Levels of "I Get It"
A manager was talking with me about how frustrated he was that people in his organization were not grasping the learning, the directions, and the training provided. He asked me what might be going on. I explained that learning occurs at different levels of "I get it." He asked me if I could provide any framework for this. This paper was what he received.
In meetings and training, someone presents ideas that often are responded to with “I get it.” When this phrase is stated publicly, it might signal impatience and readiness to move on to another topic. However, “I get it”, when interpreted as “I really do understand this”, has very different meanings depending on our objective and on our understanding of the possibilities we see for what we might do with this knowledge or “information.”
The following are stages of understanding in mastering concepts. If an organization is about action and results, then learning is essential to raising standards, to shifting priorities and goals, and to pushing limits beyond what is considered possible. “Information” then is useless unless it results in comprehension applied to action and new patterns of interaction. Learning here is proposed to occur when individuals are able to choose an action or thinking / behavioral pattern deliberately and repeatedly.
A couple of points about developing mastery:
Mastery comes after much repetition that enables embodying concepts, ideas, and skills applied to tasks. With this comes a high degree of confidence in applying knowledge and skills.
With mastery comes the ability to take on new challenges, to see the next steps, and to figure out how to act on challenges creatively. This also includes complexities of collaborating with other people.
With mastery one can think critically about the knowledge -- including related assumptions, beliefs, behaviors.
When this occurs, a person really "gets it" and can function with their eyes closed. They see patterns in what they are doing, and know how to adapt to changing circumstances.
Consider how to use the chart to calibrate where you are on specific role responsibilities. Also, the levels can be considered when assessing where team members are in level of learning, and anticipating what the next level of learning will look like.