Abstract
Against the backdrop of emerging technologies, organizations are, now more than ever before, needing to develop agile and innovative mindsets within organizations. To achieve agility and innovation, the humans in the organizations—employees and leaders—must have the capabilities to be self-directed, and they must be driven to identify meaningful problems in the organization and engage in collaborative problem-solving to address the problems. Developing these capabilities rests mostly on the organizational environment as created by the leadership and with the opportunities presented through human resource development. The authors maintain it is useful to anchor in andragogy leadership approaches alongside opportunities for organizational learning but to not discount the value of pedagogy when used appropriately.
TopIntroduction
A few months before the writing of the present chapter, in November 2022, OpenAI, a research and deployment company focusing on artificial intelligence, launched ChatGPT. ChatGPT is a conversational AI based chatbot that can answer questions, as well as “answer follow-up questions, admit its mistakes, challenge incorrect premises, and reject inappropriate requests” (OpenAI, 2023).
At the time of writing, typing “ChatGPT” as a google search brings up top news stories that very clearly reveal the depth, and nature, of reaction to the technology (Figure 1).
Figure 1. Top stories on March 3, 2022, when “ChatGPT” is Google searched
In education, there are obvious implications of technologies like ChatGPT for academic integrity in student work. The author, working in an educational institution finds herself amid the frenzy of concern sweeping all levels of education: Should ChatGPT be banned? Should it be used? If so, how? How should we design assessments to reduce the risk of using ChatGPT to teach? And so on…
The release of ChatGPT has triggered an avalanche of discussion and concern, amid the uncertainty of what this ‘new technology’ really means for business, industry, education, and human society. Leaders are, without doubt, grappling with what directions their respective organizations should be taking with ChatGPT.
While ChatGPT is ‘hot off the press’ as a newer and unfamiliar technology, the reactions surrounding its launch are not unfamiliar to the 21st Century. Rapid change, often triggered by new technologies, is characteristic of our times, and without a doubt, leaders are being constantly challenged. What happens with ChatGPT and what its impact on society, industry, and education will be mostly rest in the hands of our leaders and the human capabilities of the organizations they lead. These leaders will need to develop a vision, and influence decision-making and policy related to how ChatGPT can be embraced and used, what the parameters of use are, and/or when and why it should be rejected. Realizing the vision and moving forward to the benefit of humankind with emerging, and established, technologies is dependent on the human capabilities that make up the organization. Against the background of the present discussion, it’s easy to see why quality organizational learning is of consequence.
Quality organizational learning extends well beyond the traditional notion of job training to learn the skills to do a particular job. The traditional idea of training surfaced during the industrial revolution when employees were mostly factory workers who carried out procedural or sequential tasks for using equipment or undertaking repetitive tasks efficiently. The 21st-century employee obviously does much more than this. In addition, the structure of organizations is steadily (and necessarily) moving from hierarchical to flatter organizational structures with distributed leadership models. To ensure foundations for quality organizational learning, human resource development (HRD) and human resource management (HRM) practitioners must consider learning theories as a basis for the design and implementation of learning strategies and initiatives. Only then will the opportunity for employees to maximize their learning potential be realized. A better understanding of the various learning theories will result in better decisions regarding learning experiences and more desirable outcomes (Knowles, Holton III, & Swanson, 2005). Without a doubt, learning theories will contribute to long-run gains in our human capital (Torres-Coronas & Gasco-Hernandez, 2006).
In the present chapter, the authors discuss the urgent need for quality learning in organizations, especially those undergoing digital transformation. The authors adopt Bennett and McWhorter’s (2021) conceptualization of quality learning in 21st-century organizations and argue that andragogically dominant approaches are necessary for quality organizational learning in the 21st century. The authors explain andragogy and pedagogy by contrasting the two perspectives and arrive at the conclusion that andragogy and pedagogy while different, can and should co-exist. The aim of the chapter is to bring to the fore andragogy as an effective overall guiding philosophy for learning and human resource development in organizations. It is hoped that the chapter will help trigger critical reflection on andragogical stances for learning in organizations and subsequently contribute to more effective designs for human resource development and leadership.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Learning Contract: A document spelling out learner expectations within an organizational context. Learning that has as its purpose improving one’s competence to perform in a job or in a profession must take into consideration the needs and expectations of organizations, professions, and society. Learning contracts provide a means for negotiating reconciliation between these external needs and expectations and the learner’s internal needs and interests.
Flexibility: Flexibility is used figuratively, meaning to change easily in response to situations. In this chapter, it refers to being able to move freely from the pedagogical model to andragogical model and vice versa.
Confucius-Heritage Society: Confucius saw growing disorder in his lifetime. In response, he developed a philosophy to maintain the status quo in societies. His philosophy has been translated into teaching, “let a teacher be a teacher and let a student be a student.” What this means is that teachers are leaders and students are followers. Their roles are well-defined. In other words, in Confucius-Heritage societies such as Japan, China, South Korea, and Singapore, pedagogy is deeply rooted in their cultures. Probably andragogy has only a small place in these societies.
Principles: A principle refers to a standard, such as a guide to behavior, or rule.
Emerging Technologies: A new technology or an innovative application of existing technology. The presence of emerging technologies in any context creates disruption i.e. it may change radically the way something is being done, or make possible a new thing or way of doing something.
Pedagogy: Pedagogy refers to the art and science of teaching children. The word “teaching” is emphasized because the role of an instructor is defined as that of a knowledge dictator. A knowledge dictator is supposed to lecture heavily, and children are supposed to assume the role of following their instructors submissively. This kind of education is top-down. It is teacher-directed education and learning is subject-centered. Learners’ prior experience is of little importance. What counts in this kind of teaching/learning situation is the experience of the instructors. Although popular with the education and training of children, some mature children may prefer andragogy to pedagogy. For example, some high schoolers may be capable of teaching themselves once they are more experienced with a subject matter.
Andragogy: Andragogy refers to the art and science of helping adults learn. The word “helping” is heavily emphasized to differentiate the theory of andragogy from the theory of youth learning. Some scholars refer andragogy a set of assumptions; others refer it to as a set of guidelines. Still, others refer it to as a philosophy. However, Knowles refers it to as a theory, which has been widely accepted in the field of adult education and training. According to andragogical leaders in North America, the theory of andragogy sparked a revolution in adult education and training simply because previously every learner was taught pedagogically.
Humanism: Humanism originated in China. It literally means teacher of the humanities. It is further believed that humanism would develop autonomous and responsible individuals. Humanistic instructors see themselves as facilitators, helpers, and partners in the learning process. They establish a context for learning and serve as a flexible resource for adult learners. Humanistic teachers must trust students to assume responsibility for their learning (as cited in Wang & Sarbo, 2004, pp. 209-210).