Mgg. Org.

Change

What is a Learning
Organisation?
Comparing models of organisational
learning and development

Mgg. Org. Change

What's wrong with the Strategy & Training Model?

Training policy
& programmes

Mission
Staffing plan

Demand for
skills

Skills audit

Data for audit

Performance review
Data to integrate
individual &
organisational needs

Development action
Training, seminars,
delegation, coaching, private
study, day release, learning
company, IIP

Know-how for
competitive advantage
& performance
Skill gaps filled by
recruitment,
redundancies
redeployment
Development
needs
Current
performance
Improved capability,
competence + motivation

Mgg. Org. Change

Employee development approaches?

Laissez-faire - little or no training interest/activity

Training for workforce maintenance: induction, product, SoPs

Recognising, valuing & accrediting competencies (NVQs)

Systematic staff devel: appraisal, resourcing, coaching & mentoring

Technical (know-how) training

Empowerment through know

Supported self-organised learning, L3 & CPD

Management development
Off-the-job vs. on-the-job

Central training vs. devolved and out-sourced

ICT supported learning

Voluntarism and Investors in People

Learning Company model (abstraction). What is the concrete form?

Mgg. Org. Change

Investors in People: National voluntarism

accreditation to promote Er-led, quality, effective staff development

top level, commitment to

develop all employees to
achieve business objectives

written plan: business goals/targets, how

employees will contribute, assess needs
etc. Identify T&D resources

regular review of T&D needs

of all staff

agree T&D needs with each employee.

Link to NVQ if poss. Action: train new
recruits & improve skills of existing staff

action to train & develop

individuals on recruitment +
throughout employment
evaluate T&D to assess
achievement & improve
future effectiveness

Review investment, competence &

commitment of employees & skills learnt
against business plan + at all levels
T&D effectiveness reviewed by top level
renewed commitment & targets

Why do it?
4

Mgg. Org. Change

What is a Learning Organisation?

"The essence of organisational learning

is the organisation's ability to use the
amazing mental capacity of all its
members to create the kind of processes
that will improve its own" Nancy Dixon,
1994

"Organisations where people continually

expand their capacity to create the
results they truly desire, where new and
expansive patterns of thinking are
nurtured, where collective aspiration is
set free, and where people are
continually learning to learn together"
Senge P. 1990 The Fifth Discipline: The art and practice
of the learning organization, Century
Business/Doubleday.

anabstraction
abstraction
an
punditsconcepts
concepts
pundits
introducedinto
intoimperative
imperative
introduced
language
language
Contingencyview
view
Contingency

responsiveness totoforces
forces&&
responsiveness
environment developments
developments
environment
otherwisewe
weatrophy
atrophy&&die
die
otherwise

supply-chainlearning
learning
supply-chain
be excellent, bright &

be excellent, bright &

successfull
successfu

Mgg. Org. Change

Rowden on Learning Organisation

a model of strategic change in which everyone is

engaged in identifying and solving problems so that
the organisation is continuously changing,
experimenting and improving, thus increasing its
capacity to grow and achieve its purpose.
Rowden R.W. 2001, The Learning Organisation & Strategic Change, S.A.M.
Advanced Management Journal, Summer 2001, Vol 66, Issue 3 pg 117p

Mgg. Org. Change

Organisation Development - definitions

Ralph Stacey 1993 Strategic

Management

".a long-term programme of

interventions in the social,
psychological and cultural belief
systems of an organisation.
These interventions are based
on certain principles& practices
which are assumed to lead to
greater organisational
effectiveness"
Soft versus Hard?

Richard Beckhard Sloan School of Mgt

1969

an approach to bring about..

planned change (a
programme) using
behavioural science
knowledge.
organisation-wide, managed
from the top
increase organisational
effectiveness through ..
planned, systematic
interventions in the
organisation's behavioural
processes
7

Mgg. Org. Change

Kolb Experiential Learning Cycle

A model for
personal awareness
& development

Concrete
Experience
(Activist)

Active
Experimentation
(Pragmatist)

LEARNING
CYCLE

Abstract
Conceptualisation
(Theorist)

Reflective
Observation
(Reflector)

D Kolb, Rubin & McIntyre

Organisational Psychology, Addison Wesley

Mgg. Org. Change

LO systems, mechanisms and processes

Learning organisations are those that

have systems, mechanisms & processes in place,

are used to continually enhance their capabilities and those

who work with it or for it, to achieve sustainable objectives for themselves and the communities in which they participate.

