Learning styles are various approaches or ways of learning. Learning style enables learning to be

orientated according to the preferred method. That said, everyone responds to and needs the

stimulus of all types of learning styles to one extent or another - it's a matter of using emphasis

that fits best with the given situation and a person's learning style preferences.

These case studies help us to understand that how working professionals learn from different

experiences, situations. Learning styles inventory is a tool made up of learning style

questionnaire that helps to evaluate how individuals learn and process information.

Kolb’s experiential learning theory

Kolb has described four basic learning styles: accommodator, assimilator, diverger, and

converger. Each learning style is a combination of two of the four learning modes: Concrete

experiences, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation.

1. Case study

The first working professional for study is chosen Miss Shazia her age is 30. She is M. Phil in

English and doing job in Forman Christian College as lecturer and her desire is to complete PhD and

work as professor.

NAME OBSERVING DOING THINKING FEELING STYLE

Miss. Shazia Yes No No Yes Diverger

15 10 10

According to Kolb learning styles Miss Shazia prefer learning by feeling and Observing.

According to analysis she is doing her job with full interest and passion and she is an expert in

her field. She has teaching skills and the ability to make the material interesting and relevant to

students, and has ability to communicate her knowledge and expertise to their students. She

directly interacts with students and helping them to solve problems and encourage class

participation.

According to Kolb no learning style is perfect. Divergent learners tend to be very creative and

open minded. For teaching profession it is good style. Hudson's work on this learning style

shows that diverger is interested in people. She is studying communication and English so she

has to involve students in different activities which enhance their communication skills. So her

learning style matches with the profession she is doing like being a teacher she has to listen the

students with open mind, tend to gather information about her subject as well as students.

Diverger (feeling and watching - CE/RO)

Kolb called this style 'Diverging' because these people perform better in situations that require

ideas-generation. These are some pros and cons of this style according to Kolb

Pros:

These people are able to look at things from different perspectives

They are sensitive

Tend to gather information and use imagination to solve problems

They are best at viewing concrete situations several different viewpoints

They Brainstorm

People with a Diverging learning style have broad cultural interests and like to gather

information.

They are interested in people, tend to be imaginative and emotional

People with the Diverging style prefer to work in groups, to listen with an open mind and

to receive personal feedback.

Cons

They prefer to watch rather than do

Often miss opportunities

Temperament

NAME SANGUINE MELANCHOLY CHOLERIC PHLEGMATIC

Miss Shazia Yes No No No

Big Five Model

NAME Adjustment Surgency Openness Agreeableness Conscientiousness

Miss

Shazia

Weak

Adjustment

High

surgency

High

openness

High

Agreeableness

Low

Conscientiousness

Conclusion

After the analysis of the case the person Miss. Shazia falls in diverger learning style.

Characteristics of her job that she is doing are according to the learning style. She has full

knowledge of her subject and she can reach her desire position in her expected time period.

According to temperament she is SANGUINE she is lively and talkative. She has deep concerned

in her work.

Recommendation

She mostly spends her time on observation but being a lecturer she has to practically involve

with the students and solve their problems. Different situations and learning environments

require different learning strategies, so Miss Shazia can improve her learning by knowing what

her weaknesses are and trying to enhance her skills in these areas. She is somewhat careless so

must focus on that attitude.

2. Case Study

The second working professional for study is chosen M.Sulman Ashraf his age is 31. He has

done CA and doing job in Millat Tractors as internal auditor and her desire is open up a

consultancy firm and work as external auditor.

NAME OBSERVING DOING THINKING FEELING STYLE

M.Sulman

Ashraf

No Yes Yes No converger

9 16 14 11

According to Kolb learning styles M.Sulman Ashraf prefer learning by thinking and doing.

According to analysis he is doing his job with full concentration and he is an expert in his field.

He has ability to communicate the problem, knowledge about the subjects, mainly accounts, tax

and laws. Besides the subjects he has sense of humor (we all think it is waste, but it’s really in

matter, because chartered accountant plays as a leader’s job).

Being Chartered accountants he provides trustworthy information about financial records to his

organization. He involves in financial reporting, taxation, auditing, corporate finance, business

recovery and insolvency, or accounting systems and processes. Generally, he plays a strategic

role by providing professional advice, aiming to maximize profitability on behalf of his

employer.

According to Kolb no learning style is best. Learners whose learning style is converger learn best

through actively participate in situation. These learners like to find practical solutions to

problems. They look for a single answer to a problem. They like working on technical projects

more than working on social issues or interpersonal relationships. According to Kolb's theory,

they do well with finding solutions to problems. The skills that converger learners possess are

those that are important in specialist careers. This learning style matches with the job

characteristics that M.Sulman Ashraf is doing.

