A training session presentation

Session outline Learning: Organizational perspectives Learning organization and its elements Practices and imperatives to build learning organization

Forethought Real learning gets to the heart of what it means to be human. Through learning we re- create ourselves. - Peter M. Senge

Learning Organization Picture exercise What comes in our mind when we talk about learning organization? Please express in picture or diagram. Time: 5 minutes

Learning Organization Learning organisation is one that manages its own learning processes to its advantage Where, people continually expand their capacity to create the results they truly desire new and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured collective aspiration is set free

Learning Organization The learning organisation is not a defined end state. It is the journey, not the destination, a ‘process of becoming’. People are continually learning how to learn together. In a learning organization, when one of us gets smarter, we all can get smarter.

Why learning organization?- 3Cs Complexity Situations that are difficult to understand, have considerable ambiguity and uncertainty, and often have no “solutions,” only options and tradeoffs Chaos Seemingly random events that have an underlying pattern (which is difficult to discern) Change turbulent environments in which the future is difficult to predict or control

Elements of Learning Organization System Thinking Personal Mastery Mental models Shared vision Team Learning

Personal Mastery

Organizations learn only through individuals who learn Never “arrive”; in continual learning mode Strive to clarify and deepen personal vision Deeply aware of growth areas and tension between vision and reality

Personal mastery

Reflect upon your vision State how you want to see yourself in your life in …years down the road State your career goals State a significant effort you are making to reach each goal

What’s the Problem? Many of the best ideas never get put into practice Why??? Because they conflict with deeply held internal images of how the world works These images limit us to familiar ways of thinking and acting We keep making the same mistakes over and over again--we’re not learning

Mental Models The images (attitudes and assumptions) we carry in our minds about ourselves, other people, institutions, and every aspect of the world which guide our interpretations, actions, decisions and behavior.

Exercise: Video Watch the videovideo Note the points you value in your notebook List some of your own mental models about the clip

Shared Vision Building a sense of commitment in a group, by developing shared images of the future we seek to create, and the principles and guiding practices by which we hope to get there. With shared vision, people excel and learn not because they are told to do, but because they want to The driving force, ‘creative tension’ for change

Team Learning Transforming conversational and collective thinking skills, so that groups of people can reliably develop intelligence and ability greater than the sum of individual members’ talents. Basis of organizational learning and change

System thinking Interdependency and change Focus on whole not individual parts Long-term goals vs. Short-term benefits Better appreciation of systems leads to more appropriate action

25 “Maybe pushing on that wall to the right will give some space.”

26 “Oops!”

The six learning disabilities 1. I am my position 2. The enemy is out there 3. Illusion of taking charge 4. Fixation of events 5. Delusion of learning from experiences 6. Myth of the management team

Exercise

Assessment Result ScoreIndication : Congratulations! You are well on your way to becoming a learning organization! : Keep on moving! Your organization has a solid learning foundation : A good beginning. Your organization has gathered some important building blocks to become a learning organization. Below 40:Watch out! Time to make drastic changes to adapt in a rapidly changing world.

Building Blocks Supportive learning environment Psychological safety Appreciation of differences Openness to new ideas Time for reflection

Building Blocks Concrete learning processes and practices Experimentation Information collection Analysis Education and training Information transfer Leadership that reinforces learning

Imperatives Understand and communicate the “main thing” that is central to success Create alignment around the main thing by giving everyone a “line of sight” Utilize multiple perspectives to gain a systems understanding Maintain fluid communications across permeable boundaries Support continual training, learning and practice After Action Review (AAR)

Developing intellectual curiosity Asking open questions Maintaining non-defensive reactions Examining assumptions Slow down the game Leadership skills to foster learning

KM System: The foundation

Final thought An organization’s ability to learn, and translate that learning into action rapidly is the ultimate competitive advantage. - Jack Welch

Further Readings Hughes, M.(1995), Propagating the Learning Organization, Financial Training Review Pedler, M., Burgoyne. & Boydell, T.(1991), The Learning Company, McGraw Hill Senge, P., The Fifth Discipline, Centuary Mayo, A., & Lank, E. (1995), Changing the Soil Spurs New Growth, Personnel Management David A. Garvin, Amy C. Edmondson, and Francesca Gino (2008). Is Yours a Learning]Organization? Harvard Business Review, March:

It’s time for Feedback Basanta Raj Sigdel Nepal Administrative Staff College Cell