Introduction: Shadowing is a technique in which a person wishing to learn a skill follows and observes another while that person’s expertise is being displayed.
It is a common developmental tool across business and industry today. However, it is often a weak, generic experience rather than the robust one it should be.
This is because an old idea (shadowing) is misapplied within a new context.
That new context is today’s business environment. The misapplication usually involves the learner following the role model around for a period of time. It may involve some targeted event, but not always.
It seldom involves including the learner in the life cycle of the experience (before, during, and after the shadowed event), or in collaboration with all of the participants in the event.
What is a shadow? It is a vague shape that silently, unobtrusively follows you as you go about your business. Not surprisingly, this model seldom leads to new learning. There are several reasons for this:
- Deep conversation and hands on experience---missing here---are critical elements for mastery of complex skills.
- The learning is seldom shared beyond the “learner/coach” dyad.
- The “learning” is often left to the observational, deductive and intuitive capabilities of the learner. Unfortunately, the learner is almost never psychic.
- The role model frequently is someone who does not have a teaching plan, and who may or may not be an adequate coach. Unfortunately, subject matter expertise does not automatically translate into strong teaching skills
Learning in today’s business environment: In today’s world of networked organizations, disruptive technologies, customer/supplier alliances, information overload and continuous change, learning and professional development remain crucial; it’s the shadowing approach that must evolve.
For a learning process to be most effective in today’s business environment, it should include:
- Real time learning:
- In real time—as the work unfolds
- As it happens – quick feedback and conversations where the ideas can be explored, there’s no time for needless delay
- On-going conversation about the work
- A culture that supports honest conversation and self-questioning:
- A process where ideas are shared and learning is not one-directional
- A process where the “whys” behind decisions are explored and challenged
- A process where the group is conscious about its collective thinking and takes responsibility for getting better at it over time
- The total individual involved in the learning:
- Anticipation skills – the ability to anticipate multiple contingencies
- Planning skills – the ability to develop working plans without slavish dependence upon them. Contextual understanding around the event is a critical part of the learning.
- Experiential learning
- Processing experiences by talking with other participants, making tacit knowledge explicit
- After action analysis and review
- Practice and rehearsal