1. Experiential Learning Encourages a Creative Mindset

According to experts at Forbes, corporate innovation relies heavily on encouraging out-of-the-box thinking as a strategy within the business. Unfortunately, it can be very difficult to help employees develop this mindset when they are shackled by the organization’s approach to business. Experiential learning underlines the company’s desire to try new concepts, which instantly creates greater opportunities for employees to tap into their creativity. 

Moreover, experiential learning lets employees gain a better understanding of their own development and understanding of a subject. In turn, they can identify where their input can make a difference while simultaneously knowing when they should tap into the collective knowledge of their colleagues. 

2. Experiential Learning Boosts Employee Job Satisfaction and Engagement

Happy employees are statistically shown to be 13% more productive while they are also far more likely to innovate when they are engaged with their work. Experiential learning goes beyond being effective; it can also be enjoyable and foster a competitive spirit through gamification techniques for example. This approach can create a team of intrapreneurs that spans across all levels and departments within your organization, promoting a culture of innovation and collaboration.

Furthermore, the reflective nature of experiential learning enables employees to consider their influence within the context of the business while additionally allowing them to track the development of new skills and competencies. The KICKBOX Intrapreneurship program, establishes a truly open innovation ecosystem that promotes intrapreneurial growth. This is supported by the fact that all contributions are tracked, meaning top management can praise all contributors and remove the threat of employees feeling undervalued.

3. Experiential Learning Supports an Adaptive Culture

The main driving forces of innovation are customer experiences, revenue growth, and product development. To have your company's innovation efforts driven by these factors however,  it is crucial to be able to adapt to internal and external pressures in an efficient manner. Experiential learning supports this objective as employees are continually in a growth mindset.

4. Experiential Learning Encourages Psychological Safety

Unfortunately, many employees resist innovation because they fear failure. However, failure is a part of the innovation process. Even successful companies, fail. Gaming company Rovio for example, released 51 failed games before their final 'home-run': Angry Birds. Therefore, it’s imperative that you make employees comfortable with failure. Experiential learning encourages them to continually learn and reflect, allowing them to take responsibility for their shortcomings.

Experiential learning allows employees to see innovation from multiple perspectives. It is an approach that enables them to think critically and creatively, thereby fostering not only an innovation culture, but also personal growth and development.