A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.— Laozi
When seasoned professionals join a new environment, they bring amazing experience and expertise with them. But even the brightest minds can feel a bit lost at first. It's like having all the ingredients for a great meal but not knowing the kitchen layout.
The way we welcome these professionals? This is where strategic onboarding comes into play. In this blog post, we will delve into the significance of onboarding by examining its connection to adult learning.
Creating a Sense of Belonging from Day One
Before we dive into the theory, let's talk about what really matters: making people feel at home. Great onboarding is about creating connections that last. When people feel they belong, magic happens:
Ideas flow more freely
Innovation sparks naturally
People bring their whole selves to work
Teams gel more quickly
Feedback loops develop organically
Onboarding in Organisations and Adult Learning Theory
Malcom Knowles' work on andragogy emphasises the unique needs and characteristics of adult learners. While, his six principles are created for adult learning, they are also gold for creating onboarding that actually works:
Knowles' Six Principles in Adult Learning
Need to Know: Adults need to understand the reason for learning something.
Experience as a Foundation: Experience provides the basis for learning activities.
Self-Concept: Adults need to be responsible for their decisions regarding their education and involvement in the planning and evaluation of their instruction.
Readiness to Learn: Adults are most interested in learning subjects that have immediate relevance to their work and/or personal lives.
Orientation to Learning: Adult learning is problem-centred rather than content-oriented.
Intrinsic Motivation: Adults respond better to internal versus external motivators.
These key assumptions underscore the impact of onboarding, even for experienced individuals. Let’s explore each one in detail.
Need to Know
Adults are motivated to learn when they understand the rationale behind it. An effective onboarding process clearly communicates the purpose and benefits of the learning. This clarity primes individuals for a positive and motivated mindset, and makes them more receptive to the knowledge and skills being introduced.
Example: During the onboarding process for new hires (an informal learning activity), a new employee in a tech company is presented with the company’s mission, values, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, how their role is expected to contribute to overarching goals.
Experience as a Foundation
Adults bring a wealth of experiences, including both successes and failures. Onboarding can leverage these experiences, encouraging individuals to share their backgrounds and insights, creating opportunities for them to connect their prior knowledge with new concepts. This approach builds a culture of collaborative learning and shared expertise from the outset.
Example: In onboarding for a healthcare organisation, new employees participate in reflective group exercises where they share relevant experiences from previous roles, such as handling patient care challenges. This sharing builds a collective knowledge base that strengthens team dynamics and sets a foundation for ongoing peer support.
Self-Concept
Adult learners thrive when they take ownership of their learning journey. An effective onboarding process respects this by providing options and autonomy, allowing individuals to set personal goals and determine their learning paths.
Example: During onboarding for a consultancy firm, employees complete a self-assessment and select areas to focus on based on their career aspirations. They also have the opportunity to choose which department leadership to meet, allowing for a personalised onboarding path that aligns with their goals.
Readiness to Learn
Adults are most interested in learning what is immediately applicable to their roles. Organisational onboarding can highlight practical, role-relevant information early on, ensuring that learners recognise the immediate benefits of their investment.
Example: A new sales team is onboarded with interactive case studies that mirror real client scenarios. By practising sales pitches for actual products and engaging in real-time feedback, they gain practical experience they can immediately apply in their roles.
Orientation to Learning
Adults prefer learning that directly addresses real-life challenges. Onboarding can set the stage for how the learning materials will tackle these issues, preparing learners for the complexities they will encounter.
Example: In a tech company, onboarding includes problem-solving simulations that reflect common customer support issues. New employees work through these cases, practising troubleshooting techniques that they can use in live customer interactions.
Intrinsic Motivation
Adult respond best to intrinsic motivators such as personal growth, meaningful contributions, and self-improvement. An onboarding experience that resonates with these internal motivations can boost engagement and foster a sense of purpose within the organisation.
Example: The onboarding experience allows individuals to set personal goals for how they hope to impact the industry and community. Throughout the onboarding, they are reminded of how their roles contribute to the organisation's mission and value, fostering a sense of fulfilment that fuels their motivation.
When organisations apply Knowles' principles of adult learning to onboarding, they create a foundation for engaging and relevant learning experiences that respect the unique needs of adult learners.
Building a Learning Community That Lasts
The right onboarding practices not only improve retention and the practical application of knowledge but also fosters a culture of continuous, lifelong learning. By embedding these principles into the onboarding process, organisations can help employees feel valued and equipped to contribute meaningfully, setting the stage for lasting growth and development.
Great onboarding kickstarts a culture where:
Everyone's a teacher and a learner
Questions are celebrated, not judged
Feedback flows naturally both ways
Innovation comes from anywhere
Growth is part of daily life
Not a Nicety but a Necessity
Effective onboarding creates the kind of workplace where people want to stay, grow, and contribute their best. Smart onboarding captures these insights by:
Encouraging open dialogue about processes
Gathering fresh perspectives on your systems
Creating feedback channels that actually work
Testing assumptions you might have missed
Building bridges between different departments
In conclusion, onboarding serves as the gateway to building connections among all aspects of a learning experience: from individuals to knowledge, among peers, and with the learning environment.
Ready to Transform Your Onboarding?
Want to create an onboarding experience that works for everyone? Our Onboarding TECA template is your flexible friend, ready to adapt to your world. Start exploring today and watch how it transforms the way people connect with your training programme or organisation.
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