HJRobles@aol.com wrote:
> Related to the point you are making, I have recently had my assuredness
> slapped right out of its seat -- and have a new found understanding of how
> important it is to both anticipate failure and help employees learn from
> it if it happens -- but not punish.
Oh, Harriet, you have certainly touched a topic that is near and dear to
my heart. When I bring up a new team, I always share with them my
personal values statements. #1 is "I don't trust people who don't
occasionally make mistakes." #2 is: "I expect team members to not make
the same mistake twice." #3 is: I expect that one team member who makes
a mistake will show others on the team how to avoid making it themselves."
There about 15 of these basic things that I discuss up front, and you are
so right that this methodology is not understood, accepted, or appreciated
by most businesses or managers I have known. It scares most of them
silly. The big exception to this rule, for me, has been in information
technology. Everything and everyone is moving so fast, that occasional
mishaps happen to everyone. Sharing and learning about those mishaps in a
group is critical to survival. Becoming a learning organization is as
natural as breathing. At least, that has been my experience.
You are right that punishment is counterproductive. The goal of any
organization, group, team, company....is to achieve its objectives as
quickly, cheaply, painlessly as possible. Nothing is perfect, and an
occasional oooops along the way is bound to happen. If handled the right
way, these moments can be powerful team builders, opportunities for group
learning and growth, and a safety net against making the same mistake
again.
If handled with punishment, individuals in the team go underground with
their mistakes. They do not reveal them and do not share the lessons they
learn. A culture of fear permeates rathen than one of exploration and
accountability for results. I've never had a problem with team members
being afraid to accept responsibility for a mistake in judgement or
problem if they knew they would be treated fairly. The person who lacks
good judgment, is careless, or just plain dumb...and makes mistakes
continually is a different issue. That is called being a misfit and you
move them out of the job they cannot handle.
By the way, in a separate post, Doc had said that we might take our dialog
about organization development offline. I think that organization
development and learning organizations are two concepts that are joined at
the hip. I cannot separate them and would actually love to see more of
this type of talk on our LO list.
Thanks for your comments Harriet, Doc, and others. I continue to learn
from you all.
kind regards,
Vana Prewitt
Praxis Learning Systems
Chapel Hill, NC
--Vana Prewitt <vana@PraxisLearning.org>
Learning-org -- Hosted by Rick Karash <rkarash@karash.com> Public Dialog on Learning Organizations -- <http://www.learning-org.com>