Education as a path forward in the lighting industry
When we’re stuck in traffic, it’s easy to forget—we are the traffic. We’re part of the very congestion we lament. The same holds true for the lighting industry. It’s not some distant, abstract entity or a loose collection of disconnected parts. It’s an ecosystem—shaped from within by our actions or inaction.
When progress stalls, the lane we choose to occupy matters. Clearing the path forward often starts with education. For individuals, companies, or the entire industry, designing an effective educational strategy requires an honest assessment of knowledge gaps, clear expectations regarding investment (time, resources, and effort), and well-defined goals that deliver measurable results.
While the desire to learn is universal, how we approach learning and what we choose to teach makes all the difference. Learning is not the same as being informed. Meaningful education takes work—it requires recognizing that the duration, facilitator expertise, and objectives of a program directly impact its outcomes.
For those providing education, the question isn’t “What do I want to say?” but rather, “What do I want others to learn?” Sharing knowledge builds connections, but teaching for outcomes builds capability.
The Importance of Active Learning
In “Active Learners Cut Through Noise and Get Promoted Fast,”¹ Michael Mink captures a challenge not unlike our industry’s traffic jam. “It’s easy for leaders to fall into an information-overload rabbit hole. Devouring data can be strangely comforting—because it makes you feel like you’re on top of things. But it’s also hard to crawl out if you’re not an active learner…An active learner is somebody who consistently seeks out ideas and insights and then pairs them with action and execution.”
Pairing execution with ideas is critical in a complex, everchanging field like lighting. However, the challenge is layered. What individuals choose to learn may not align with team or organizational needs, and/or what people want to teach doesn’t always match what others need to learn.
This multi-layer disconnect surfaced in my reflections of 2024’s educational themes, successes, and challenges. Highlighting strengths as well as unmet needs and mismanaged expectations within conferences, standards, and resources (at the IES and beyond) can seem like an exercise in skepticism about the capability of our industry to be there for one another—but it isn’t meant to be. It’s an opportunity to discern what our responsibilities could be moving forward both topically and in educational formats. Inevitably, embedded in these discussions are assumptions—spoken or implied—about resolutions, blame, and urgency.
Educational Themes from 2024
Sustainability
- embodied carbon, circularity, and lifecycle analysis
- design strategies for modularity and longevity
- information sharing and material transparency.
Light and Health
- physiological and behavioral impacts of light
- alertness, productivity, and circadian entrainment
- metrology for glare, flicker, and visual comfort.
Responsible Outdoor Lighting
- the Five Principles and specificity in application
- metrics: ongoing CCT and SPD debates, BUG rating discussions, and skyglow calculations
- ordinances and legislation.
Lighting Quality Over Time
- lumen and color maintenance
- replaceable components and system interoperability
- warranty expectations and system longevity.
New Tools
- generative AI: its potential and ethical considerations
- 3-D printing and rapid prototyping for innovation
- standardization and integration of BIM workflows.
Within these themes predictable patterns in our industry dynamics surface.
- Blame is often assigned to one segment or another for lack of information, or lack of discretion of what—and how much—is being asked.
- We resist acknowledging that balance and empirical evidence drive progress.
- We crave single metrics to simplify complexity but expect recognition for nuance in innovation, awards, and marketing.
- We struggle to align expectations around education duration, objectives, and practical outcomes.
Self-Awareness and Accountability
Are we observing traffic, or are we part of it? Knowledge sharing—or its absence—reveals a paradox: we thrive when we embrace diverse perspectives and acknowledge what we don’t yet know. Yet, progress depends not only on what we learn but also on to who we choose to listen.
Noise is everywhere, but music? That requires intention, talent, and a willing listener.
Our challenge lies in fostering an environment where learning is collaborative, intentional, and actionable—one where knowledge builds bridges rather than barriers. This challenge, however, is not unique to the lighting industry. Gianpiero Petriglieri and Annie Peshkam explore this tension in “Three Ways to Lead Learning.”² Through interviews with leaders of learning at 69 firms worldwide, they found, “Companies begin to stifle learning when executives assume that there’s a single right way to do it that will serve all the organization’s needs. That’s simply not the case. We found that there are three distinct ways to lead learning—as a custodian, a challenger, or a connector—all of which can be successful in the right context. The methods used by leaders with the three approaches don’t vary much…but how and why leaders deploy them differs dramatically. And we found that too often the intent of learning was unclear in organizations, resulting in a mismatch between the learning approach and current company needs.”
Their research underscores a critical point: when the intent behind learning is unclear, it leads to friction, frustration, and stalled progress.
Custodians, Challengers, and Connectors
To drive meaningful education, we need all three roles:
- Custodians preserve and share foundational knowledge, ensuring expertise and skills are retained—including in processes we follow.
- Challengers push boundaries, question assumptions, and encourage innovation—whether through critical inquiry, public reviews for standards, or shifting section meetings to new formats.
- Connectors bridge gaps, linking people, ideas, and solutions to foster collaboration and address fragmentation. They also educate our next generation of lighting practitioners. These roles are not mutually exclusive. In a dynamic industry like ours, they must coexist to safeguard what we know, challenge how we evolve, and unify efforts across teams, generations, and disciplines.
The Role We Play
Education is everyone’s responsibility. Whether designing luminaires, control systems, or learning programs, the roles we occupy shape the future of our industry. Just as choosing the right lane clears traffic, choosing to lead, preserve, or connect knowledge clears pathways for progress. Moving forward requires:
- intentionality in what we learn and teach
- alignment of education with both immediate needs and long-term goals
- accountability for knowledgesharing across the industry.
So, ask yourself: Are you preserving foundational knowledge, challenging outdated practices, or connecting people and ideas? We are the lighting industry, and the way we move forward is up to us.
Brienne Willcock is director of Education and Standards for the IES.
References
1 Michael Mink, “Active Learners Cut Through Noise and Get Promoted Fast,” Investor’s Business Daily, May 24, 2024. Available: https://www.investors.com/news/management/leaders-and-success/active-learner-how-to-get-promoted/
2 Gianpiero Petriglieri, “Three Ways to Lead Learning,” Harvard Business Review, Jan./Feb. 2025. Available: https://hbr.org/2025/01/three-ways-to-lead-learning