Transcript Learning Organisation

Mgg. Org. Change
What is a Learning
Organisation?
Comparing models of organisational
learning and development
Chris Jarvis
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Mgg. Org. Change
What's wrong with the Strategy & Training Model?
Training policy
& programmes
Mission
Staffing plan
Demand for
skills
Skills audit
Data for audit
Performance review
Data to integrate
individual &
organisational needs
Chris Jarvis
Development action
Training, seminars,
delegation, coaching, private
study, day release, learning
company, IIP
Know-how for
competitive advantage
& performance
Skill gaps filled by
recruitment,
redundancies
redeployment
Development
needs
Current
performance
Improved capability,
competence + motivation
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Mgg. Org. Change
Employee development approaches?
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Laissez-faire - little or no training interest/activity
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Training for workforce maintenance: induction, product, SoPs
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Empowerment through know
Supported self-organised learning, L3 & CPD
Management development
Off-the-job vs. on-the-job
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Chris Jarvis
Recognising, valuing & accrediting “competencies” (NVQs)
Systematic staff devel: appraisal, resourcing, coaching & mentoring
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Technical (know-how) training
Central training vs. devolved and out-sourced
ICT supported learning
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Voluntarism and Investors in People
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Learning Company model (abstraction). What is the concrete form?
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Mgg. Org. Change
Investors in People: National voluntarism
accreditation to promote Er-led, quality, effective staff development
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top level, commitment to
develop all employees to
achieve business objectives
 written plan: business goals/targets, how
employees will contribute, assess needs
etc. Identify T&D resources
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regular review of T&D needs
of all staff
 agree T&D needs with each employee.
Link to NVQ if poss. Action: train new
recruits & improve skills of existing staff
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action to train & develop
individuals on recruitment +
throughout employment
 Review investment, competence &
commitment of employees & skills learnt
against business plan + at all levels
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evaluate T&D to assess
achievement & improve
future effectiveness
 T&D effectiveness reviewed by top level è
renewed commitment & targets
Why do it?
Chris Jarvis
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Mgg. Org. Change
What is a Learning Organisation?
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"The essence of organisational
learning is the organisation's ability to
use the amazing mental capacity of
all its members to create the kind of
processes that will improve its own"
Nancy Dixon, 1994
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"Organisations where people
continually expand their capacity to
create the results they truly desire,
where new and expansive patterns of
thinking are nurtured, where collective
aspiration is set free, and where
people are continually learning to
learn together"
• an abstraction
• pundits’ concepts
• introduced into imperative
language
• Contingency view
responsiveness to forces &
environment developments
otherwise we atrophy & die
• supply-chain learning
• be excellent, bright &
successful
Senge P. 1990 The Fifth Discipline: The art and
practice of the learning organization, Century
Business/Doubleday.
Chris Jarvis
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Mgg. Org. Change
Rowden on Learning Organisation
“a model of strategic change in which everyone is
engaged in identifying and solving problems so that
the organisation is continuously changing,
experimenting and improving, thus increasing its
capacity to grow and achieve its purpose.”
Rowden R.W. 2001, The Learning Organisation & Strategic Change, S.A.M.
Advanced Management Journal, Summer 2001, Vol 66, Issue 3 pg 117p
Chris Jarvis
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Mgg. Org. Change
Organisation Development - definitions
Ralph Stacey 1993 – Strategic
Management
"….a long-term programme of
interventions in the social,
psychological and cultural belief
systems of an organisation.
These interventions are based
on certain principles& practices
which are assumed to lead to
greater organisational
effectiveness"
Soft versus Hard?
Chris Jarvis
Richard Beckhard – Sloan School of Mgt
1969
an approach to bring about…..
 planned change (a
programme) using
behavioural science
knowledge.
 organisation-wide, managed
from the top
 increase organisational
effectiveness through …..
planned, systematic
interventions in the
organisation's behavioural
processes
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Mgg. Org. Change
Kolb Experiential Learning Cycle
A model for
personal awareness
& development
Concrete
Experience
(Activist)
Active
Experimentation
(Pragmatist)
LEARNING
CYCLE
Abstract
Conceptualisation
(Theorist)
Chris Jarvis
Reflective
Observation
(Reflector)
D Kolb, Rubin & McIntyre
Organisational Psychology, Addison Wesley
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Mgg. Org. Change
LO systems, mechanisms and processes
Learning organisations are those that
• have systems, mechanisms & processes in place,
• are used to continually enhance their capabilities and those
who work with it or for it, to achieve sustainable objectives for themselves and the communities in which they participate.
