motivational analysis of organizations

❚❘ THE LEARNING-MODEL INSTRUMENT:
AN INSTRUMENT BASED ON THE
LEARNING MODEL FOR MANAGERS
Kenneth L. Murrell
Although the learning model presented here was not designed exclusively for managers,
the versatility and flexibility demanded by a managerial career require a knowledge of
and experience with a variety of learning styles. The Learning Model for Managers
introduces four domains of learning based on a person’s preference for cognitive or
affective learning and the person’s preference for concrete or abstract experiences. As it
is important for managers to learn how to use a variety of learning styles, the manager is
given special attention as the model and instrument are discussed.
DEVELOPING THE MODEL AND INSTRUMENT
The idea that people will be able to live a better life if they understand who and what
they are goes back at least to the early Greek philosophers. Many aids and guides have
been created to help people in today’s world to learn more about themselves. After
reading Freedom To Learn (Rogers, 1982) and studying various learning-style models
and instruments (e.g., Kolb, Rubin, & McIntyre, 1974, and instruments described in
Peters, 1985, and in Pfeiffer, Heslin, & Jones, 1976), I saw a need for a different type of
learning model and self-awareness instrument. The following goals were important in
developing this new model:
1. To create a model that will help to explain the cognitive and affective learning
styles in such a way that managers and trainers can gain an appreciation for and
understanding of the various ways in which learning takes place;
2. To clarify conceptually what a learning environment is so that participants in a
learning program can gain an understanding of what the learning environment is
and of how experiential-learning methods differ from other learning methods;
3. To create an instrument, based on the model’s assumptions, that will provide
immediate self-awareness feedback to help individuals know more about how
they learn;
4. To develop an instrument that will help individuals (a) to connect their
awareness of their own learning preferences to the nature of what and how a
manager learns and (b) to understand why experiential learning and management
development must differ from traditional classroom learning; and
58 ❘❚
The Pfeiffer Library Volume 19, 2nd Edition. Copyright © 1998 Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer