Hollow, archaic concepts
Undergraduate and advanced degree programs are exhorted as a means of propelling one’s career to the next level, and they often serve as a critical factor in being able to move up the organizational ladder.
While the ability to learn is paramount, the material that is taught across a wide spectrum of advanced degree programs is largely out of touch with the skills that are necessary to perform well in an organizational setting.
The topics that are taught come from curriculums that were developed several decades ago when the world was at a much different crossroads than we are today. While the human condition has not changed, the way skills need to be applied today are vastly different. While the pace of change in the business climate feverishly increases by the hour, the curriculums of graduate schools have not been altered to adapt to today’s environment.
Even worse, most tenured professors lack the real-world experience that is necessary to bring current issues to the forefront of the curriculums they teach.
One-size fits all approach
Schools also apply the static curriculums in a one size fits all approach, despite the fact that the students they teach come from diverse backgrounds, skill sets, cultures, industries and aspirations. These facts are tossed by the wayside, and everyone is taught the same sterile set of concepts despite these varied demographics.
If companies adhered to the same practice and provided only one version of a product, without any variation to compensate for the diversity of their customers, their span of reach would be severely limited, and they would lose to those competitors whose reach could touch multiple customer demographics.
Memorization does not guarantee learning
Even in the most immersive of undergraduate and graduate school programs where Socratic methods of teaching are implemented along with team projects, students’ grades are largely dependent upon their ability to memorize the material. While memorizing concepts can be helpful, they cannot replace the value of learning them via hands on experience, coupled with accountability.
In my estimation, and I am biased, I had the good fortune of attending some of the best pubic and private colleges in the nation.
While I did learn several important concepts in the classroom, it was the set of experiences I had out of the classroom, such as Arnold Air Society, the weekly leadership laboratory and summer long field training that were part of my ROTC program, that I was able to draw from. These professional societies assigned its members accountability to perform tasks that required the application of what we learned in the classroom. As a result, we gained invaluable insight as to how to perform well in an organizational environment.
Questions to Consider
Do you articulate the significance of out of the classroom experience for employee candidates and interns?
Do you encourage employees to gain real world experience in the areas they want to grow in as a means of advancement or are you just ensuring they check the box when it comes to education?