Abstract

In “a simpler way” authors Wheatley and Kellner-Rogers share, “(…) as we look

into the organization, we see multiple selves – messages, goals, and behaviors that tell

conflicting stories. How do we know what is important to the organization? Which

identity should we honor? Which should we ignore?” (1996, p. 59) In the research and

development arena, it is often difficult to discern what is truly real or imagined. In our

company, our work is often classified requiring security clearance. We are often only

shown one “window” of an entire project and we don’t often know what is truly important

not only for the project, but also for the company. I think this lack of information and

knowledge of the entire scope of a project is a grave downfall for our company and I

believe it is leading quickly to corporate demise. Some of the personal identities

unfolding show evidence or signs of selfish private and single agendas created by

individuals as a matter of self-preservation. These are learned values carried over from

mechanistic systems they have experienced in the past. This “corporate baggage”

dictates a constant threat and competitiveness that they nurture out of fear. These

individuals therefore, try to make themselves indispensable to the company as a self-

imagined way of creating the infamous “job security.” Withholding information and

controlling the knowledge base are two examples of what often surfaces as power plays

and a “battle of wills” among leaders and this filters to staff members as well. One of

my colleagues commented one day, “(…) the top dogs will soon begin to devour each

other and then like Humpty-Dumpty, we will all fall down.” He was absolutely right, this

is indeed what happened and the company folded, “reorganized,” filed bankruptcy, and

was reborn with a new identity. “New identity” is a term I use loosely as the
circumstances that led to the demise, did not change – the old corporate ways and

values remained the same. Being able to discern which identity to honor in this

instance and which to ignore was an act of futility, for these evolving roles stifle the

creative flow of the organization and actually hinder “self-organization.” The daily

struggle was the only thing that remained as a constant. Our organization thus suffers

from what the authors refer to as “multiple personality disorder” and they are correct, it

does “confuse us with their incoherence” (Ibid. p. 60). There is no integrity or unity,

only conflict and continuous struggle.

Learning Organizations

Learning enables companies to have a better understanding of how to change in

alignment and evolve customer needs and market dynamics. Rate of change is

constant and needs to be combined with processes of accomplishing work and learning

so both can be done simultaneously. It is necessary to speculate about the future so

you are not caught off guard. Knowledge management shows the largest growth rate

for companies (forty-eight percent); learning organization and system think rate the

second highest growth rate of forty-four percent; employee learning rates at thirty-seven

percent; organizational development interventions at almost twenty percent; and

executive development programs such as mentoring (twenty percent) and coaching

(twenty three percent) reflect how organizations are addressing information and the

need to develop and to expand competencies. The ability to gather, sort, and effectively

analyze information can greatly enhance an organizations competitive advantage by

showing them areas of most concern. Information can be gathered from many sources:
customers, suppliers, and partners. Knowledge must come from the bottom of the

organization, as they are the people who work closely with the sources.

Traditional training, distance learning, and computer learning address the

following trends in learning organizations:

• Knowledge management

• Learning organization and system thinking

• Leadership development

• Creating and leveraging community of practice

• Improving employee ability to learn

• Diversity to enhance learning

• Group reflections

• Scenario planning

The challenge for organizations is to know which tool to use, timing, and how to

use the learning tools together. Characteristics and behaviors of learning organizations

involve organizational design and culture and continuous expansion of their own

capacity to create a future. Core disciplines of a learning organization such as system

thinking, personal mastery, mental models, shared vision, and team learning help

progressive organizations create an environment of innovation that diffuses knowledge

and aligns highest capabilities with the deepest personal and professional aspirations.

Leadership must have a passion for the company mission, the ability to take

risks, the desire to attract risk takers to the mission, and act as both a student as well as

mentor. Leaders must be constant learners who learn from followers, mistakes, and

adversaries. Employee learning is enhanced through the use of innovative technology.

Knowledge management

Knowledge management is a critical factor in gaining the competitive advantage,

increasing profits, and success. Knowledge management requires the systematic

leveraging of information and expertise to improve organizational innovation,

responsiveness, productivity, and competency. The corporate culture must provide

motivation by aligning knowledge management with a reward system, performance

management system, technology, and a clearly defined skill set.

