1. ENHANCING THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT Darren Varnado, M.P.A

2. Agenda  Introduction – Why Are We Here?  Learning Environment Concepts  Introduce David Garvin Video  Going Forward

3. Why is this important?  Healthy learning environments…  Garner independent thought  Increase ability to manage change  Improve quality  Develop a more committed work force  Give people hope that things can get better  Stretch perceived limits  Are in touch with a fundamental part of being human…the need to learn, to improve our environment and to be active actors, not passive recipients (Karash 1995)

4. Peter Drucker, 1946 “Any institution has to be organized so as to bring out the talent and capabilities within the organization; to encourage men to take initiative, give them a chance to show what they can do, and a scope within which to grow.”

5. What can I expect? How do we get from here… ….To here? Incremental Progress… One Step at a Time

6. Learning Organization Defined A learning organization is one that…  seeks to create its own future;  assumes learning is an ongoing and creative process;  one that develops, adapts and transforms itself in response to the needs and aspirations of people both inside and outside itself Kenneth Johnson, 1993

7. David Garvin, Harvard Business About the video…  Presentation on Learning Organizations to the Wildland Fire Community.  Substitute “Child Protection” anytime Garvin refers to firefighting.  Delay between video and sound

8. AAR’s After Action Reviews An AAR is a professional discussion of an event, focused on performance standards, that enables soldiers to discover for themselves What happened, Why it happened and How to sustain strengths and improve on weaknesses.  It is a tool leaders and units can use to get maximum benefit from every mission or task. OBJECTIVE is to improve individual and collective task performance by providing immediate feedback about how the training or tasks could have been done better. PURPOSE  Guide the unit towards achieving training objectives  Identify lessons learned so they can be applied to subsequent training or task performance  Increase confidence in unit leaders  Increase proficiency of all participants Army Study Guide

9. Think About Does this sound familiar in our work in child protection?

10. Ask yourself this question…. Does my organization continually make the same mistakes? If so, Why?

11. 3 Building Blocks to An Effective Learning Organization  Leadership that reinforces learning  Concrete Learning Processes – in place and regularly reviewed  Supportive Learning Environment – Learning Culture

12. Question… Does my organization support or suppress learning?

13. Important Points  You don’t only learn from the worst cases  You often learn more from the close calls  Learning is an investment  The most powerful learning is TIMELY – just in time

14. BUILDING BLOCK #1 Leadership That Reinforces Learning Willingness to entertain other points of view Spends time on problem ID Encourages and models transfer of learning Values time for reflection Engages in active questioning and listening Generates open-minded discussion Learning Org Building Blocks David Garvin, Harvard Professor

15. BUILDING BLOCK #2 Concrete Learning Processes Generating and disseminating information Experimenting with new ideas Gathering info on technological trends and innovations Identifying and solving problems Providing professional growth opportunities Developing Staff Skills The agency has formal processes for…. Learning Org Building Blocks David Garvin, Harvard Professor

16. BUILDING BLOCK #3 A Supportive Learning Environment (Organizational Culture) Staff feels safe disagreeing with others Staff own up to mistakes Staff recognize the value of opposing ideas Staff take risks and explore the unknown Staff takes time to review org. processes Staff listen to minority viewpoints

17. Discussion  How well equipped are you and your staff in “knowing what to do?”  Are you and your staff “doing what you know?”  If not, Why?

18. Important Thought… The urgent often drives out the important

19. Important Thought… Unanticipated consequences are not mistakes In child welfare, there are often consequences that are not within our span of control

20. Question…. Is my organization transferring knowledge effectively from division to division, unit to unit, person to person?

21. Important Point… Learning must be clearly aligned with the goals of the organization. Clear Vision, Mission and Goals

22. Critical Task of a Learning Org…  Collect intelligence about the environment  Learn from the best practices of other organizations – benchmarking  Learn from its own experiences and history  Experiment with new approaches  Encourage systematic problem solving  Transfer knowledge throughout the organization

23. Discussion  What are the characteristics of a learning culture?  What kinds of behaviors are required in an effective learning culture?  Which of these are most difficult to cultivate in a child welfare agency?

24. Important Thoughts…  Mistakes are an opportunity to learn  “Good decisions come from wisdom knowledge and experience. Wisdom, knowledge and experience most often come from bad decisions”  We learn the most from our mistakes.

25. Question… Does your organization have a “blame culture”?

26. Learning “Trilogy” TrainingPracticeExecution Does your organization allow for practice and feedback on new knowledge and skills?

27. Quote… “We have met the enemy, and it is us”

28. Benchmarking – Learning from Others  Benchmarking as copying – practices that can easily be copied from other organizations  Benchmarking as a catalyst for creative thinking

29. Leading Learning  Openness to new perspectives  Awareness of personal biases  Exposure to unfiltered data  A sense of humility

30. Tools for Building a Learning Org… Peter Senge – The 5 th Discipline Fieldbook  Personal Mastery  Individual committed to lifelong learning  Dialogue  Looking at our thoughts from a distance – stepping back outside of ourselves  Shared Vision  What do we want to create? Provides focus and energy  Team Learning  Having a goal in mind and working to attain it.  Systems Thinking  Ability to see the big picture  Going from blaming to owning

31. Dr. Joyce Wycoff, Transformation Thinking “An organization can’t transform itself until it transforms thinking. Thinking within an organization is defined as the mental activity of every member of the organization…all the idea generation, learning and skill development, exchange of information, development of strategic directions, project planning, communication, market research, problem-solving, process improvement and quantum leaps that make up the total intellectual activity of the organization.”

32. The Challenge Why is all this so difficult to do? WE ARE HUMAN!!! FEELINGS RELATIONSHIPS OPINIONS VALUES BELIEFS WORLD VIEW

33. There’s NO Silver Bullet….It’s Hard Work 5 Aspects to Address: 1. Structure Aspect– distinguishing the difference between learning by the organization and learning in the organization. What does the structure need to look like to facilitate success? 2. Culture Aspect – what are the normative beliefs and behaviors that will generate productive learning 3. Psychological Aspect – the extent to which individuals buy into the normative behaviors 4. Policy Aspect – specifies how organizational learning will be facilitated. 5. Contextual Aspect – specifies features of the environment that promote or inhibit organizational learning Lipshitz, Popper and Friedman

34. As an individual ask yourself…  How am I contributing POSITIVELY to the learning environment in my leadership?  How am I contributing NEGATIVELY to the learning environment in my leadership?  Am I leading in a way facilitates a learning culture?  How can I put into action agency processes that support a learning culture?

35. Learning Environment Assessment Harvard Business Learning Organization Assessment