Replying to LO30517 --
Hello Tony and others:
Hope you don't mind me chiming in on this thread. Something Tony said got a rise
out of me. He said:
"Adults are learning too, but are they learning stuff (competencies, behaviors,
routines, values, etc.) that are consistent with the mission of their
organizations?"
The power relationship assumption in this comment is quite clear. It says, 'the
best individual learning is that which is aligned with management's view of what
the mission and purpose of an organization is, or should be.' I disagree with
this.
I would reverse the statement and rephrase it as follows: 'the best mission and
purpose of an organization is that which is aligned with individual learning.'
You see, organizations should be open to their employees' learning and insights,
not just the reverse.
And to cut off, or bound, individual learning by virtue of how well it aligns, or
does not, with management's view of mission and purpose is foolishness. What if
management's view is in error? Don't we want the organization to learn from
employees and not just its managers? Besides, mission and strategy are,
themselves, outcomes of learning, not determinants of it.
Regards,
Mark
Tony DiBella wrote:
> Thanks, Malcolm, for forwarding this exchange.
>
> It's important to distinguish learning as process versus content.
> Learning, as process, is on-going. It is as constant as change itself.
>
> What needs to be distinguished is the content. For example, another way
> to frame Shawna's scenario is either we (substitute if you will managers,
> groups, etc.) are learning to change or we are learning how to prevent
> change.
--"Mark W. McElroy" <mmcelroy@vermontel.net>
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