Review of Book:  Know Can Do!:  Put Your Know-How Into Action, by Ken Blanchard, Paul J. Meyer, and Dick Ruhe.  Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc., 2007 (Audio CD Publication Information:  Audio Renaissance, 2007, Unbridged Version)

Subjects:  Organizational Learning and Active Learning

Background Information: 

Ken Blanchard is an American author, speaker, and business and management consultant with the Ken Blanchard Companies, co-founded with his wife Majorie Blanchard in 1979.  He is best known for his book The One-Minute Manager, co-authored with Spencer Johnson.  Paul J. Meyer (1928-2009) was an entrepreneur, author, and a leader in the personal and professional development training field.  Dick Ruhe is a motivational speaker, an author, and a consultant.

++++++++++

Introduction

Ken Blanchard wrote the preface to Know Can Do!.  The basis of the book stemmed from Blanchard’s disappointment in finding that people enjoyed reading his books, but did not apply what they read in his books. People were more interested in talking about management ideas and moving on to the next new management idea rather than applying those ideas.  This went against Blanchard’s understanding that knowledge gained needs to be learned and applied in order to bring about behavioral change.  He saw there was a need to close the “knowing-doing gap” by finding a method of learning that people can apply in order to use the knowledge they have just gained from reading a book, attending a live presentation, viewing a video presentation, or listening to an audio presentation.  He and his co-authors found such a method that:

 “…gives you and your organization the strategies you need to take the knowledge you are taught and put it into action.  We know it only takes one diet to lose weight-the one you focus on.  In the same way, we think Know Can Do can make a real difference by giving people simple tools to close the knowing-doing gap and make their knowledge come alive.”[i]

The above quote brings forth the matter on how to review Know Can Do!.

The two main subjects of the book are organizational leaning and active learning.   The book does this in a narrative fictional story, or what is termed a business parable (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_fable).

The two main characters of the story are the famous author and the famous entrepreneur.  The famous author seeks out the famous entrepreneur to solve the problem of the disparity between gaining new knowledge and putting that new knowledge into action.  In the story the famous author and the famous entrepreneur have a dialogue to solve this.  There is additional dialogue with employees within the entrepreneur’s company that helps lead to solving the problem.

In my review of the book, I will extract from the story narrative the three-step learning method to close the knowing-doing gap.  I will not attribute what the characters say in their dialogues when using quotations since I am extracting the learning method.

My review of the book will be organized as follows:

• The Problem and the Core Concept to Solve the Problem
• First Step is Selective Learning Goals: Less is More When Learning
• Second Step is Not Projecting Negatively onto Situations, Including Learning Situations
• Third Step is Implementing a Plan for Learning
• Conclusion

The Problem and the Core Concept to Solve the Problem

It is easy to acquire new knowledge in an information rich society with videos, audio, workshops, seminars, etc..  The problem with this is that new knowledge not learned and applied turns out to be desultory knowledge that will be easily forgotten.

Also, from a cognitive aspect the book makes the point that one’s mind is in the constant process of either doing two things:  learning new matters or forgetting matters.  Knowledge gained in a desultory manner that is not organized, not studied for learning, and then not applied will be soon forgotten.  Knowledge that is organized, learned, and applied will be remembered.

The core concept for organizing, learning, remembering, and applying new knowledge is “spaced repetition,” which is defined as:

“Spaced repetition is a learning technique where you don’t learn something in just one sitting.  You’re exposed to the information periodically over time so it so it sinks in….That is because one statement makes little if any permanent impact on someone.  It has to be repeated over and over again.  Not immediately, but after a time for reflection….So a person who understands the power of repetition has a decided advantage….An important message always requires repetition over time if it’s going to have its intended results.” [ii]

The intent of spaced repetition is to master the subject matter and skill a person is learning and applying.  In fact, the word “master” and its variations (i.e. “mastered,” “mastering,” “mastery,” etc.) appear a number of times throughout the book.  Whether the authors are treating the word as a key term is hard to say, but it is clear that the authors are using the word frequently and clearly for its intentional meaning of learning and applying something thoroughly.

