Authoritarian Thinking

People sometimes ask me 'what are the biggest challenges you face in L&D?' and for a while now I have been saying 'convention' since, in general terms, education has become attached to a set of arbitrary rituals that are holding us back (and 'L&D' is just aping education in work). If we can't begin to ask the question 'What is learning?' then nothing will change.

But if you look a little closer, you will find that these conventions are held in place by people, and specifically by authoritarian thinking. Authoritarian thinking is the 'cultural inertia' which dampens progress.

What I mean is this: on a daily basis I meet with people who have a simple formula when confronted with with new ideas:

1) Think of the most authoritative person you can imagine

2) Defer to their opinion.

This can take the form 'Einstein says...' or 'Professor X says...' or 'In his/her book, X says...' or simply 'Have you read...?'

Don't get me wrong. I am not saying that just because someone has impressive-sounding credentials we should automatically discount their views. I am saying that being an authority usually means someone is deeply committed to the existing conventions. That's how you get to be an authority, after all. You demonstrate obedience to the current convention - we give you letters after your name - people defer to you. 

To use a gaming metaphor, an authority is something like an 'End Level Boss' - the creature that you have to defeat, when introducing a new idea. These 'Bosses' will often spawn minions who will attempt to distract you and wear you down as you try to defeat them.

Admittedly, I am deeply anti-authoritarian. But for those of you who are not, I'm just saying keep an eye out for this social architecture. You will start to notice it several times a day: the instinctive (infantile) deference to some beardy bloke with academic titles. Bear in mind that they may be part of the problem. These same people existed back when we thought the earth was flat, God created everything, and the sun revolved around the earth...

and maybe ask 'but what do you think?'

*Image: Cyril Burt