Training Industry Magazine - July/August 2017 - 13

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
DR. SHAWN ANDREWS

HUNGRY FOR

HANDS-ON
EXPERIENCE
Experiential learning is the process of
learning through experience. It's been
around since about 350 B.C. when
Aristotle wrote in the Nicomachean
Ethics, "for the things we have to
learn before we can do them, we
learn by doing them." The concept of
experiential learning is synonymous
with other forms of active learning
such as hands-on learning, adventure
learning or cooperative learning. Active
learning differs significantly from
passive or didactic learning, and it's
the preferred method today, especially
among millennials and Generation Z.
Several large-scale studies have shown
that millennials are hungry for hands-on
experience. In Deloitte's 2016 millennial
study, they collected the views of
nearly 7,700 millennials working fulltime and representing 29 countries.
Forty-four percent of millennials (23
million people) say if given the choice,
they would like to leave their current
employers in the next two years,
and two-thirds (35 million people)
expect to leave by 2020. A perceived
lack of leadership skill development
and feelings of being overlooked are
compounded by larger issues around
work-life balance, the desire for
flexibility and a conflict of values. For
employers, this exodus of talent will be
a major issue moving forward.
As a professor for MBA students (mostly
millennials), one exercise that we do
early in the semester assesses their
job satisfaction motivators. Since no
job is perfect, we often make tradeoffs: one job may pay well, but provide

limited opportunities for advancement;
another may offer work we enjoy,
but have poor benefits. Out of 21 job
factors, I ask them to rank-order their
top five attributes. In over 100 students,
career development and advancement
opportunities consistently rank in the
top five.
The need for hands-on experience
shows in other areas as well. Compared
to older generations, millennials tend
to donate, volunteer, campaign and
be more actively engaged with social,
environmental, or political affairs
more often. At a recent conference, I
met Kathy, CEO of an upstart software
company based in San Francisco. Her
12 employees are all millennials. She
shared with me that after a week of
travel, she returned to the office one
Friday afternoon to find the entire staff
gone. After a few text messages, she
learned that they collectively decided
to leave work early to donate blood.
Of course, she couldn't be upset at
this behavior. It simply highlights the
importance of social responsibility in
their lives and their need to give back.
Not surprisingly, many millennials seek
companies that demonstrate corporate
social responsibility as well.
Older workers have complained about
young people for generations, and
in that regard, millennials aren't any
different than others. But what is
different is that millennials' unique
expectations (like those for emotional
support, coaching, feedback and
mentoring relationships) are deeply
experiential. Because of these needs,

all organizations should encourage
coaching, feedback and mentoring.
Coaching brings everything together.
It converts learning into performance,
builds continuity into a person's
job and shows how it is relevant to
the organization's success. Among
millennials, over 80 percent are satisfied
with this aspect of their working lives.
Those intending to stay with their
organization for more than five years
are twice as likely to have a mentor than
not. In the millennials' ideal workweek,
there would be significantly more time
devoted to coaching and mentoring, to
the discussion of new ideas and ways
of working, and on the development of
their leadership skills.

COACHING BRINGS
EVERYTHING
TOGETHER.
The unique preferences, attitudes and
practices of millennials (and Gen Z
behind them) present both change
and opportunity for the future of work.
For training professionals, this is good
news. More programs and focus on
opportunities for hands-on experience
will bode well for a global workplace
that continues to grow more diverse
every day.
Dr. Shawn Andrews has 23 years of
biopharmaceutical leadership experience.
Her dissertation research focused on
leadership, emotional intelligence, gender
and unconscious bias in the workplace She
is CEO of Andrews Research International.
Email Shawn.

T R A I N I N G I N DUSTR Y MA GAZ INE - EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING 20 1 7 I WWW. T RAI NINGINDU S T RY . C OM/ MAGAZ I NE

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https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/global/Documents/About-Deloitte/gx-millenial-survey-2016-exec-summary.pdf https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/global/Documents/About-Deloitte/gx-millenial-survey-2016-exec-summary.pdf http://www.trainingindustry.com/ezine.aspx

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Training Industry Magazine - July/August 2017

https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_winter2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_fall2023
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_spring2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_winter2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_fall2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_summer2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_spring2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_winter2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20210910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20210708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20210506
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20200910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20200708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20200506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20200304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20200102
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20190910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20190708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20190506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20190304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20190102
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20180910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20180708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20180506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20180304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20180102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20171112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20170910
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20170506
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_20171112_se
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_2015fall
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_2015leadership
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/trainingindustry/tiq_2014fall
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