First Step is Selective Learning Goals:  Less is More When Learning

To learn something thoroughly using spaced repetition is a matter of focusing on select learning goals.  This works on a general level and then a specific level.

The general level is that a person does not remember much from taking a workshop once or reading a book once.  It takes repeated exposure to a workshop or a book to understand the subject content and to apply the subject content.  Thus, a person is better served by focusing annually on reading a few key books and/or taking a few key workshops in order to learn and apply their learning.

The more specific level is that once a book or a workshop is chosen then the decision is focusing on a small number of the important concepts from the book or workshop to master.  To quote from the book:

“We all have to develop our own strategy to keep our interest and zero in on what we want to apply and use in our lives….To truly master an area, people should immerse themselves in a focused amount of information, rather than be exposed to a large amount….People should learn less information more often, rather than learn more information less often.”[iii]

Then, with people “learning less information more often”, people are to use spaced repetition when remembering and learning the newly acquired information: “To master something, we should focus on a few key concepts, repeat them over time, immerse ourselves deeply in them, and expand on the ideas and skills.  Spaced repetition is key.” [iv]

The first step is to focus on selected new knowledge to learn and master.

Second Step is Not Projecting Negatively onto Situations

A common problem is the negative mind-set that can predominate people’s thinking.  This is called using a negative filtering system and the negative filtering system will block out the majority of content presented to one when pursuing learning opportunities.

It is contended in the book that the origins of negative thinking starts during childhood, when children do not get unconditional love from their parents and other people.  Children want unconditional love, but find their good behavior gets unnoticed whereas their bad behavior gets immediately noticed and criticized.  Over time this creates self-doubt towards oneself and negative thinking towards others:  “We start filtering everything that comes to us through a mind that is totally dominated by negative thinking.  Our minds become closed.  We adopt judgmental attitudes and our insights are fear driven.”[v]

When judgmental attitudes predominate then new learning is affected and is largely blocked out:

“We put on a judge’s robe when we read, listen, and watch everything, which is totally unfair to our minds, our hearts, and our futures.  It’s the worst case of self-abuse.  It is hard to be a learner if your filtering system is damaged….What happens is that only an extremely small percentage of the information we receive has a chance to be remembered, let alone allowed into our subconscious mind, accepted, and then actually applied and put to use….with a closed, negative mind-set, by the time information that we hear or read encounters the mental traffic in our subconscious-where we can accept, believe, understand, and use it-only about 10 percent gets through.”[vi]

The solution for blocking out information and ideas is for people to turn around the energy used in a negative mind-set by rechanneling that energy toward a positive mind-set.

This starts with being open to communication without prejudgement by listening or reading with “positive expectancy” of what is being presented, and with pen and paper to record the important information and ideas received.[vii]

There are two techniques that facilitate a positive mind-set.

The first is “green light thinking.”  This is an approach that starts first by positively looking at the potential and/or value of new information and ideas have instead of first criticizing the potential and/or value of new information and ideas.  Criticism can be expressed in a latter phase in evaluating information and ideas. But it is best first to establish the momentum using positive energy towards the potential of new information and ideas in fairness to developing them.

And “possibility thinking” is the second technique.  This approach amplifies positive energy by going beyond the expectations of something:

“Instead of getting 100 percent of what you are reading and hearing, your open mind allows you to increase your knowledge many more times….because an open, positive filtering system can ignite our creativity, ingenuity, and resourcefulness.  We can create possibilities way beyond our wildest dreams….A possibility mind-set not only can lead to permanent change of attitude but also impact performance and results.”[viii]

In possibility thinking, human endeavor barriers are broken by repeated efforts.  This is where spaced repetition comes in:  it will take a number of attempts to break a human performance barrier and to sustain breaking the barrier (i.e., like breaking the four-minute mile in the first half of the 1950s and increasingly improving the times run from the first success).  Also for a person to present an idea or practice that will be adhered to by others takes several attempts before others will accept the idea and/or practice.

