THOUGHTS ON THE LEARNING ORGANIZATION

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THOUGHTS ON THELEARNING ORGANIZATION

• Patrick Sweeney, PhD
• University of Dayton
• April 9, 2001

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Senges Five Disciplines

• Personal Mastery
• Mental Models
• Shared Vision
• Team Learning
• System Thinking

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LO Definitions

• Continually expanding its capacity to create a
  future.
• An ingrained philosophy to anticipate and react.
• A willingness to learn from experiments.
• An ability to take effective action.
• The presence of detection correction.

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Strategic Development Initiative

• Strategic Plan
• What you plan to accomplish by when.
• Organizational Learning Plan
• What you want to learn.
• Assessment Plan
• Defines what is to be measured how.

5
A LO Process

• Acquire New Knowledge
• Focus on Product and Process
• Document Knowledge
• Disseminate Knowledge
• Align Resources with Value-Chain
• Develop Appropriate Skills

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LO Core Competencies

• Scan the Environment
• Respond to Performance Gaps
• Collaboratively Develop Measures of Merit
• Encourage Experimentation
• Support Climate Openness
• Commit to Continuous Education
• Support Operational Variety

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LO Core Competencies (cont.)

• Engage in Participative Management
• Empower Multiple Advocates
• Encourage Systems Perspectives
• THE BOTTOM LINE..
• Knowledge
• Acquisition
• Sharing
• Utilization

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Barriers to LO

• Trustthe essential foundation.
• Resources.lack of , time, people.
• Competence.includes interpersonal skills.
• Attitude.genuine in commitment to learn.
• Culture.entrenched norms, DM processes.
• Role Clarity.authority/responsibility.
• Politics.causes cynicism.
• Data.lack of access.

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LO and Genius Thinking

• Genius and IQ
• What is one-half of 13?

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One-Half of 13

• 6.5
• 1 / 3 and 1 and 3
• Thir teen 4
• (1 3)/2 2
• XI / II 11 and 2
• XIII/2 VIII 8

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LO and Genius Thinking

• Genius and IQ
• What is one-half of 13?
• Productive vs. Reproductive Thinking
• Skewed by past experience

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The 8 Genius Strategies

• Look at problems in many ways.
• Visualize thoughtsdraw
• Producefail,fail,win,fail,win,win,fail
• Novel combinationsfood,purple,steel
• Force relationshipsrepublicans/demos
• Think in oppositesgo against the tide
• Think metephoricallyanalogies
• Prepare for chancestuff happens

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Test Your Genius
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Rows or Columns?

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The LO and ASC/EN

• What is ASC/EN doing in support of being a
  Learning Organization?
• What are the impediments to being a LO?
• What should be done?

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• THE
• END