Recidivism: the term used in criminal justice to explain that when criminals re-enter society and return to the same “culture” or environment, they are far more likely to re-commit criminal activity. This is because they return to activities and behavior that they’re familiar with – like neuro-muscle memory – rather than learning new activities to support a different set of behaviors. The trick with judicial reform is to place people in an entirely new environment in which there is no criminal activity. Thus, re-wiring neuro-pathways and exposure to the new behaviors that emulate good, desired results.
Individual and organizational learning is really no different. We send our team members to learning events (I hate the term training, yes I know hate is a strong word, but it does not even begin to adequately reflect actual learning) that provides them with new knowledge and information that they can use to make lasting organizational and/or culture change. Often, learners are excited to share these new experiences, yet are met with resistance. The result: organizational recidivism. We have now placed one new team member in a sea of existing behavior –or culture-- making it nearly impossible for that one person to make a collective change, even if for the better.
Worse yet, very often team leaders do not inquire about the learning and how it can be applied. And, with most behaviors influenced by the leader it becomes far less likely that new knowledge will be applied, thereby reinforcing the existing cultural norms. This further fosters the idea that learning events are a giant cost-sink with no real way to measure the ROI of learning.
So, how do we break from this cycle of organizational recidivism and allow for measurement of learning ROI? The unique Archetype tools provides a great opportunity to apply new ideas and track behavioral change. Here are two of my personal favorites-
1. Learning Journey template: This is an incredibly useful tool that helps to transform knowledge into actionable culture change!
2. Learning/competency rubrics: Allows for learners to self-identify knowledge, words, and actions that shift behavior overtime.
These may take some time to fully adopt into your learning and development practices, but over time these are powerful tools that will make a difference. And, development, both employee and on-going leadership development, are crucial for employees, leaders, and the organization.
Consider that:
Employee Development is strongly associated with higher degrees of employee engagement and better organizational citizenship.
Promoting based on behavior not performance, ensures that desired behaviors are developed naturally through mirror-neurons.
Development opportunities encourage the behaviors aligned with your Mission and Values. On-going Leadership Development ensures a consistent employee experience and promotes employee engagement as employees experience a relationship-based culture.
If you're looking to implement lasting change through learning give our tools a try! You can download the PDFs here:
If you have any questions, reach out, we're always here to help bring positive culture change for happy, engaged team members.
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