HBR on Knowledge MgmtChapters 1-3

Joey DeBono

Carolyn Coolidge

AGENDA

Chapter Introductions • Assumptions

• Overview, details and examples

Questions

HBR Chapters 1-3

The Coming of the New Organization• Peter F. Drucker, Jan 01, 1988

The Knowledge-Creating Company• Ikujiro Nonaka, Nov 01, 1991

Building A Learning Organization• David A. Garvin, Jul 01, 1993

HBR Chapters 1-3

The Coming of the New Organization• Peter F. Drucker, Jan 01, 1988

The Coming of the New OrganizationPeter F. Drucker, Jan 1988

Premise

Identifying organizational trends

The Coming of the New OrganizationPeter F. Drucker, Jan 1988

Assumptions

• Specialization

• Changes in management

• Cross-discipline (-function) task forces (teams)

The Coming of the New OrganizationPeter F. Drucker, Jan 1988

Examples

• Symphony Orchestra

• Hospitals

• British administration in India

Future Steps

• Management issues of Motivation/Reward

• Need for unified vision

• Management structure with Task Force Teams

• Top Management supply, prep, testing

The Coming of the New OrganizationPeter F. Drucker

HBR Chapters 1-3

The Knowledge-Creating Company• Ikujiro Nonaka, Nov 01, 1991

• Uncertainty

Competitive advantage = Knowledge

The Knowledge-Creating CompanyIkujiro Nonaka, Nov 1991

The Knowledge-Creating CompanyIkujiro Nonaka, Nov 1991

Japanese Management Styles

• Tapping tacit insights (soft…)

• Redundancy

The Knowledge-Creating CompanyIkujiro Nonaka, Nov 1991

Japanese Management Styles

• Slogans, metaphors

• Analogies, symbols

HBR Chapters 1-3

Building A Learning Organization

• David A. Garvin,

• Jul 01, 1993

Building a Learning Organization

Definitions

Building a Learning OrganizationDavid A. Garvin, Jul 1993

What is a Learning Organization?

• Peter Senge, the Fifth Discipline

• 5 component technologies

• Systems thinking

• Personal mastery

• Mental models

• Shared vision

• Team learning

Behavior v. Thinking

Building a Learning OrganizationDavid A. Garvin, Jul 1993

What is a Learning Organization?• … an organization skilled at creating, acquiring,

and transferring knowledge, and at modifying its behavior to reflect new knowledge and insights. p51

5 Definitions of Organizational Learning, p77

Building a Learning OrganizationDavid A. Garvin, Jul 1993

Chronologically:

“Organizational learning is a process of detecting and correcting error.” Chris Argyris, 1977.

Building a Learning OrganizationDavid A. Garvin, Jul 1993

“Organizational learning means the process of improving actions through better knowledge and understanding.” C. Marlene Fiol & Margorie A. Lyles, 1985.

Building a Learning OrganizationDavid A. Garvin, Jul 1993

“Organizations are seen as learning by encoding inferences from history into routines that guide behavior.” Barbara Levitt & James G. March, 1988.

Building a Learning OrganizationDavid A. Garvin, Jul 1993

“Organizational learning occurs through shared insights, knowledge and mental models . . . [and] builds on past knowledge and experience—that is, on memory.” Ray Stata, 1989.

Building a Learning OrganizationDavid A. Garvin, Jul 1993

“An entity learns if, through its processing of information, the range of its potential behaviors is changed.” George P. Huber, 1991.

Building a Learning OrganizationDavid A. Garvin, Jul 1993

Suspend disbelief and assume:

• … an organization skilled at creating, acquiring, and transferring knowledge, and at modifying its behavior to reflect new knowledge and insights. p51

Building a Learning OrganizationDavid A. Garvin, Jul 1993

A: In the absence of learning, companies—and individuals—simply

repeat old practices.

change remains cosmetic, and improvements are either fortuitous or short-lived.

Building a Learning OrganizationDavid A. Garvin, Jul 1993

A: Learning Improvement

3 M’s

• Meaning

• Management

• Measurement

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

Building a Learning OrganizationDavid A. Garvin, Jul 1993

A: “if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it [sic].” p70

• Current tools reveal little about sources of learning or the levers of change

Learning Organization Skills

• Systematic Problem-solving

Building a Learning OrganizationDavid A. Garvin, Jul 1993

Learning Organization Skills

• Systematic Problem-solving

• Experimentation (new approaches)

Building a Learning OrganizationDavid A. Garvin, Jul 1993

Learning Organization Skills

• Systematic Problem-solving

• Experimentation (new approaches)

• Learning from past experience

Building a Learning OrganizationDavid A. Garvin, Jul 1993

Learning Organization Skills

• Systematic Problem-solving

• Experimentation (new approaches)

• Learning from past experience

• Learning from best practices (of others)

Building a Learning OrganizationDavid A. Garvin, Jul 1993

Learning Organization Skills

• Systematic Problem-solving

• Experimentation (new approaches)

• Learning from past experience

• Learning from best practices (of others)

• Knowledge transference

Building a Learning OrganizationDavid A. Garvin, Jul 1993

Measurement

How to Build a Learning Organization

• Slowly

• Cultivate cultural attitudes

• Commitment

• Mgmt processes accrued slowly/steadily

Building a Learning OrganizationDavid A. Garvin, Jul 1993

Building a Learning Organization

Measurement

Building a Learning OrganizationDavid A. Garvin, Jul 1993

Assume traditional maxim: “if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.” p70

• Traditional measuring tools: learning curves, manufacturing progress functions

• Incomplete: single-measure of output

• Focused on cost or price

• Ignoring quality, delivery, new product introductions

• Tell little about sources of learning or the levers of change

Building a Learning OrganizationDavid A. Garvin, Jul 1993

New[er] Measure p72

• Half-life cycle• Developed by Analog Devices

• Measures the time it takes to achieve a 50% improvement in a specified performance measure.

• Weakness: focuses solely on results• Unlikely to capture short-run learning

• Systemic changes are long-run, e.g. total quality culture, or new approaches to product develop.

Building a Learning OrganizationDavid A. Garvin, Jul 1993

Measurement

How to Build a Learning Organization

Building a Learning Organization

Building

How to Build a Learning Organization

• Slowly

• Cultivate cultural attitudes

• Trust

• Commitment

• Mgmt processes accrue slowly/steadily

Building a Learning OrganizationDavid A. Garvin, Jul 1993

Building a Learning OrganizationDavid A. Garvin, Jul 1993

An Organization’s Learning Trace p73

• Three over-lapping stages• Cognitive

• Behavioral

• Performance improvement

• Suggested capture tools (surveys, et al.)• e.g., Mystery Shopper

Building a Learning OrganizationDavid A. Garvin, Jul 1993

Foster environment conducive to learning

Open up boundaries

Building a Learning OrganizationDavid A. Garvin, Jul 1993

Create Learning forums

Building a Learning OrganizationDavid A. Garvin, Jul 1993

Shift focus toward a commitment to learning

HBR Chapters 1-3

Questions?