Over the years, we’ve heard a lot of predictions about what the future of work holds for all of us, not just our kids. It’s interesting now to see some of those predictions actually playing out.
Case in point is this post in the Harvard Business Review that summarizes the Herculean change initiative now underway at AT&T. It’s a fascinating read on it’s own, but it’s even more interesting when you start to align some of the findings to the work of schools. Or maybe more daunting.
The biggest takeaway for me? Professional learning is now the responsibility of the learner. I’ve harped on that for a while now, but AT&T pushes that idea in spades. For instance:
From the outset, AT&T was clear that employees interested in new roles would be required to use their own time for—and in some cases invest their own money in—their reeducation.
And:
Once employees have identified skill gaps through the self-service platform and in conversations with their managers, they take it upon themselves to fill them through online courses, certifications, and degree programs developed through a partnership between AT&T, Udacity, and Georgia Tech. Most employees spend five to 10 hours a week on retraining.
All of this works within a “culture of perpetual learning.” AT&T employees know that their roles will change, on average, every four years. In other words, if you’re not constantly learning, you’re toast.
Some of that learning is focused on skills like coding, data science, and cloud-based computing. But “many of these fields are advancing so quickly that traditional methods of training and development cannot keep up.” That’s where on demand courses, badges, nanodegrees, and even master’s programs come in. Perpetual learning is supported by the company, but the learners are self-determined (with the help of surveys and evaluations.)
Finally, the whole organizational structure is shifting as well. Instead of a corporate ladder, the new metaphor is the “corporate lattice” which supports “supports lateral, diagonal, and both ascending and descending career moves.” Which leads to this:
Essential to lattice thinking is the principle that individuals actively own their development, which fundamentally changes the social contract between employer and employee. AT&T is working to instill a mindset in which each individual becomes CEO of his or her own career, empowered to seek out new skills, roles, and experiences.
As always, I urge you to read the whole thing.
The implications of this for education are many.
Are we building cultures of “perpetual learning?”
Is there an expectation (supported by the union, as in the case at AT&T) that professional learning is owned by the educator?
Do educators in our systems see themselves as the CEOs of their own careers?
And, maybe most importantly, are we working to help our students understand what it means to be the CEOs of their own learning?
I see this all happening more and more in the places I visit and work, but in all honesty, most schools seem no where near to creating these types of cultures or framing their practice through these types of lenses.
(Image credit: Denise Krebs)
Reality is many teachers do professional learning to upgrade to pay scale in public school. Regardless if they learned anything or not
Hello,
As both a teacher and a student, I think this post brings up many interesting points to consider. I am currently teaching 7th/8th grade science in Baltimore, MD while also earning my master’s degree. In my experience thus far, I have seen many examples of teachers being pushed into “perpetual” learning through PD programs and school mandated activities. For example, my school is currently requiring all teachers to read a book about growth mindsets. Unfortunately, these learning requirements are often seen as yet another thing for us to load onto our plates that may never actually show up in the classroom. My students also struggle with the idea of owning their own education and learning. They often see assignments and difficult work as a punishment rather than an opportunity. I completely agree with you that a culture of perpetual learning is lacking in our schools for both teachers and students. The question is, how can we change this culture?
Before I start, Blog, Wikis, Podcasts helped me tremendously Will. I’ve been an educator for over 20yrs and really struggled with new technologies which are more than needed to keep up with my tech-savvy students. And you’re right, the school systems don’t really incorporate this outlook into the classrooms and the overall culture which is unfortunate.