I have a real interest in hearing from the folks on the list any insights
or war stories about attempts to promote the principles and values of the
learning organization within professional firms. I am especially curious
about work with or within the "Big 8" Management Consulting firms and
Training and Development companies. Recently, I have had the priviledge of
working with a few excellent, highly respected firms but have been
surprised to see that they do not practice internally the very
recemmendations they urgently and, I believe, sincerely, recommend to
their clients. This results in a "shoemaker's children" phenomenon, where
employees within these organizations who have a every right to expect
extraordinary learning and development find themselves out in the cold.
Part of this inconsistency I know comes from the emphasis on revenue
generation. It may be hard for a consulting organization to sit still and
focus on becoming a learning organization when they are driven incessantly
to the numbers. But I am curious about how such organizations can tolerate
the competitive risk that inevitably results from failing to manage their
knowledge effectively. After all, in the consulting world knowledge IS the
business.
Any thoughts?
Thanks!
Jesse Lord
Lifeproject@aol.com
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