malmö university seminar: to what extent are organisations learning in 21st century?

© earthshine 2016

Leadership for Sustainability

M2 Sustainable Development: Organisational Perspectives

Seminar: The Learning Organisation

Malmö, February 23/24, 2016

Mike Townsend & Jean-Charles Languilaire

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• Frame: in context of

sustainable development

• Business perspectives

• Explore responses to the

changing landscape

• Dealing with complexity

• Concepts/models

• Critical perspectives: Are we

really learning?

• Practical insights and cases

• Lots of questions, interaction,

discussion, some group work

2

Last time out, we explored…

The Learning Organisation: Are we learning – and fast enough?

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Last time out: where we got to…

• Business responses – are we

learning? Are we going far

enough, and fast enough?

• Exercise: how we think

businesses should respond

• Reality: we are barely scratching

the surface

• Limitations of BAU & CSR thinking

• Highlights tensions: embedded vs.

new learning

• New levels of learning – business

purpose!

• Case study – Unilever as a

learning organisation?

• Recognition: over-riding context of

our economic system

• Explored definitions & attributes

• Models – how learning happens, &

translates into performance

• How ‘learning’ is increasingly

important in VUCA world

• Many challenges and risks: great

acceleration, planetary

boundaries, global risks, etc

• But, also many opportunities!

Including SDGs, Global

Opportunity Report

• Further complexity: disruption!

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Developing our seminar

To what extent are organisations truly learning in

the volatile and challenging world we find ourselves

in, during the early 21st Century?

How are such organisations learning to become truly

sustainable in their own right?

Also, how is this learning making a contribution in support of

the transition towards a more sustainable world?

Framing the challenge…

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From your literature review and article synthesis

Develop a mini lecture!

What we are looking for…

* Explore your articles

* Identify key themes involved

* Build your synthesis

* Design your presentation

6 groups to present for 20 minutes each

Plus 10 minutes questions & discussion

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Our Schedule…

WEDNESDAY

• 8:15 – 12:00 Groups perform their

lectures.

• 13:15-15:00 Review, discussion

and feedback.

TUESDAY:

• 8:15 Share the challenge/establish

groups.

• 9:15 to 11:30 Group work – and

guidance.

• 11:30 Let’s check in – see how

we’re all doing.

• 12:00 Finish session.

• 24:00 Hand in your PowerPoint

slides.

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Identify your key themes…

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Categorise and establish points of focus

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Developing your syntheses…

Authors A B C D

Organisation A B C D

What do the

theories tell

us?

What’s

happening

in practice?

Key issues & themes

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• How are organisations learning – what approaches are they adopting

• What models do your see in evidence?

• How these models working – fully, partial, missing anything?

• What else should organisations be doing?

• How do they follow through: from learning to performance – any

evidence? What impact are organisations making?

• What factors enable learning? Barriers that hinder learning?

• Leadership: how do leaders encourage learning organisation?

• Are there any tensions between organisations embedding old learning

& being adaptive, to take on new learning?

• Literature gaps? Does the literature explore the issues adequately?

• What do researchers perhaps need to develop further?

Some guide questions…


Welcome back: How was this morning…?

Inspired new 4 I’s

Intense

Interesting

Informative insights

Inspiration for the future…

Thank you!


A reminder of our shared challenge…

To what extent are organisations learning in the 21st

Century?

How are organisations learning to become sustainable?

How is ‘learning’ contributing in the transition towards a more

sustainable world?


Opening up the discussion…

What have we learned?

* Spend two minutes, talking with your colleague –

on the key insights you have gained.

* What have you found most surprising or

interesting?


Let’s bring our learning together…

2 simple steps ;-)

1. Develop our framework

2. Build our collaborative model

Achievement: something to show for our efforts!


Let’s bring our learning together…

Developing our framework…

How did we develop our points of focus, and

running order for our agenda?

1. Knowledge

2. Innovation

3. Performance

4. Culture

5. Structure

6. Leadership


Our framework for collaborative design…


Group collaborative design

What does our sustainable learning

organisation look like?

1. Each group – bring forward and draw your model

2. Include any issues/gaps

3. Build on each others’ work

4. Indicate any interdependencies


OK: Where did we end up…?

To what extent are organisations learning in the 21st

Century?

* Explored the topics

* Reviewed models, principles

* Empirical evidence – some gaps?

* Performance – needs reframing: triple bottom line

* Tensions: embedded vs. flexibility

* How we frame learning itself – learning to learn!

* Complex – many factors at play

* Leadership is key

* Big research agenda

We now have our own model(s)!


Thank you!

@mike_earthshine

malmö university seminar: to what extent are organisations learning in 21st century?

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