What systems, mechanisms and processes?
Requires
•Trust, consistency, attitude of inquiry
•High levels of communication
•Concern for interdependencies & interrelationships
Chris Jarvis
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Mgg. Org. Change
M. Pedler al: The Learning Company - 11 characteristics
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Adopt a learning approach to strategy
Participative policy making
Informating (Information Systems)
Formative accounting – valuing, self-responsibility,
appraisal, targeting, resourcing and review
Internal exchange (client-server relationships)
Reward flexibility
Roles and flexible, matrix structures
Boundary workers as intelligence agents
Company-to-company learning
Learning climate
Self-development opportunities for all
http://sol.brunel.ac.uk/bola/culture/learnco.html
Chris Jarvis
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Mgg. Org. Change
Pedler stresses that
the model is
• a simplification, symbolic rather than concrete, not
complete or rigid, not sequential
• So what is it then
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a paradigm of discourse?
A state of being?
starts with strategy, ends with creation of learning
opportunities & bubbling.
Flowery, metaphorical talk of ecological flows, energies, life
forces & balances
"vertical & horizontal loop energy flows providing
linkages between individual & collective
activity/change + dynamics between vision & action".
Chris Jarvis
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Mgg. Org. Change
Peter Senge’s Five Disciplines
Systems
Thinking
Personal
Mastery
Team
Learning
Mental
Models
Shared
Vision
Chris Jarvis
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Mgg. Org. Change
Five Disciplines - expanded
Systems thinking
• mind shift & understanding change processes.
• ‘feedback’ to reinforce/counteract action.
• recognise recurring structures
• remove root causes/problems
Personal Mastery
• personal competence and vision
• developing patience to look at reality objectively
Mental Models
• changing ingrained assumptions about influencing factors.
Shared Vision
• use instincts, intuition by sharing personal vision
• pictures of the future
Team Learning
• dialogue, discussion, group relationships
• accelerate org. learning thru. Synergy 2+2=5
Chris Jarvis
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Mgg. Org. Change
Reality and Problems? Personal Mastery
Making It Work
• Managers must
• redefine their job
• provide the right conditions for
employees to be proactive
• Generating a sense of purpose
How can this be
“operationalised”?
Evidence of it
happening well?
The Tricky Part
• Resistance to PM due to
difficulty in quantifying results
• Ideas behind PM have been
heard before
• People forced to develop PM
- may do more harm than
good
Chris Jarvis
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Mgg. Org. Change
Reality and Problems? Mental Models
Making It Work
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Skills learnt must be
• put into regular practice
• continually challenged
Strong role of manager to
integrate mental modelling
and systems-thinking skills
How can this be
“operationalised”?
Evidence of it
happening well?
The Tricky Part
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Chris Jarvis
Managers not always very skilled
in implementing new ideas
People find it difficult to challenge
assumptions they believe to be
“the case”
Some people act in routinised
ways when they are at work
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Mgg. Org. Change
Reality and Problems? Shared Vision
Making It Work
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the focus and energy for
learning
put together by many not a
few
better when considered
intrinsically at the
organisational level.
Chris Jarvis
How can this be
“operationalised”?
Evidence of it
happening well?
The Tricky Part
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Compliance not commitment
Extrinsic visions are usually
personally held and are defensive
Vision is usually top-down - do not
have as good an affect as they
should.
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Mgg. Org. Change
Reality and Problems? Team Learning
Making It Work
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Everyone must pull in the
same direction
Teams must master the art
of dialogue and discussion
Conflict can still appear in
good team learning
BUT essentially a unitary
frame of reference
How can this be
“operationalised”?
Evidence of it
happening well?
The Tricky Part
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Chris Jarvis
practice, and consistency, no
quick fixes
boredom sets in
open minded with one’s own
views and the views of others
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Mgg. Org. Change
Reality and Problems? Systems Thinking
Making It Work
Management must
• understand concepts
to put into place
• look at the whole
picture, not “snap
shots in time”
• provide the right
workplace conditions
How can this be
“operationalised”?
