I have been a passive scanner who has found much of interest and would
like to share a concept that has proved useful: the gateway
learner/trans-domain master.
The gateway learner evolved from investigating the transmission of
knowledge into the organization. I worked with an individual designated as
the driver for a TQM initiative for the state wide unit of a national
bank. She had attended the designated workshop and had been sent back to
the state to facilitate the strategic initiative in TQM. Operationally,
she had the tools and technical definitions. Conceptually, she was adrift
lacking the level of understanding necessary for conceptually translating
TQM. She discovered this in trying to help the strategic management team.
I worked with her in conceptualizing the components of TQM, the goals of
the bank, and the processes. It appears that organizations will designate
offical translators of knowledge who may understand terms but lack the
conceptual foundation for translation to the strategic and operating
principles of the organization. Thus, relating the "newest" initiative to
the "bottom line" is virtually impossible. It would appear the gateway
learner needs to be trans-domain competent, able to translate concepts
from one domain into another. Is anyone else focusing on the individuals
who may be solo or team designated as the orgs. official learners.
Tom Neil
penguin@atl.mindspring.com
--Tom Neil <penguin@atl.mindspring.com>
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>