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Donald Schons Example

y In school classroom learning there is always a drive forinstant action and no time to reflect due to theorganizational system.

y There is only absorbing information dished out from byan expert.

y In an organization manager is the EXPERT.

y Manager must develop the capacity to work incontinuous cycles of pausing to develop hypotheses,acting, and pausing to reflect on the results.

y Schon call it REFLECTION-IN-ACTION

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What do American Managers do?

y They adopt a strategy

yWhen it runs into problems, they switch to anotherstrategy

y Then to another and another

y Possibly to 4 or 6 different strategies, without onceexamining why a strategy seems to be failing

ySenge calls this the READY, FIRE, AIM atmosphereofAmerican Corporations

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Learning Takes TimeyWhen managing mental models, it takes

considerable time to surface assumptions,

examine their consistency, their accuracy,and see how different models can be knittogether into more systemic perspectives

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The Example of Hanovers OBrien

yDoesnt schedule short meetings

yOnly considers complex, dilemma-likedivergent issues. These are the issues that

require the thought and experience of the mostsenior people, in addition to the input of lessexperienced people.

y If top managers are handling 20 problems in aworkday then its a sign that management work

is handled poorly.

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The Example of Hanovers OBrien

y IfI make twelve decisions. I may pick someone toreport directly to me.

y I may set a direction.

y But my job is not consumed with making manydecisions.

y It is consumed with identifying important issues the

organization must address in the future, helpingothers sort through decisions they must make, andthe overarching tasks of organizational design.

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How Organizations operate

y People at the top continually make decisions onissues such as how to run a promotion as opposedto why they need to run promotions at all.

y How to make a sale to a particular customer instead

of inquiring about how their products serve thecustomers' expressed and latent needs in general.

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In the future, Senge suggests

y As the basic learning disciplines start to becomeassimilated into an organization

y Action will still be critical, but incisive action will not be

confused with incessant activityy High-level managers will spend more time reflecting,

modeling and designing learner processes

y Because reflection and inquiry are integral to the

development of valid mental models

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In the future, Senge suggests

y The new learning organization leader as stewardandteacher...

y Asteward of the vision, one who continually tells

andre-tells the organizations purpose story. Thisleader ensures that the environment remains value-based, vision-driven.

y Ateacher whose responsibility is definingreality andfostering learning, while continuallycommitted to unvarnished truth he/she too remainsa learner.

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THANK YOU