Reg Munro said:
"People in this company get so taken up with the learning organisation
concepts that they lose focus on the "dull" business of producing business
results and rather gather in Learning meetings to share others experiences
with the learning organisation concepts. Has anyone else had a similar
problem? What strategies have proved to be successful in getting the
concepts bedded into (rather than on top of) the business?"
** End of Quotes **
Yes, I have experienced this, but I cannot tell you from my experience how
to deal with it. I can tell you a little of what we are trying. first a
bit of background.
My view is that LO should not be approached as an end in itself. As I
have said elsewhere, the ultimate end is performance, preferably high
performance. Inevitably, in the search for high performance, training is
introduced as a way to enhance traditional performance. That's good.
Then, training is set up as a centralized department within a company.
That's bad. Why? Because it becomes separated from the drivers of the
business. Centralized training becomes engrossed in the "how" of training,
but they don't know enough about the business to integrate the "what". So
they focus on LO among other things, because they don't have the knowledge
to focus on results.
My department is in the very earliest stages of a different approach.
Training will originate with the department head, and will be the
responsibility of every manager. The management will develop currriculum
frameworks, identify tests to demonstrate proficiency, and as managers,
will follow up to ensure lessons of training are integrated into the work.
Material that is too ambiguous to measure qualitatively will be refined
until that is no longer the case.
Execution of the training program will be drastically decentralized, and
teams of 'best practitioners' will lead sessions or groups of sessions.
They will receive training on training and presentation if that proves
necessary.
The training program will be monitored as a top management priority on a
monthly basis. New materials and critique of old materials will be
reviewed. Presenting to learners will be a responsibility of overy
department member. _Being_ a learner will be a responsibility of every
department member.
This should be a living, breathing program. My guess is that as time goes
on, the training will split into a number of major threads, and
practitioners will take over major responsibility for execution and
expansion. It will begin to look more like a web than a linear program.
Furthermore, my guess is that as time goes on, the department may begin to
look like a LO, but that's pure speculation, and that will _not_ be a
measure of succes of the program. Success will be measured by execution
and performance, end of story.
I think it will be interesting to see what happens when management is as
responsible for the training and as involved in the training as they are
the work. I believe it can only be an improvement.
-- Rol Fessenden <76234.3636@compuserve.com>