Well, I have been sitting on the side lines listening to
everyone else introduce themselves. So, here I go.
My name is Mark Rew and I am a computer system analyst with
the National Weather Service. My interest with Learning
Organizations is partly personal and partly because I feel that my
staff and I need to continue to learn and grow just to compete.
The team that I lead is responsible for providing executive
information systems to the entire agency. As most of you know,
information systems today include hardware/software, LANs and wide
area networks, and major interaction with the end clients. In an
organization like NWS it is necessary to support users of
administrative and management systems, and support clients with
very complex scientific systems. The EIS team is required not only
to respond to the needs and request of the clients, but to lead in
identifying appropriate new technology for achieving the mission of
the agency. As an organization we must continue to learn our
profession and industry or not be able to perform the objectives of
the EIS team.
During my career in the ADP feel I have also been involved
with adult training of basic computer skills, tutoring of students,
and the development of training programs for customized
applications. Often the key to making a system succeed in an
organization is how well the members of the organization learn to
operate the system. Of course the designers and developers of a
system must continue to learn and understand how the clients
perform their jobs, and to understand the purpose of the clients
work to create tools that will assist the client to execute their
task more efficiently. WITHOUT ORGANIZATIONAL LEARNING SYSTEM
IMPROVEMENT IS VERY LIMITED.
The LO list is useful to me for ideas on how to encourage a
learning environment in my organization. I hope to share
information and experiences that the rest of you may find useful.
Even if I do not post very often, I find the exchange of comments
enjoyable and interesting.
Mark Rew
Voice: 301-713-0262