Practice #2 of 8 Start with Ripe Issues
Integrating work and learning is the first practice for creating a learning culture in organisations. The main obstacle to doing this is fragmentation and organisational silos.
There is often a sense of powerlessness in organisations that nothing can be done without the support of top management. However, the reality is that if all learning and change depends on top management, little will happen.
Learning is available all of the time. It is not something that has to be brought to the organisation by top management or anyone else. Learning is an inherent property of organisational life.
The question is how can you harness the natural learning capability of your organisation so that it is more available, adaptive, and relevant?
The advice of Theodore Roosevelt is relevant – “do what you can, with what you have from where you are”.
Go to the periphery
What this means to me is that organisational learning is more likely to occur at the periphery of the organisation. This is where ripe localised issues can be addressed using trial and error and experimentation.
Your job as change maker is to ensure that people are trusted to self-organise so that this work can get done. This type of learning is more potent than top down, prescribed and programmatic learning.
Controlled and linear organisational learning may have worked in less turbulent times. A learning culture that is fit-for-purpose in today’s world requires learning to emerge in real time.
Tune into what is happening at the periphery of our organisation. The ripe issues are more likely to emerge there.
Practice #1- Integrate Learning and Working
Read about the Five Disciplines of Learning Organisations
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