>A "Learning Organization" is one in which people at all levels,
>individually and collectively, are continually increasing their
>capacity to produce results they really care about. (GREAT!)
But you then say:
>Are there any examples of Learning Organizations?
>No, the Learning Organization is an ideal, a vision.
Peter Senge in his book says, and according to my experience
he is correct, that musical ensembles are Learning Organizations,
especially chamber ensembles, and I suspect the dancers would
jump on your case about that as well. Dancers who don't "individually
and collectively continually increase their capacity to produce"
results that are artistic and don't REALLY care about them
are out of sync with the ensemble. People who are out of "sync"
miss throws and catches and get dropped literally on their heads.
I suspect the ensemble ice skaters would say the same as well as
all professional team sports.
Senge also asked permission (and I hope got it) to use a sacred
circle or circle of Elders in the beginning of his book. Those of
us who are on the traditional Councils also "at all levels,
individually and collectively, are continually increasing (our)
capacity to produce results (we) really care about." You might
check out the way the Pequots are using their gambling money
to fund almost every city in the state of Conn. in some project
or another. It is traditional to stimulate growth by "giving away"
and it turns out to be good business as well.
And if that wasn't enough I would like to share an experience that
I had yesterday when I went to a student violin recital before a
Cherokee picnic. We had two children performing. The older boy was
performing the Bach double violin concerto (very well, If I may be
forgiven for being proud of our young ones). At the end of the
recital, the teacher looked at the eight students from age six to
thirteen and asked them why they were performing this recital. They
looked at her and one said to learn to FOCUS, the second said to be
COMMITTED, a third said to be BRAVE and the fourth said to be able
to FINISH the year. Obviously Focus, Committment, Courage and a
willingness to complete the lessons of life are not bad things for
children to learn from the ages of six to thirteen. They may not
ultimately become musicians but our Cherokee boy who played the
Bach double concerto, with his teacher playing the second violin
part, will know what it means to collaborate and perform together.
>A "Learning Organization" is one in which people at all levels,
>individually and collectively, are continually increasing their
>capacity to produce results they really care about.
(Richard Karash)
Ray Evans Harrell
mcore@soho.ios.com
--mcore@soho.ios.com (Ray Evans Harrell)
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>