Training Industry Magazine - November/December 2018 - 11

SCIENCE OF LEARNING
SRINI PILLAY, M.D.

5 BIOLOGICALLY-BASED
TRUTHS TO IMPACT
LEARNING DESIGN
There are many radical changes
occurring in how we think and act.
In an era of unpreceded change,
volatility and uncertainty, we need to
revisit several truths to more deeply
impact how we design programs for
executive development. Below are some
biologically-based truths that should
impact learning design.
1. ANATOMY
We are made up of equal numbers of
bacterial and human cells. More than 60
percent of us is water. And every living
cell except for red blood cells is powered
by mitochondria, which are thought to
be inherited bacteria. In essence, we
are mostly bags of water and bacteria
with a few human cells thrown in for
good measure.
On the surface, these facts may seem to
be as far removed from L&D as any facts
could be. Yet, when we take a closer
look, we may recognize an important
fact: If gut bacteria can influence our
moods by increasing depression and
anxiety, should we not pay attention to
the moods of executives?
Action: All new leadership programs
should have a nutritional component
that focuses on mood-changing gutbrain interactions. Include "nutrition" in
leadership development programs.
2. SELVES DO NOT EXIST AS WE THINK
THEY DO
The human brain has "self" circuits,
but it also has the capacity to store
information about others around us
and our environments as well. Every
minute of every day involves the self
interacting with internal representations
in our brains.

Action: When you are designing
individual programs, include others and
the environment too. Neurocoaches
could help executives bridge the gap
between the people in their brains and
the identical people outside of them.
Neurocoaches could ask questions like,
"Who would you like to be in the brains
of your team members?" This helps
leaders realize that they are leading
from within others.
3. DESIGNING FOR THE UNCONSCIOUS
More than 90 percent of brain function
is unconscious, and only 10 percent
is conscious. Yet, organizations spend
close to 100 percent of their learning
budgets on 10 percent of brain function.
Action: Design programs that stimulate
the unconscious. For example, in
the book "Tinker Dabble Doodle Try:
Unlock the Power of the Unfocused
Mind," there are many techniques that
can be taught to leaders in order to
develop the unconscious. Positive
constructive daydreaming, doodling
and psychological halloweenism can
all increase creativity and improve
performance on creative teams by
stimulating the unconscious.
4. DESIGNING TO TRANSCEND TIME
The past, present and future are all
stored in our brains. The past exists
as memories. The present exists
as attention. The future exists as
imagination and possibility.
Action: Ask leaders to re-examine
their memory banks and practice
mindfulness. Also design programs to
stimulate imagination and build a sense of
possibility. We use "The Possibility Index"
as a screening tool to help organizations

identify what is blocking their sense of
possibility and then design programs to
build on this.

WE NEED TO DESIGN
DIFFERENTLY IN THIS
ERA OF RADICAL
COLLABORATION.
5. DESIGN TO ADDRESS SUBLIMITY
Engagement is at an all-time low at
13 percent worldwide. To increase
engagement, people need to activate
their motivation. Motivation does not
come from grit, practice, changing habits
or taking small steps. On the contrary,
recent research has shown that grit
and deliberate practice contribute very
little to motivation, and habit change is
difficult, while "small steps" only work
when one is really motivated.
Action: Build programs for engagement
and motivation. Address the paradoxes
above so that experts in motivation
can help you sift through the real
learning that exists outside of purely
rational discourse.
As counterintuitive as this sounds, I am
suggesting that internal and external
providers of L&D need to design differently
in this era of radical collaboration. Call on
artists, neurocoaches, psychoanalysts,
nutritionists and other fields to design
meaningful programs that will truly move
the people and business forward.
Dr. Srini Pillay is the CEO of NeuroBusiness
Group. He is also assistant professor (parttime) at Harvard Medical School and
teaches in the executive education programs
at Harvard Business School and Duke CE.
Email Srini.

T R A I N I N G I N DUSTR Y MA GAZ INE - THE MODERN LEARNING MINDSET 20 18 I WWW. T RAININGINDU S T RY . C OM/ MAGAZ I NE

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Training Industry Magazine - November/December 2018

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