Izabela Widlak, the Research Consultant at Human Capital Growth (HCG), recently presented the findings of her study on cultural differences in cognition and learning at the 2012 Annual Conference of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) help in San Diego.  The paper titled ‘East Meets West: Do We Learn Differently?” was coauthored with the president of HCG, Dr. Shreya Sarkar-Barney.  The study investigated the impact on learning outcomes using two different formats of teaching.  The findings suggest that an analytical approach (teaching rules and principles) in the initial stages followed by a holistic approach (story-based approach) is best suited for learning.

Title

East meets west:  Do we learn differently?
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Abstract

More than 60% of the world’s workforce lives in emerging markets such as Brazil, China, India, and Vietnam.  Lack of employable skills is a major drawback impeding the growth of these economies.  Organizations need to find effective mechanisms to grow skills that result in lasting improvements.  To find answers, the impact of culture on learning was investigated using a quasi-experimental design.  Participants from Eastern and Western cultures were taught using a holistic or analytical training approach. Broadly, the findings suggest that training design has a greater impact on learning than culture. A deeper look suggests a nuanced impact.