What systems, mechanisms and processes?

Requires
Requires
Trust,consistency,
consistency,attitude
attitudeof
ofinquiry
inquiry
Trust,
Highlevels
levelsof
ofcommunication
communication
High
Concernfor
forinterdependencies
interdependencies&&interrelationships
interrelationships
Concern
9

Mgg. Org. Change

M. Pedler al: The Learning Company - 11 characteristics

Adopt a learning approach to strategy

Participative policy making
Informating (Information Systems)
Formative accounting valuing, self-responsibility,
appraisal, targeting, resourcing and review
Internal exchange (client-server relationships)
Reward flexibility
Roles and flexible, matrix structures
Boundary workers as intelligence agents
Company-to-company learning
Learning climate
Self-development opportunities for all
http://sol.brunel.ac.uk/bola/culture/learnco.html
10

Mgg. Org. Change

Pedler stresses that

the model is
a simplification, symbolic rather than concrete, not
complete or rigid, not sequential
So what is it then

a paradigm of discourse?
A state of being?

starts with strategy, ends with creation of learning

opportunities & bubbling.
Flowery, metaphorical talk of ecological flows, energies, life
forces & balances
"vertical & horizontal loop energy flows providing
linkages between individual & collective
activity/change + dynamics between vision & action".
11

Mgg. Org. Change

Peter Senges Five Disciplines

Systems
Thinking

Personal
Mastery

Team
Learning

Mental
Models
Shared
Vision
12

Mgg. Org. Change

Five Disciplines - expanded

Systems thinking
mind shift & understanding change processes.
feedback to reinforce/counteract action.
recognise recurring structures
remove root causes/problems
Personal Mastery
personal competence and vision
developing patience to look at reality objectively
Mental Models
changing ingrained assumptions about influencing factors.
Shared Vision
use instincts, intuition by sharing personal vision
pictures of the future
Team Learning
dialogue, discussion, group relationships
accelerate org. learning thru. Synergy 2+2=5

13

Mgg. Org. Change

Reality and Problems? Personal Mastery

Making It Work
Managers must
redefine their job
provide the right conditions for
employees to be proactive
Generating a sense of purpose

How can this be

operationalised?
Evidence of it
happening well?

The
TheTricky
TrickyPart
Part
Resistance
Resistanceto
toPM
PMdue
dueto
to
difficulty
difficultyininquantifying
quantifyingresults
results
Ideas
Ideasbehind
behindPM
PMhave
havebeen
been
heard
heardbefore
before
People
Peopleforced
forcedto
todevelop
developPM
PM
--may
maydo
domore
moreharm
harmthan
than
good
good
14

Mgg. Org. Change

Reality and Problems? Mental Models

Making It Work

Skills learnt must be

put into regular practice
continually challenged
Strong role of manager to
integrate mental modelling
and systems-thinking skills

How can this be

operationalised?
Evidence of it
happening well?
The
TheTricky
TrickyPart
Part

Managers
Managersnot
notalways
alwaysvery
veryskilled
skilled
ininimplementing
implementingnew
newideas
ideas
People
Peoplefind
findititdifficult
difficultto
tochallenge
challenge
assumptions
assumptionsthey
theybelieve
believeto
tobe
be
the
thecase
case
Some
Somepeople
peopleact
actininroutinised
routinised
ways
wayswhen
whenthey
theyare
areat
atwork
work
15

Mgg. Org. Change

Reality and Problems? Shared Vision

Making It Work

the focus and energy for

learning
put together by many not a
few
better when considered
intrinsically at the
organisational level.

The
TheTricky
TrickyPart
Part

How can this be

operationalised?
Evidence of it
happening well?

Compliance
Compliancenot
notcommitment
commitment
Extrinsic
Extrinsicvisions
visionsare
areusually
usually
personally
personallyheld
heldand
andare
aredefensive
defensive
Vision
Visionisisusually
usuallytop-down
top-down--do
donot
not
have
haveas
asgood
goodan
anaffect
affectas
asthey
they
should.
should.
16

Mgg. Org. Change

Reality and Problems? Team Learning

Making It Work
Everyone must pull in the
same direction
Teams must master the art
of dialogue and discussion
Conflict can still appear in
good team learning
BUT essentially a unitary
frame of reference

How can this be

operationalised?
Evidence of it
happening well?
The
TheTricky
TrickyPart
Part

practice,
practice,and
andconsistency,
consistency,no
no
quick
quickfixes
fixes
boredom
boredomsets
setsinin
open
openminded
mindedwith
withones
onesown
own
views
viewsand
andthe
theviews
viewsof
ofothers
others
17

Mgg. Org. Change

Reality and Problems? Systems Thinking

Making It Work
Management must
understand concepts
to put into place
look at the whole
picture, not snap
shots in time
provide the right
workplace conditions

The
TheTricky
TrickyPart
Part

How can this be

operationalised?
Evidence of it
happening well?

