The Psychology Behind Persisting On Learning „Dead Horses“
It is often not that hard to identify a „dead horse“ within an organization, whether it is an onboarding system that doesn’t set up new hires for success or a compliance course that has not eliminated workplace errors. However, the distance between recognizing a redundant or outright harmful program, system, or initiative and actually taking measures to address it is often much larger than we think. What causes this resistance to change? What is pushing businesses to continue pouring resources into ventures that are proven to be ineffective? In this article, we will discuss 5 reasons why businesses continue investing in failed learning initiatives, as well as the hidden costs of this inaction.
What Are The Hidden Costs Of Investing In Failed Learning Strategies?
You may think that insisting on riding an L&D „dead horse“ will only cost you time. However, there are many more negative consequences that your businesses will come face-to-face with sooner or later.
- Lost engagement: Even if they don’t have much experience with training programs, it is not hard to discern when learning materials are outdated or poorly designed. And once this realization sinks in, learners lose their motivation, participation drops, and your organization’s entire L&D strategy loses its credibility.
- Financial impact: You may think that updating or replacing failed learning programs is an expense you can’t afford. However, this doesn’t take into account the profit loss caused by your company’s lack of innovation. Investments in modern training methods, such as experiential learning or immersive platforms, quickly pay off in learning outcomes and performance improvement.
- Decreased competitive edge: Holding on to older training methods and materials prevents your workforce from adapting to technological advancements and industry demands. As a result, competitors taking measures to innovate and streamline their processes gain a significant advantage over you. In this competitive business landscape, this is an advantage you can’t afford to give.
- Negative effects on culture: The way a company operates sets the example for employee behavior. Therefore, when employees see their leaders consistently avoiding difficult decisions and embracing stagnation, they will follow suit sooner or later. They will embrace the status quo, refuse to think outside the box, and ultimately become resistant to growth and innovation.
5 Reasons Why Businesses Continue Investing In Failed Learning
Do businesses hesitate to „dismount the dead horse of learning“ because they can’t see the negative consequences we described above? The issue is often more complicated than that. While such consequences may be obvious, there are other underlying beliefs that mistakenly push the need for change lower on the list of priorities. Let’s see what some of those are.
Sunk Cost Fallacy
„We have invested too much to stop now.“
The most common reason businesses use to continue investing in failing learning initiatives is to protect the resources they have already spent. Building a learning strategy requires significant funds to research and develop content, find the right Learning Management System (LMS), train employees to use it, etc. Yet, past investments can’t justify holding on to a system that is no longer effective. While it may have brought the desired results in the past, if that’s no longer the case, there is no reason to keep carrying dead weight. Refusing to recognize the evolution of your organization’s needs will only hold it back from being successful and profitable.
Comfort Of Familiarity
„We have used this program for years, and everyone knows it works. Or, at least it used to…“
Familiarity plays a significant part in the „dead horse“ theory, as it creates a false sense of security. Everyone knows how to operate the system, they have encountered all possible bugs and thus know how to manage them, the metrics are predictable, and the content is familiar. But familiarity leads to complacency, especially when no one dares to challenge the effectiveness of the „well-established“ system or assess whether the content remains relevant. Moreover, if the system is presumed to work well for several years, it is unlikely that any feedback is being collected to support this statement with data. A truly impactful training strategy should undergo regular evaluations to ensure it continues to serve its intended purpose.
Fear Factor
„If we stop now, what do we do next?“
This is a natural thought for businesses that have been using their familiar, yet ineffective, learning program for a long time. L&D professionals may understandably think that changing their learning platform could cause significant disruption, especially if it supports multiple processes, such as compliance, onboarding, upskilling, etc. At the same time, they may lack the necessary resources to design a new system while maintaining the old one. As a result, instead of making a bold change, businesses remain in „maintenance mode,“ implementing minor updates or remodeling isolated modules. Unfortunately, these are only short-term fixes that don’t address the main issue: the whole training strategy doesn’t serve its purpose anymore.
Emphasis On The Wrong Metrics
„This training works! Look how many people are completing it!“
Often, businesses continue investing in failed learning initiatives due to an overreliance on the wrong metrics. Specifically, L&D teams may focus solely on quantitative data, such as attendance logs, completion rates, and basic satisfaction surveys. These metrics can create a falsely successful image that hides deeper issues behind high numbers. This often stems from a desire to prove to supervisors and stakeholders that the training indeed engages employees. However, the true indicators of success lie in qualitative data that assess behavioral impact, application of newly acquired skills in the workplace, and tangible effects on organizational success. As long as this information is receiving insufficient attention, you won’t be able to dismount your organization’s learning „dead horse.“
Cultural Rigidity
„This is how we do things here.“
Ultimately, the reason a failing strategy remains unaddressed often goes beyond a lack of resources, familiarity, or fear of change and failure. For many organizations, the root cause is embedded in their culture. When companies cling to tradition, hierarchy, and rigid processes, making a change is a complicated endeavor that is met with significant resistance. This resistance may manifest in various ways, such as having to overcome a lengthy bureaucratic process or persuade numerous stakeholders to actually be able to change a well-established program. The bottom line is that organizations with rigid cultures always tend to favor routine over unfamiliar paths, thus hindering their ability to reach their full potential.
Conclusion
A successful Learning and Development strategy is one that constantly evolves following industry demands and learner needs. But what about those businesses that, despite knowing they are sustaining learning „dead horses,“ don’t take action to spark change and innovation? In this article, we discussed the causes of this rigidity and how they are likely to manifest in an organization. By understanding the psychology behind the reluctance to abandon ineffective strategies, you can break the cycle and stop investing in failed learning strategies.