Lyndon Silloway asked for thoughts re: the quote
"The learning organization is obsolete, yielding only half an answer to
the question of how to best manage knowledge and neglecting to deliver
any value added. What we need are intelligent organizations that
focus on both learning and teaching.
Competitive advantage goes to organizations that reduce the turnaround
time between learning and teaching, and information technologies can
help close that gap."
The quote leads to several questions.
1. What is the author's operational definition of a learning
organization, of learning, and of teaching? Without operational
specificity for these three concepts, it is difficult to have a logical
exploration of the quote.
2. Do people still believe that anybody can teach anyone else anything?
We can create a learning environement and we can facilitate discovery, but
it is rather arrogant to think that we can teach anyone anything.
Teaching assumes that someone has the answer. We all know that no one has
the answer for anyone else because the other person's situation and
capabilities are different than our experience and capabilities.
3. What does the person mean by information technologies? Information
technologies are just that, methods to more quickly distribute
information. They may or may not be knowledge technologies or learning
technologies or point of service decision aiding technologies.
4. What does a competitive advantage look like? How does one logically
connect the definitions in question 1 to whatever the person defines as
competitive advantage?
So, I suggest that the quote per se doesn't contain a whole lot of
information or knowledge that will help us operationally add value for our
customers, but it does trigger us to maybe have a fruitful discussion
about the concepts embedded in it. Such as the current thread on what is
the definition of a learning org?
Later.
-- Willard E. Jule 75272.3452@compuserve.com