4 - learning organization
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Learning organizations
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Definition
organizations where people continually
expand their capacity to create the results
they truly desire, where new & expansivepatterns of thinking are nurtured, where
collective aspiration is set free, & where
people are continually learning how to learn
together.
- Peter Senge, The Fifth Discipline
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Definition
A learning organization is an organization
skilled at creating, acquiring, interpreting,
transferring, & retaining knowledge, & at
purposely modifying its behavior to reflect
new knowledge & insights.
- David Garvin, Learning in Action
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The Learning Organization
An organization in which everyone is
engaged in identifying & solving problems,
enabling the organization to continuously
experiment, improve, & increase its
capability.
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The core idea behind learning
organization is that organizations of all
kinds will not survive, let alone thrive, if
they do not acquire an ability to adapt
continuously to an increasingly
unpredictable future.
Learning Organizations
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The Learning Manager:
Five Disciplines to Develop
1. Systems thinking: the big picture
2. Shared vision: common purpose
3. Challenging mental models: question currentthinking that prevent change
4. Team learning: help group succeed, rather than
pursuing individual goals
5. Personal mastery: know job, people, processes
at very deep level; intimate with work.
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Systems Thinking
A framework for understanding the structures,
patterns & relationships that mold organizational
behavior
A discipline for seeing wholes
Permits identification of ways to change
Acknowledges the power of internal processes (not
individuals, not outside forces) in shaping work
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Personal Mastery
Commitment, with proficiency, by the individual to
own lifelong learning
A discipline in which the individual constantly
clarifies what is important & sees reality clearly
Grounded in competence & skills
Generates a sense of purpose, power, self-worth,
& a personal vision
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Mental Models
Deeply held internal images of how the world
works
A discipline for shaping these personal pictures of
the world & understanding how they affect
individual action
Can be consciously examined and shaped
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Shared Vision
Ability to maintain a collective picture of a future
that is sought
Reflects a desire to be connected & becomes
part of pursuing a larger purpose that is
embodied in the organizations services
Commitment is by choice, not compliance
Scenario planning: tool to build shared vision
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Team Learning
Begins with skilled discussion, dialogue
Skilled discussion: conversation guided by a
repertoire of techniques that help members fit
together the pieces of their situation
Dialogue: the free, creative expression &
exploration of ideas
A group discipline leading to alignment of
members thoughts & achievement of desired
results
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Core Competencies for
Learning Organization
Analytical skills, problem solving, decision making
Communication skills
Creativity, innovation
Expertise & technical knowledge Flexibility, adaptability
Interpersonal, group skills
Leadership
Organizational understanding & global thinking
Ownership, accountability, dependability
Planning & organizational skills
Resource management ability
Service attitude
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Evolution of the Learning Organization
1.Traditional OrganizationTop managers maintain
central control of actions
and strategy
Employees
Top
Managers
Power to
Influence
Strategic
Direction
EmployeesPower to InfluenceWork Flow Decisions &Actions
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Evolution of the Learning Organization
1.Traditional Organization
Top managers maintain
central control of actions
and strategy
2. Horizontal/Network
Organization
Teams with empowered
employees responsible for
quality
Employees
Top
Managers
Power to
Influence
StrategicDirection
EmployeesPower to InfluenceWork Flow Decisions &Actions
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Evolution of the Learning Organization
1.Traditional Organization
Top managers maintain
central control of actions
and strategy
2.Horizontal/Network
Organization
Teams with empowered
employees responsible for
quality
Employees
Top
Managers
Power to
Influence
StrategicDirection
EmployeesPower to InfluenceWork Flow Decisions &Actions
3. Learning Organization
Employees see big picture
& have all information.
