Measuring the effectiveness of enterprise resource planning education on business process comprehension

Conceptualization (AC) Active Experimentation (AE) Accommodating Diverging Converging Assimilating Figure 2-1 The Kolb Experiential Learning Theory with the Kayes Modes of Managerial Experiential Learning A good manager can learn from experiences and make decisions based on what has been learned. Those managers that do learn from the past experiences are usually better at their jobs than those who do not learn (Kolb 1984). Therefore, it is unsurprising that the Kolbian Experiential Learning Theory has heavily influenced the area of management (aka business) education (Kayes 2002, Vince 1998). The theory helps managers understand how experiences shape their learning (Vince 1998), with unstructured experimentation and structured time for reflection (Neill 2006). Experiential learning theory is important for the education of business students in business processes. As the student experiences and learns by using ERP systems through Kolb’s experiential learning cycle, they are also learning about business processes. This experiential learning theory, referred to in this thesis as ELT, rests on the 6 assumptions listed in Table 2.6. 1. Learning is a process, not an outcome 2. Learning derives from experience 3. Learning requires an individual to resolve dialectically opposed demands 4. Learning is holistic and integrative 5. Learning requires interplay between a person and the environment Measuring the Effectiveness of Enterprise Resource Planning Education on Business Process Comprehension 29 6. Learning results in knowledge creation Table 2-6 Six assumptions of Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory (Kayes, 2002) These 6 assumptions of ELT play out in a higher education classroom environment teaching ERP systems. One can imagine that the entire semester’s class progresses through the material and experiences these complicated systems, not for a goal of just passing an exam, but understanding the systems in preparation for using them in industry. The actual hands-on work with a real ERP system allows the student to immerse themselves into the business environment and experience the way a business process works for the whole company. By moving around the experiential learning theory cycle, and resolving issues with the system, the student is not simply memorizing the facts, but creating long-lasting knowledge for themselves. In the management literature, the main criticism of the experiential learning theory is that it is too limited (Kayes 2002) and focuses solely on the individual, ignoring other aspects and influences on learning (Race 2011). Social pressures, power-plays, and historical experiences can significantly affect how a manager learns from experience. These factors are omitted from Kolb’s experiential learning theory. Discussions, arguments, and debates all could change one’s experience and hence change one’s learning or capacity for learning (Holman, Pavlica et al. 1997). In addition, some experiences are best not experienced, but simply learned from others (Vince 1998). Other factors also can play a part in the learning experience and affect it greatly such as doubt, anxiety, and fear. These factors are not taken into account in the Kolbian Experiential Learning Theory (Vince 1998). To address some of these limitations and augment the ELT for today’s student, Mughal and Zafar (2011) present additions to the Kolbian experiential learning theory. This is diagrammatically shown in the following Figure 2-3: Measuring the Effectiveness of Enterprise Resource Planning Education on Business Process Comprehension 30 Outer Environment Situative Circle Inner Environment Inner Environment Psychodynamic Circle Enactivist Circle