How Organizations Learn: The Normative Perspective

1. How Organizations Learn: The Normative Perspective MPA 8002 The Structure and Theory of Human Organization Richard M. Jacobs, OSA, Ph.D.

2. Organizational life is not conducive to learning … …barriers to learning exist within the organization due to the fundamental, conflicting ways in which individuals have been trained

3. The concept... • facilitating factors …the structures and actions that provide learning in any organizational setting which collectively determine the organization’s learning potential Facilitating factors (FFs) promote learning in any organizational setting. The more that each FF is present in an organizational setting, the greater the opportunity present for learning. Collectively, the FFs represent the organization’s current potential for learning.

4. Represents a normative perspective… • organizational learning only transpires under a unique sent of conditions …presumes that the learning organization reflects an ideal form and that organizations moving toward that ideal form are increasing their chances for achieving organizational goals …unless the right conditions are present, organizations face what may be insurmountable barriers to learning

5. the learning organization, as a particular type of organization, is characterized by a specific set of internal conditions―norms―which represent the best practices through which knowledge is acquired, disseminated, or used

6. a learning organization does not arise by accident or happenstance but is built upon the strategic choices of managers/leaders • developing a learning organization requires management/leadership that seeks to enhance its employees’ competences, corporate culture, and formal structures in accordance with the normative conditions

7. the challenge for management/leadership is to creates a sense of urgency and vision and provides a clear path for intervention which results in learning

8. The thirteen facilitating factors… • scanning imperative • operational variety • performance gap • multiple advocates • concern for measurement • involved leadership • systems perspective • organizational curiosity • learning confidence • shared vision • climate of openness • learning enjoyment • continuous education

9. The thirteen facilitating factors defined... • Scanning imperative: to scan the environment as a basic process to increase awareness of the need for learning • Performance gap: the shared awareness among organizational members that there is a difference between the organization’s desired and actual performance

10. Concern for measurement: extended consideration of measurement issues is a crucial component of learning, affording a concrete way to get all participants’ mental models out in the open • Organizational curiosity: to view the structuring of work at all stages of the value chain as today’s “experiment” or “experience gathering” as opposed to “the one best way” to promote learning rather than to retard it

11. Climate of openness: learning is a function of daily, unplanned interactions among people where informal contacts allow people to pursue interesting relationships on their own • Continuous education: work settings support learning of all kinds, ranging from on-the-job and apprenticeship experiences to company-supported individual initiatives to seek out knowledge and to improve skills

12. Operational variety: to support variation in strategy, planning, process, structure, and personnel so as to be able to adapt as unforeseen problems arise • Multiple advocates: respected people at lower levels can be influential advocates (“champions”) because they operate not form a position of formal authority but because they possess the authority of knowledge

13. Involved leadership: leaders who are early developers and students of organizational knowledge who engage in hands-on implementation of the vision, including being visible in the bowels of the organization as a model for the learning effort • Systems perspective: the ability to think in terms of the synergy of whole systems and the interdependence of the parts

14. Learning confidence: a lag variable representing historical precedent indicating that learning in the past makes learning in the present increasingly possible • Shared vision: a qualitative measure of team learning which occurs because members share values or vision

15. Learning enjoyment: celebrating the learning achievements and creating an atmosphere where humor and fun are part of the process of acquiring new knowledge

16. Scanning ImperativeApproach: Myopia/Scouting… • to scan the environment as a basic process to increase awareness of the need for learning • myopia: the focus is solely upon what the organization does • scouting: the focus is upon environmental scanning to envision alternative ways to enhance performance

17. Scanning Imperative Challenge... • Ask: What does the organizational need to know and to learn? …scanning the environment to sense development problems or opportunities, to stimulate and direct knowledge acquisition, and to respond proactively

18. Performance GapApproach: Managerial feedback/incremental improvement… • the shared awareness among organizational members that there is a difference between the organization’s desired and actual performance • managerial feedback: the analysis of performance shortfalls which can inhibit learning • incremental improvement: the abiding interest into analyzing how better to achieve desired outcomes

19. Performance Gap Challenge... • Ask: What does the organizational shortfalls? …awareness of a performance gap opens the door to organizational learning as this awareness stimulates the need to generate new knowledge or to “unlearn” unproductive behaviors or processes

20. Concern for MeasurementApproach: Monitoring and control/incremental improvement… • extended consideration of measurement issues is a crucial component of learning, affording a concrete way to get all participants’ mental models out in the open • monitoring and control: the analysis of performance shortfalls which can inhibit learning • incremental improvement: the abiding interest into analyzing how better to achieve desired outcomes

21. Concern for Measurement Challenge... • Ask: What don’t people want to consider? …approaching a problem with an open mind concerning what needs to be measured and the use of metric development can provide a powerful learning experience

22. Organizational CuriosityApproach: Validation/Experimentation… • to view the structuring of work at all stages of the value chain as today’s “experiment” or “experience gathering” as opposed to “the one best way” to promote learning rather than to retard it • validation: interest is focused upon the “one best way” • experimentation: a learning laboratory allows for pilot programs and “small failures” that promote learning