Formulate emergent
strategy & responsible for
customer satisfaction
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Web of Interacting elements in the Learning Organization
Learning
Organization
LeadershipLeadership
SharedShared
InformationInformation
EmpoweredEmpowered
EmployeesEmployees
StrongStrong
CultureCulture
HorizontalHorizontal
StructureStructure
EmergentEmergent
StrategyStrategy
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Characteristics of a Learning
Organization Learning Culture- an organizational climate that nurtures learning.
Processes
- processes that encourage interaction across boundaries.These are infrastructure, development & management
processes, as opposed to business operational processes
(the typical focus of many BPR initiatives).
Tools & Techniques
- methods that aid individual & group learning, such ascreativity & problem solving techniques.
Skills and Motivation
- to learn and adapt.
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Learning Culture Future, external orientation these organizations develop
understanding of their environment; senior teams take time out to thinkabout the future. Widespread use of external sources & advisors e.g.customers on planning teams.
Free exchange & flow of information - systems are in place toensure that expertise is available where it is needed; individualsnetwork extensively, crossing organizational boundaries to develop
their knowledge & expertise. Commitment to learning, personal development - support from topmanagement; people at all levels encouraged to learn regularly;learning is rewarded. Time to think & learn (understanding, exploring,reflecting, developing)
Valuing people - ideas, creativity & "imaginative capabilities" arestimulated, made use of & developed. Diversity is recognized as a
strength. Views can be challenged. Climate of openness and trust - individuals are encouraged to
develop ideas, to speak out, to challenge actions.
Learning from experience - learning from mistakes is often morepowerful than learning from success. Failure is tolerated, providedlessons are learnt
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Key Management Processes
Strategic & Scenario Planning - approaches to planning that gobeyond the numbers, encourage challenging assumptions, thinking
'outside of the box'. They also allocate a proportion of resources
for experimentation.
Competitor Analysis - as part of a process of continuous
monitoring & analysis of all key factor in the external environment,
including technology & political factors. A coherent competitor
analysis process that gathers information from multiple sources,
sifts, analyses, refines, adds value & redistributes is evidence that
the appropriate mechanisms are in place.
Information and Knowledge Management - using techniques to
identify, audit, value (cost/benefit), develop & exploit information as
a resource; use of collaboration processes and groupware to
categorize & share expertise.
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Key Management Processes.
Capability Planning - profiling both qualitatively & quantitatively the
competencies of the organization.
Team & Organization development - the use of facilitators to help
groups with work, job & organization design & team development -
reinforcing values, developing vision, cohesiveness & a climate ofstretching goals, sharing & support
Performance Measurement - finding appropriate measures and
indicators of performance; ones that provide a 'balanced scorecard' &
encourage investment in learning
Reward & Recognition Systems - processes & systems that
recognize acquisition of new skills, team-work as well as individual
effort, celebrate successes & accomplishments, & encourages
continuous personal development.
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Tools & Techniques
Include a wide range of learning & creativity skills in the
following groups:
Inquiry - interviewing, seeking information
Creativity - brainstorming, associating ideas
Making sense of situations - organizing information &
thoughts
Making choices - deciding courses of action
Observing outcomes - recording, observation
Reframing knowledge - embedding new knowledge into
mental models, memorizing
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Tools & Techniques.
Collective (i.e. team & organizational) learning require skills
for sharing information & knowledge, particularly implicit
knowledge, assumptions & beliefs that are traditionally
"beneath the surface". Key skills here are:
Communication, especially across organizational boundaries
Listening & observing
Mentoring & supporting colleagues
Taking a holistic perspective - seeing the team & organization
as a whole
Coping with challenge & uncertainty
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Inhibitors to becoming a
Learning Organization
Some of the most common obstacles to becoming a learning
organization:
Operational/fire fighting preoccupation - not creating time to
sit back and think strategically
Too focused on systems and process (e.g. ISO9000) to
exclusion of other factors (bureaucratic vs. thinking)
Reluctance to train (or invest in training), other than for
obvious immediate needs
Too top-down driven, over tight supervision, lack of real
empowerment
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Challenges in developing
Learning Organization
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