The Limits of Self-Taught Learning: Why External Perspectives Matter

In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, the concept of self-taught learning is more prevalent than ever. However, as we dive deeper into the realms of software development, DevOps, and organizational transformation, it’s crucial to recognize the limitations that come with learning in isolation. While self-taught knowledge has its merits, there are significant benefits to bringing in external expertise. This post explores the importance of diverse knowledge and how it can help organizations break through the barriers that self-taught learning often creates.

The Reality of Self-Taught Knowledge

When working with new customers, one of the first things we make abundantly clear is that we’re not here to solve all your problems. The messes, the challenges—those are yours to tackle. But what we can do is help you see the problem, shine a light on it, and keep your focus on the areas that need improvement.

• Shining a light on the problem: We often liken our role to bringing torches into a dark room, illuminating those dusty corners where issues have been swept under the rug. These hidden problems are often the ones slowing down your progress and costing you money.

• Focusing on solutions: By highlighting these areas, we empower organizations to address their problems, offering guidance on potential solutions that they might not have considered.

The Gap in Training

One of the most interesting observations we’ve made over the years is the lack of formal training that many engineers and professionals receive.

• Limited opportunities for growth: In many organizations, engineers aren’t sent to coding courses, product development workshops, or security training. They aren’t exposed to structured learning environments that could vastly improve their skills.

• Self-taught limitations: As a result, almost every engineer is self-taught, learning within the narrow bounds of what they’ve explored. The problem with this approach is that we tend to stop looking for answers once we find one that works.

Imagine you’ve lost your keys. You search your house, and as soon as you find them, you stop looking, right? You don’t continue searching just in case there are more keys hidden somewhere. The same principle applies to knowledge acquisition—once we find a solution, we often stop exploring. But what if there are five better solutions out there?

The Power of External Expertise

This is where external expertise becomes invaluable. Bringing in someone from the outside—someone with a wealth of experience and a different perspective—can help you see beyond the solutions you’ve settled on.

• Years of experience: I’ve been involved in DevOps (before it was even called DevOps) for over 20 years. During this time, I’ve seen the evolution from application lifecycle management to the modern practices we see today.

• Diverse exposure: As a software engineer and Scrum coach, I’ve worked with numerous organizations, observing what works and what doesn’t. This diverse exposure allows us to bring a variety of ideas and tools to the table—solutions that you might not have considered.

Encouraging Broader Exploration

Our goal isn’t to hand you a one-size-fits-all solution. Instead, we aim to provoke thought, encouraging you to explore alternatives:

• Providing tools: We might suggest a tool to get you started, and if that doesn’t work, we’ll point you towards the type of tool you should be looking for.

• Fostering innovation: This approach often leads to organizations finding their own unique solutions—ones that are even better than what we initially proposed.

But remember, the process of discovery and improvement is something that you and your team must undertake. We can guide you, but the work has to be done by your people.

The Evolution of DevOps: Continuous Learning and Institutional Knowledge

When it comes to DevOps, our role is to help you understand where you are, determine where you want to go, and keep you moving in that direction. However, the actual work—the learning and application of new methods—must be done by your team.

• Institutional knowledge: Every organization has its own institutional knowledge, the collective understanding that your team builds over time. When new people join your team, they bring fresh ideas, but they also absorb this institutional knowledge. It’s crucial that this knowledge aligns with the direction you want to go.

• Progressing effectively: True progress isn’t about accumulating unfinished work or refining processes endlessly. It’s about doing the right things and doing them well.

The Role of External Guidance

External guidance plays a vital role in ensuring that your team’s progress aligns with your goals. By providing an outside perspective, we help you:

• Identify roadblocks: Shine a light on the areas that are holding you back.

• Explore new possibilities: Introduce new tools, methodologies, and approaches that you might not have considered.

• Maintain momentum: Keep your team focused on the right direction, ensuring that your institutional knowledge grows in alignment with your goals.

The Takeaway: Balancing Self-Taught Learning with External Expertise

While self-taught learning fosters independence and innovation, it’s essential to recognize its limitations. By bringing in external expertise, organizations can break free from the constraints of their existing knowledge and explore new, more effective solutions.

Key Points to Remember:

• Self-taught knowledge is limited by the scope of exploration. Most people stop looking once they find a solution, missing out on potentially better alternatives.

• External expertise offers diverse perspectives and solutions that can help organizations overcome challenges and improve processes.

• Continuous learning and institutional knowledge are crucial for long-term success. External guidance can help ensure that your team’s progress aligns with your organizational goals.

🚀 Final Thoughts: Embrace the balance between self-taught learning and external expertise. By doing so, you can unlock new possibilities, drive innovation, and achieve your goals more effectively.