Unlearning has become a popular buzzword in personal and professional growth, associated with adaptability and organizational transformation. However, in a scientific context, the concept of unlearning is frequently misunderstood and surrounded by myths. One of the most common misconceptions about unlearning involves erasing outdated knowledge to replace it with knowledge essential for thriving in the future.
Scientifically, this is not how unlearning works. Instead, it involves reconditioning behaviors or modifying existing knowledge and habits to align with new realities, paving the way for continuous improvement. Think of it as a series of concentric circles formed by a ripple in water. The initial drop sparks change and each new ripple builds upon the last, with the oldest ripples remaining an integral part of the whole.
We cannot simply erase or reset our brains.
From an inspirational standpoint, I want to pose a thought-provoking question: What is unlearning? Is it intentional forgetting, is it about literally wiping things from our memories? Is unlearning a cognitive process where we must erase something to make room for new knowledge or behaviors? Or do we partially overwrite old habits and knowledge, risking interference from the old that might confuse or unsettle us as we try to adopt the new?
“Unlearning doesn’t mean erasing what’s already there but transforming it, it’s about rewriting the narrative“
I compare this to the floppy disks that were popular in the late 1980s. I remember accidentally placing one near a magnet, which wiped all the data on it, rendering the information unusable. My mother was understandably angry. However, the disk itself wasn’t entirely worthless, its “clean slate” could still be overwritten multiple times. Depending on the quality of the disk, it could endure between 1,000 and 10,000 write cycles before the data became unreliable and its integrity compromised. But how does this compare to the brain?
Fortunately (or sometimes unfortunately), our brains don’t work like floppy disks. You can’t simply erase memories, habits, or experiences as though they never existed. Even outdated knowledge and behaviors linger in the background, influencing how we process and adopt new information. Unlike a floppy disk, our brain has no reset button. This absence of a “blank slate” complicates the process of unlearning.
Instead of erasing, we constantly overwrite and rewrite our minds. Old knowledge and habits are never truly gone; they remain layered beneath new information and behaviors. However, this layering can cause interference or confusion, particularly when old ways conflict with new ones. This tension can leave us feeling stuck, uncertain, or insecure. Unlearning, then, is not about deleting the past but learning to adapt and integrate it with the present to thrive in the future.
Forget about unlearning and embrace transformative learning
Transformative learning goes beyond acquiring new knowledge; it also requires consciously letting go of outdated habits, behaviors, and ways of thinking. The intersection between what is familiar and what is new often creates resistance, hesitation, or uncertainty, especially when emotions or stigmas are attached to past knowledge or practices.
To truly unlearn, it’s important to recognize that the process is not about forgetting. Instead, it involves creating space for growth through adaptation and evolution. This approach fosters a habit of continuous improvement, inspired by principles like Kaizen, and includes:
- Reframing old knowledge: Building on existing understanding to make it relevant for today’s needs.
- Adopting new behaviors: Replacing outdated habits with those aligned to current goals and realities.
- Addressing emotional barriers: Confronting insecurities and stigmas associated with old ways of thinking.
Unlearning is a transformative journey that enables us to evolve and remain adaptable in a constantly changing world. By embracing this mindset, we not only support our professional development but also improve our overall well-being, as it equips us to navigate change with resilience and thrive in all aspects of life.
Learning leaders reshape the narrative and create a culture of transformative learning
Although the theoretical distinction between unlearning and deliberate forgetting remains unclear, many leaders, including government officials, view unlearning as the ultimate solution for preparing employees for an uncertain future. However, this perspective often neglects the emotional impact on those who have spent years building knowledge and experience, only to be told that their hard work is now obsolete. This can create a perception that learning is a futile and tormenting cycle with no real purpose or reward.
As a learning leader, your role is critical in reshaping this narrative and setting an example of how unlearning can be approached as transformative learning that builds on the foundations of the past. Below are a few key tips for learning leaders, inspired by insights from the book The Learning Mindset and the Empathetic Leadership Series with Monique Borst and Break Peter’s Principle and strengthen the Rubber Middle of your organization from Jana Gutierrez Kardum;
- Become a learning leader: Your team looks to you as a model for embracing unlearning. Demonstrate adaptability and a willingness to let go of practices or knowledge that no longer serve your organization’s goals
- Practice empathic leadership: Cultivate the ability to empathize with the fears and concerns of those who may resist or struggle with change. Understanding their perspective is essential for guiding them effectively.
- Integrate continuous learning: Use strategies like Kaizen to embed learning as an ongoing process, where sharing past mistakes and lessons is valued and contributes to collective growth.
- Guide transformation: Rather than erasing everything your team has learned, help them reframe and reformat their knowledge. Recognize the value of past experiences while adapting them to meet current needs and demands.
So, let’s forget about unlearning and reformat it to transformative learning, an intentional process that builds on what came before, paving the way for continuous improvement and long-term success. In this sense, transformative learning encourages a learning mindset, one that embraces innovation and evolution rather than viewing change as a rejection of the past. Leaders play a critical role in fostering this mindset.
By investing in transformative learning, leaders can inspire their teams to adapt to change positively and proactively, turning potential resistance into opportunities for growth and transformation.
Extra for the curious learner!
What happened so far in the unlearning and intentional forgetting literature? In recent decades, U/IF, as an organizational concept, has received attention in the discussion on the prerequisites for learning in organizations, innovation, management of change, and new product development (Kluge and Gronau, 2018; Sharma and Lenka, 2022b). The concepts of U/IF have attracted researchers from a wide spectrum of interests, such as innovation, development, information systems, knowledge management, and human resources (Durst et al., 2020). In the U/IF literature, the individual, group, and organizational levels of analysis, as well as elements that should be replaced, such as knowledge, routines, habits, mental models, or behaviors, have been identified (Kim and Park, 2022; Sharma and Lenka, 2022b) … In de context of organizational resilience, knowledge creation and integration capabilities, team information processes, and knowledge sharing. Recent technical developments, especially in combination with machine learning, have led to new topics, such as U/IF supported by a socio-digital system design for augmenting human cognitive performance in technical systems (Kluge and Gronau, 2018; Hertel et al., 2019; Thim et al., 2019)
The Learning Mindset Organisation’s mission is to support individuals, teams and organisations in developing much-needed learning mindsets. To this end, we not only offer global services such as keynotes, consulting, coaching and human-centred innovation, but have also developed unique Learning Mindset Profilers with AI and coaching options based on Jana Gutierrez Kardum’s and Katja Schipperheijn’s expertise and research for the book The Learning Mindset.
The purpose of these profilers is to help you reflect on your mindset, after which you can use the results to relate to and reframe it. Both the free profiler and the profiler for professionals and teams are connected to the five drives that underpin your learning mindset But remember, the total score isn’t what matters, it’s the progress you choose to make that truly counts.
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