A Strategic Framework

Transcript

1. A STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK A CONCEPTUAL MAP TO GUIDE YOUR OWN DECISIONS ABOUT HOW TO PROCEED FROM THE READINGS OF PETER SENGE’S “THE FIFTH DISCIPLINE FIELDBOOK: STRATEGIES AND TOOLS FOR BUILDING A LEARNING ORGANIZATION”
2. IT IS EASIER TO BEGIN INITIATIVES THAN TO BRING ENDURING CHANGES TO FRUITION Early stages, excitement comes easily Opposition develops A few small initial victories establish confidence that more progress is just around the corner Eventually, the initiative is treated with respect: the “enemy outside” begins to espouse all the same goals, objectives, and ideals as those instigating the change At this point, it is easy for people to think that the work is over. In fact, it may be just starting
3. BUT IN TIMES OF “RESPECT,” IT BECOMES MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER TO THINK AND ACT STRATEGICALLY • Thinking strategically starts with reflection on the deepest nature of an undertaking and on the central challenges it poses. • It develops with understanding of focus and timing • Focus means knowing where to place one’s attention • What is truly essential? What is secondary? What cannot be ignored without risking the success of the enterprise? • Timing means having a sense of an unfolding dynamic.
4. ORGANIZATIONS DEVELOP LEARNING CAPABILITIES Although every organizational setting is unique, all organizations develop learning capabilities according to the same generic patterns ??? Some changes are intrinsically long term; they cannot be achieved quickly Others can be started relatively quickly, but only assume lasting importance in concert with slower- occurring changes Some changes can be achieved directly; others occur as by-products of effort focused elsewhere Understanding such issues is the essence of strategic thinking Good strategic thinking brings such dilemmas to the surface, and uses them to catalyze imagination and innovation
5. THE ESSENCE OF “THE LEARNING ORGANIZATION” • The results that are achieved in a great team oTrust oThe relationships oThe acceptance oThe synergy oAnd the results that the team achieved
6. BUT WE OFTEN FORGET THAT GREAT TEAMS RARELY START OFF AS GREAT Usually, they start as a group of individuals It takes time to develop the knowledge of working as a whole, e.g., develop knowledge of walking or riding a bicycle Great teams are learning organizations—groups of people who, over time, enhance their capacity to create what they truly desire to create.
7. DOMAIN OF ENDURING CHANGE THE DEEP LEARNING CYCLE
8. THE DEEP LEARNING CYCLE: CONSTITUTING THE ESSENCE OF A LEARNING ORGANIZATION Looking more closely at the development of such a team, you see that people are changed, often profoundly There is a deep learning cycle The development not just of new capacities, but of fundamental shifts of mind, individually and collectively Team members develop new skills and capabilities which alter what they can do and understand As new capabilities develop, so too do new awarenesses and sensibilities. Over time, as people start to see and experience the world differently, new beliefs and assumptions begin to form, which enables further development of skills and capabilities.
9. THE FIVE BASIC LEARNING DISCIPLINES ARE THE MEANS BY WHICH THIS DEEP LEARNING CYCLE IS ACTIVATED • Sustained commitment to the five learning disciplines keeps the cycle going. When this cycle begins to operate, the resulting changes are significant and enduring
10. NEW SKILLS AND CAPABILITIES We know that a genuine learning cycle is operating when we can do things we couldn’t do before Evidence of new skills and capabilities deepens our confidence that, in fact, real learning is occurring. The skills and capabilities that characterize learning organizations fall into three natural groupings:
11. THE SKILLS AND CAPABILITIES THAT CHARACTERIZE LEARNING ORGANIZATIONS FALL INTO THREE NATURAL GROUPINGS: ASPIRATION REFLECTION AND CONVERSATION CONCEPTUALIZATION
12. ASPIRATION Aspiration: the capacity of individuals, teams, and eventually larger organizations to orient themselves toward what they truly care about, and to change because they want to, not just because they need to. (All of the learning disciplines, but particularly the practice of personal mastery and building shared vision, develop these capabilities.)
13. REFLECTION AND CONVERSATION Reflection and Conversation: the capacity to reflect on deep assumptions and patterns of behavior, both individually and collectively. Developing capabilities for real conversation is not easy. Most of what passes for conversation in contemporary society is more like a Ping-Pong game than true talking and thinking together. Each individual tosses his or her view at the other. Each then responds. Often, we are preparing our response before we have even heard the other person’s view. In effect, we are “taking our shot” before we have even received the other’s ball. “Learningful” conversations require individuals capable of reflecting on their own thinking. (These skills emerge especially strongly in the disciplines of mental models and team learning.)
