INsight/ The Knowledge Trap

Photo of the IPCC report cover art by Alisa Singer: A Borrowed Planet - Inherited from our ancestors. On loan from our children. Source: IPCC.

Manila, 9 March 2022 — When you satisfy your intellect and gain few results.

Story

It happened this week. With the release of the latest IPCC report entitled Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability, the world’s top scientists have given us another wake-up call, this time with their insights into the impacts of ongoing climate change. A state-of-the-art knowledge update showing that us that, aside from urgent climate change mitigation actions, we also need to accelerate our work on adaptation across all sectors of society. Unusually for scientists, they chose the term ‘Transformation’ to describe what is needed to strengthen the resilience of ecosystems and society. 

With transformation, they referred to unprecedented actions to change the fundamental attributes of natural and human systems. That means that deep change is needed, which is not at all easy to do. We also learned that ongoing climate change, with its increases in frequency and intensity of extremes, is already making it more difficult to meet the Sustainable Development Goals for, among others, food and water security. As a professional who is passionate to increase water security, this concerns me, deeply. So, what will happen now? Well, that’s a good question. Since the release of the report has come during the invasion of Ukraine, it will certainly get less attention than it deserves, and our world deserves. 

What I would like to raise in this post, however, is an even more fundamental concern about what we do with such injections of extra knowledge. What is our human response to it? How do we transform the extra knowledge into action and results? A look at the history offers a sobering answer. We have known for a long time that our human actions are causing global warming. Yet our response has, over time, been slow and piecemeal, demonstrating how difficult our struggle is to influence positive change in the face of ignorance, inertia, and resistance. This pattern is not limited to climate action but covers many other areas of knowledge and (in)action. In my experience, this has to do with what I call The Knowledge Trap.

Challenge

Generally speaking, we cannot overestimate the power of the knowledge we gain through education, science, and training. Research has, however, shown that we don’t take optimal advantage of knowledge. We take it in, and then a lot of the investment goes to waste when the learning process is limited to imparting and receiving new knowledge without taking action. For example, The Knowledge Trap is where we see history repeating itself in getting disappointing results from investments in one-off training events that will only generate 10% of the results we want to see and expect to see. This is also true for many leadership courses that are limited to injecting more knowledge. You can do many and gain few results, beyond a few new words and graphs.

To make best use of the injection of extra knowledge, including this latest IPCC report, research has shown us that we need to challenge ourselves to enact what we learned in an assignment that stretches us out of our comfort zone. That’s what will contribute 70% of our growth as professionals and leaders. A good example of this is the Climate Reality Project that offers leaders a chance to transform their learning into Acts of Leadership in climate action where they are. I took the challenge and have been impressed by what I found.

To go further than the 10% and 70% and achieve the full 100% benefit from receiving extra knowledge, researchers have discovered that the remaining 20% will come from learning together out loud with colleagues, including feedback and support from mentors and coaches. Taking advantage of such insights, the Climate Reality Project has developed an experiential learning program for new climate reality leaders that includes learning in a community with mentors, and for leaders to, in turn, become a mentor. I see that as a good example of a better way to receive and work with new knowledge. The same approach can be used in leadership development more generally. 

Question

To put the IPCC report and other sources of extra knowledge to good use and avoid getting into The Knowledge Trap, the secret is to mind where the 70% and 20% of your growth as a leader will come from. And, consequently, the benefits and results for you, your team, your organization, and society. Getting your 10% of extra knowledge is easy nowadays, with plentiful opportunities wherever you look. In the case of the IPCC report, it takes only seconds to download it for free and start reading.

However, if you think that that is enough, you will fall into The Knowledge Trap by mistaking the 10% for 100%. And that, sadly, is what happens to many consumers of reports, books, videos, and training courses. Conversely, the need to enact what you learned in a challenge, and to learn together, is what will make the difference and get you to your 100% benefit from the extra knowledge. This matters in all areas of learning and development, from climate action to leadership. My question to you this week is, therefore, not about getting more knowledge but about avoiding The Knowledge Trap. It’s about enacting what you gained.

What will you do this week to enact your new knowledge in a significant challenge where you practice what you learned together with others? For climate action, after reading the IPCC report, why not challenge yourself by joining the global Climate Reality Project or a similar community of action. And to learn what it takes to develop your leadership in the workplace, why not challenge yourself to work on your next transition with colleagues and a coach. If that sounds right for you, book a Free Strategy Call so we can discuss what transition you want to make. Then we will enact your choice of transition by working together on making it happen.