My thoughts are based around the measurement of performance, as it applies
to a learning organization. In a large organization that is in a period
of flux, senior managment and systems are being carefully scrutinized to
see if they are truly being effective. This scrutiny is a positive for
the organization as it evaluating where it stands, and how it can
progress. In the past year some programs have been added to the
organization, that are purely training oriented. The last year has not
been a fiscal success, and the idea of training and empowering staff are
under the microscope. Are they a waste of money, did the organizations
problems arise due to supplier problems and a weak consumer economy? If
this is so, how does one measure the effectiveness of a training and
empowerment program without numbers to back up a conclusion.
This may seem a little abstract, and difficult to apply to a discussion
group on LO's. But I am faced with the difficulty, where a lack of
dollars, challenges the notion that employee education, empowerment and
improvement will increase business. Therefore, poor bottom line results
have challenged the notion of learning, or more importantly they challenge
us to regress to old practices. Although the programs must be
re-examined, a method of measurement other than the bottom line, would
support the notion that the ideas are great, the implimentation is wrong.
In a large organization, measuring learning is an extremely difficult
thing. Any thoughts on this.
Chris Speyer
speyerc@cadvision.com
--Chris Speyer <speyerc@cadvision.com>
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>