Individual learning has never been easier
We have never had better opportunities to learn.
Online courses, personalized learning platforms, AI tutors and chatbots make knowledge available almost instantly. We can explore unfamiliar subjects, develop new skills and learn at our own pace, often without leaving our desks.
I think this is fantastic progress.
But there is a question I believe we should ask more often.
If everyone in an organization becomes more knowledgeable and capable, does that automatically make the organization more capable?
Not necessarily.
Organizations don't succeed simply because they employ talented and knowledgeable people. Their success also depends on how effectively those people work together and make decisions for the business as a whole.
As AI makes it possible for individuals to work and make decisions faster, this becomes even more important.
We can understand the same strategy very differently
People can receive the same information and still arrive at different conclusions about what it means for their work.
Why? Because we bring different experiences, perspectives and assumptions into our decisions. Some of these differences are valuable, while others can lead to misunderstandings or conflicting priorities.
The challenge isn't necessarily a lack of knowledge. We may simply not recognize how differently we interpret the same situation.
Individual competence is about what we know and can do. Organizational capability also depends on how well we combine that knowledge and make decisions together.
Developing capable individuals is essential. But it doesn't automatically create a capable organization.
Something different happens when we learn together
Having worked with business simulations for many years, one thing continues to fascinate me.
When colleagues take on the responsibility of managing a simulated business or navigating a complex business challenge, they make decisions, experience the consequences and decide how to respond. They have something concrete to discover and work through together.
As the simulation unfolds, participants bring different perspectives and assumptions to the decisions they face. They need to explain their reasoning, listen to one another and work out how to move forward.
Sometimes they change their minds. Sometimes they become more convinced of their position, but with a better understanding of why others disagree.
This approach is rooted in the ideas of Klas Mellander, one of Celemi's founders. In The Power of Learning, he describes learning as a process driven by curiosity, discovery, reflection and our own conclusions. These ideas have shaped how we design learning experiences at Celemi, including the importance we place on people learning together.
Developing individual capability is essential, but improving organizational performance also depends on how effectively people learn, decide and work together.
An AI tutor can help us explore different perspectives. But that is not the same as discovering how our colleagues think, what assumptions they make and how we respond to one another when we disagree.
When learning connects to our own organization
When colleagues from the same organization participate in a shared learning experience, they bring something no learning material could fully capture: their own understanding of the organization.
Their experiences, expectations, frustrations and ideas become part of the discussion. They may discover that what they thought was a common understanding of the business wasn't quite as common as they assumed.
A well-designed business simulation gives participants an environment in which to explore decisions and experience their consequences. Skilled facilitation brings different assumptions into the open, encourages participants to challenge their reasoning and connects their discoveries to situations they recognize in their own organization.
They begin talking about their own challenges, their own decisions and how they might approach things differently.
Collaborative business simulations help colleagues develop business acumen together, while building a stronger understanding of their organization and the decisions they make.
Alignment is not agreement
When organizations talk about alignment, it is easy to assume that the objective is to get everyone to agree.
I don't think that is realistic or desirable.
Some of the best decisions emerge from challenging discussions. Different experiences and perspectives can reveal opportunities, risks and alternatives that one person might overlook.
What matters is whether people share an understanding of the context.
Do they understand the organization's strategy and priorities? Do they appreciate the implications of different choices? Are they considering what is best for the business as a whole?
They may still disagree about what to do. I would argue that constructive disagreement, grounded in a shared understanding, can lead to better decisions than agreement reached too quickly.
Learning to disagree constructively takes practice.
Business simulations give leaders an opportunity to practice difficult decisions together in a safe environment. They can challenge one another, navigate competing priorities, make choices and experience the consequences without putting their business at risk.
They can also reflect on how they made those decisions.
Did they listen to different perspectives? Were assumptions challenged? Did they explore alternatives, or simply follow the most confident person in the group?
These are useful questions for any leadership team.
The goal is not to make everyone think alike. It is to help people think better together.
A question worth asking when planning leadership development
When designing a leadership development program, we naturally ask what skills and knowledge our leaders need.
But perhaps we should add another question:
Who in our organization needs to learn together, and what do they need to understand together to help our business perform better?
The answer will depend on the organization. It might involve a leadership team developing a common understanding of strategic priorities, or managers from different functions exploring how their decisions affect one another. In a global organization, there may be a need to strengthen business acumen and develop a shared understanding across markets and regions.
We should think carefully about who participates together, rather than treating every learning need as an individual development objective.
Not every learning need should be addressed through group activities. Some knowledge and skills are best developed individually, while other capabilities require people to learn and practice together.
Self-paced e-learning and AI-powered learning tools offer excellent opportunities to acquire knowledge and develop individual skills. Collaborative experiential learning gives people the opportunity to apply that knowledge with colleagues and practice making decisions in a shared business context.
For organizations investing in leadership development, I believe that combination deserves more attention.
From individual learning to organizational capability
At Celemi, we work with organizations around the world to develop leadership capability, business acumen and organizational alignment through social, experiential and facilitated business simulations.
If you are exploring how to make your leadership development efforts more valuable to your organization, we'd welcome a conversation.
If we want to work better together, we need to learn together.