Replying to LO24041 --
Pardon me if this has already been fully addressed, but it occurred to me
that in my direct response to the question posed about resistance to
organizational learning initiatives I neglected what I think is a sine qua
non - that is a hearty combination of participation and ownership.
Top-down imposition by management is water off a duck's back if the
organization and all its members march to a strictly hierarchically
defined, handed-down style of the past. Not only is that structure no
longer necessary, it is dysfunctional and wastes many opportunities for
direct work accomplishment or task completion AND to enjoy the by-products
of more flexible operation and recognition of the value of intangible
assets such as knowledge.
I can't say I know for sure we have a 'new economy'. But I do know the
world has changed, and that change is continuing, significant, pervasive,
and swift. This environment has new demands, and learning is one of
several modus operandi now prerequisite for addressing them most
effectively and for maximizing successful use of resources and
opportunities. In addition to performing the explicit job at hand, we are
talking about secondary benefits derived in the process, including
creation, accumulation, and the ability to use the 'soft capital'
generated.
I admit to addiction to information technology (IT). Percy Barnevik is one
of my heroes. He said "IT changes everything". Well, I insist it is the
USE of IT, but please accept my zeal. He led Asea Brown Boveri to a lean,
responsive organization, with a kernel headquarters staff and the smallest
number of layers I know in an organization of that scale between the
executive and the customer.
If there is resistance to organizational learning my first question would
be 'what is wrong with the organization?' Using that information could be
the best first step towards increased learning.
Regards, Debbie
--Debbie Roth <dr@sprintmail.com>
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