I was asked:
>[snipped] ... which is why I thought I would email you to see
>what your thoughts are on the phrase below. It is the lead up to my next
>MBA assignment. From my perspective, Senge's " The Fifth Discipline"
>focuses on what is a learning organisation and not much is said about how
>to implement his disciplines into an organisation for continuous
>improvement.
>
>I would very much appreciate any information, ideas and opinions you may
>have.
>
>How do you apply the principles that constitute a learning organisation to
>develop a culture of continual improvement. Can you please define your
>recommendations, time frames, the problems you anticipated and your actions
>to overcome them, and the solutions you formulated form an organisation you
>are familiar with.
Of course you know that you are asking a huge question. The action plan
depends on the circumstances, and developing a real action plan is a
significant consulting job.
I think the key point is that the org learning approach begins with
development of capacities in the people and in the organization. That is,
it's not a simple recipe where results are based on WHAT you do.
Instead, the results depend heavily on HOW WELL you do things.
A consistent theme of work in this field is to start by developing
capacities and productive orientations.
Secondly, the work begins individually... Once people in the organization
have a clear image of the results they want to create in their lives, the
organizational questions are simpler.
For more from Senge et al, see the (red) Fieldbook or _The Dance of
Change_.
Hope this helps.
-=- Rick
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