Evidence of it
happening well?
The Tricky Part
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Chris Jarvis
People find it hard to see the
whole pattern of change
takes time to see newly
initiated ideas work
easier to learn at an early
stage rather than uncouple
tangled messes
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Mgg. Org. Change
Inhibitors to Becoming a Learning Organisation
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Chris Jarvis
Operational / “Fire-fighting”
Short term fixes rather than long-term solutions
How to focus on embedded systems and processes
Reluctance to train (or invest in training)
Too many hidden personal agendas
Tension between top-down order and bottom up anarchy
Management exasperation?
The knee-jerk reaction to Theory Y failure?
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Mgg. Org. Change
Hot air, recursive polemic?
The LO characteristics become
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an energetic, normative, persuasive device for those wishing to
manage change.
a professional "change agents'" model? Independent of the
context or analysis of change processes?
prescriptions - commitments to flexible, self-managing,
incremental, experimental, participative activities ?
ethically correct, personal values model?
How well does down-sizing and asset stripping fit in?
Chris Jarvis
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Mgg. Org. Change
Training
“Training by its nature
pre-specifies outcomes.”
“A planned process to modify attitude, knowledge, or skill
behaviour through learning experience to achieve effective
performance in an activity or range of activities. Its purpose,
in the work situation, is to develop the abilities of the
individual and to satisfy the current future”
Manpower Services Commission, 1981
Chris Jarvis
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Mgg. Org. Change
London Borough of Dickens
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Achieved IiP status early 2001
Appraisals
Programme of Training Courses
Dept-wide Training Initiatives
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Modern Apprenticeship, NVQs
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Valuing Diversity
Let’s Talk, Talk Back
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Still creaky, bureaucratic
Training budget agreed
1/3 held back for mgt
development training!
Mgt visibility - MbWA - not
obvious!
How would you research the
evidence for L.B. Dickens being
a learning organisation?
Chris Jarvis
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Mgg. Org. Change
Training Courses - LB of Dickens
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1 – 5 days e.g.
• Corporate induction
• Health & Safety; Intro. to customer care; Managing absence
• Recruitment & selection; Leadership for Team Coordinators
• Staff appraisal & recruitment skills & equal opportunities
• Using Windows XP
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Chris Jarvis
Often external trainer - out-sourced. Problems of on-the-job follow-up &
integration into job performance
Longer then a week e.g.
• Two weeks Database Developer
• Day-release for Postgrad (MBA/MSc)
• Professional training e.g. ACCA, CIMA, RICS
• Diploma in Social Work
• NVQ’s and Modern Apprenticeship
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Mgg. Org. Change
LB of Dickens: Action on Internal training
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Chris Jarvis
Corporate training at LBD put higher on agenda
Corporate aims adopted at dept level.
focus on ensuring that staff attend certain compulsory
courses.
Non-compliance means staff will be unable to undertake
key elements of work which may cause serious effects on
department operations.
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Mgg. Org. Change
LO and Transformational Leadership?
Assertion:
• Managers and senior executives who are
successful leaders will not only respond to
change positively but also actively create change.
Characteristics:
• Leaders with a particular drive, a desire to bring
order out of chaos, or, if something is too cosy, to
create chaos in order to bring change.
• projecting a particular ethos and culture
• powerful vision of where their companies or their
societies are heading.
Chris Jarvis
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Mgg. Org. Change
Transformational leadership theory
 fresh thinking?
 transformational leader
creates conditions for
followers to want to achieve
results and to fulfil
themselves.
 bridges small group studies
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& leadership by ’movers &
shakers’ who transform
organisations
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Chris Jarvis
Context? late-20thC national &
global pol-econ. change
Contributors: Downton
(1973), Burns (1978), Bass
(1985), Bennis & Nanus
(1985), Tichy & Devanna
(1986)
Bass surveyed 70 execs
"In your careers, who
transformed you in Burns'
terms (raised awareness, move
up Maslow hierarchy …. to
transcend self-interest).
Answer: usually an
organisational superior.
