Developing great leaders in the business world is critical. It must be, considering how many thousands of books have been written about it over the years, and how heavily it impacts employees and the companies they work for.
But despite the amount of attention and education that has been focused on leadership development, many traditional corporate management methods fail to produce the leaders our businesses need to grow and thrive.
Student in class with teacher reading (selective focus)
Why is this?
Perhaps there are plenty of reasons for the failure of many organizations to properly implement the appropriate and effective leadership development strategies needed to engage employees and support them in becoming future leaders within their organizations. But one, in particular, pertains to the failure of organizations to treat their employees as competent, intelligent, and creative individuals who have the mental capacity to contribute their own thoughts and ideas to promote a productive and engaging environment.
Many companies simply don’t recognize that the people who are on payroll aren’t just numbers. They aren’t just mindless beings who find themselves on Taylor-style production lines of yesteryear and spit out products to keep up with quotas.
They’re real people, with real minds, and real potential. And perhaps unshackling them from robotic perceptions and considering the human element of employees is exactly what needs to happen to instigate an effective leadership development program.
Maybe corporate powers should start taking cues from the educational world when it comes to developing leaders, including the realm of constructivism.
What is Constructivism, and How Can it Benefit the World of Leadership Development?
Constructivism is a critical model of leadership that school educators employ – or at least, should employ – in an educational setting. Essentially, constructivism is a theory about how people learn. It is based on the notion that individuals develop their own knowledge and understanding of their surroundings – be it their schools, jobs, or society – simply through experience and an analysis of such experiences.
When an issue is confronted, individuals must handle it and resolve it accordingly based on previous experiences. Essentially, constructivism is based on the idea that we are all authors of the knowledge that we possess. And it’s through exploring, inquiring, and assessing our current ideas and experiences that helps us develop such knowledge.
In the classroom setting, constructivism happens when educators forge a trusting and encouraging environment that entices potential, evokes meaning, and inspires initiative. It is void of archaic assumptions that were prevalent in the days of Frederick Winslow Taylor’s “Scientific Management” that had narrowed applications on the work front.
Instead, constructivism induces deliberate purposes and newly established behaviors that stimulate the creative mind and induce dynamic and creative learners.
In an educational environment, constructivism from a learning standpoint can lead to all sorts of different teaching practices. In its most basic and fundamental sense, it means encouraging pupils to make use of active techniques to generate more knowledge and then discuss what they are doing and how their perception and knowledge is changing.
In a corporate setting, constructivism can lead to the same levels of success among workers. A business leader who uses constructivism as a basis to build a team of powerful and resourceful workers can essentially help explore the way things have historically been, then use such information and knowledge to figure out how things should really be. From there, plans are brainstormed in an effort to reach these goals.
Learning and engaging as active participants – By creating a work atmosphere that is conducive to critical, creative and independent thinking, employees will be able to more actively participate in processes and decisions that directly affect the business as a whole. This helps individuals in the workplace to develop a sense of pride and importance, and feel as though the success of the business stems largely from their cooperation.
Taking ownership of decisions made – A workplace that’s based on constructivism gives workers ownership of what they learn and do. Considering the fact that employees are developing as a direct result of their explorations and the questions they ask, they play a key role in company-wide decision-making. This can be monumental in developing their confidence and leadership skills should they decide to climb the management ladder throughout their careers.
Creating a stimulating and engaging environment – According to a recent Gallup poll, about two-thirds of Americans are not engaged when on the job. Such a situation is detrimental to productivity levels, and ultimately company profits. Constructivism counters this effect by allowing workers to be stimulated and engaged in a challenging and supportive work environment.
Promoting effective communication skills – A workplace based on constructivism emphasizes collaboration among colleagues and the trading of ideas. Workers are encouraged to express their opinions and objectives, and essentially negotiate their ideas in a constructive manner with the greater good of the company in mind.
Providing employees with the opportunity to take initiative – Having the freedom to take initiative in the workplace is extremely liberating and energizing for employees. When it comes to improving the overall level of productivity and morale in the office, it’s ambition that makes the difference. In addition, taking initiative helps workers more effectively deal with change, solve problems, and feel more empowered in making key decisions.
The Bottom Line
A work environment void of ancient assembly-line, Taylor-style expectations is essential to a more positive and fruitful business. Unfortunately, many organizations still adopt these obsolete principles, which do nothing more than crush employee morale and creativity. Instead, by taking pointers from the educational system’s adoption of constructivism, leadership development can be much more successful.