In "Alice in Wonderland," the caterpillar, sitting on a mushroom, said to
Alice, "If you don't know where you're going, any road will take you
there." (I believe the attribution of this to the caterpillar is correct,
and although both it, and the author, Lewis Caroll, were fond of smoking
opium, I often think that there's a lot of value lying within this
thought.)
We invest time in exploring the path organizations, and the people within
should take to become better at learning, a goal we all think has value.
The end goal itself is, though, somewhat nebulous. I know there will
never be a fixed point at which one could say, "we have a learning
org...so we can stop whatever it is we're doing."
I know that the LO is a place of becoming, not being...but...
I wonder if anyone would care to do a little exercise in defining what a
learning org should look like, behave like, become like? I think there
might be value in 'fantasizing' about what a 'learning org' would be like.
Depending on what we come up with, this may very well help define a more
defined path that orgs. may profit from taking.
For me, the Learning org. of the future would be peopled with people who
know how to learn, and thus the org. itself would become a learning
entity. I haven't seen a discussion of 'learning' classes, and that in
itself, may be an interesting thread.
Maybe the org of the future would have no 'positions' or titles denoting
hierarchy amongst its employees, nor different salaries...since everyone
is working equally hard at achieving a similar objective (admittedly, this
is a far-distant future!)
Everyone would be 'ok' with being ignorant. Employees would be working in
an environment that truly empowers people to do what they think is
best...based on abilities and motivation.
It would be an evaluative, but non-judgmental environment.
There would be no time clocks, because each employee would, again, do what
he or she thinks is appropriate. God only knows, there might not be any
employees in a building, but linked through the future Internet somehow.
Real cooperation, boundarylessness would exist, and there'd be no vestiges
of position power...just idea/ process power.
Science fiction, I know. Anyone care to pursue the description of where
we're going through this LO discussion?
Back to the real world for me, until I hear otherwise.
Cordially,
Doug
P.S. No, I don't make my living doing this...and I won't give up my day
job!
-- Douglas M. Max Managing Director LR Communication Systems, Inc. http://www.LRcom.com 139 Dogwood Lane Berkeley Heights, NJ 07922-0264 USATraining in business writing and presentation skills. Seminars, distance learning/correspondence programs with personal feedback. Online options. Editing services. Founded in 1969.
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