CONVERGER

He has highest scores in Abstract Conceptualization (AC) and Active Experimentation (AE).

Kolb called this style 'Converging' because these people perform better in situations that require

decision making. These are some pros and cons of this style according to Kolb

Pros

This person's greatest strength lies in the practical application of ideas.

A person with this style seems to do best in those situations where there is a single

correct solution to a problem is required.

Research on this style of learning shows that Converger is relatively unemotional,

preferring to deal with things rather than people

Likes decision-making, problem-solving

Cons

Sometimes make wrong decisions

Can conduct error while calculations

Temperament

NAME SANGUINE MELANCHOLY CHOLERIC PHLEGMATIC

M.Sulman

Ashraf

No Yes No No

Big Five Model

NAME Adjustment Surgency Openness Agreeableness Conscientiousness

M.Sulman

Ashraf

strong

Adjustment

low

surgency

low

openness

High

Agreeableness

High

Conscientiousness

Conclusion

After the analysis of the case it is concluded that M.Sulman Ashraf falls in converger learning

style. The characteristics of his job are match to his learning style, as a MELANCHOLY he is

analytical, organized, passionate. He seeks practical view of information and focuses more on

decision making and problem solving.

Recommendations

According to his learning style he shouldn’t make the wrong decisions, he should plan properly

before implementation. He must focus on work while doing it because any wrong results can

cause problems for him as well as organizations.

3. Case study

The third working professional for study is chosen Mr. Usman age is 38.He has done MBA and

doing business(wash room accessories) and his desire is to expand his business.

NAME OBSERVING DOING THINKING FEELING STYLE

Mr. Usman No Yes No Yes Accommodator

11 14 9 16

According to Kolb learning styles Mr. Usman prefer learning by feeling and doing. According to

analysis he is doing his business with full devotion. He has planning skill so he plans his

business well according to changing environment. He has ability to convince his customer. He

has knowledge about bookkeeping, invoicing, maintaining the flow of cash, negotiation of terms

of credits.

According to Kolb accommodator tend to be more of a risk taker than people with the other three

learning styles are. They adapt themselves to specific immediate circumstances. In situations

where the plans do not fit the facts, they will most likely reject the plan. The accommodator is at

ease with people, but is sometimes seen as impatient and aggressive. The accommodator's

educational background is often in technical or practical fields such as business.  This learning

style matches with characteristics of business which Mr. Usman is doing.

Accommodating (doing and feeling - CE/AE)

Accommodator learners like working with other people in groups. The Kolbs also suggest that

people with this learning style often do well in sales careers. These are some pros and cons of

this style according to Kolb

Pros

This learning style is prevalent and useful in roles requiring action and initiative

They are attracted to new challenges and experiences, and to carrying out plans

People with an Accommodating learning style prefer to work in teams to complete tasks

They set targets and actively work in the field trying different ways to achieve an

objective

They are willing to take risk

likes to start and complete projects

Cons

People with an Accommodating learning style will tend to rely on others for information

than carry out their own analysis

They commonly act on 'gut' instinct rather than logical analysis

Temperament

NAME SANGUINE MELANCHOLY CHOLERIC PHLEGMATIC

Mr. Usman No No No Yes

Big Five Model

NAME Adjustment Surgency Openness Agreeableness Conscientiousness

Mr. Usman Strong

Adjustment

low

surgency

High

openness

High

Agreeableness

low

Conscientiousness

Conclusion

As a result of analysis it is concluded that he prefer learning by doing and feeling. He is hard

working person he can do everything easily. He likes to work in team and involve all employees

in new project. Being PHLEGMATIC he has administrative ability, patience.

Recommendations

He should take time to make decisions, rather than make it in hurry. He should lead to others in

proper way not to push others. He must conduct logical analysis on every project rather than

make decisions based only on feelings.

4. Case study

The fourth working professional for study is chosen Mr. AbdulRehman. His age is 31. He has

done MBA in marketing and doing job comfort knitwear Pvt. ltd. as assistant marketing

manager. And his desire is to work as marketing manager.

NAME OBSERVING DOING THINKING FEELING STYLE

Mr.

AbdulRehman

Yes No Yes No Assimilator

13 12 16 9

According to Kolb learning styles Mr. AbdulRehman prefer learning by thinking and observing.

