Organizational learning and team effectiveness in enterprise culture

¶ … Management

Organization Learning

The efforts of a collective group of people can often transcend that of an individual; teams have been a functional part of the business culture for over twenty years with the goal of accomplishing just this feat. While "system thinking," "mental models" and "team communication" continue to hold great importance in the synergy of multi-contributor accomplishment, it hasn't proven to be quite enough.

Working teams accumulate an almost infinite amount of experiential knowledge. At the operations level, this accomplishes the ultimate goal: people are dramatically more effective at accomplishing their collective and individual goals and achieve a greater sense of satisfaction in the accomplishment. These teams, however, operate under a much larger canopy - that of the larger collective - the organization.

The enterprise - as a whole - has been largely overlooked when regarding the distinguishing characteristics of the institution. If the ethos of the entity is ignored, the team's resultant efforts and successes are minimized, even absorbed without fanfare. An organization's ethos must incorporate the team's accumulation of knowledge, know-how, and practical results while at the same time, the team must adapt, support, and work within the ethos of the organization. This is the only way the ethos can permeate and enliven the process. This is the new frontier for business paradigm in the 21st century.

When one considers the benefits and outcome of Organizational Learning, one must ask two very important questions: are the team's results demonstrating efficacy with sustained growth and potential and are they enjoying the effort? The first question has been a standard by which business success and paradigm shifts have been measured for many years; the second is one that - if asked at all - has been secondary to production, profit, and organizational growth.

Reflecting on One's Previous Reflection on One's Previous Reflection on One's Previous

Successful organizational learning mandates the action be taken. The symbiosis of reflection on process with demonstrable deliverables is critical to the proper evolution of the Learning Organization.

Unfortunately, as with most other emergent concepts, Organizational Learning principles have been largely affected by misinformation or poor approaches to solid knowledge acquisition. Some believe that the embedded drive to act upon reflection is a hindrance to learning while others believe that reflection of acquired knowledge is little more than "navel lint mining" and has no efficient link to the performance of the organization.

Based on the vertical hierarchy of business, action is the drive underlying achievement and reward measurement. The point of organizational learning is not in reflection, but in learning. Ergo, learning cannot occur if deliberate action is not taken upon what the reflective action has revealed.

The Wheel on the Bus Goes Round and Round

Where does a wheel begin and where does it end? Do you focus on the tread mark you created when you ran over the curb last night? How about beginning with the airflow stem? If you are late to your destination, does it matter if the wheel doesn't turn? What really matters in this analogy?

The matter at issue is that the wheel turns at all, isn't it?

Organizational learning depends on the cycle of attempt, reflection, learning, execution, and returning to the attempt of something new. See diagram 1.1 for a visual example of the infinite circle of value this process creates.

Diagram 1.1 Organizational Learning Loop

Organizational Learning and Practice Theory

The concept of practice theory substantiates the practicality of knowing which approach, tool, application, or system to use at the optimal time for desired results. Using a practice theory model - a process or design that directs a flow of action - readily available, one knows what to do and when to do it. Keep in mind that the theory, like all theories, should be subjected to constant testing, reviewing, refinement, and re-implementation until it is no longer theory.

The Organizational Learning Matrix

Matrices exist to offer a "you are here" point-of-reference, a "what should I do now?" roadmap, and "okay, what comes next" approach to application of information principles. When business information modeling is applied to a matrix, the attributes of the vertical and horizontal axis combine to create unique and often unconsidered results. Following is an outline for the Organizational Learning Matrix explained in this section. Note that the greater the complexity, the broader the terrain becomes for accepting change within the organization.

Vision

Each level of Organizational Level is underscored by the vision driving the effort. A key question to ask at frequent junctures is, "what do we appear to be creating?" Notice that the question is not "what are we creating?" For the end product is often far different from the planned one. This focus supports the powerful effect on the subsequent patterns, system structures, and working models for any project or situation.

Organizational Learning

There are four widely accepted stages of the iterative learning cycle - observation, assessment, development, and execution. All learning bases itself upon seeing what has happened; evaluations are then made upon what is happening; the necessity of a response is then required; execution and demonstration of what is learned is then implemented.

Once these actions are observed, the cycle begins again, hopefully with an attitude of revision, refinement, replacement, and re-implementation until the process is the model desired.

Getting From "Over to Yonder"

When you leap from here ("what are we creating?") to there ("what should we be creating?") without considering the distance, cost, effect, and desired result ("what should we be considering?), the effect is generally one of landing in the patch one is trying to avoid in the first place.

When applying Organizational Learning to a process, the point of origin is as critical as the new destination!

Attempt

Reflect

Learn

Execute