People
Peoplefind
finditithard
hardto
tosee
seethe
the
whole
wholepattern
patternof
ofchange
change
takes
takestime
timeto
tosee
seenewly
newly
initiated
initiatedideas
ideaswork
work
easier
easierto
tolearn
learnat
atan
anearly
early
stage
stagerather
ratherthan
thanuncouple
uncouple
tangled
tangledmesses
messes
18

Mgg. Org. Change

Inhibitors to Becoming a Learning Organisation

Operational / Fire-fighting
Short term fixes rather than long-term solutions
How to focus on embedded systems and processes
Reluctance to train (or invest in training)
Too many hidden personal agendas
Tension between top-down order and bottom up anarchy
Management exasperation?
The knee-jerk reaction to Theory Y failure?

19

Mgg. Org. Change

Hot air, recursive polemic?

The LO characteristics become

an energetic, normative, persuasive device for those wishing to

manage change.
a professional "change agents'" model? Independent of the
context or analysis of change processes?
prescriptions - commitments to flexible, self-managing,
incremental, experimental, participative activities ?
ethically correct, personal values model?

Howwelldoesdownsizingandassetstrippingfitin?
20

Mgg. Org. Change

Training

Training by its nature

pre-specifies outcomes.

A planned process to modify attitude, knowledge, or skill

behaviour through learning experience to achieve effective
performance in an activity or range of activities. Its purpose,
in the work situation, is to develop the abilities of the
individual and to satisfy the current future
Manpower Services Commission, 1981

21

Mgg. Org. Change

London Borough of Dickens

Achieved IiP status early 2001

Appraisals
Programme of Training Courses
Dept-wide Training Initiatives

Modern Apprenticeship, NVQs

Valuing Diversity
Lets Talk, Talk Back

Stillcreaky,
creaky,bureaucratic
bureaucratic
Still
Trainingbudget
budgetagreed
agreed
Training
1/3held
heldback
backfor
formgt
mgt
1/3
developmenttraining!
training!
development
Mgtvisibility
visibility--MbWA
MbWA--not
not
Mgt
obvious!
obvious!

How would you research the

evidence for L.B. Dickens being
a learning organisation?
22

Mgg. Org. Change

Training Courses - LB of Dickens

1 5 days e.g.
Corporate induction
Health & Safety; Intro. to customer care; Managing absence
Recruitment & selection; Leadership for Team Coordinators
Staff appraisal & recruitment skills & equal opportunities
Using Windows XP

Often external trainer - out-sourced. Problems of on-the-job follow-up &

integration into job performance

Longer then a week e.g.

Two weeks Database Developer
Day-release for Postgrad (MBA/MSc)
Professional training e.g. ACCA, CIMA, RICS
Diploma in Social Work
NVQs and Modern Apprenticeship
23

Mgg. Org. Change

LB of Dickens: Action on Internal training

Corporate training at LBD put higher on agenda

Corporate aims adopted at dept level.
focus on ensuring that staff attend certain compulsory
courses.
Non-compliance means staff will be unable to undertake
key elements of work which may cause serious effects on
department operations.

24

Mgg. Org. Change

LO and Transformational Leadership?

Assertion:
Managers and senior executives who are
successful leaders will not only respond to
change positively but also actively create change.
Characteristics:
Leaders with a particular drive, a desire to bring
order out of chaos, or, if something is too cosy, to
create chaos in order to bring change.
projecting a particular ethos and culture
powerful vision of where their companies or their
societies are heading.
25

Mgg. Org. Change

Transformational leadership theory

fresh thinking?
leader
transformational
creates conditions for
followers to want to achieve
results and to fulfil
themselves.

small group studies

bridges
& leadership by movers &
shakers who transform
organisations

Context? late-20thC national &

global pol-econ. change
Contributors: Downton (1973),
Burns (1978), Bass (1985),
Bennis & Nanus (1985), Tichy
& Devanna (1986)
Bass surveyed 70 execs
"In your careers, who
transformed you in Burns'
terms (raised awareness, move
up Maslow hierarchy . to
transcend self-interest).
Answer: usually an
organisational superior.