According to analysis he is doing his job with full attention. He has ability to analyze data and

come up with information and actionable plans to grow a business. He has thorough

understanding of end user requirements. He has Strong market analysis skills. He has strong

communication, negotiation and influencing skills to his team members. He has full knowledge

about his job.

According to Kolb the assimilator's dominant learning abilities are AC and RO. Their greatest

strength lies in their ability to create plans. For him it is more important that the plan is logically

sound and practical. According to analysis his job characteristics are not properly matched with

the learning style. Because marketing managers require practical implementation of plan after

making a plan, and if he does not execute a plan well then organization can bear losses. And they

have to deal with the people and convince them. He must have understanding about customers

taste and priorities. But these characteristics are missing in Kolb learning style.

Assimilating (observing and thinking - AC/RO)

They learn through observing and thinking .These are some pros and cons of this style according

to Kolb

Pros

Effective understanding of a wide range of problems

The Assimilating learning preference is for a logical approach

These people require good clear explanation

They excel at understanding wide-ranging information and organizing it

They more interested in logical ideas

Cons

People with this style are more attracted to logically sound plan than approaches based on

practical value.

People with an Assimilating learning style are less focused on people

Temperament

NAME SANGUINE MELANCHOLY CHOLERIC PHLEGMATIC

Mr.

AbdulRehman

No Yes No No

Big Five Model

NAME Adjustment Surgency Openness Agreeableness Conscientiousness

Mr.

AbdulRehman

Weak

Adjustment

High

surgency

low

openness

High

Agreeableness

High

Conscientiousness

Conclusion

After the analysis of the case it is concluded that Mr. AbdulRehman falls in assimilator learning

style. The characteristics of his job does not properly matched to his learning style, as a

MELANCHOLY he is analytical; organizes work. He has effective understanding of a wide range

of problems but slow in implementation.

Recommendations

According to her learning style he does not focus only on making logical plans he also focus on

implementation of those logical plans. Because marketing job require continuously focus on new

marketing trends and managers have to move accordingly and fulfill customer needs.

5. Case Study

The working professional for study is chosen Miss Mehwish her age is 28. She has done MSC-IT

and doing job in innovation a software house as programmer. Her desire is to work in a

multinational organization.

NAME OBSERVING DOING THINKING FEELING STYLE

Miss. Mehwish No Yes Yes No converger

10 15 14 11

According to Kolb learning styles Miss Mehwish prefer learning by thinking and doing.

According to analysis she is doing his job with full attention. She has ability to remember

because there are a lot of things to remember while programming: the syntax of the language, the

set of prewritten functions. She has Ability to test because testing is more critical to the overall

success of the application. She has problem solving and analytical skills she is creative enough

for writing a program. She has full knowledge on her subject.

According to Kolb no learning style is best. Learners whose learning style is converger learn best

through actively participate in situation. These learners like to find practical solutions to

problems. They look for a single answer to a problem. They like working on technical projects

more than working on social issues or interpersonal relationships. According to Kolb's theory,

they do well with finding solutions to problems. The skills that converger learners possess are

those that are important in specialist careers. This learning style matches with the job

characteristics that Miss Mehwish is doing. Because she has to make programs and find solution

if problem occur in program.

CONVERGER

He has highest scores in Abstract Conceptualization (AC) and Active Experimentation (AE).

Kolb called this style 'Converging' because these people perform better in situations that require

decision making. These are some pros and cons of this style according to Kolb

Pros

This person's greatest strength lies in the practical application of ideas.

A person with this style seems to do best in those situations where there is a single

correct solution to a problem is required.

Research on this style of learning shows that Converger is relatively unemotional,

preferring to deal with things rather than people

Likes decision-making, problem-solving

Cons

Sometimes make wrong and hasty decisions

Can conduct error

Temperament

NAME SANGUINE MELANCHOLY CHOLERIC PHLEGMATIC

Miss Mehwish No No Yes No

Big Five Model

NAME Adjustment Surgency Openness Agreeableness Conscientiousness

Miss Mehwish Strong

Adjustment

High

Surgency

low

openness

High

Agreeableness

low

Conscientiousness

Conclusion

After the analysis of the case it is concluded that Miss.Mehwish sfalls in converger learning

style. The characteristics of his job are match to her learning style, as a CHOLERIC she is goal

oriented; delegates work, and organize well. She seeks practical view of information and focuses

on problem solving.

Recommendations

According to her learning style she shouldn’t make the wrong decisions, because of any wrong

or hasty decision the program will not run. She should plan properly before making any program.

She must focus on work while doing it because any wrong results can cause problems for him as

well as organization.