HRD Role in Learning Organizations LO28094

From: Mark W. McElroy (mmcelroy@vermontel.net)
Date: 03/28/02


Replying to LO28067 --

Rick:

Good question. Since organizational learning is a social process, not an
administrative one, it makes all the sense in the world for HRD to be
involved in its cultivation. But OL is a self-organizing process, as
well. You don't manage it; you support, strengthen, and reinforce it --
if you can. How do you do this? By taking a page out of the organic
farming book (another management discipline in which the cultivation of
self-organizing systems is involved).

What do organic farmers do?
 - First, they admit that the system of interest to them grows and unfolds
all by itself. Farmers don't grow plants; plants grow themselves.
 - Organic farmers, however, manage the soil and environmental conditions.
 - Their interventions, however, are guided by what they understand plants
need in order to grow well.

In a social system context, the same principles apply. Managers don't
make organizations learn; organizations learn all by themselves. But what
managers can do is make the conditions for OL more or less suitable for OL
growth. What are the conditions, you ask? Our method, which we call the
'policy synchronization method,' identifies eight (8) of them. They exist
at the level of policies and programs that determine the conditions in
which OL occurs. I won't try to elaborate on them here and now, but folks
interested in this approach can study it closer by examining the following
presentation:

   http://www.macroinnovation.com/images/ReinventingInnovation.pdf

So, my answer to your question is that HRD can have impact on OL by
assuming a position of leadership relative to the management of polcies
and programs that determine the environmental conditions for OL. Hope
that's helpful.

Regards,

Mark

Richard Karash wrote:

>A student asks me:
>
>"But the problem is that I know what a leaninf organistion is and why is
>essential but what i dont know is how exactly HRD would help in developing
>one. As it is, HRD takes care of providing various competencies to people
>but what special role or models it would have so that it can help in the
>same endeavour..."

-- 

"Mark W. McElroy" <mmcelroy@vermontel.net>

Learning-org -- Hosted by Rick Karash <Richard@Karash.com> Public Dialog on Learning Organizations -- <http://www.learning-org.com>


"Learning-org" and the format of our message identifiers (LO1234, etc.) are trademarks of Richard Karash.