Building capacity for organizational learning and change mastery
Building capacity for organizational learning and change mastery
We are committed to helping individuals and organizations increase their capacity for learning and for growth amid change and complexity.
At the heart of a robust learning community are individuals who have learned to:
Speak, and listen in new ways that drive action, accountability, and customer satisfaction
Use new tools of systems thinking to design and manage complex initiatives
Work effectively with others in high-performance teams
For almost two decades we have helped individuals and organizations apply systems principles and methods to enhance effectiveness in activities and skill areas such as:
Diagnosing problem work processes
Designing processes for quality and continuous improvement
Using systems thinking and tools for organizational problem-solving
Integrating cultural and structural change projects
Strategic planning
Improving group conversation and decision-making processes
Leadership development through Aikido-based practices of embodied action
At the core of our work lie the disciplines of systems thinking for organizational learning, change, and continuous improvement. Our framework for the use of these disciplines is designed to engage the whole person, not just the intellect. Knowledge is developed throughout the mind and body, and it is defined by the ability to move, speak, and listen in new ways. From this unique foundation we have developed a powerful approach to change management which integrates the dual processes of cultural and structural inquiry, design, and action. A key value driving our work is that of involving stakeholders in the design of processes that will affect their lives. Our experience has convinced us that durable, effective organization change requires a design for whole people within a whole system.
We think of the learning organization as a living, organic process, not a goal to be achieved once and for all. This means there are probably no "certified" learning organizations--who would certify them? No, the learning organization is one that is fluid enough to change itself overnight in order to create and maintain a pathway to the organization's vision. This is accomplished largely through the channeling and development of knowledge among the organization's people.
Within this context, we characterize the learning organization as a community which seeks continuously to develop and mine the knowledge of its individuals in such a way that these individuals work together to conceive, design, and bring forth the community's shared, desired future.
What Benefits Can Come to Learning Organizations?
Creative, proactive decision-making; less firefighting
A clearer picture of the "structures" driving the whole system
Better self-management and autonomy within work teams
More creative, effective problem-solving
A robust, living vision
Enhanced skill in conversation for action and accountability
Increased ability to manage sweeping change initiatives
Development of a shared language for talking about strategy, problems, and change
More rewarding and fun work for people
What Types of Organizations and Industries Have We worked With?
Organizations, public and private, that feel a need to be more creatively strategic benefit from enhancing their capacities to learn. These are organizations whose members are beginning to recognize that knowledge is their most precious asset--the knowledge embodied today and tomorrow in their individuals and teams. Some industries that have turned to systems thinking and organizational learning include:
Technology
Management Consulting
Health Care
Higher Education
Manufacturing
Communications
All tiers of government
Meeting and group process facilitation
Visioning retreats
Establishing core values or principles
Exploring leadership as an inner art, based on principles of aikido and other mindfulness arts
Custom training programs: Systems thinking, Problem-Solving, Process Design
Consultation and skill-based training for purposeful cultural change
Consultation for cultural and structural change management initiatives
We wish to acknowledge key leaders within our field who have helped us clarify our own vision and pathway to it: Peter Senge and his associates have made a tremendous contribution to the conversation about systems thinking, practice, and organizational learning in a way that makes these seem useful to people in organizations. Chris Argyris, Donald Schon, Diana Smith, and Bob Putnam have developed a powerful process for examining and redesigning cultural patterns of values and behavior. This approach, Action Science, is itself a systems discipline for connecting our mental models to our behavior that is highly effective as a foundation for cultural change initiatives. Edgar Schein has contributed a powerful, systematic way of understanding culture and its power within an organization. We also wish to acknowledge the pioneering work of Richard Strozzi Heckler, Tom Crum, Joel and Michelle Levy, and Chris Thorsen and Richard Moon, in bringing through-the-body learning, mindfulness, and aikido practices into organizational training settings. Finally, we acknowledge Stafford Beer, Peter Checkland, Jay Forrester, Ross Ashby, William Powers, and many others from within system science have also contributed mightily to the body of work on which we draw and to which we hope also to contribute.
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Contact: phone 707-762-1460, or email: dooley@well.com
For more about systems thinking and practice click on the "systems" page in the links at the bottom of the menu bar to the left.
© 1995 Adaptive Learning Design