26

Mgg. Org. Change

From Laissez faire to Transactional

Laissez-faire not really leaders at all, avoid intervention, weak follow

up, passivity, potential for confusion
Transactional leaders
Management by exception
Passive: set standards/objectives, wait for, react to, reluctant
intervention. Status quo
Active: standards/objectives, monitor, correct, look for error,
enforce rules/procedures. Low initiative and risk-taking

Constructive transactions, contingent rewards

agree standards/objectives, feedback, rewards for achievement.

outcome: performance that meets expectations.
simplified in One-Minute Manager (Blanchard & Johnson 1982)
Airport business library

27

Mgg. Org. Change

Transactional leadership in perspective

Mixed evidence - it may be desirable, even necessary.

Contingent rewards underpin PRP
laissez-faire & transactional in directive, consultative,
participative & delegative styles

Directive: 'These are the rules and this is how you've

broken them'.
Participative: 'Let's work out together the rules to identify
mistakes'

Weaknesses
Carrot/stick rewards, emphasis on plans, targets, systems,
controls
management > leadership
Assertion: fails to develop, motivate, bring to full potential
(Bass)
28

Mgg. Org. Change

Transformational leader (Basss four 'I's)

promotes
follower desire for achievement & self-development.
teams, esprit de corps, autonomy, synergy, belief,
value
Four 'I's.

lndividualised consideration (IC)

Intellectual stimulation (IS)
Inspirational motivation (IM)
ldealised influence (charisma) (II)
29

Mgg. Org. Change

Individualised consideration & Intellectual stimulation

IC

IS

identifying individuals' needs & abilities,

opportunities to learn, delegating, coaching and
giving developmental feedback. Spend time with
individuals e.g. mentoring.
question status quo, encourage imagination,
creativity, logical thinking and intuition.
unorthodoxy in character, symbolise innovation.
compare UK motorcycles & Swiss watch market
to Sony

30

Mgg. Org. Change

Inspirational motivation & ldealised influence

Inspirational motivation
clear vision, problems as
opportunities, language & symbols
I had a dream ...
Ask not what America can do
for you. Ask what you can do..
go the extra mile. Iacocca at
Chrysler.
ldealised influence
Confident in communicating a
virtuous vision
the buck stops here'. Purpose,
persistence, trust, accomplishment
over failure. Respected for
personal ability

.. the priceless
giftLeadership
you earn from those who
work for you. I have to earn
the right to that gift, and
continuously re-earn (it).

John Harvey-Jones (ICI)

Gandhi, Luther King,

Thatcher, Blair
Hitler, Jim Jones

31

Mgg. Org. Change

Bass's model

IIII

effective

Learn TL!!
training
Avolio-Bass
package
passive

IM
IM
IS
IS

IC
IC
CR
CR
MbEx-A
MbEx-A

MbEx-P
MbEx-P

Laissez
Laissez
Faire
Faire
ineffective

active
Encouraging TL will
project confidence, commitment
& competence
attract quality staff to the mission
& challenge
develop people more fully to
respond better to competition &
change

32

Mgg. Org. Change

Motorola's six-Sigma programme.

Transformational leadership application

defect-free parts within six standard
deviations
concepts, symbols and vision for
world-class quality
IS, IM, IC in promoting awareness,
responsibility and self-monitoring

33

Mgg. Org. Change

Is transformational leadership cross-cultural?

exporting participative management or Theory Y from

the USA to authoritarian cultures is like 'preaching
Jeffersonian democracy to managers who believe in
the divine right of kings'.

Haire, Ghiselli and Porter 1966

Leadership - a universal phenomenon?

context and culture influences

Bass presents evidence from studies in Italy, Sweden,
Canada, New Zealand, India, Japan and Singapore
suggests that the notion needs only fine-tuning across
cultures
34

Mgg. Org. Change

Examination Questions

Training is obviously necessary and Development is

fashionable
Discuss.
It is glib to talk of a learning organisation. The concept
is gloss and elusive. Demonstrating it in action is more
difficult . Almost anything could be presented to say
that a L-organisation exists and operates yet many
could also present instances to refute the proposition.
Discuss.
35