Immersive Learning

So much of how people learn in the workplace today, from 360-degree performance evaluations to mentoring to coaching, has become bureaucratized and impersonal - a far cry from the personal relationship of learning that existed between Verrocchio and a protege such as Leonardo [da Vinci]. In 2003, there were fewer than a half a million structured apprenticeships in the United States: by 2013, cost cutting in organizations had brought that number down to below three hundred thousand. Moreover the best, most competent bosses today generally don't prioritize engaging reports informally in an immersive learning experience. Aiming for more certainty and clarity in their organizations, they promulgate rules and establish bureaucracies that distance them from employees. They also choreograph their days to assure that work gets done, leaving very little unstructured time for instructing or coaching.

- Superbosses by Sydney Finkelstein