Why Learning Often Fails at Work
(And What to Do About It)
Capability building is more then passing on knowledge; it’s about experiential learning—applying concepts in real-world scenarios while balancing AI-saturated efficiency with human sense making.
This blog series delves deeper into the intersection of technology and human development, highlighting how you can build your resilient adaptiveness to thrive in the digital age.
You’ve just finished a workshop for your team. The feedback was amazing, the energy was high, and everyone left with bright ideas and new tools. But then, six months later... little knowhow as anchored, nothing has changed.
Sound familiar?
This happens all the time. Despite the best intentions, most workplace training doesn’t lead to real change. In fact, small percent of training actually transfers to the job. The problem? Learning isn’t just about gaining knowledge. It’s about changing behavior. And behavior is hard to change.
Learning is About Doing, Not Just Knowing
One of the biggest misunderstandings about learning is thinking it’s about delivering information. But if knowing was enough, we’d all eat healthy, exercise daily, and never procrastinate.
The real goal of learning at work isn’t just to understand new ideas—it’s to do something differently. As learning expert Julie Dirksen explains in her accessible, actionable, and comprehensive book Design for How People Learn, real learning happens when people change what they do, not just what they know. She’s also running a workshop soon.
Why behavior change is so difficult
Here are five reasons learning often doesn’t stick:
1. Habits are Strong
Most people work through routines. Even when they learn something new, they’ll usually go back to what’s familiar unless they have clear, easy ways to replace old habits.
2. Motivation Isn’t Guaranteed
Just knowing what to do isn’t enough. People need a reason to care. Learning sticks when it connects to personal goals or makes someone’s life easier.
3. Learning Fades Quickly
If you don’t use what you’ve learned soon after training, you’re likely to forget it. Without real-world practice, new skills disappear.
4. The Environment Matters
Even the most motivated employees will struggle to change if their team, tools, or manager don’t support the new behavior. People follow systems more than intentions.
5. One-Off Training Doesn’t Work
Change takes time. One session won’t reshape habits. People need repetition, reminders, and reinforcement to make a change stick.
So, What Can We Do?
It’s not all bad news. With the right approach, learning can lead to lasting change. Here’s how:
1. Focus on What Matters
Stop measuring learning by attendance or happy feedback forms. Ask better questions:
Are people using what they learned?
Are teams working more effectively?
Is there a real impact on performance?
When you track behavior, not just participation, you’ll start to see what really works.
2. Design for Behavior
Instead of just delivering information, think like a behavior designer. Help people:
Practice new skills in a safe space
Get feedback and support
Understand why the change matters
Build confidence through small wins
Julie Dirksen suggests thinking about the "elephant and rider": logic (the rider) may understand, but emotion and habit (the elephant) must also be convinced. Great learning engages both.
3. Apply It Right Away
Give learners a chance to use new skills immediately. Pair training with real tasks. Create low-risk opportunities to try things out.
For example, after a communication workshop, have people give a presentation the same week. After leadership training, ask managers to lead a new kind of team meeting. Application cements memory.
4. Build the Right Environment
Learning doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Align systems, tools, and leadership so people can act on what they learn.
Managers should model and reinforce the behavior
Teams need workflows that support new habits
Incentives should reward trying, not just success
Without these, even the most enthusiastic learners will give up.
5. Reinforce Over Time
Learning needs to be continuous. Instead of one big event, spread training out:
Use microlearning or short follow-ups
Create peer learning groups or buddy systems
Schedule check-ins or booster sessions
Repetition builds habit, and habit builds change.
Synchronizing Silos
One last insight: a big barrier to learning in organizations is the "silo effect."
I wrote about this before … Departments often act like separate islands. Training may improve things in one team, but if other parts of the system aren’t aligned, the change gets stuck.
Many companies try to fix this by merging departments or adding more layers of management. But that’s like rearranging train cars without adding a track or engine.
The better solution? Build systems that sit on top of silos.
Create shared goals, open communication, and common frameworks. Use tools like Obeya (a big visual workspace) or Communities of Practice to connect people across teams.
When the system supports the behavior, learning flows. Silos don’t need to disappear. They need to be synchronized.
Final Thought
The next time you plan a training, don’t ask, “What will people learn?” Ask, “What will they do differently?”
Because when learning is designed for behavior, supported by systems, and reinforced over time, it becomes more than a good session. It becomes a game-changer.
And that’s when the real change begins.
I would love to hear what you think. Please feel free to connect & DM via Linkedin. Thanks!
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