What generation-appropriate learning means for AI change

Image AI-generated: Three people and a robot sit at a table while Rosemarie Thiedmann points to a flipchart.

Latin was my stumbling block. I remember one Sunday afternoon when I was studying vocabulary with a school friend. I felt confident. The next morning, the quiz came, and with it a teacher who scared us all a little. I got a D. That grade shattered my self-confidence profoundly.

Back then, I didn't yet know what stress does to the brain. I didn't know about Ebbinghaus's forgetting curve or any learning techniques. I just thought, I obviously couldn't do it. Years later, I understood what had happened inside me and that I could have learned successfully. Through Hermann Ebbinghaus's research, I later realized that I would have needed at least five repetitions for my disliked Latin.

Today, I pass on this knowledge of learning processes. And I'm convinced that learning is a leadership task. Not in the sense of "everyone has to go back to school," but in the sense of understanding how learning works and how differently it unfolds.

What makes learning needs in teams so different

Some people learn quickly because they learned early on that they can also learn from mistakes. Others falter at the first stumbling block because old experiences resurface. In a seminar, a manager told me he had failed at a career opportunity. He had the necessary skills, but learning English for the department head position reminded him too strongly of past humiliations at the hands of a teacher. Moments that were deeply etched in his memory and that no one would have suspected in this confident person.

I've heard many such stories—from trainees to experienced professionals. They demonstrate that learning processes are never purely technical. They are emotionally rooted. And they vary greatly depending on age. A person who learns at 16 learns differently than someone who is 46 or 66. Pace, style, and motivation often differ greatly.

How learning becomes a success factor for digital transformation

AI is coming into companies, and with it the need to acquire new knowledge.

Not everyone takes this step with equal ease. Some start playfully. Others hesitate because they lack structure, the language is unfamiliar, or old learning blocks stand in their way.

This is particularly evident in mixed-age teams. Younger individuals are often faster, while more experienced individuals bring in-depth experience and practical knowledge. Both perspectives are needed, especially when changes like the introduction of AI are imminent.

Managers who recognize this can provide targeted support. They create individual learning opportunities that meet the diverse needs of their team members. They take fears seriously. And they ensure that new tools like AI are not just introduced, but truly understood and enjoyed.

How AI facilitates and individualizes learning in companies

Artificial intelligence can motivate, guide, sort, and provide feedback. It adapts to the user's pace if you know how to communicate with it.

I see great potential in AI helping people discover new learning approaches. Some will experience what true learning success feels like. AI can respond to different needs if trained accordingly. The tool doesn't judge, but it has the potential to motivate people and provide support where they need it most.

AI can help structure knowledge, explain content, and visualize one's own progress. It won't replace human feedback. But it can be a partner in a learning process that might otherwise never have begun.

AI prompt for managers:

"Please formulate three proposals with different learning opportunities for my team. The team members are between 23 and 58 years old, some work digitally savvy, some work in traditional on-site settings. The goal is to introduce them to the use of AI in their daily work in an easy and motivating way. Please first ask me three questions so that you can optimally carry out this task."