Step number two is to change one’s attitude from a negative to a positive mind-set that will improve receptivity to communication and which will improve learning and applying new knowledge.  And with possibility thinking the results of new knowledge can be enhanced beyond expectations.

Third Step is Implementing a Plan for Learning

The third step is to have a follow through plan to master and carry out one’s learning.  This plan is to be implemented in a timely manner so ground will not be lost on the immediacy and relevance of the new knowledge.  This is the most difficult step in that it involves behavioral change on part of the learner and a learning system, or plan, is needed, to accomplish this:  “To change behavior and get the results you want you need structure, support, and accountability.  When all three of those are in place, you have a good follow-up plan.”[ix].

In the book step three of having a learning system in place is considered from the vantage point of organizational learning, with the famous entrepreneur’s company being used as an example of having a learning system in place.  The famous author’s organizational experience is also used. The three parts of a learning system (structure, accountability, and support) will be considered from the organizational behavior viewpoint.

Structure is the person in the organization using organized materials for learning and putting what is learned into practice.  This has to be done by using spaced repetition.

Accountability is the person learning the new material is on the right track in moving forward-that the person is upholding their own part in learning.

And support is to give the person learning immediate and proper feedback.  This feedback is from the supervisor and/or manager as to the person’s progress in learning and applying their learning.  The person’s supervisor or manager needs to praise progress and if corrections are needed to provide this.  Note that this is to be positively praising progress as it has been gained, which is better done not by “correcting” the person, which sounds critical, but instead to “redirect” the person when necessary:

“When it comes to training people and helping them develop, I always tell managers, don’t wait until people do things exactly right before you praise them.  In the beginning their performance may be approximately right.  But it should be praised.  Praise progress, because you are dealing with a moving target.  Then you can correct them, or as I would say redirect them so they can continue to improve.”

The ultimate goal of the learning plan is that the person learning is adopting new habits, and not reverting back to old habits.   In the beginning the person is being directed and redirected in their learning and in applying their learning.  This will lead to the person directing their own learning and applying their new learning.  And when the person has mastered their learning and the application of their learning, then the person should present to others what he or she has learned, or to teach others what he or she has learned in order to maintain the mastery of their learning.  In fact, the final chapter in the book is an Epilogue in which the famous author gives a speech to an audience of professionals in the training and development field of the three-step learning method to learn and to apply new knowledge.

Conclusion

A summary of the three-step learning method to learn and implement new knowledge is:  (1) Focus on a select amount of new knowledge when learning and applying that knowledge; (2) Filter new information and ideas through a positive mind-set; and (3) Have a timely plan to learn and put in practice the new knowledge.  Underlying the three-step method learning method is the importance of space repetition, of constantly reinforcing the learning and the practicing of the new knowledge.

And, at the end of the book there is an Acknowledgements section on those who contributed to the book’s content with their ideas and/or work.  It is interesting because some names are recognizable and some names are new.  Examples of people that may be recognizable are Edward deBono for his work on human thinking, and Norman Vincent Peale for his work on the power of positive thinking.  Examples of people that may not recognizable are Jeffery Pfeffer and Robert Sutton for their ground-breaking book, The Knowing and Doing Gap, and Charlie Tremendous Jones for advocating the importance of reading.

The next blog entry will review the essay, “The Importance of Books,” by author and Nobel Prize in Literature winner Pearl Buck (1892-1973).  Buck’s essay published in 1949 remains relevant today because she addresses issues of censorship, democracy and freedom, and learning to read, all of which are prevalent issues right now.

Footnotes     

[i] Know Can Do!, 2007, viii

[ii] Ibid, 13

[iii] Ibid, 19-20

[iv][iv] Ibid, 30

[v] Ibid, 33

[vi] Ibid, 37-38

[vii] Ibid, 39

[viii] Ibid, 40-41

[ix] Ibid, 62