One of the common plagues that we face in the workplace learning is the concept of “experience traps”. In general, experience trap describes a situation in which people rely too much on their past experiences and fail to change or expand their ways of thinking in response to new situations. This tends to happen when employees are firmly rooted in their practices and are unable to adapt, frequently out of the conviction that what worked in the past would continue to work in the present. Professionals who get too comfortable with their current abilities and knowledge and stop looking for new learning opportunities or updating their knowledge may fall victim to the experience trap.
“Past performance is no guarantee of future returns!”
On the face of it, it may seem counter intuitive. Shouldn't our experiences provide us with better insights that allow us to continue to develop?
A few factors that contribute to the dreaded experience traps.
Habit Formation: When we repeat behaviors our neural pathways in the brain are strengthened and habits are formed. These pathways are triggered when we encounter familiar situations leading to a preference toward past actions.
Reward Processing: If our past actions resulted in positive outcomes, the neurotransmitter dopamine was released further reinforcing the neural circuits associated with the action. Our brain will want to get the same reward which will influence our current decisions.
Conservation of Cognitive Resources: Our brain, like any muscle, seeks to be efficient and conserve energy. As a result, our brain may preferentially rely on past actions to avoid expending additional cognitive effort on exploring new possibilities.
Breaking Free from Experience Traps: Navigating the Challenges and Embracing the Power of Learning
When we break away from these practices, we engage in will-power which is a taxing endeavor for our brain. Since it is not a “natural” state we must be aware of it when we face experiences to ensure that we set ourselves up to learn from one of the most powerful teachers, Experience.
Experience traps must be identified and mitigated, and this calls for a willingness to question presumptions, welcome change, and never stop learning from both accomplishments and mistakes. To stay out of these pitfalls, it's critical for people and organizations to foster an environment of flexibility and reward adaptability.
"Experience is not what happens to you; it's what you do with what happens to you." - Aldous Huxley