14. CONVERSATION: GROUND RULES FOR LEARNING TEAMS NEED TO SET UP THEIR OWN GROUND RULES FOR CONVERSATION These may include agreements to tell the truth as each person knows it, bring relevant information immediately to the team, or limit the time each person can speak Teams may decide to clarify how decisions will be made and by whom, and to establish ways to safely check and challenge each other Once the rules are set by consensus, it is important for the team to discuss how it will deal with violations These rules are meant to help the team shape its conversations, not as an end in themselves; and they should never become so dominant that they override the team’s purposes and learning
15. GROUND RULES FOR LEARNING: TEAMS NEED TO SET UP THEIR OWN GROUND RULES FOR CONVERSATION • When results don’t turn out as expected, you and the other team members will need to master the art of forgiveness • Looking for someone to blame may mean abandoning the team’s learning. • Forgiveness means standing with the persons who were leading the experiment at hand, and helping the team discern what forces at play contributed to the unexpected outcomes • Forgiveness also means not holding the mistake as a trump card to be used some time in the future when politics would encourage it
16. CONCEPTUALIZATION Conceptualization: the capacity to see larger systems and forces at play and to construct public, testable ways of expressing these views. What seemed so simple from my individual point of view looks much less so when I see it from others’ points of view. But constructing coherent descriptions of the whole requires conceptualization skills not found in traditional organizations. (Systems thinking is vital for these skills, especially in concert with the reflectiveness and openness fostered by working with mental models.)
17. NEW AWARENESSES AND SENSIBILITIES Over time, as our new skills and capabilities develop, the world we “see” literally shifts* Where we might have leaped immediately to blame someone in the past, we now have an instinctive awareness of the forces compelling them to act as they do. Similarly, with increased awareness of our mental models, we become increasingly aware of the ways in which we continually construct our views of the world For example: Rather than “seeing” a customer as “tough to deal with,” we are more able to hear the exact words she or he said, and recognize how their words trigger our own mental models*
18. NEW AWARENESSES AND SENSIBILITIES • When a group begins to advance in the practice of dialogue, “a new type of listening emerges.” • People begin to “listen to the whole,” hearing not only what individuals say, but deeper patterns of meaning that flow through the group*
19. NEW AWARENESSES AND SENSIBILITIES As we practice the disciplines of personal mastery and shared vision, we become increasingly aware of the presence or absence of spirit in an enterprise We become more and more conscious of when we (and others) are operating based on our vision, versus when we are simply reacting to events When a decision must be made by a team, people see the alternative in light of their vision and sense of purpose; and they often see new alternatives which would not have been visible if their deeper purpose were obscure.
20. NEW ATTITUDES AND BELIEFS GRADUALLY, NEW AWARENESSES ARE ASSIMILATED INTO BASIC SHIFTS IN ATTITUDES AND BELIEFS THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN QUICKLY. BUT, WHEN IT DOES, IT REPRESENTS CHANGE AT THE DEEPEST LEVEL IN AN ORGANIZATION’S CULTURE
21. NEW ATTITUDES AND BELIEFS: DEEP BELIEFS • Deep beliefs are often inconsistent with espoused values in organizations • The organization might espouse an ideal of “empowering” people, but an attitude that “they won’t let us do it” prevails. • Thus, even though espoused values change, the culture of the organization tends to remain the same.
22. NEW ATTITUDES AND BELIEFS: DEEP BELIEFS But deep beliefs and assumptions can change as experience changes, and when this happens culture changes, i.e., our internal “ACSC Cultural Beliefs” The carrier of culture is the story we tell ourselves over and over again As we gradually see and experience the world anew, we start to tell a new story.
23. NEW ATTITUDES AND BELIEFS: DEEP BELIEFS • The set of deep beliefs and assumptions— the story—that develops over time in a learning organization is so different from the traditional hierarchical, authoritarian organizational worldview that it seems to describe a completely different world
24. THE SET OF DEEP BELIEFS AND ASSUMPTIONS: DEVELOPS OVER TIME IN A LEARNING ORGANIZATION The set of deep beliefs and assumptions—the story—that develops over time in a learning organization is so different from the traditional hierarchical, authoritarian organizational worldview that it seems to describe a completely different world. For example, in a world we surrender the belief that a person must be “in control” to be effective We become willing to reveal our uncertainties, to be ignorant, to show incompetence—knowing that these are essential preconditions to learning because they set free our innate capacity for curiosity, wonder, and experimentalism We start to give up our faith in the analytic perspective as the answer to all of life’s problems. Eventually, a deep confidence develops within us We begin to see that we have far greater latitude to shape our future than is commonly believed This is no naive arrogance. It develops in concert with awareness of the inherent uncertainties in life, and the knowledge that no plan, however well thought out, is ever adequate This confidence is based simply on firsthand experience of the power of people living with integrity, openness, commitment, and collective intelligence—when contrasted to traditional organizational cultures based on fragmentation, compromise, defensiveness, and fear
25. THE ARCHITECTURE OF LEARNING ORGANIZATIONS Questions: How do we get started in practicing the learning disciplines? Do we simply need to get together and talk about the book? Or is it a matter of developing the right training programs?” Answers: While the disciplines are vital, they do not in themselves provide much guidance on how to begin the journey of building a learning organization. The deep learning cycle is difficult to initiate. Skills involving fundamental new ways of thinking and interacting take years to master.
