Learning agility is one of the most important leadership capabilities that one must have in order to be successful at running his or her business in today’s competitive environment. Learning agility by definition is the amalgamation of three important components — potential to learn, motivation to learn, and the adaptability to learn. With these components, a person is able to analyse problems quickly and in an accurate way while comprehending information and complexity. An agile learner is always curious about new challenges and opportunities with flexibility in his or her problem-solving approach.
It is a general belief that learning agility is a capability that cannot be taught. While there are experts who agree on its importance, there are the sceptics who believe that it is a capability that one is born with.
However, now there is a growing trend with institutions and organisations going the extra mile to tackle with the problem of cultivating learning agility among students and employees.
The first step in the process is to identify the ‘potential to learn’ and hone it as a skill. The way of looking at a situation or a problem must be changed from the ‘fixed route’ to a more independent and creative route. This is where business schools can help students by encouraging them to change the ‘lens’ through which they look at a problem and start analysing each situation in an independent way and come up with a creative and unique solution. Once the ‘potential to learn’ component has been understood and honed, it is time for the ‘motivation to learn’ to be taken into consideration. One of the most effective ways to motivate the students to learn is by gamifying the process. Thus, as B-School students, individuals are known to be more motivated to participate in programs aimed at the development that involve game-playing techniques of scoring, rules, and healthy competition.
‘Adaptability to learn’ refers to the capability that an individual requires to learn and achieve better results. B-schools help in this case by assessing and determining if a student is ready with skills to learn and improve his efficiency or if he requires more new and improved ways to do the same.
Management programmes strive to shape up the world leaders of tomorrow.
The writer is Dr Kulneet Suri, Senior Director at IMS-Design and Innovation Academy, Noida