Stories

Tag: action imperatives

  • Nothing that we do can be taught

    Nothing that we do can be taught

    Many people in the organization recognize the need for change, see its value, see their own roles in the process, are willing to adopt new approaches, and possess the competence to move forward with change. “Nothing that we do can be taught”, they say, “so the challenge and the learning need is almost constant”. At the individual level, we strive to consider each task, however mundane, as an opportunity to learn. Continual learning requires cooperation and collaboration with both internal (dialogue and inquiry) and external (connect to external systems) interlocutors.

    It is not “not knowing” that is the problem. It is often the lack of doing – a form of knowing. Meaningful connections are made explicitly based on need, rather than prescription, often to solve the problems at hand. Feedback is the key element in how we continually learn. We use feedback to adjust, acclimate, and adapt.

    We strive to leverage the tension between the learning we do to deliver results (execution) and the learning we do to explore (innovation). We acknowledge that this is difficult, but recognize that it is indispensable in order to keep up with the pace of change and to improve our preparedness for the unknown.

    Photo: Continuous Movement (Matt Otto/flickr.com)

     

  • 7 actions imperatives of learning strategy

    7 actions imperatives of learning strategy

    The learning strategy recasts the evidence-based seven dimensions of learning culture (used to measure learning culture and performance) as action imperatives. In order to improve performance through learning, the organization needs to take specific action to:

    1. Create continuous learning opportunities
    2. Promote inquiry and dialogue
    3. Encourage collaboration and team learning
    4. Empower people toward a collective vision
    5. Connect the organization to its environment
    6. Establish systems to capture and share learning
    7. Provide strategic leadership for learning

    For each action imperative, analysis is grounded in the narrative of individual learning practices reconciled with best practice drawn from the vast research corpus on learning culture and performance. Patterns emerging at the juncture between narrative and evidence may then be formulated as general and specific recommendations, while carefully considering feasibility and risk in the organizational context and environment.

    Photo: Pinwheel tessellation, version 2, reverse, backlit (Eric Gjerde/flickr.com)

  • Learn and change

    Learn and change

    A learning organization is an organization that has an enhanced capacity to learn and change.

    Watkins and Marsick dimensions of a learning organization
    Watkins and Marsick dimensions of a learning organization

     

    Source: Watkins, K.E., Milton, J., Kurz, D., 2009. Diagnosing the learning culture in public health agencies. International Journal of Continuing Education & Lifelong Learning 2.