26. THE ARCHITECTURE OF LEARNING ORGANIZATIONS • Answers: New sensibilities and perceptions of our world are a by-product of long-term growth and change. Deep beliefs and assumptions are not like light switches that can be turned on and off. • the real work of building learning organizations is the work of the deep learning cycle and it is the province of all who engage in ongoing practice of the learning disciplines. • But it takes place within a “shell,” an architecture—of guiding ideas, innovations in infrastructure, and theory, methods, and tools.
27. THE ARCHITECTURE OF LEARNING ORGANIZATIONS: GUIDING IDEAS • Good ideas drive out bad ideas. “The problem with most companies is that they have no good ideas. Instead, they are driven by ideas like: ‘The name of the game is climbing the corporate ladder,’ or ‘Do whatever it takes to win personally.’ Like a bad ecology, these ideas pollute the organizational climate and become self-reinforcing • “A company is not a machine but a living organism, and, much like an individual, it can have a collective sense of identity and fundamental purpose. • This is the organizational equivalent of self knowledge—a shared understanding of what the company stands for, where it’s going, what kind of world it wants to live in, and, most importantly, how it intends to make that world a reality.”*
28. THE ARCHITECTURE OF LEARNING ORGANIZATIONS: GUIDING IDEAS • Guiding ideas can be developed and articulated deliberately • Guiding ideas for learning organizations start with vision, values, and purpose: what the organization stands for and what its members seek to create.
29. THREE KEY GUIDING IDEAS FOR LEARNING ORGANIZATIONS: THE PRIMACY OF THE WHOLE The primacy of the whole suggests that relationships are, in a genuine sense, more fundamental than things, and that wholes are primordial to parts. We do not have to create interrelatedness. The world is already interrelated. We tend to assume that parts are primary, existing somehow independent of the wholes within which they are constituted. In fact, how we define “parts” is highly subjective, a matter of perspective and purpose There is no intrinsic set of categories, no innate way to define elements that is built into the nature of the “real thing” we are looking at.
30. THREE KEY GUIDING IDEAS FOR LEARNING ORGANIZATIONS: THE COMMUNITY NATURE OF THE SELF • The community nature of the self challenges us to see the interrelatedness that exists in us. Just as we tend to see parts as primordial to wholes, we tend to see the individual as primordial to the community in which the individual is embedded. “There is no such thing as human nature independent of culture,”
31. THREE KEY GUIDING IDEAS FOR LEARNING ORGANIZATIONS: THE GENERATIVE POWER OF LANGUAGE The generative power of language illuminates the subtle interdependency operating whenever we interact with “reality” and implies a radical shift in how we see some of these changes coming about. When we forget the generative power of language, we quickly confuse our maps for the territory. We develop a level of certainty that robs us of the capacity for wonder, that stifles our ability to see new interpretations and new possibilities for action. Such are the roots of belief systems that become rigid, entrenched, and ultimately self- protective. When we forget the contingent nature of our understanding, who we are becomes our beliefs and views. This is why we defend against an attack on our beliefs as if it were against an attack on ourselves. In a very real sense, it is.
32. THE INTEGRITY OF THE ARCHITECTURE: LEADERS INTENT ON DEVELOPING LEARNING ORGANIZATIONS MUST FOCUS ON ALL THREE OF THE ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN ELEMENTS. WITHOUT ALL THREE, THE TRIANGLE COLLAPSES . GUIDING IDEAS THEORY, METHODS, AND TOOLS INNOVATIONS IN INFRASTRUCTURE
33. THE INTEGRITY OF THE ARCHITECTURE: LEADERS INTENT ON DEVELOPING LEARNING ORGANIZATIONS MUST FOCUS ON ALL THREE OF THE ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN ELEMENTS. WITHOUT ALL THREE, THE TRIANGLE COLLAPSES Guiding Ideas: Without guiding ideas, there is no passion, no overarching sense of direction or purpose. People ask, “Why are we doing this?” or “What’s this change in infrastructure all about?” Top management gets fired up about “total quality management,” “reengineering” or some other hot idea. Time and resources are poured into achieving intended changes. But, after a year, with little tangible to show for the effort, something else hot comes along and the effort is abandoned. Ultimately, the organization remains at the whim of circumstance and external conditions. This happens again and again unless people discover that leadership involves articulating transcendent guiding ideas to which they will stay committed.
34. THE INTEGRITY OF THE ARCHITECTURE: LEADERS INTENT ON DEVELOPING LEARNING ORGANIZATIONS MUST FOCUS ON ALL THREE OF THE ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN ELEMENTS. WITHOUT ALL THREE, THE TRIANGLE COLLAPSES. • Theory, Methods, and Tools: Without theory, methods, and tools, people cannot develop the new skills and capabilities required for deeper learning. Efforts at change lack depth and are ultimately seen as superficial. For example, the CEO and managers through the organization may espouse a guiding idea about “openness,” and the importance of surfacing mental models. But if people do not practice regularly with tools like left-hand column cases, conversations polarize when issues get hot. People withhold their genuine views to avoid uncontrollable conflict, trust erodes, and “openness” is seen as a facade of “nice ideas” inconsistent with what actually happens in the organization.