Dear Graham
Learning organisations are the subject of a wide range of serious research
studies - especially in the US and Canada. In Canada, Michael Fullan is
applying the idea to educational institutions. Others like Peter Senge have
made no bones about the fact that so many large corporations are not very
good at being learning organisations. A quote from a CEO of Hewlett Packard
encapsulates it perfectly. He tried to introduce a number of reforms only
to be faced by obfuscation, excuses and inertia. He was frustrated at the
range of skills in the organisation but how poorly those skills were
utilised to the benefit of the corporation and the stakeholders. The quote
is: 'If only we knew what we know at HP'.
I would argue that leading and coping with change is one of the biggest
challenges most large organisations face and an organisation that can not
only learn but also have the capacity to unlearn (working outside the box
might be the US phrase) are the ones that will succeed and survive in a
knowledge driven economy.
Senge's ideas are an interesting topic for students to discuss in relation
to the management and leadership of human resources (see:
http://www.infed.org/thinkers/senge.htm) and Fullan's insights in education
ring chilling bells for anyone who has sat through a staff meeting or an
attempt to try and introduce some change into a school environment!
Regards
Andrew
--On 02 February 2006 19:20 +0200 Duncan Williamson
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> here
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Andrew Ashwin
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Institute for Learning and Research Technology
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