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Cognitive learning basically means the same thing as “thinking,” and thinking is pretty much dead in the river at most companies. Not surprising, though: you get promoted at companies based on two factors, primarily. One is kissing the right ass or being close to the existing power core. The second factor is execution, and by that I mean a relentless, all-consuming focus on execution. Basically, you become a 15-year box-checker for those above you. Eventually you get promoted, and all you know is execution and task work. Cognitive learning? It left your life about 13.45 years before. It’s all about deliverables, targets, and KPIs. This is why a lot of companies attempt “strategic road maps” and, with only a few exceptions, they could be written on toilet paper. Most people running silos or businesses regularly confuse “strategic planning” with “operational details.”
As a result, there’s not a lot of cognitive learning going on. We love to talk about innovation, but in reality most workplaces aren’t even remotely set up to foster innovation. They’re set up to get tasks done. That’s how we hire, that’s how we promote, that’s how we fire, etc. Busy busy busy as a culture means more than “let’s be productive.” Quantity of work always matters more than quality. This is the office world a lot of us enter. It will change over time — in some ways, it already is — and eventually many of us will be…
