Enhancing Success – Leading Learning National IC/AC Workshop March 9, 2005
Lessons Learned Center Objectives Improve safe work performance Improve organizational learning Share knowledge Promote organizational change
What is a Learning Organization? A learning organization is … Creating, acquiring, interpreting, transferring, and retaining knowledge. Purposefully modifying its behavior to reflect new knowledge and insights.
Critical Tasks A learning organization tries to do six things … 1. Collect intelligence about the environment. 2. Learn from the best practices of other organizations. 3. Learn from its own experiences and past history.
Continued … 4. Experiment with new approaches. 5. Encourage systematic problem solving. 6. Transfer knowledge throughout the organization.
Center Focus Areas Collection and Analysis Knowledge Retention Knowledge Transfer
After Action Reviews (AARs) An inexpensive, simple, systematic process that has the power to change an entire work culture: 1. What did we set out to do? 2. What actually happened? 3. Why was there a difference? 4. What are we going to do next time?
Conducting AARs Schedule shortly after activity Make AARs routine Collective objective data Use trained facilitators Establish clear ground rules Involve all participants
AARs Begin The Knowledge Transfer Process Most of the AAR results will be used to enhance or sustain the performance of your unit or team. “Gems and nuggets” will surface that are valuable to others, but only if they can have access to the knowledge.
AAR Rollup to the LLC A tool for collecting the gems and nuggets from your AAR in a simple and easy way. 1. Describe one or more of your successes that others can learn from? 2. What was one of the challenges you faced and how did you overcome it? 3. How can training be improved? 4. What are your recommendations for unresolved issues?
2004 Rollups Received National IMTs/AC 7 from Wildfires – Boundary, Central Complex, Nuttall, Pine, Pot Peak, William Butte, Willow 4 from Hurricanes – Ivan AC, Jeanne, Frances
Information Collection Teams (ICT) Collection plan developed Collect tactics, techniques, procedures, processes Initial Impressions Report shared ICTs do not investigate or review
2004 Collection Team Efforts States – Southern Fire Chiefs and Northeast Fire Supervisors Alaska Wildland Fires Wildland Fire Use - FUMT Hurricane Response
2004 SE U.S Hurricanes Introduction “The only thing that remains the same is that it is different every time we do this” The Lewis Report from Hurricane Andrew Collection Of Local Corporate Knowledge FEMA & ICS
Global Impressions People Management – The Core Mission Politics & Competition Managing The Unexpected Expectations Discipline Perspective Identity
2004 Alaskan Wildfires People Extreme Urban Interface Season Policy The Alaska Fire Plan Fuels Fire Behavior & Wildland Fire Use Geography Remoteness, Air Ops & Finding The Fire
Center Focus Areas Collection and Analysis Knowledge Retention Knowledge Transfer
IMT and AC Community of Practice Informal group of people with similar work-related activities and interests Can belong to multiple agencies or reporting structures Community members regularly transfer and retain knowledge
Center Focus Areas Collection and Analysis Knowledge Retention Knowledge Transfer
Sharing Knowledge
Search by ICS Function
Center Library Fire Behavior Forms and Templates Incident Management Non-Fire Incident Management Safety and Health Urban Interface
Winning Series – 520 Handbook
High Reliability Organizing HROs are organizations having “less than their fair share of accidents” even though they perform, sometimes on a daily basis, high-risk operations. HROs organize themselves in such a way that they are better able to notice the unexpected and halt its development.
Principles of HROs Preoccupied with failure Reluctant to simplify operations Sensitivity to operations Committed to resilience Defer to expertise
Paula Nasiatka, Center Manager (520) Dave Christenson, Asst. Ctr. Mgr. (520)