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Mgg. Org. Change
From Laissez faire to Transactional
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Chris Jarvis
Laissez-faire not really leaders at all, avoid intervention, weak follow
up, passivity, potential for confusion
Transactional leaders
• Management by exception
Passive: set standards/objectives, wait for, react to, reluctant
intervention. Status quo
Active: standards/objectives, monitor, correct, look for error,
enforce rules/procedures. Low initiative and risk-taking
Constructive transactions, contingent rewards
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agree standards/objectives, feedback, rewards for achievement.
outcome: performance that meets expectations.
simplified in One-Minute Manager (Blanchard & Johnson 1982)
Airport business library
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Mgg. Org. Change
Transactional leadership in perspective
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Mixed evidence - it may be desirable, even necessary.
Contingent rewards underpin PRP
laissez-faire & transactional in directive, consultative,
participative & delegative styles
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Chris Jarvis
Directive: 'These are the rules and this is how you've
broken them'.
Participative: 'Let's work out together the rules to
identify mistakes'
Weaknesses
• Carrot/stick rewards, emphasis on plans, targets,
systems, controls
• management > leadership
Assertion: fails to develop, motivate, bring to full potential
(Bass)
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Mgg. Org. Change
Transformational leader (Bass’s four 'I's)
promotes
• follower desire for achievement & self-development.
• teams, esprit de corps, autonomy, synergy, belief,
value
Four 'I's.
• lndividualised consideration (IC)
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Chris Jarvis
Intellectual stimulation (IS)
Inspirational motivation (IM)
ldealised influence (charisma) (II)
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Mgg. Org. Change
Individualised consideration & Intellectual stimulation
IC
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identifying individuals' needs & abilities,
opportunities to learn, delegating, coaching and
giving developmental feedback. Spend time with
individuals e.g. mentoring.
IS
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Chris Jarvis
question status quo, encourage imagination,
creativity, logical thinking and intuition.
unorthodoxy in character, symbolise innovation.
compare UK motorcycles & Swiss watch market
to Sony
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Mgg. Org. Change
Inspirational motivation & ldealised influence
Inspirational motivation
• clear vision, problems as
opportunities, language & symbols
• I had a dream …...
• Ask not what America can do
for you. Ask what you can do..
• go the extra mile. Iacocca at
Chrysler.
ldealised influence
• Confident in communicating a
virtuous vision
• the buck stops here'. Purpose,
persistence, trust, accomplishment
over failure. Respected for
personal ability
Chris Jarvis
Leadership .. the priceless
gift you earn from those who
work for you. I have to earn
the right to that gift, and
continuously re-earn (it).
John Harvey-Jones (ICI)
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Gandhi, Luther King,
Thatcher, Blair
Hitler, Jim Jones
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Mgg. Org. Change
Bass's model
II
effective
IM
 Learn TL!!
 Avolio-Bass training
IS
IC
package
CR
MbEx-A
passive
active
MbEx-P
Laissez
Faire
ineffective
Chris Jarvis
Encouraging TL will
project confidence, commitment
& competence
attract quality staff to the mission
& challenge
develop people more fully to
respond better to competition &
change
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Mgg. Org. Change
Motorola's six-Sigma programme.
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Chris Jarvis
Transformational leadership application
• defect-free parts within six standard
deviations
• concepts, symbols and vision for
world-class quality
• IS, IM, IC in promoting awareness,
responsibility and self-monitoring
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Mgg. Org. Change
Is transformational leadership cross-cultural?
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‘exporting participative management or Theory Y
from the USA to authoritarian cultures is like
'preaching Jeffersonian democracy to managers
who believe in the divine right of kings'.
Haire, Ghiselli and Porter 1966
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Leadership - a universal phenomenon?
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Chris Jarvis
context and culture influences
Bass presents evidence from studies in Italy, Sweden,
Canada, New Zealand, India, Japan and Singapore
suggests that the notion needs only fine-tuning across
cultures
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Mgg. Org. Change
Examination Questions
“Training is obviously necessary and Development is
fashionable”
Discuss.
“It is glib to talk of a learning organisation. The concept
is gloss and elusive. Demonstrating it in action is more
difficult . Almost anything could be presented to say
that a L-organisation exists and operates yet many
could also present instances to refute the proposition.”
Discuss.
Chris Jarvis
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