• EC (Concrete Experience): learning from relationships and emotions.
• RW (Reflective Observation): learning by watching and listening.
• CA (Abstract Conceptualisation): learning by thinking.
• EA (Active Experimentation): learning by doing.

We seek experiences linked to our goals, interpret them in the light of our goals, form abstract concepts and hypotheses and test them in new situations.

Unlike theoretical learning, which is traditional in university classrooms with lectures where the professor lectures or explains and the students take notes, it is a discovery learningin which we start by immersing ourselves in the experience. 

Actually, it is the most effective way to learnIt takes time and sometimes risks. When a child touches a hot light bulb, he quickly learns that hot things burn. Now, we certainly wouldn't let you touch an iron!

It is important to Bear in mind that in order to learn you have to go the whole way, the whole cycle. One morning when we were leaving the house, we stumbled over a paving stone and we rant at the mayor, who is very fond of doing construction work. The next day, it happens again and we think that "the city council never learns".

This is called "stumbling over the same stone twice" and, in the workplace, confusing seniority with experience.

It is not the same to have 30 years of experience as one year of experience repeated 30 times" - "It is not the same to have 30 years of experience as one year of experience repeated 30 times. 

Henry Ford.

To learn from experiences we will have to analyse them, take responsibility for our actions, attribute consequences to our actions, change our convictions and finally, adopt new behavioural habits.

A mentor takes responsibility for helping his or her entrepreneur learn from experience and creates a context where he or she can feel safe to experiment and take risks.

Learning from experience is a learning model based on a four-stage cycle:

• Concrete Experience (CE)
• Reflective Observation (RO)
• Abstract Conceptualisation (AC)
• Active experimentation (AE).

This approach allows entrepreneurs to acquire knowledge and skills by immersing themselves in real situations, reflecting on them, generating abstract concepts and putting them to the test in new situations.

• THE FIRST STAGE; CONCRETE EXPERIENCE (EC)

It involves learning from relationships and emotions that arise from direct experience. Entrepreneurs immerse themselves in situations related to their goals and objectives, interacting with people and facing challenges. Through this experience, they can learn valuable lessons and gain a deeper understanding of business reality.

• THE SECOND STAGE; REFLECTIVE OBSERVATION (OR)

This refers to learning through observation and reflection. Entrepreneurs analyse and reflect on their experiences, observing the outcomes, reactions and implications of their actions. This stage allows for a deeper understanding of the issues involved in the experience and encourages awareness of one's own patterns of thinking and behaviour.

• THE THIRD STAGE; ABSTRACT CONCEPTUALISATION (CA)

It involves learning through thinking and conceptualisation. Entrepreneurs create abstract concepts and develop hypotheses based on their understanding of lived experiences. In this stage, they seek to identify patterns, principles and theories that can help to better interpret and understand business situations.

• THE FOURTH STAGE; ACTIVE EXPERIMENTATION (AE)

It focuses on learning through action and practice. Entrepreneurs test their concepts and hypotheses in new situations, applying their acquired knowledge and skills. This stage allows for the validation of ideas and learning from feedback and the results obtained.

It is important to emphasise that learning from experience involves going through the whole learning cycle, passing through each of the stages mentioned above. Only by completing the cycle continuously and systematically is effective and meaningful learning achieved.

Experiential learning differs from traditional theoretical learning in that it focuses on discovery and immersion in real situations. Through this approach, entrepreneurs can learn in a deeper and more meaningful way because they are directly involved in practice and experimentation. They learn from successes and failures, from successes and mistakes, and gain practical knowledge that can be effectively applied in their venture.

A mentor plays a key role in experiential learning for entrepreneurs. The mentor takes responsibility for guiding and supporting the entrepreneur in analysing and reflecting on his or her experiences. He or she creates a safe environment where the entrepreneur can experiment, take risks and learn from his or her actions.

• EXAMPLE 1

Sofia is an entrepreneur who is developing a mobile application for home food delivery. During the development process, she experiences technical difficulties that delay the launch of the app. Instead of getting frustrated, she decides to learn from this particular experience. She reflects on the obstacles she has faced and observes how these obstacles have affected her planning and meeting deadlines.

Based on this observation, he conceptualises that it is important to have a strong technical team and to set realistic timelines to avoid delays in future projects. To test his new ideas, he decides to hire an experienced development team and set more realistic timelines for his next project. Through this active experimentation, he learns to face and overcome technical obstacles and to plan more effectively.

• EXAMPLE 2

Carlos is an entrepreneur who has launched an online shop for beauty products. After some time in the market, he notices that many customers abandon the purchase process before completing it. Instead of ignoring this experience, he decides to learn from it. He reflects on the possible reasons why customers might be abandoning the purchase and takes a close look at the behaviour patterns of users on his website.

He conceptualises that the lack of clear information about products and shipping costs could be one of the main reasons. To test this hypothesis, he decides to implement improvements in product presentation, add clear information about shipping costs and offer contact options to resolve queries. Through this active experimentation, you learn how to improve the shopping experience in your online shop and reduce the shopping cart abandonment rate.

• EXAMPLE 3

Laura is an entrepreneur who has launched an event catering company. After organising several events, she realises that there are moments of stress and lack of coordination during the execution of the services. Instead of overlooking this experience, she decides to learn from it. He reflects on the stressful situations and observes how the lack of clear communication and coordination can negatively affect the quality of the service.

He conceptualises that the implementation of an efficient communication system and the clear allocation of roles and responsibilities can solve these problems. To test this hypothesis, he decides to implement an internal communication platform and set up coordination meetings prior to each event. Through this active experimentation, he learns to improve the coordination and quality of the services offered by his catering company.

In these examples, Entrepreneurs learn from their concrete experiences by reflecting on them, observing the results and implications, conceptualising new ideas and testing them in new situations.

Through this learning cycle, they acquire knowledge and practical skills that enable them to improve and grow their enterprises.

The artificial intelligence (see+ TIP) can help learn from experience by providing relevant information and insights based on its extensive knowledge and accumulated experience. By interacting with artificial intelligence, users can ask questions, share experiences and receive detailed and contextualised answers.

Through its ability to process large amounts of information and analyse diverse points of view, artificial intelligence can help entrepreneurs reflect on their past experiences and present different approaches to face similar challenges or situations in the future.

In addition, artificial intelligence can provide practical examples, case studies and advice based on situations similar to those the entrepreneur has faced. This allows the entrepreneur to learn from the experiences of others and apply that knowledge in his or her own context.

Another way artificial intelligence can help learn from experience is by acting as a real-time reference resource. Entrepreneurs can consult artificial intelligence for up-to-date information on trends, best practices, relevant research and specific recommendations based on their previous experience and lessons learned.

In addition, artificial intelligence can provide constructive feedback and suggestions for improvement based on the data and information provided. This allows entrepreneurs to reflect on their past actions and receive guidance on how to improve in the future.

IMPORTANT TO NOTE:

While artificial intelligence is a valuable learning tool, its knowledge is based on previous data and patterns, and does not replace human experience and personal judgement. Therefore, it is advisable to combine experiential learning through interaction with artificial intelligence with other sources of information, feedback from mentors and experts, and one's own personal reflection and evaluation.