23. Organizational Curiosity Challenge... • Ask: What don’t I want to tamper with? …to adopt a plan for small, evolutionary experiments that promote learning rather than to contemplate revolutionary efforts that promise failure

24. Climate of OpennessApproach: Formal/Informal... • learning is a function of daily, unplanned interactions among people where informal contacts allow people to pursue interesting relationships on their own • formal: hierarchical relationships and networks set perimeters for knowledge acquisition • informal: knowledge is acquired through interactions defined by interests and needs

25. Climate of Openness Challenge... • Ask: Who possesses knowledge I need? …to allow freedom within which people can express their views so that information boundaries are permeable and organizational members can observe, participate, debate, and disagree

26. Continuous EducationApproach: Formal/Informal… • work settings support learning of all kinds, ranging from on-the-job and apprenticeship experiences to company-supported individual initiatives to seek out knowledge and to improve skills • formal: the organization prescribes the learning • informal: people take responsibility for their learning

27. Continuous Education Challenge... • Ask: What needs to be learned? …to provide schemes in which people select their developmental experiences, seek out learning opportunities within and without the organization, and take personal responsibility in general for their own continuous learning and, then, demonstrate it applicability for the organization

28. Operational VarietyApproach: One Best Way/Many Best Ways… • to support variation in strategy, planning, process, structure, and personnel so as to be able to adapt as unforeseen problems arise • one best way: organization punishes variation in strategy, policy, etc. • many best ways: organization supports variations by providing opportunities for people to understand the implications and consequences of different ways to achieve shared goals

29. Operational Variety Challenge... • Ask: How might we work to achieve our goals? …to develop multiple role models and provide multiple opportunities for people to understand examine the multiple implications and consequences of different ways of working

30. Multiple AdvocatesApproach: Power/Knowledge… • respected people at lower levels can be influential advocates (“champions”) because they operate not form a position of formal authority but because they possess the authority of knowledge • power: a small number of advocates and gatekeepers promote a narrow agenda • knowledge: a large number of advocates and gatekeepers promote several agendas

31. Multiple Advocates Challenge... • Ask: Who possesses critical knowledge and skills? …to promote “project champions” who contribute new ideas and introduce new knowledge into the organizational system and who influence others regarding the value of the new ideas and knowledge

32. Involved LeadershipApproach: Hands Off/Hands On… • leaders who are early developers and students of organizational knowledge who engage in hands-on implementation of the vision, including being visible in the bowels of the organization as a model for the learning effort • hands off: mandate learning • hands on: a model and stimulus for learning

33. Involved Leadership Challenge... • Ask: Who sees me learning and where? …to stimulate learning by benchmarking against exemplars, providing coaches, developing critical self-awareness, involving others in small-scale studies, and participating in programs with those supervised

34. Systems PerspectiveApproach: Individual Parts/Synergy of the Whole… • the ability to think in terms of the synergy of whole systems and the interdependence of the parts • individual parts: focusing upon idiosyncratic processes, structures, and dispersed actions • synergy of the whole: thinking in terms of the organization as a system and the interdependence of parts

35. Systems Perspective Challenge... • Ask: How does everything work together? …to enhance cognitive complexity in people so that they envision better synergies and develop their competencies across a broad array of organizational activities

36. Learning ConfidenceApproach: Fearful/Eager… • a lag variable representing historical precedent indicating that learning in the past makes learning in the present increasingly possible • fearful: challenging taken-for-granted beliefs, assumptions, and values is punished • eager: thinking in critical terms about the the organization is rewarded

37. Shared VisionApproach: Conformity/Commitment… • a qualitative measure of team learning which occurs because members share values or vision • conformity: acceptance is without question and with little time, feeling, or focus devoted to its implementation • commitment: people believe in the organizational vision and devote their time, feeling, and focus to its implementation

38. Shared Vision Challenge... • Ask: Are people enthusiastic about why we do what we do? …to “drive” the vision and its values throughout the organization so that decisions can be made at the lowest level possible in the organizational hierarchy as people relate what they do to why we do it

39. Learning EnjoymentApproach: Participates/Embodies… • celebrating the learning achievements and creating an atmosphere where humor and fun are part of the process of acquiring new knowledge • participates: involvement is purely functional based upon contractual requirements • embodies: involvement is a substantive response to one’s belief and faith in the organization and its members

40. Learning Enjoyment Challenge... • Ask: Do people believe in themselves and one another? …to promote an organizational culture where people can be authentic with one another in their formal and informal networks and relationships

41. The 13 FFs and building organizational learning capacity… • the 13 FFs represent the critical factors indicating the degree to which organizational learning actually takes place… …because the FFs are normative, it would be ideal for an organization to exhibit as many of these FFs as is possible

42. management/leadership must now formulate a learning portfolio and learning strategy to develop the organization’s learning capacity

43. This module has focused on... facilitating factors …the structures and actions that provide learning in any organizational setting which collectively determine the organization’s learning potential

44. The next module will focus on... The capability perspective ...the processes by which managers/leaders foster the development of those behaviors which build an organizational culture characterized by learning