Sensing: The elephant in the room of management learning

This conceptual paper examines reasons why analytically educated learners may be reluctant to engage in sensory-based learning. Sensing is indispensable for constructing knowledge and should be employed on par with the intellect, particularly in today’s complex and uncertain context. Yet, we have observed learners’ reluctance to engage with sensing and attempted to understand the reasons for it. Our theoretical contribution illuminates the underlying causes of this phenomenon, thus furthering the study of sensing in the fields of individual learning and management learning. Our practical contribution prompts researchers, learners, educators, and managers to think more systematically about ways to overcome this reluctance and openly bring sensing into management learning practice on par with intellectual processing. With the help of phenomenal theorizing, the presented exploratory study identifies the following common barriers to sensory-based learning for analytically educated learners: corporate social norms against sensory-based evidence, discomfort of learning outside of one’s comfort zone, inadequate vocabulary for sensory experiences, lack of sensory awareness, preference for sequential reasoning, mistrust in sensory-based evidence, dismissive attitude, and denying (or not admitting to) the use of sensing.

Brain-based learning research for adult education and human resource development

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to reveal how research on brain-based learning (BBL) addressing adult learners’ education and training issues has contributed to the overall knowledge base linking neuroscience, adult education and human resource development (HRD) research and practices. Through this comprehensive review of the BBL studies, this paper aims to expand the landscape of understanding educational phenomenon in adult education and organizational settings using the lens of neuroscience.

Design/methodology/approach

Using the content analysis method, this study extracts key research themes and methodological choices from the body of BBL studies. In addition, this paper explores the relationships and proximity among key concepts of BBL research using keyword network analysis. For data analysis, this study reviews the current literature on BBL addressing both adult education and HRD topics from 1985 to 2019.

Findings

The findings of this study provide a clearer picture of the potential mechanisms of BBL approaches observed in the literature of adult education and HRD. What has been found from the thematic analysis is that addressing misconceptions about the neuroscience of learning is regarded as an important topic. In terms of the methodological approaches, the literature review was a dominantly used method, whereas experimental or quantitative research has yet to be fully performed. Influential keywords and topics obtained from the keyword network analysis reveal the primary foci and structural patterns of current BBL research.

Originality/value

This study makes a significant contribution to theories and research in adult education and HRD scholarship as it provides an integrative view of key research themes and major issues about BBL. Additionally, our findings offer practical insights for adult educators and HR professionals to successfully apply neuroscientific approaches.

Mozart, Rock e a Ativação da Criatividade

Resumo A criatividade e o pensamento divergente são processos cognitivos envolvidos na geração de ideias e soluções novas, que podem contribuir com a inovação nas organizações. Os estudos sobre os antecedentes da criatividade têm focado características individuais, configuração de times e condições organizacionais; menos atenção tem sido dada à estimulação cognitiva. Nessa linha, o presente estudo investiga o efeito da estimulação cognitiva por meio da música sobre o pensamento divergente. Ele baseia-se nos estudos relacionados ao Efeito Mozart, que levaram à proposição de que a exposição à música pode induzir a um melhor desempenho, no curto prazo, em habilidades cognitivas específicas. Foi realizado um experimento com 133 estudantes de cursos de administração e de relações internacionais, divididos em diferentes grupos: dois foram expostos a estimulações musicais com estilos distintos (rock e Mozart) e outro não teve estimulação cognitiva antes da realização de tarefas criativas. O pensamento divergente foi avaliado por meio de uma abordagem subjetiva (método top 2 scoring). Observou-se, empregando a análise de variância (ANOVA), que os grupos expostos à música apresentaram maiores níveis de pensamento divergente, em comparação ao grupo controle. Implicações e limitações do estudo são discutidas.