The Tao of Learning

Reflections on the Acquisition of Expertise

© interKnowledge Technologies

TAOThe Way, The Path To…

The Art of…

The character pictures a person walking on a road:

In business,

Tao Te Ching The Classic Way of Virtue

be competent

Tradition has it that before Lao Tse, the imperial records keeper, rode his ox through the western gate to leave civilization behind…

…the gate keeper asked him to write down his wisdom.

He did and the book that resulted

is the famous Tao Te Ching.

After finishing his writing, Lao Tse got on his ox and rode off never to be seen again.

We should be grateful to Lao Tse (and the gate keeper), but the Tao is no easy reading.

tao ke tao fei chang tao

Just consider the first line:

“way know way not permanent way”

Lao Tse warns of false knowledge.

At the same time it’s very difficult for readers of the Tao to learn what Lao Tse actually knew.

We’re in much the same situation in many organizations today trying to capture the knowledge of experts before they “hop on the ox” (retire and leave).

Perhaps companies should not put all there effort into trying to document their “tao”.

They would be better off arranging opportunities for deliberate practice and learning from experts in real, live situations.

After all, learning the master’s art is best done while the master is still around.

O-sensei Ueshiba (1883-1969) teaching aikido

Deliberate practice involves continuous feedback and reflection.

Cognitive psychologists generallyagree that it takes about 10 yearsof deliberate practice to develop deep expertise.

Japanese woodblock print master Hokusai (1760-1849) remarked that he wasn’t pleased with his skills until the age of seventy.In fact, he produced some of his best works after the age of sixty.

Katsushika HokusaiThe dragon of smoke escaping from Mount Fuji

Expertise is intuitive.“I see only one move ahead, but it’s always the correct one”.

Cuban chess master J. R. Capablanca (1888-1942)

Expertise is not the expert’s knowledge but rather the ability to see deeper and broader within a domain through a wide range of perspectives and a rich repertoire of insights.

Expertise is demonstrated by the• effectiveness and fluency in complex problem solving• superior ability to see high value opportunities

Expertise is the ability to improvise, to change course at the last minute and, ultimately, explore the horizons of the field…

“

...Experts, like novices, grope in the dim light of uncertainty, …

…but they grope with wiser fingers, that can feel the difference between dead ends and promising pathways.”

Richard McDermott

It pays to learn.It pays premium to learn expertise.

Wisdom comes from inside. A true master is able to not only teach his art to others, but also to observe and understand his own thinking and performance in his field of expertise.

Aikido Grand Master Morihei Ueshiba

“A good scientist has freed himself of concepts and keeps his mind open to what is. Thus the Master is available to all people and doesn't reject anyone.He is ready to use all situations and doesn't waste anything.This is called embodying the light.”

Tao Te Ching The Classic Way of Virtue

In competitive business,learning is work, thinking is doing.

Anders HemreinterKnowledge TechnologiesBrainovation Blog ahemre@interknowledgetech.com

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