it may be the result of focusing on content over experience. Whether you’re trying to find a better way to train or you’re hoping to sway key shareholders, consider these benefits of switching to a transformative learning strategy for corporate training applications.
Changing habits
We’ll be honest—changing habits is probably one of the hardest objectives when it comes to training in the workplace. You can explain your reasoning and even prove that the new habits are superior to old behavior, and some people will simply revert back to the way things were. That’s the direct result of a lack of transformative learning. When you approach learning on a personal and emotional level, you encourage learners to reflect on their behavior more deeply so it’s not a surface-level or short-term change.
Better problem solving
We always believe in a “show, don’t tell” mentality for creating meaningful eLearning experiences. Too often, corporate training is designed around content that is a good resource that doesn’t ask much of the learners other than rote memorization. In contrast, transformative learning theory is built around learners doing the emotional labor to come up with solutions that work for them and their existing belief systems. The learner is an active participant in the process and models the problem-solving behavior that will serve them better in the long run.
Unlocking infinite growth potential
When encouraging transformative learning, you aren’t just rewiring learners to think in a new way. You’re also adding the capacity for infinite energy and potential. The learning doesn’t stop at the end of a module but continues on as participants apply their new skills, challenge their existing beliefs, and repeat the phases over and over again for limitless potential.
Self-awareness and empathy
Transformative learning theory is a journey through an individual’s own experiences and beliefs. While traditional training focuses on the good of the company, opting for true transformation links the organization with an individual’s unique perspective for collaborative benefit. Self-awareness might not seem like a priority for workplace training, but think about it: Understanding yourself and your motivations better can improve everything from communication skills to leadership, decisions, and beyond.
Transformative learning also encourages students to think more empathetically. As each learner travels their own electrical circuit of understanding and growth, they know that other individuals are undergoing the same process. Taking others’ experiences and beliefs into account throughout the process builds empathy into the structure of future training and on-the-job interactions.
Building a culture of learning
If you’re genuinely seeking a new way to teach, lead, and learn, you know that content-based training isn’t going to give you the deep and lasting results you want. Mezirow’s transformative learning theory isn’t an overnight change, but a building block in the foundation of an overarching culture of learning within your organization. It creates learners who are willing to ask hard questions, challenge their assumptions, and invite change as part of their daily interactions. As you encourage input, you send a clear message to your employees—this organization puts growth first.
Related: How to cultivate a culture of continuous learning
When to use transformative learning
Nick Shackleton-Jones, author of How People Learn, says that, “As an educator, there are really two kinds of things you can usefully do: You can build resources (to support performance) or you can design experiences (to encourage learning).” We love this idea as the crux of understanding when to use transformative learning. We don’t think that every training topic requires the same degree of life-altering experiences. Sometimes, you need resources and content as a way to quickly move through specific required training or as a supplement to existing efforts. But, if we keep Shackleton-Jones’ criteria in mind, transformative learning works best when you design experiences that specifically encourage learning, shape attitudes, and change behavior.
Not sure if your training could use a transformative approach? Here are some of our favorite ways to apply the theory:
Scenario-based or safety learning
When it comes to questions of specific steps to take, true mastery could mean the difference between life and death in some industries. When a situation is high stakes and an individual’s actions need to be on point, you can’t rely on simply asking learners to read through a module or memorize a block of content. Transformative learning asks “What do we want learners to do?” and can help them practice processes and steps in a safe environment.
Consider safety training, for example. Traditional learning might be reading from a manual or watching a video. Transformative learning theory, on the other hand, would first ask learners what they would do based on their past experiences and current knowledge. Then, the training experience would allow them to test that process to see how it would affect the outcome. Then, learners could experience a scenario that introduces not only how to complete the right steps but also why it’s the right course of action. Learners could test that new process, receiving instant feedback to see if they’ve completed the steps correctly along the way.
See how different the transformative learning approach is for changing a learner’s behavior? It acknowledges that they are coming to the safety training with existing knowledge, and they may have even done something similar in the past. The training allows them to challenge their assumptions and ideas before introducing the improved process and offering a safe space to follow those specific steps.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion training
Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training requires a high degree of self-reflection and empathy. It’s never just something to check off a to-do list. It’s exactly the type of training topic that Mezirow imagined when testing his learning theories. Rather than one-off training or a content-based resource, DEI involves human emotions, long-held beliefs, and personal experiences. It can’t be one type of training levied upon every learner in the same way, but a community-based effort that speaks to emotion to experience true change.
Apply Mezirow’s phases of transformative learning to your existing DEI training efforts. Have you left room for self-examination? Have you asked your learners to explore solutions and question their assumptions about DEI and what it means for them? Do you encourage them to take on new roles and responsibilities within a DEI-centric organization? If you can’t answer “yes” to these questions, it might be time to rethink your DEI objectives and whether or not your existing efforts truly serve to support your workforce.
Leadership succession, role changes, and workflow
Any time you’re asking employees to fundamentally change the way they think and act, it’s a job for transformative learning theory. We humans are creatures of habit, and the brain is constantly searching for shortcuts to make sense of the world around us. No matter how enlightened your organization, you can always improve. Transformative learning helps you achieve that change. From leadership succession training to changing roles and even simply changing the way you’ve worked between different departments, you succeed when learners apply the training to their roles.
A fresh take on training can empower employees to push at their limitations and ask “why?” more often. We love that transformative learning can lead to not only changing daily action, but innovating the very attitudes that influence the way learners approach the way they work every day.
Wrapping Up
Transformative learning theory is less about training and more about a personal journey. Because of that, it can be difficult to apply to existing training or on a larger scale. Still, there is value in rethinking the way you design learning experiences and rewiring your training based on Mezirow’s findings. If you’re dedicated to effecting real change in your organization, you’ll need to appeal to your learners on a more emotional, personal level. As Mezirow said, “All transformation is change, but not all change is transformation.” That’s because superficially changing the output is the easy part; rewiring the circuit takes more skill, time, and courage. We think, however, that if you’re willing to put in the effort to lead the energy, the resulting light will be that much brighter.