Replying to LO29393 --
Hi
The responses to this good question will be very helpful.
In the absence of anything better (apparently), I use Kline & Saunders
("Ten Steps to a Learning Organisation"). I am not persuaded that they
have ten STEPS but they do seem to have ten DESCRIPTORS:
ASSESSMENT: Taking an honest reality test about all issues is essential
PROMOTE THE POSITIVE: Taking a problem-solving approach to imperfection
can be learned
SAFE THINKING: Thinking and thinking creatively needs to be learned and
practiced. It is important never to just take an issue as it has been
presented, but to clarify the whole 'action space'. Thinking is
intrinsically linked to effective discussion: this is where the learning
happens. The IQ of a group's culture is said to settle lower than that of
the lowest performer in the group because disagreements tend to be
resolved down. Members of a group need to be allowed to give only
conditional support for group preferences.
RISK TAKING: Management of its own risks is a core responsibility of any
group
PEOPLE AS RESOURCES : This means releasing all the skills and mutual
assistance to be found in a group - using everyone's strengths - finding
others' hidden talents
ADAPTED TO HOW PEOPLE LEARN: Learning is best done in situ and
developmentally. Different people learn in different ways.
MAP THE VISION : A group which continues to learn is a pre-requisite to
there ever being a shared vision, which does not involve group-think
MODEL THE VISION: The shared vision needs to be visualised in operational
mode.
SYSTEMS THINKING : The visualisation of the shared vision in dynamic mode
requires clarification of the key systems at work. Systems Thinking does
this 'systematically' and protects against the 'quick fix'.
GET SHOW ON THE ROAD: After planning, DO - and then CHECK, and then ACT;
and onto planning ..
Jim Marshall
Brisbane, Australia
--- Doug Serrano <dougserrano@yahoo.com> wrote:
> I need help ... are there any good references for
> solid criteria by which
> to determine whether or not an organization is truly
> a "Learning
> Organization"? How do you know if you are in one or
> not?
--=?iso-8859-1?q?Jim=20Marshall?= <marshall_jim@yahoo.com>
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