Learning Organization Models and Tools

Many innovative approaches help organizations that recognize the need to learn

and to analyze. Systems thinking is a learning tool that focuses on interactions within a

system and the elements that produce behavior. Personal mastery is an individual

approach to accelerating the pace of success, harnessing the power of decisions, and

commanding the forces of pain and pleasure to compel you to follow through. It is a

way of conditioning your thoughts, feelings, and of changing your behavior permanently.

It addresses goals setting, driving forces, values, and personal balance. Personal

mastery can help individuals achieve a more purposeful life. Shared vision works with

groups, teams, or organizations to close the gap between needs and resources. The

elements of shared vision help individuals and organizations build a quality life through

the development of just, moral, and creative attributes characterized by productivity,

participatory and democratic process, and harmony. Learning teams present both a

challenge and opportunity for individuals and organization to expand or grow their

knowledge base. Critical elements of learning teams include a specifically defined task

or problem, successful team dynamics and interaction, clearly defined roles, mediated
communication, and facilitation. (West) A mental model is a theory of thinking and

reasoning representative of real or imaginary situations.

Summary

Changes taking place spark new and innovative approaches for companies who

desire to maintain their competitive advantage. Some of these changes and

assumptions include:

• Customer centered attitudes; work and the structure of work changes with customer

needs.

• Supply chains form around a single project and are disassembled when the project

ends.

• Manufacturing capacity is bought and sold on an open market as opposed to

traditional manufacturing models in which the plant was owned by an organization.

• Increased diversity.

• Changes in demographics.

With a serious decline in birth rates, aging baby boomers are moving into

leadership positions or retiring. The values of younger generations, rise of ethnic

minorities into leadership positions and elderly people remaining in the workforce as

part time or contract workers, is compelling organizations to rethink their strategic plans.

Companies are faced with new challenges in learning how to cope and manage

change. Employee burnout forces companies to focus on quality of work life to retain

talent. The level of competition due to changes in technologies and globalization force

companies to benchmark in order to identify core competencies and gain the ability to

analyze, utilize, and capitalize on information to create or enhance its competitive

advantage. Organizations are learning how to maximize performance by aligning

organizational dynamics: vision, organization design, culture, compensation, and

strategy. Analytical tools help organizations foster a climate that promotes constant

learning while helping individuals to strengthen interpersonal skills in order to prepare

them to work on teams, network, and to manage conflict with all portions of the value

chain.

Shorter product life cycles means employers must motivate employees to think

outside of the mental model, grant direct access to customers and suppliers, help

employees learn to manage outsourced relationships, and to learn and think

strategically. More than ever, organizations are listening to employees and customers

to make accurate changes.

Leaders are charged with helping individuals understand how they contribute to a

situation and facilitate change appropriately by reflecting and obtaining feedback.

Organizations support continuous change by matching it with a culture of continuous

learning and leaders must model desired behaviors. Organizations invest in knowledge

infrastructures and learning labs to promote knowledge networking.

Competitive advantage lies in increasing knowledge, relationships, and

motivation that distant rivals cannot replicate. Organizations are striving to make the

lives of employees better by fostering a willingness to change and helping employees

develop self-confidence. Companies recognize that the knowledge worker is a human

asset that has mastered a skill set, is able to work in teams, and exhibits enhanced

interpersonal skills allowing them to cope with the gap in values created by changing

demographics.
 Organizational development is a process that drives and embraces the following

ideologies: the customer is integral part of process; quality is checked continuously;

change is a necessary aspect of a successful project; problems are viewed using a

systemic approach; reflection is utilized to enhance learning; knowledge is captured for

future use; and appropriate closure is reached with all stakeholders.

Learning organizations evolve. They are not born of rigid procedures – the

process is not debilitating, it is invigorating and exhilarating and leaders and

management need to recognize this and let it go and let it happen, let it mature in and of

its own accord without trying to master or to control it.

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