The Kolb Diagram is a learning tool used in corporate education to understand how people learn and how training and development strategies in organizations can be improved. Let’s find out what the Kolb Diagram is and how to use it in practice to improve engagement and personalize the learning experience in the organization. Here we go?
What is the Kolb Diagram?
The Kolb Diagram, created by David Kolb, an American psychologist and educator, in 1984, states that learning occurs when the individual actively engages in practical experiences, reflections on these experiences, abstraction of concepts from these reflections and tests of these concepts in practice.
The Kolb Diagram helps identify each person’s learning style, which makes it possible to create the most appropriate and effective training strategies, according to each employee’s individual preferences and needs.
Some examples of strategies include the use of practical activities, group discussions, case studies, readings and educational videos, among others.
There are four main steps:
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Concrete experience: is the stage in which the person experiences a real learning situation, either through a course, training or practical situation in the work environment.
Reflective observation: this is the stage in which the person reflects on the lived experience, evaluates the results and identifies failures and successes.
Abstract conceptualization: is the stage in which the person seeks a theoretical understanding of what was learned, seeking concepts and models that explain the experience.
Active experimentation: it is the stage in which the person applies what he has learned in new situations, improving his knowledge and skills.
How can the Kolb Diagram help improve your results in corporate education?
The Kolb Diagram is a valuable tool for corporate education as it helps to solve several common problems in corporate education, including lack of employee engagement, poor knowledge retention, difficulty in applying knowledge in practice, and difficulty in meeting needs. individual learning.
Lack of employee engagement
Employees are often not fully involved in training and development activities, which can negatively affect their performance and team productivity. With the Kolb Diagram, it is possible to identify the learning preferences of each employee and apply more appropriate activities, increasing their engagement in the learning process.
Low retention of knowledge
In many cases, employees quickly forget what was learned in training and courses, which can be a waste of resources. With the Kolb Diagram, it is possible to apply activities that involve the practical application of the acquired knowledge, increasing its retention.
Difficulty in applying knowledge in practice
Many employees find it difficult to apply the knowledge acquired in training and courses in their work routine. With the Kolb Diagram, it is possible to apply practical activities that help employees to experience what has been learned in practice, facilitating the application of knowledge in the work routine.
Difficulty meeting individual learning needs
Each employee has their own learning style and preferences, which can make it difficult to create effective training strategies for everyone. With the Kolb Diagram, it is possible to identify individual learning preferences and create more appropriate activities, meeting the needs of each employee.
> 💡 Take the opportunity to read: How can the GTD tool help you improve training results?
In practice: how to use the Kolb Diagram in corporate education in 4 steps
The use of the Kolb Diagram in practice involves the identification of the collaborators’ learning profiles, the definition of the most adequate training activities, the application of these activities and the evaluation of the obtained results. Let’s better understand how to apply the Kolb Diagram in practice in 4 steps:
Step 1 – Identify the learning profile of employees
The first step is to evaluate each employee individually, through questionnaires or interviews, to identify their learning profile and learning preferences. Some people may be more experienced, while others may prefer a more theoretical approach. This information helps define the most appropriate training strategy for each employee.
Step 2 – Define the training activities
After identifying the employees’ learning profiles, it is possible to define the most appropriate training activities for each one. For example, hands-on activities for more experienced contributors or group discussions for more theoretical contributors.
Step 3 – Apply the training activities
The third step consists of applying the defined training activities, taking into account the employees’ learning preferences.
Step 4 – Evaluate the results
Finally, it is important to evaluate the results of the applied training activities, to verify if they were effective and if they contributed to the development of employees. This evaluation can be done through questionnaires or feedback from the employees themselves, in addition to performance evaluations.
With this approach, it is possible to develop the capacity of employees and increase the performance of the team as a whole.
